The Laughable Stories Collected by Mar Gregory John

INTRODUCTION. XV
lucky year he continued to brood on these things and
they could not be banished from his mind. Bar-
Hebraeus was then dwelling in the country near Nine-
veh, and his brother Bar-Sauma, knowing that maraud-
^^ brother's
fears for his
^
,
Ing bands from Syria were each summer in the habit safety,
of invading that district, and of carrying people into
captivity, and of plundering, and of spoiling and laying
waste the land about Nineveh far and wide, and
believing his brother to be quite incapable of taking
steps to protect either himself or his people, said to
himself, " Peradventure he will fall into the hands of
"these robbers, and the Maphrian's words will actually
''come to pass." From that time on he ceased not
to urge with great persistence that Bar-Hebraeus should Bar-Heb-
leave the district and betake himself to the country ^^^^^^^^^^^
of Maraghah In Adhorbaijan, that he might escape *°^^''^e^^^-
from the death upon which he perpetually brooded.
At length Bar-Sauma s importunity had the desired ef-
fect and Bar-Hebraeus set out for Maraghah and ar-
rived there in safety. Here he was treated with the
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