The Laughable Stories Collected by Mar Gregory John

STORIES ABOUT WEALTHY AND LIBERAL MEN. lO/
CCCCIX. Another wealthy merchant bought a
maiden for sixty thousand pieces of silver in the
market, and he wanted a beast whereon she could
ride and go with him to his house; and as at the
moment there was no animal ready a certain soldier
brought his mule to her to ride upon. And when she
was mounted he that had bought her said unto him
that had lent her his beast to ride, *'She shall be thine,
"and she shall go with thee to thine house." And the
soldier being bashful and hardly liking to accept her,
her master swore that neither the maid nor the price
thereof should come into his possession; and thus he
made a gift [worth] sixty thousand ziize in a mo-
ment'.
CCCCXX. Another man brought a gift to a certain
king, and having accepted it the king was sad. And
when he was asked why he was sad, he replied, *'How
"can I help being sad, for, behold, every time that I
''g\v^ this man the price thereof, he will only consider
"it to be what he hath given to me. Therefore it is
"meet for kings to give rather than that gifts should
"be made to them."
CCCCXXI. A certain player of music asked a king
to give him something which he could ride, and the
king commanded them to give him a camel, and a
horse, and a mule, and an ass, and a maiden, saying
to him, "If we could find anything else which could
be ridden we would have given it to thee."
CCCCXXII. A poet asked a certain king to give
him [some] flour, but he did not give it to him. And
when the report thereof reached a certain neighbouring
/. ^., £1500, if we reckon the zuzd at sixpence.
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