Lord Campbell, in his _Lives of the Chancellors_, relates, in connection
with Queen Elizabeth's Lord Keeper Ellesmere, a very common story, of
which I am surprised he did not at once discern the falsehood. It is
that of a widow, who having a sum of money entrusted to her by three
men, which she was on no account to return except to the joint demand of
the three, is afterwards artfully persuaded by one of them to give it up
to him. Being afterwards sued by the other two, she is successfully
defended by a young lawyer, who puts in the plea that she is not bound
to give up the money at the demand of _only_ two of the parties. In this
case this ingenious gentleman is the future chancellor. The story is
told of the Attorney-General Noy, and of an Italian advocate, in the
notes to Rogers' _Italy_. It is likewise the subject of one of the
smaller tales in Lane's _Arabian Nights_; but here I must remark, that
the Eastern version is decidedly more ingenious than the later ones,
inasmuch as it exculpates the keeper of the deposit from the "laches" of
which in the other cases she was decidedly guilty. Three men enter a
bath, and entrust their bag of money to the keeper with the usual
conditions. While bathing, one feigns to go to ask for a comb (if I
remember right), but in reality demands the money. The keeper properly
refuses, when he calls out to his companions within, "He won't give it
me." They unwittingly respond, "Give it him," and he accordingly walks
off with the money. I think your readers will agree with me that the
tale has suffered considerably in its progress westward.
My object in troubling you with this, is to ask {133} whether any of
your subscribers can furnish me with any other versions of this popular
story, either Oriental or otherwise.