Kaumgar, the son of a powerful sultaun, excites the jealousy of his father’s vizier, who procures his banish­ment, by accusing him of rebellious designs. The prince, accompanied by his friend, the vizier’s son, a young merchant, and a jeweller, departs for a foreign country.

On the road, the latter is prompted by avarice to steal four invaluable rubies, which the vizier’s son had brought with him as a resource against distress. On finding that he was robbed, he complains to a court of justice; but the judges are unable to fix on the thief. The vizier’s son is then recommended to have recourse to a learned lady, who was celebrated for unravelling the most knotty cases.

She first calls the prince to her, and tells him a story of a person, who on discovering his friend to be in love with his wife, unknowing that she was so, prevails on her to go to his house, and gratify his passion. On the way she is stopped by thieves, who seize her jewels; but upon her informing them of her uncommon errand, and promising, if they will but delay their plunder till she has visited the lover, to return, they let her go unrobbed.

On her arrival at the house, she dis­covers to her husband’s friend who she is, and the lover, resolved not to be out­done in generosity, conquers his passion. She returns unviolated to the thieves, who are so impressed by her performance of her promise, that instead of robbing, they make her a present, and conduct her home in safety. The prince at the con­clusion bursts into applause of the uncom­mon friendship of the husband, the virtue of the wife, the forbearance of the lover, and the generosity of the thieves.

The lady then relates the same story separately to the vizier’s son, the mer­chant, and the jeweller. The latter exclaims involuntarily, that the thieves were very foolish in letting such a rich prey escape from their hands. Upon this, the lady accuses him of the robbery, but promises not to expose him if he will give up the rubies, which he does, and she returns them to the vizier’s son without disclosing who had them. The rubies are then offered for sale in the city, when their costliness exciting suspicions against the honesty of the prince and his friends, who were disguised as pilgrims, they are taken up, and carried before the sultaun of the country. The vizier’s son now discloses the rank of his master; upon which the king marries him to his daughter, and appoints him successor in his kingdom.