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.

    64/286 (page 22)
    “a nation is religion, and that the government is the “protector thereof. Every building which possesseth “not a sound foundation is quickly overthrown, and “every house which possesseth no keeper is speedily “despoiled.” LXXXIIL It is said that in the days of Khusrau^ the king a certain man went round about crying, “Who “will buy three wise maxims for a thousand dinars?'' When the king heard [these words] he called him, and said unto him, “What are the sayings?” And the man ordered that the dinars of which he had spoken should be made ready, and when they were ready he said, “This is the first saying:—There is no good “in any man whatsoever. And the second is:— “Although all men are thus nothing rational is to be “obtained from them. And the third is:—It is ne- “cessary for the king to know the extent of the wicked- “ness of every man and to expose him according to “his wickedness so that he may escape from him.” When the king heard these words he praised them and ordered the man to take the gold; but he would not do so. And the king said to him, “Why then “didst thou ask for it?” The man replied, “Twished “to ascertain if ever any man would be willing to buy “wisdom with gold, or not.” “one of which can exist without the other. For religion is the found- “ation of sovereignty, and sovereignty is the protector of religion. “Every building which is without foundation falleth down, and “whatsoever is ^unprotected perisheth.” See Mas'udi (ed. B. de Meynard) tom. ii. p. 162. • ^ Probably Khusrau Anosharwan.