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was suspected of being a thief, hid in the stables, cameto the meal and refused to leave unless he receivedsomething to eat and drink. He then asked R. Judah to givehim a loan as a charitable gift. When rudely answered heput out the light, uncovered his face and the room was litup. They recognised R. Meir and prostrated themselves. Heordered R. Judah at once to send his family to hide in dif-ferent places. He himself remained alone with R. Judahand warned him not to open the door until the morning.After two hours he granted permission to the snake tocome; it entered the house and threatened to kill R. Judah.R. Meir rebuked it, saying," I have just been fed and havereceived alms. The snake coiled itself round the house out-side, and after a time it came and pretending to speakwith the voice of the wife, asked to be let in as she wasbeing frozen. R. Meir prevented it. The second time, itspoke with the voice of the eldest son who was afraid ofwild beasts. R. Meir kept the door locked. The third timeapparently the sons and daughters came but again the doorremained locked. The snake seeing its mission frustratedthrew itself down from a height and died. In the morningthe family returned; and R. Meir told R. Judah to askwhether any of them had come in the night. They all deniedit. He shewed him the dead snake and R. Judah promisedto give alms profusely.

14. Story of R. Akiba and the dead. See No. 134.395. 15. A pious man had a big tree in the garden in whicha demon dwelt. People rested under it and destroyed thefield. Wanting to cut the tree down, the demon offered himmoney. Realising that it was idol- worship, he cut thetree down and found under the roots a rich treasure.

396. 16. A pious man, digging up the ground, found amarble statue. It spoke to the man and asked to be cleanedand to be placed in the house in a clean place, promisingriches. One day it directed him to go and find his friendin a trap, free him and thus obtain a rich reward. Hedid so. Then the statue asked the man to light a lamp in