The Laughable Stories Collected by Mar Gregory John

STORIES OF MISERS. I I 7
unto him, ''On what terms wilt thou work for me?"
and the hireling said, "For the food of my mouth."
The miser said to him, "Nay; thou must come down
"very, very much lower than this [in terms]." And
the hireling said to him, "I do not know any way of
"reducing them lower than this except by fasting
"the whole of Wednesday, and the whole of Friday
"until the next day."
CCCCmi. Another poet was questioned by a man
concerning a certain miser, saying, "Who eateth with
"him at his table .'^" and the poet replied, "Flies."
CCCCLIV. Another miser said, "That no man may
"ever say to the angels. Give me some money," or,
"Give me something to eat," or, "Give me something
to put on," is an abundant gratification for them."
CCCCLV. Unto another miser it was said, "How
"beautiful the hands look on the table!" and he said,
"Only when they are empty."
CCCCLVI. Whilst a certain poor man was sitting
by the side of a very rich but mean man, the rich
man asked him, "How many persons are there in thy
house?" The poor man said to him, "Three daughters
"and our handmaidens." And when the rich man heard
this he wagged his head and bent it down before him,
and the poor man thought that he was going to have
pity upon him and to give him something. But straightway
the rich man lifted up his head and said to him,
"I was calculating how much four people could weave;
"the man who hath four spinning-wheels at work in
"his house is not a poor man."
CCCCLVII. Another nobleman who was very miserly,
while going on a journey to the king, passed through
a certain village, and he stayed the night at the house