[Another variant.]
A great scholar, who spent his time studying with his pupils, got a son in his old age. He kept him in the house, never allowing him to go out but gave him more and more of his time. The pupils became jealous of the young boy and one day they took him out of his father’s house and showed him the world of which he knew nothing. On his return, he reproached his father who henceforth went out with him and showed him everything. The students used to go to a distant country to trade for a month every year, and with the profit they made they used to live for the remaining n months. They persuaded the young man to go with them. The father gave him 1000 dinars, and no sooner had they reached the foreign country, than they left him. He wandered about in search of his companions. A merchant took him in and the next morning he saw a great commotion in the market-place. The rabbi had died and the sultan would not allow the burial unless the Jews paid him a debt of 1000 dinars. The young man went to the sultan, found favour in his eyes, paid the money and obtained permission to bury the rabbi. The father was greatly satisfied. Next year, again urged by his father’s pupils, the young man asked for 10,000 dinars. They left him again and again the merchant took him. The next morning, he bought by auction for 10,000 dinars a Spanish
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ship captured by the sultan’s ships. It was sold as it stood, no one knowing whether anything was in it. He found it quite empty when suddently he heard a voice crying. A panel opened and he found a small room and in it a young beautiful girl. She told him that she was the daughter of the king of Spain. War had broken out and not knowing what would be the outcome of it she had manned the ship with provisions and had hidden there. Now she was a prisoner. She also told him that she had taken a large amount of jewels and precious stones hidden in wine bottles some of them filled with wine. The people jeered at him, thinking the ship was empty but he hired sailors and returned home. His father came on board and learnt what had happened and was advised to tell the governor that the son had gone mad and spent 10,000 dinars on an empty ship and bottles of wine, and in order to cover his madness, to ask permission to carry the bottles home secretly in the dead of night which he did. Thus no one knew of the great treasures. The princess married him and they had two sons. She was very clever and made some tapestry and embroidery, unknown in that country. A merchant took advantage of the young man’s ignorance of the value of the tapestry, bought them and sold them in distant lands. Some reached Spain and the king saw and recognised in them the work of his daughter, found out where they had come from and disguising himself, came to that country. There he paid a higher price for them than the merchant, won the confidence of the young man and invited himself to his house. One day he sent the young man out, made himself known to his daughter and forced her to flee with him and her children to Spain. The young man in despair went to the harbour and found there a boat with two men in it. They promised to take him to Spain and to help him on condition that afterwards they would share everything equally. He consented and was quickly transported to Spain. Outside the town where the king’s palace was there was a large heap of refuse as big as a hill. Advised by the boatmen, the young men bought
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the refuse heap to the great surprise of the king. On the morrow a huge palace with magnificent gardens stood in its place. The people wondered, went there to see it, and the princess heard of it and also went there after having obtained permission from her father who had kept her locked up in the palace. She recognised her husband and promised to flee with him. After 30 days she was able to bring her two children and a large amount of treasure. The boatmen waited for them and then carried them swiftly home. In the morning the people found that the palace and gardens had disappeared and the refuse heap was again there. When they approached the port, the two boatmen asked the young man to divide the spoils according to arrangement. He was to take one, either the treasure, or the wife or children; the other two belonged to them. He willingly gave up the treasure, but neither wife nor children.
When they saw his despair, they comforted him and told him that he could keep all; they had only put him to the test and would take nothing, for one of the boatmen was the dead rabbi whom he had ransomed from the Sultan and brought to honourable burial and the other, his companion, was none other than the prophet Elijah who had been allowed by God to accompany him and reward him for his pious deeds. It was he who had built the palace and then made it disappear again. Henceforth, the young man his wife and children all lived happily together.
441a. A man carrying a jug of milk heard a snake crying. It was thirsty. The man gave it to drink and the snake promised him a treasure. After it had drunk it showed him a spot under a stone where the man found a great treasure. Then the snake coiled itself round his neck and wanted to kill him, because he had robbed it of its treasure. They came to Solomon for judgment. The snake pleaded justification by referring to the words in Scripture, “Thou shalt bruise his heel/' Solomon ordered it to get down as they must both be standing equal in the court. When the snake
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got down, Solomon told the man to “bruise its head” and the man killed it on the spot.
441b. A man found a snake frozen on the ground and picked it up and put it in his bosom. The snake, quickened to life through the warmth, coiled itself round the man and tried to kill him. To requite evil for good, the shake said, was the way of the world. They brought the case before King David. On the way they met an ox, who decided in favour of the snake. So also did an ass and finally King David did likewise, for it is written that the ‘Snake shall bruise the heel’. When they left the court, they found Solomon, still a lad, playing near the well. His stick had fallen into the water and no one could succeed in getting it. Solomon then ordered his servants to widen the conduit; thus the water would fill the well. It rose and they were able to take the stick. Greatly impressed, the old man aske Solomon for advice. He obtained the permission of David to judge the case. Asked by Solomon, the snake replied that it had acted according to the word of the Lord and then Solomon said, “Abide by the Word of the Lord,” which commands the two parties to stand before the judge. The snake was to uncoil itself and stand apart from the old man on the ground before him. The snake did so and Solomon told the old man to “bruise its head” with the stick which he was holding, for so it was written in the Law. He did so and killed the snake.