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.

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    “for thou knowest not whether he may become thine “enemy.” XLV. Diogenes was asked concerning a certain wealthy man, “Is he rich?” And he replied, “I know “not whether he is rich [or not], but I do know that “he possessed! much money.” Now he meant by these words that the man who hankereth not to possess any¬ thing more is a rich man, because everyone who longeth for more than he hath is poor in comparison with that which he possesseth not. XLVI. A king asked Diogenes, “Where are thy “wealth and possessions.^” And he pointed to his dis¬ ciples and said, “With them,” referring thereby to the wisdom [which he had taught them]. XLVII. To another philosopher it was said, “It is hard “that that which a man seeketh not should come to him.” xVnd he replied, “Much harder than this is it that a “man should seek that which cometh not to him.” XLVIII. Plato the philosopher was once rebuked be¬ cause he possessed not riches, and he replied, “How “can I possess that which avarice and greediness guard “and which liberality and benevolence destroy?” XLIX. Gifts of certain vessels of glass were given to Alexander, and though they pleased him very much he ordered them to be broken. And when he was asked the reason he replied, “I know that they would “be broken one after the other by the servant’s hands, “and that thereby anger would be always stirred up “in me; for this reason it is that with one burst of “wrath I have driven away many storms of rage.” L. Plato was asked, “Why are not wisdom and anger “found togetherAnd he replied, “Because no man “can be found who is perfect in everything.”