"Why should I be slave," said the serpent's tail to its head; "let me lead." "Lead on." First it dragged the body into a miry ditch; no sooner did it emerge than it became entangled in a thicket. Bruised and torn the serpent was extricated only finally to be led into a furnace. "When the pitcher falls upon the stone, woe to the pitcher; when the stone falls upon the pitcher, woe to the pitcher; whatever mishap, woe to the pitcher." "Money, lacking for necessity, is found for superfluity." "Peace is the wisp of straw that bindeth the sheaf of blessings." "Discord is the cistern-leak whence drop by drop all the water escapes." R. Joshua met a little girl by the way and asked for some water. She handed him her pitcher, saying: "I will also draw some for the beast on which thou ridest." Quenching his thirst he said: "Daughter of Israel, thou hast followed the worthy example of Rebecca." "Rabbi," said she archly, "Thou hast not imitated the example of Eleazar" (Gen. xxiv 22). NOTES AND REFERENCES. All the Agada material scattered through the Talmud has been gathered into one book called "The Eye of Jacob" (after the name of its author). But popular collections more or less complete have been made in modern tongues. Among these may be mentioned:--_Rabbinische_ Blumenlese by Leopold Dukes; _Parabeln, Legenden und Gedanken aus dem Talmud_, by Ludwig Seligman; _Stories and Sayings from the Talmud_, Katie Magnus; _Gems from the Talmud_ by Isidore Myers, the quotations given in the original and translated into English verse: _Hebrew Tales_, Hyman Hurwitz; _600 Talmudic Sayings_, Henry Cohen; _Selections from the Talmud_, H. Polano. * * * * * _Immortality of the Soul: Zillah._ H. L. Harris. BOOK V. SHEM AND JAPHETH.