batch.motif.islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg-l9362-l9470
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg-l9362-l9470
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
passage_locator:
label: The Arabian Nights Entertainments; lines 9362-9470
start: '9362'
end: '9470'
translation: The Arabian Nights Entertainments
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: '"before we come to oaths, I should like to examine the vase with the olives."'
summary: Ali Cogia accuses a merchant of taking gold hidden in a vase of olives.
The merchant denies knowing of the gold and is acquitted by the Cadi after offering
an oath. Ali petitions Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid. That night, the disguised Caliph
observes children reenacting the case, and a child acting as Cadi insists on examining
the vase before accepting oaths.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The merchant says Ali Cogia had the key to the shop and claims he did not
touch the vase.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Ali Cogia urges the merchant to admit the truth and warns that he may resort
to the law.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The merchant states that Ali Cogia had only identified the vessel as a vase
of olives and had not previously mentioned gold.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Passers-by and neighboring merchants gather around the dispute.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Ali Cogia tells the gathered people the whole story of the dispute.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The accused merchant admits that he kept Ali Cogia's vase in his shop but
denies touching it or knowing its contents beyond Ali Cogia's statement.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: Ali Cogia and the merchant go before the Cadi after the merchant accepts that
forum.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Ali Cogia has no witnesses because he had considered the merchant his friend
and honest.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The merchant offers to swear that he did not steal the gold and did not know
it was present; the Cadi accepts the oath and pronounces him innocent.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: Ali Cogia declares that he will appeal to Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid and later
presents a petition on the Caliph's route after prayer.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: The Caliph, Giafar, and Mesrour go through the town disguised in the evening.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: The Caliph sees children playing in moonlight and hides to watch them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: A quick child proposes that they play at being the Cadi and hear the case
of Ali Cogia and the merchant who robbed him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: In the children's play-court, the child acting as Cadi asks to examine the
vase of olives before proceeding to oaths.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ali Cogia
description: Man who says he entrusted a vase containing olives and a thousand gold
pieces to the merchant and later petitions the Caliph.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Merchant
description: Shopkeeper accused by Ali Cogia; he admits keeping the vase but denies
touching it or knowing of the gold.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Cadi of Bagdad
description: Judge who hears Ali Cogia's complaint, accepts the merchant's oath,
and pronounces him innocent.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid
description: Ruler who reads petitions, appoints an audience for Ali Cogia, and
later observes children while disguised.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Officer before the Caliph
description: Officer whose duty is to collect petitions and hand them to the Caliph
on entering the palace.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Giafar
description: Grand-vizir who accompanies the Caliph in disguise through the town.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Mesrour
description: Chief of the eunuchs who accompanies the Caliph in disguise through
the town.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Children playing in the court
description: Ten or twelve children playing in moonlight who assign roles in a mock
trial about Ali Cogia and the merchant.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Brightest child / little Cadi
description: Child who proposes playing the Cadi, takes the judge's seat, hears
the case, and asks to examine the vase.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: plaintiff and petitioner
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ali Cogia brings the charge against the merchant, appears before the Cadi,
and petitions the Caliph.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: accused custodian and defendant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The merchant kept the vase in his shop and is accused of taking the gold
while denying the charge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: local judge
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Cadi hears the case, asks about witnesses, permits the oath, and pronounces
judgment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: sovereign petition reviewer
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Caliph reads Ali Cogia's petition and appoints an audience.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: disguised observer
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Caliph goes out disguised and hides to watch children playing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: petition collector
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The officer collects petitions and hands them to the Caliph.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: disguised royal companion
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: Giafar and Mesrour accompany the disguised Caliph through the town.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: child role-players
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The children divide parts in a play trial about the dispute.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: child judge
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The child takes the seat of Cadi and directs the mock proceedings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: vase of olives
literal_form: A vase said to contain olives and alleged by Ali Cogia to have contained
a thousand gold pieces.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: thousand pieces of gold
literal_form: The sum Ali Cogia says was hidden in the vase and stolen.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: oath
literal_form: The solemn oath offered by the merchant and accepted by the Cadi;
the child Cadi delays oath-taking until after examining the vase.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: petition
literal_form: Written appeal presented by Ali Cogia for the Caliph to read.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: disguise
literal_form: The Caliph, Giafar, and Mesrour go out through the town disguised.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Shop dispute before bystanders
summary: Ali Cogia and the merchant argue about the vase and gold while passers-by
and neighboring merchants gather; the merchant denies touching the vase.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Judgment before the Cadi
summary: Ali Cogia brings the merchant before the Cadi, lacks witnesses, and the
merchant's oath leads the Cadi to pronounce him innocent.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Appeal to the Caliph
summary: Ali Cogia rejects the judgment, draws up a petition, presents it through
the officer, and receives an appointed audience with the Caliph; the merchant
is to be summoned.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Disguised royal walk
summary: The Caliph, Giafar, and Mesrour go out disguised and the Caliph notices
children playing in moonlight, then hides to watch them.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Children reenact the trial
summary: Children assign roles for a mock trial of Ali Cogia's case; the child Cadi
hears both sides and asks for the vase before accepting oaths.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: entrusted treasure hidden in ordinary container becomes disputed property
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The dispute centers on a vase identified as containing olives but alleged
to have concealed a thousand pieces of gold entrusted to the merchant.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the dispute but not the earlier act of concealment directly
within this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: legal failure through lack of witnesses and reliance on oath
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ali Cogia has no witnesses; the merchant offers an oath, and the Cadi pronounces
him innocent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports Ali Cogia's protest, but the moral correctness of
the Cadi's judgment is not explicitly resolved within the excerpt.
- id: motif:3
label: appeal from local judgment to sovereign justice
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: After the Cadi's judgment, Ali Cogia petitions Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid,
who reads the petition and appoints an audience.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The final outcome of the Caliph's intervention is outside the supplied
passage.
- id: motif:4
label: ruler in disguise observes common life
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Caliph, with Giafar and Mesrour, goes through the town disguised and
hides to watch children playing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states this was their habit but does not elaborate its wider
narrative function here.
- id: motif:5
label: child judge shows practical wisdom by inspecting evidence
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The child acting as Cadi pauses before oaths and asks to examine the vase
with olives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The child's full judgment and its consequences occur beyond the supplied
passage.
- id: motif:6
label: children's play mirrors adult court proceedings
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The children reenact the current legal dispute, assign roles of plaintiff,
defendant, officer, and Cadi, and conduct a mock hearing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not yet state whether the play directly changes the official
case.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 9362-9380
quote_or_summary: The merchant denies touching the vase, says Ali Cogia only mentioned
olives, and rejects the claim that a thousand gold pieces were in it; Ali Cogia
urges him to admit the truth and avoid law.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 9381-9394
quote_or_summary: Bystanders and neighboring merchants gather; Ali Cogia tells them
the story; the merchant admits keeping the vase but denies touching it or knowing
its contents beyond Ali Cogia's statement.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 9395-9405
quote_or_summary: Ali Cogia takes the merchant by the arm and insists they go before
the Cadi; the merchant accepts this legal test.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 9406-9416
quote_or_summary: Before the Cadi, Ali Cogia has no witnesses because he trusted
the merchant; the merchant offers a solemn oath denying theft or knowledge of
the gold; the Cadi pronounces him innocent.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 9417-9434
quote_or_summary: Ali Cogia says he will appeal to Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, writes
a petition, gives it to the officer who collects petitions, and is granted an
audience; the merchant's address is requested for summons.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 9435-9444
quote_or_summary: That evening the Caliph, Giafar, and Mesrour go out disguised;
the Caliph sees children playing in moonlight and hides in a dark corner to watch.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 9445-9457
quote_or_summary: A bright child proposes playing the Cadi and bringing in Ali Cogia
and the merchant; the Caliph recognizes the case from the petition and watches
with interest.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 9458-9470
quote_or_summary: 'The child Cadi hears the mock case and says: "before we come
to oaths, I should like to examine the vase with the olives."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal plot elements are explicit. Motif labels are candidate analytical
groupings and should be reviewed, especially taxonomy assignment to royal_legitimacy
and wisdom.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No comparison claims were added because the supplied passage does not itself support a specific cross-textual comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg__l9362-l9470
passage_sha256=730b81754f8aaaf38056c43286fec36e42963ecc262bee2e1b12bc46b9a43734