One night a great mosque in Egypt, having caught
fire, was burnt. The Musulmans suspected that
Christians had committed the act, and in revenge
put fire to their houses, which consumed them. The
Sultán of Egypt had the persons captured who burnt
these houses, and having assembled them in one spot,
ordered notes to be distributed among them, on some
of which a sentence of death to the bearer was
written, on some to cut off his hands, and on some
to whip him. These notes having been thrown to the
culprits and been picked up by them, each of them
underwent the punishment which had fallen to his lot.
One, to whom the sentence of death had been awarded,
said: "I do not fear to be killed, but I have a
mother, of whom no one will take care except myself."
Near him stood a man who was to be punished by
whippings but they exchanged their notes, the latter
saying: "I have no mother, let me be killed instead
of him, and him be whipped instead of me," and this
was done.