The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

STORIES OF WONDERFUL EVENTS AND OCCURRENCES.
DCLXVII. They say that the mind of a certain sage
was so wonderfully acute that he acquired the knowledge
of the four sciences of mathematics in one year,
and that he understood them perfectly. And it came
to pass that he forgot all this learning, and that his
understanding was so disturbed that one day he took
hold of his beard in his hand, wishing to shave off that
which was superfluous: but he let go that which was
below his hand and cut off that which was above it.
Thus he remained beardless and he was obliged to sit
in the house for a whole year until his beard grew
long again.
DCLXVIII. It is found written in a certain Hebrew
book that, at the time when the prophet Isaiah was
sawn asunder with a saw, a certain traveller tarried
the night with another man. And the traveller
began to speak to the master of the house, saying,
"Do not imagine that God will be unmindful of the
"murderers of the prophet, for He will reward them
"in this world ;" and the master of the house said to
him, "I was one of those who held the saw." And it
came to pass that whilst they were conversing the flame
of the lamp flickered and spluttered, and the master of
the house straightway put his hand out to make it