Sir, when the fisherman, vexed to have made such a sorry draught, had mended his nets, which the carcass of the ass had broken in several places, he threw them in a second time; and when he drew them, found a great deal of resistance, which made him think he had taken abundance of fish; but he found nothing except a basket full of gravel and slime, which grieved him extremely. O, fortune! cries he, with a lamentable tone, be not angry with me, nor persecute a wretch who prays thee to spare him. I came hither from my house to seek for my livelihood, and thou pronouncest death against me. I have no other trade but this to subsist by; and, notwithstanding all the pains I take, I can scarcely provide what is absolutely necessary for my family. But I am to blame to complain of thee; thou takest pleasure to persecute honest people, and to leave great men in obscurity, while thou showest favour to the wicked, and advancest those who have no virtue to recommend them. Having finished this complaint, he threw away the basket in a fret, and washing his nets from the slime, cast them the third time; but brought up nothing, except stone, shells, and mud. Nobody can express his disorder; he was almost beside himself. However, when day began to appear, he did not forget to say his prayers, like a good Mussulman, and afterwards added this petition: “Lord, thou knowest that I cast my nets only four times a day; I have already drawn them three times, without the least reward for my labour: I am only to cast them once more; I pray thee to render the sea favourable to me, as thou didst to Moses.” The fisherman having finished this prayer, cast his nets the fourth time; and when he thought it was time, he drew them as formerly, with great difficulty; but instead of fish, found nothing in them but a vessel of yellow copper, which, by its weight, seemed to be full of something; and he observed that it was shut up and sealed with lead, having the impression of a seal upon it. This rejoiced him: I will sell it, says he, to the founder, and with the money arising from the produce, buy a measure of corn. He examined the vessel on all sides, and shook it, to see if what was within made any noise, but heard nothing. This circumstance, with the impression of the seal upon the leaden cover, made him think there was something precious in it. To try this he took a knife, and opened it with very little labour. He presently turned the mouth downward, but nothing came out; which surprised him extremely. He set it before him, and while he looked upon it attentively, there came out a very thick smoke, which obliged him to retire two or three paces from it.