The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

30 THE LAUGHABLE STORIES OF BAR-HEBR.EUS.
"who taketh not counsel with his friends; the man who
"undertaketh a work which is too great for him; and
"the man who serveth the king deceitfully."
CXIX. Another Indian sage said, "Mixed wine is the
"preserver of the body even as the pillar is that of
"the house, which remaineth unmoved by reason of its
"sound
condition."
CXX. Another Indian sage said, "There are two
"classes of men whose fraudulent pretensions are very
"evident. One is that of the hunter who boasts that
"he hath behaved with great valour in the fray, although
"no sign of a blow is seen upon him, and the other is
"that of the man who feigneth to lead a life of ascet-
"icism, although his neck is thick and his body strong."
CXXI. Another Indian sage was asked, "Which man
"is the most foolish?" And he replied, "He who having
"married a beautiful maiden leaveth her and departeth
"into a far country."
CXXII. Another Indian sage was asked, "What loss
"is that to which no advantage whatsoever cleaveth?"
And he replied, "The loss of the raiment which is laid
"with a corpse in the grave."
CXXIII. Another Indian sage was asked, " Unto what
"is a woman who hath no husband like?" And he
replied, "A river [bed] wherein there is no water."
CXXIV. Another Indian sage was asked, "Why is a
"fool like unto a blind man?" And he replied, "As a
"blind man cannot distinguish between light and dark-
"ness even so the fool cannot distinguish between wis-
"dom and folly."
CXXV. Another Indian sage was asked, "What man
"is the strongest?" And he replied, "He that guardeth
"himself from a wanton gaze and from harlotry."