The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

42 THE LAUGHABLE STORIES OF BAR-HEBR^US.
CLXXXI. Abba Theodore and Abba Luke remained
for fifty years in doubt, for they were vexed about the
matter of changing their [dwelling] place, and they
said, "Behold, in the winter will we change [it];" thus
they did, and they did not go forth [from it] until the
end of their
lives'.
CLXXXII. One of them said,
"The recluse who loveth
"a life of contemplation in his cell doth not flee meeting
"his neighbour because he despiseth and hateth him,
"but because of the sweet fruits which he plucketh
"therefrom, that is to say, freedom from worldly toil
"and from the sight and learning [of the same]."
CLXXXIII. Abba Agathon kept a stone in his mouth
for a period of three years until he succeeded in keeping
silenced
rcLi,i eiil 'isari'o .r^ii\ii^ ^^ riiK" r^iuJsa r^cna
vr^A\o.T»*3 cbiA\rili iAtrS'o ^Vtoao .oq-it .a.»»-> (fol. 229a,
No. 251).
' The text in Palladius differs somewhat and reads: — ^jissr^
O-TSi^.i .ocA rcisK' A}^o .r^^a^^^h\ ri~>r^ \\-n oocn
K'oiuial ri'cn.T .oocn ^jisor^o •K'Axaq.t ..^OaSlmJ.t .^_^otA
>\ f^\in\ riahvsx) r