A certain man had a monkey and that man was a thief, who never entered
any of the street-markets of the city wherein he dwelt, but he made off
with great profit. Now it came to pass one day that he saw a man
offering for sale worn clothes, and he went calling them in the market,
but none bid for them and all to whom he showed them refused to buy of
him. Presently the thief who had the monkey saw the man with the
ragged clothes set them in a wrapper and sit down to rest for
weariness; so he made the ape sport before him to catch his eye and,
whilst he was busy gazing at it, stole the parcel from him. Then he
took the ape and made off to a lonely place, where he opened the
wrapper and, taking out the old clothes, folded them in a piece of
costly stuff. This he carried to another bazar and exposed for sale
together with what was therein, making it a condition that it should
not be opened, and tempting the folk with the lowness of the price he
set on it. A certain man saw the wrapper and its beauty pleased him;
so he bought the parcel on these terms and carried it home, doubting
not that he had done well. When his wife saw it she asked, "What is
this?" and he answered, "It is costly stuff, which I have bought at
lowest price, meaning to sell it again and take the profit." Rejoined
she, "O dupe, would this stuff be sold under its value, unless it had
been stolen? Dost thou not know that whoso buyeth aught without
examining it, falleth into error and becometh like unto the weaver?"
Quoth he, "And what is the story of the weaver?"; and quoth she:—I have
heard this take of