The Laughable Stories Collected by Mar Gregory John

172 THE LAUGHABLE STORIES OF BAR-HEBR.^US.
took her to wife. Now when she had gone to his
house and had repeated to him the story of her Hfe,
and the account of the poor man who had begged for
some food and of her husband's death, he in his turn
told her the story of the pillow, whereupon they re-
cognised each other. And they glorified God, Who had
given to the poor man the house, and property, and
wife of him that had deprived him of a little food.
DCLXX. Another of the Prankish merchants was
about to go by sea to the country of China, when an
old man came and entreated him to take with him in
the ship a piece of lead [weighing] about ten litre, and
to sell it in China, and buy with the price thereof
Something which he would find there and bring it back
to him; and the merchant undertook to do so. And
when he had arrived in China, a certain man came
and asked him, **Hast thou no lead with thee?" and
he replied, "I have a little;" and he sold the piece for
one hundred and thirty dinars, and he bought with
the money some silk and came back. Now the man
who bought the lead from him also came and was a
fellow-passenger in the ship with him, and he began
to question him about him that had given him the lead;
so the merchant described to him the old man. Then
the man said, "This old man is my uncle, by whom 1
"have been cruelly treated, and through whom I came
*'to this country. Now, therefore, will I reveal to thee
"the story of the lead, for I am no longer afraid. When
"I had bought the lead from thee I carried it to an-
"other city where lead is exceedingly precious, and
"certain buyers came to me and entreated me to break
"it up and to give a piece to each of them. And
"when I had broken it up in my house I found in the