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to do: there could be but one criminal, and here ſeemed to be three; aud never a one of them would own himſelf to be the man; he thought he could not do better than to inform the King of Damaſcus of ſo ſingular an affair. He carried the three crumps before his throne, and that Prince having examined them himſelf, without being able to find out the truth, gave command, in order to diſcover it, that each of them ſhould have an hundred baſtinadoes upon the ſoles of his feet.
They began with Syahook, and afterwards proceeded to Ibad, but both of them being ignorant whether Babeken was the criminal or no, ſo much reſemblance there was between them, they endured the baſtinado without giving the King any clearer information than he had before. Babeken afterwards received his quota of ſtripes, but being judge in his own cauſe, he did not think fit to betray himſelf; he made the moſt earneft proteſtations of his innocence, and the King not knowing which was the murderer, and unwilling to put to death two innocents with one criminal, was contented with baniſhing them all three from Damaſcus for ever.
Ibad, Syahook and Babeken, were obliged to comply with this ſentence immediately. They departed from the city, and having conſidered what they ſhould do, Ibad and Syahook were entirely for keeping together; but Babeken having repreſented to them, that let them go where they would ſo long as they were together they ſhould always be the jeſt of the public, and that if they were ſingle they would each be infinitely leſs obſerved; this reaſon prevailed over the opinion of the other two. They parted from each other, and taking every one a different road; Babeken, after having travelled through ſeveral towns of
