Oriental wit and wisdom, or, the "Laughable stories" / collected by Mar Gregory John Bar-Hebraeus ; translated from the Syriac by E. A. Wallis Budge.

  • Bar Hebraeus, 1226-1286.
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Oriental wit and wisdom, or, the "Laughable stories" / collected by Mar Gregory John Bar-Hebraeus ; translated from the Syriac by E. A. Wallis Budge. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    55/286 (page 13)
    Respondit, “Cur mei pudere decet: virum enim condo, si adolescere valet.” XXXVIIL It was said to Socrates, “Which of the “irrational animals is not beautiful.^” And he replied, “Woman,” referring to her folly. XXXIX. One day Diogenes went up to a high place and cried out for men to come unto him; and a large number of people were gathered together round about him. And he said unto them, “I did not call you but “men,” indicating the philosophers by the word “men”. XL. He was also asked, “What thing is the most “difficult for a man [to do]?” And he replied, “To ‘“know himself and to conceal his secret.” XL I. A certain friend of Socrates^ took counsel with him concerning the marrying a wife, and he re¬ plied, “Take heed that there happen not unto thee “that which befel the fish in the matter of the net; “those which were inside longed to go out, and those “which were outside were eager to go in.” XLII. Certain folk enquired of him concerning the proper time for [eating] food, and he replied, “Let him “that hath food eat when he is hungry, and let him “that hath it not eat when he can.” ^ XLIII. Aristotle wrote to Alexander advising him, saying, “Take good heed that thy soldiers think no “evil concerning thee, for to him who can think easily “it is easy to speak, and to him who can speak easily “it is easy to act”; now he said this that Alexander might do good unto every man. XLIV. Another philosopher said, “Whatsoever thou “hidest from thine enemy that reveal not to thy friend. * Variant, Diogenes.