I will preserve with care my money from all those By nature base and true to none. 'Tis better so Than that I e'er should say unto the mean of soul'Lend me so much I'll pay to-morrow five-fold mo，'And see my friend avert his face and turn awayLeaving my soul cast downas 'twere a dog'sI trow！
O what a sorry lot is hiswho hath no pelfE'en though his virtues bright like to the sun should show！
'O my lord，'continued the steward'this lavish expense and prodigal giving waste away wealth.'When Noureddin heard his steward's wordshe looked at him and said'I will not hearken to one word of all thou hast saidfor I have heard the following saying of the poet：
If I be blessed with wealth and be not liberal with itMay my hand wither and my foot eke paralysed remain！
Show me the niggard who hath won glory by avarice！Show me the liberal man his own munificence hath slain！
And he said'KnowO stewardit is my desire that so long as there remains in thy hands enough for my morning mealthou trouble me not with taking care for my evening meal.'Therewith the steward went away and Noureddin continued his extravagant way of living；and if any of his boon-companions chanced to say to him'This thing is handsome，'he would answer'It is thine as a gift；'or if another said'O my lordsuch and such a house is handsome，'he would say'Take it： it is thine.'In this manner he continued to live for a whole yeargiving his friends a banquet in the morning and another in the eveningtill one day as they were sitting togetherthe damsel Enis el Jelis repeated the following verses：
Thou madest fair thy thought of Fatewhen that the days were fairAnd fearedst not the unknown ills that they to thee might bring：
The nights were fair and calm to thee；thou wert deceived by themFor in the peace of night is born full many a troublous thing.
Just as she had finishedthere came a knocking at the door；so Noureddin rose to open itand one of his companions followed him without his knowledge. At the door he found his steward and said to him'What is the matter？'Omylord，'replied he'what I feared for thee has come to pass！'How so？'asked Noureddin；and the steward said'Know that there remains not a dirhem's worth，less nor morein my hands. Here are registers containing an account of the original state of thy property and the way in which thou hast spent it.'At thisNoureddin bowed his head and exclaimed'There is no power and no virtue but in God！'When the man who had followed him secretly to spy on him heard what the steward saidhe returned to his companions and said to them，'Look what ye do；for Noureddin Ali is bankrupt.'When Noureddin returnedthey read trouble in his face；so one of them rose and said to him'O my lordmaybe thou wilt give me leave to retire？'Why wilt thou go away to-day？'said he. 'My wife is brought to bed，'replied the other；'and I cannot be absent from her；I wish to return and see how she does.'So Noureddin gave him leavewhereupon another rose and said'O my lordI wish to go to my brotherfor he circumcises his son to-day.'And each made some excuse to retiretill they were all gone and Noureddin remained alone. Then he called his slave-girl and said to her'O Enis el Jelishast thou seen what has befallen me？'And he related to her what the steward had told him. 'O my lord，'replied she'some nights ago I had it in my mind to speak with thee of this matter；but I heard thee reciting the following verses：
If fortune be lavish to theelook thou be lavish with it Unto all classes of menere it escapes from thy hand！
Munificence will not undo itwhilst it is constant to theeNor，when it turneth awaywill avarice force it to stand.
When I heard thee speak thusI held my peace and cared not to say aught to thee.'O Enis el Jelis，'said Noureddin'thou knowest that I have not expended my substance but on my friends，who have beggared meand I think they will not leave me without help.'By Allah，'replied she'they will not profit thee in aught.'Said he'I will rise at once and go to them and knock at their doors： maybe I shall get of them somewhat with which I may trade and leave pleasure and merry-******.'So he rose and repaired to a certain streetwhere all his ten comrades lived.
He went up to the first door and knockedwhereupon a maid came out and said'Who art thou？'Tell thy master，'replied he，'that Noureddin Ali stands at the door and says to him'Thy slave kisses thy hands and awaits thy bounty.''The girl went in and told her masterwho cried out at hersaying'Go back and tell him that I am not at home.'So she returned and said to Noureddin'O my lordmy master is from home.'With thishe went awaysaying to himself'Though this fellow be a whoreson knave and deny himselfanother may not be so.'Then he came to the second door and sent in a like message to the master of the housewho denied himself as the first had donewhereupon Noureddin repeated the following verse：
They're gone whoif before their door thou didst arrest thy feetWould on thy poverty bestow both flesh and roasted meat.
And said 'By AllahI must try them all： there may be one amongst them who will stand me in the stead of the rest.'So he went round to all the tenbut not one of them opened his door to him or showed himself to him or broke a cake of bread in his face；
whereupon he repeated the following verses：
A man in time of affluence is like unto a treeRound which the folk collectas long as fruit thereon they see，Tillwhen its burden it hath castthey turn from it awayLeave it to suffer heat and dust and all inclemency.
Out on the people of this age！perdition to them all！Since not a single one of ten is faithful found to be.
