The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

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THE LAUGHABLE STORIES OF BAR-HEBR^US.
"fore they do not have many dreams; consequently
"there is no work for us."
CCCXCIX. Another magician saw a certain dead'
thief in a dream, and he said to him, " What hath God
"done to thee?" He replied, "For every man whom
"I have killed He hath slain me ten times." But when
on another night the magician saw the same dream
again, and asked him the same question again, the thief
replied to him, "How often wilt thou weary me, O
"son of a whore.'' I know that I answered thy question
"once."
CCCC. Another magician said, "It is absolutely ne-
"cessary for a man to resemble his father, either in his
"head, or in his voice, or in his gait."
CCCCI. Another magician saw a certain comic actor,
who had been long dead^ in a dream, and he said,
"What hath God done to thee?" The actor replied
to him, saying, "O fool, what dost thou imagine He
"hath done to me? Thinkest thou that He hath a
"daughter to whom He hath married me? He hath
"done unto me that which He doeth unto all men
"who die."
CCCCII. The wife
of a certain man saw in her dream
as if a man was saying to her, "Wouldst thou rather
"have ten ordinary children, or three which should be
as ten?" And having made no answer to him she
awoke and related the dream to her husband, who
said unto her, "If thou seest again him that spake unto
"thee, thou shalt say unto him, Nay, but I would rather
"have three children who should be as ten." And it
came to pass on the following night, when the woman
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