The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

STORIES OF MISERS. 119
And straightway his servants said to the physician,
"Why is this?" The physician said to them, "Go ye
"and eat of the bread of which he himself is wont to
"eat, and when he sees you [eating], the sweat will
"soon break out upon him."
CCCCLXII. Another miser having found a zuza {i. e.,
sixpence) in the market, took [it] and threw it into his
purse, saying, "It may now be hoped, O susd, that
"thou wilt henceforth have some rest, and that soldiers
"will not fight and slay each other in war, and that
"merchants will not act like highwaymen in the roads,
"and that the daughters of noblemen will not fall into
"wantonness on thy account."
CCCCLXIII. It is said that certain miserly merchants
joined together and set up a common cooking-pot, and
each of them passed a different coloured thread through
the piece of meat which belonged to him. And when
it was cooked each took hold of the thread and brought
out his meat, but they divided the broth among them
equally.
CCCCLXIV. Once when a susa fell into the hands
of a certain miser he kissed it and hugged it lovingly
and said, "Thou art my father, and my mother, and
"my brother, and my friend. Through what a number
"of cities hast thou circulated! What a number of
"seas hast thou passed through! How very many rich men
"hast thou brought to poverty! How very many needy
"ones hast thou enriched! How very many virgins
"hast thou corrupted and brought to misery! And
"how very many daughters of noblemen" (.'') hast thou
"called to wantonness!" And as he threw the coin
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