The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

STORIES OF CLOWNS AND SIMPLETONS.
I4I
"when thy other son died, for I do not remember that
"I was invited to his funeral."
DXXXIX. Another fool had two hunting dogs, one
black and the other white. And the governor said to
him, "Give me one of them." The man said to him,
"Which of them dost thou want?" and the governor
said, "The black one." The man said, "The black one
"I love more than the white," and the governor replied,
"Then give me the white one." And the foolish
man said to him, "The white one I love more than
"both put together."
DXL. A certain rich man who was a clown never
gave anything to a poor man, and he used to say,
"That which God hath not given him, how can I give
"him?"
DXLI. Another simpleton said to his wife, "After
"thou art dead I shall not stay with my children." And
she replied, "Thus thou sayest, but thou wilt not do
"[what thou sayest];" and he made answer to her
saying, "After my death thou wilt see the truth of
"my words."
DXLII. Another man had a pain in his stomach,
and being asked the cause thereof, he said, "I have
"eaten largely of a little milk and it hath done me
"harm."
DXLIII. Another simpleton seeing a fat
ox said, "He
"would become a fine buffalo if his hoofs had not been
"cloven."
DXLIV. Unto another silly man it was told concerning
the Magians that they were in the habit of knowing
their mothers carnally, and he said, "The wrath of God
"be upon them. Believe [me], if thou wert to give me
"a hundred pieces of silver I would not do this thing."