The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

I06
THE LAUGHABLE STORIES OF BAR-HEBR.«US.
had granted him his
request and the beggar had gone,
those who were about him said, "How couldst thou
"bear him to put the end of his sticlc on thy toe with-
"out thy saying a word?" He replied, "I was afraid
"to say anything to him, lest being ashamed he would
"not condescend to ask [anything of nje]."
CCCCXVI. A certain king whilst riding through the
market heard the voice of a woman calling to her son
by the royal name, and he said, "Who is this that
"hath the same name as the king? Give him one
"hundred dinars" Thus it came to pass that every
woman who bore a male child used to call it by the
king's name, and she went and received a hundred
dinars.
CCCCXVII. A certain wealthy man having been
sick for some days, no man came in to visit him. And
he said to those who were round about him, "How is
"it that no man cometh to me?" They said to him,
"They are afraid because of the debts which thou hast
"against them, and fear lest thou shouldst remember
"them and shouldst demand the payment thereof from
"them." When he heard these words he said to the
criers, "Go ye forth and cry in the markets, saying,
"I, so and so, hereby testify that no man shall be
"held to be in debt to me, neither during my lifetime
"nor to my children after me." Thus he made a present
of several thousands of pieces of silver in one day
to
the people.
CCCCXVIII. Another rich man having been asked
by a poor man for a piece of silver, and not having
one with him, wrote him an order with his own hand,
saying that he owed him two pieces of silver until the
end of the month, thus giving [them] to him.