ABSTRACT
A villager falls prey to a group of thieves. One of them steals his turkey by tricking him into believing that he is going to buy it, and the thief’s confederate then disappears with his donkey after offering to guard it. On his way homeward, the numskull meets a third thief who succeeds in stealing his clothes by sending him into a well after an imaginary wallet. The king learns that his excellent tailor always steals a length of cloth from the fabric used to sew the royal garments. When rebuked, the tailor argues that the cloth is part of his fee. The king then devises a plan to put an end to the theft: the tailor must conduct his business at the bathhouse, while he and his apprentices have no clothes on. When a luckless pedlar earns less than his neighbor and is unable to provide for his family, his wife persuades him to steal.
