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3rd course she gave him a dish of very salted food, so as tomake him leave at least some of it for other members ofthe household. On another occasion whilst he was walkingin the middle of a field he was rebuked and told that hewas walking on a footpath trodden out by trespassers likehimself. He then got water to drink from a girl and saidshe was like Rebecca, but she retorted that he didnot act like Eliezer. He asked her how far it was to thenext town and was told that there was a long road whichwas short and a short which was long. The short way laythrough vineyards and fields very difficult to get throughand was therefore the longer. The long one was the highroad and was an easy walk and therefore the shorter.Seeing her carrying a covered dish he asked what wasinside and she retorted that it was covered so as not tobe seen by others.

237. Beruria rebuked R. Jose ha- Galilee for asking in fivewords what he could have asked in three.- Story of thepupil who studied without asking questions and forgoteverything after a short time.

238. A man invited guests to the wedding of his son,who however was bitten by a snake and died that very day.The man did not disturb the wedding feast but after thedinner he announced the sudden death of the bridegroom.

239. Through the prayers of R. Shimeon b. Halafta the lifeof a child to whose" Berith" he had been invited was saved.Later on mocked by children on his way, he caused theirhome to fall but saved the owner, who recognised him andbegged forgiveness for their bad behaviour.

240. R. Akiba laughed whilst in Rome and again in Jeru-salem amidst the ruins, because he saw in the fulfilmentof the prophecied punishment also the assurance of thefulfilment of the good prophecies.

241. The sages would not allow a girl to do as she wantedor to expose herself before the man, who had become love-sick and very ill in consequence. Licentiousness was notto be encouraged even in the most guarded form.