The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

STORIES OF DREAMS AND DIVINATIONS. 99
just as a man hummeth a tune to himself in the night
—several times, "Hath Zahrah any who committeth
"adultery with her?" And when by these means his
mind had become wholly occupied with the matter, he
heard a voice from the desert, saying, "Yes, Nathreh
"sleepeth with her." And it came to pass that when
he returned to his house, his neighbours came and
went into the house to see him. And when they had
all departed there remained with him one who prolonged
his converse, and when he also had gone out
the magician said to his wife, "Who is this man and
"what is his name?" His wife replied, "This is Nathreh
"who of all the neighbours is most beloved by our
"children, and he is exceedingly affectionate to them."
Her husband said unto her, "Yea, O woman, out of
"the desert we have received an account of this man
"and of his
name."
CCCXCVII. A certain man dreamed in his dream
that he was frying dung, and he came to an interpreter
of dreams that he might explain it for him. And the
interpreter said to him, "Give me a zuza, and I will
"interpret it for thee;" and the man replied, "If I had
"a zuza I would buy fish with it and fry them, and I
"would not fry dung."
CCCXCVIII. Another interpreter of dreams having
gone from Taghrith (Tekrit)' to Babel (Babylon) it was
said to him, "In Tekrit there are many interpreters of
"dreams, but here we have none; why hast thou left
"thy native place?" And he replied; "The people of
"Tekrit will not allow even the gnats to sleep, there-
'
A city on the west bank of the Tigris about two days' journey
below Mosul (Nineveh).
N2