The Laughable Stories Collected by Mar Gregory John

STORIES OF LUNATICS AND OF MEN POSSESSED OF DEVILS. 1 6
"these I will also add for the Marcianus who was an
''emperor'."
DCXLIL Another lunatic was boasting that he was
a king in the time of Hercules, and when a certain
nobleman said to him, "Thou art the king of podical
"sternutations", he replied, "If I were what thy words
"say I am, my kingdom would be greater and much
"more vast than that of Hercules, because podical
"sternutations are much more numerous than Greeks."
DCXLIII. When another lunatic was fettered in the
hospital, he that filled the drinking-cup came to him
and said, "Take, drink, and if thou dost not do so I
"will beat thee with this whip." And the lunatic replied,
"Give it to me and I will drink, although I know
"well that thou thyself needest to drink it more than
"I do."
DCXLIV. Another lunatic was passing through the
cloth-workers' bazaar when he saw a large number of
men gathered together about a shop which had been
broken into during the night, and he also drew nigh
and looked at the place where the thieves broke through.
Then he said, "Do not all of you know who did this?"
and they said, "No." And the lunatic said to them,
"I know, but I shall not tell you until you bring me
"three loaves of bread, and two roasted heads to eat,
"for I am famished; and when I have satisfied my
"hunger I will tell you." And. the people said to each
other, "It is not to be wondered at if he should know
"[who did it], for he is wandering about the whole night
"through, and thieves never hide from him, because they
"know that he hath no intelligence and that he could
^ Emperor of the East A.D. 450—457.
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