The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

STORIES OF CLOWNS AND SIMPLETONS. 1 45
"qui pater erat gentium :
quomodo evenit ut duas uxores
"duxisset, ipse tamen unus ambabus suffecit."
DLXIV. Another fool said, "My father went twice to
"Jerusalem, and there did he die and was buried, but
"I do not know which time he died, whether it was dur-
"ing the first visit or the last."
DLXV. Another silly man having gone to the bath
found that fra:nkincense was being burnt therein, and
thinking that the smoke thereof was dust he became
very angry, and said to the man in charge of the bath,
"I tell thee that when I wish to enter the bath thou
"must neither sweep the room with a brush nor make
"a dust."
DLXVI. When another fool was told, "Thy ass is
"stolen," he said, "Blessed be God that I was not upon
him."
DLXVII. Another fool looked up into the heavens
and said, "How beautiful are Thy heavens, O Lord,
"but Thou art worthy of something which is more
"beautiful than they."
DLXVIII. Another stupid man became a judge, and
it was said to him, "Forgive such and such a man
"his offence." And he said, "I will not forgive him
"until I hear that he hath fallen at my feet and kissed
"them."
DLXIX. Another simpleton, who was a servant, had
ten asses which he hired to certain people, and when
they came back to their places he took his asses and
counted them, [and found them to be] ten. Then he
mounted one of them and rode some distance and
came back, and as he was going away he counted
those that were before him, and found them [to be]
nine; and he was angry, and alighted and counted them