Gothamite Drolleries.

51

of the fools said to the principal fool," Tellus now, to satisfy our curiosity, how largewere the sweetmeats which you ate, of whicha never- failing supply can be obtained inheaven?" Then the leader had his attentiondiverted from the business in hand, andquickly joined his hands together like the cupof a lotus, and exclaimed in answer," Sobig." But in so doing he let go the tail of thebull, and accordingly he and all those othersfell from heaven, and were killed; and thebull returned to Kailása; but the people whosaw it were much amused.*

" Thus," remarks the story- teller," fools dothemselves injury by asking questions andgiving answers without reflection"; he thenproceeds to relate a story in illustration ofthe apothegm that" association with foolsbrings prosperity to no man":

A certain fool, while going to anothervillage, forgot the way. And when he askedthe way, the people said to him," Take thepath that goes up by the tree on the bank ofthe river." Then the fool went and got onthe trunk of that tree, and said to himself," The men told me that my way lay up thetrunk of this tree." And as he went onclimbing up it, the bough at the end bent1 Tawney's translation, which is used through-out this work.

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