The Laughable Stories Collected by Mar Gregory John

PROFITABLE SAYINGS OF MUHAMMEDAN KINGS AND OF
THEIR SAGES.
r CCXII. A certain king was asked by one of his
nobles, "Who was the founder of thy race?" And he
replied, ''111 luck brought it upon them that I should
"be the founder."
i/ CCXIII. Another of the sages said, "The members of
"a man's household are the moth of his money."
CCXIV. Another of the kings was asked, "How is
"the peaceable condition of thy kingdom maintained?"
And he replied, "When I fly, my nobles alight; and
"when they fly,* I alight; that is to say, when I am in
"a rage they pacify me, and when they are enraged
"I pacify them."
CCXV. Another king was asked by his sages, "To
"what limit hath thine understanding reached?" And
he replied, "To the extent that I believe no man,
"neither do I put any confidence in any man what-
"soever."
^ CCXVI. One of the kings when he was young and
was learning from his master made a mistake in a
word, and when his teacher rebuked him the boy said
to him, "What is that to thee? The very best horses
"stumble sometimes." The teacher replied, "Very true, •
"but they are beaten and corrected for it." And the