Therewithal Noureddin’s life was troubled; so he arose and donned his clothes, and his host said, “Whither away this night, O my lord?” Quoth Noureddin, “I mean to go to my lodging, and to-morrow I will betake myself to the palace of the Commander of the Faithful and demand my slave-girl.”  “Sleep till the morning,” said the other, “and go not forth at the like of this hour.”  But he answered, “Needs must I go;” and the host said to him, “[Go] in the safeguard of God.”  So Noureddin went forth, and drunkenness had got the mastery of him, wherefore he threw himself down on [a bench before one of] the shops.  Now the watch were at that hour making their round and they smelt the sweet scent [of essences] and wine that exhaled from him; so they made for it and found the youth lying on the bench, without sense or motion.  They poured water upon him, and he awoke, whereupon they carried him to the house of the Chief of the Police and he questioned him of his affair.  “O my lord,” answered Noureddin, “I am a stranger in this town and have been with one of my friends.  So I came forth from his house and drunkenness overcame me.”

The prefect bade carry him to his lodging; but one of those in attendance upon him, by name El Muradi, said to him, “What wilt thou do?  This man is clad in rich clothes and on his finger is a ring of gold, the beazel whereof is a ruby of great price; so we will carry him away and slay him and take that which is upon him of raiment [and what not else] and bring it to thee; for that thou wilt not [often] see profit the like thereof, more by token that this fellow is a stranger and there is none to enquire concerning him.”  Quoth the prefect, “This fellow is a thief and that which he saith is leasing.”  And Noureddin said, “God forbid that I should be a thief!” But the prefect answered, “Thou liest.”  So they stripped him of his clothes and taking the ring from his finger, beat him grievously, what while he cried out for succour, but none succoured him, and besought protection, but none protected him.  Then said he to them, “O folk, ye are quit of[FN#12] that which ye have taken from me; but now restore me to my lodging.”  But they answered, saying, “Leave this knavery, O cheat!  Thine intent is to sue us for thy clothes on the morrow.”  “By Allah, the One, the Eternal,” exclaimed he, “I will not sue any for them!” But they said, “We can nowise do this.”  And the prefect bade them carry him to the Tigris and there slay him and cast him into the river.

So they dragged him away, what while he wept and spoke the words which whoso saith shall nowise be confounded, to wit, “There is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, the Sublime!” When they came to the Tigris, one of them drew the sword upon him and El Muradi said to the swordbearer, “Smite off his head.”  But one of them, Ahmed by name, said, “O folk, deal gently with this poor wretch and slay him not unjustly and wickedly, for I stand in fear of God the Most High, lest He burn