A rich man, tired of his wealth, refuses to distribute it among the poor. Goes out of town, finds a poor man sitting in the dust, clad in rags, and offers his money because he believes him to have given up every hope of this world. The poor man hearing the reason refuses to take it. God is merciful, forsakes no one; only the dead have no hope. Rich man decides to bury his wealth with the dead. After a time he gets poor, remembers the money in the cemetery and goes to dig it up. He is caught by the guardians and brought before the governor, who is no one else but that poor man. He was of noble family and had

— i6o —

been elected to that post. He recognises the rich man, who is accused of stripping the dead, who however, does not recognise the governor. The prisoner tells his story; the governor makes himself known, lets him recover his wealth and teaches him the lesson: No one should despair.