HOW THE SULTAN BEING IN NEED OF MONEY, SOUGHT TO FIND OCCASION TO
PROCEED AGAINST A JEW
The Sultan, being in need of money, was advised to proceed against a
rich Jew, who lived in his country, and to try to take away his
substance from him.
The Sultan sent for this Jew and asked him what was the best religion,
thinking he will say surely the Jewish faith, when I will tell him that
he sins against mine. And if he says the Saracen, I will ask him why he
is a Jew.
The Jew, hearing the question, replied: Sire, there was a father who
had three sons, and he had a ring with a precious stone, one of the
finest in the world. Each of the sons begged this father that he should
leave him this ring at his death. The father, seeing that each of them
desired it, sent for a good jeweller and said to him: master, make me
two rings just like this one, and set in each of them a stone
resembling this one. The jeweller made the rings so that no one knew
the real gem apart save the father. He sent for his sons one by one,
and to each he gave a ring in secret, and each believed he had the true
ring, and no one knew the truth save the father. And so I tell you of
the faiths which are three. God above knows best of all, and his sons
who are ourselves each of us thinks he has the true one.
Then the Sultan hearing the man get out of the difficulty in this
manner, did not know how to entrap him, and let him go [132].