Soon after the order had been obeyed, the Mollah Do-pyazah came to this spot. Akbar then turned to his attendants, saying he had dreamed the night before that there were eggs in the cistern, and that all who were his faithful servants had dived in, and brought out an egg. Whereupon the attendants one by one dived into the water, each one issuing forth with an egg in his hand. Do-pyazah, not disposed himself to enter the water, the emperor asked why he alone held aloof. The mollah, thus pressed, divested himself of his outer garments and plunged in. He searched for a long time, but could not find a single egg. At length he emerged from the cistern, and, moving his arms in the manner of a cock flapping his wings, he cried aloud, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” “What,” asked Akbar, “is the meaning of this?” “Your Majesty,” came the reply, “those who brought you the eggs were hens, but I am a cock, and you must not expect an egg from me.” At which Akbar laughed heartily, and had Do-pyazah well rewarded. * * * * * The Chinese are more noted for their wit that is wisdom, than for their humor. Confucius, doubtless the greatest of their philosophers, born 551 B.C., left many sayings which became proverbs, yet which embodied only the elementary morality of all ages and races. These are some of the sayings from _The Analects of Confucius_. “While a man’s father is alive, look at the bent of his will; when his father is dead, look at his conduct.” “An accomplished scholar is not a cooking-pot.” “When good order prevailed in his country, Ning Wu acted the part of a wise man; when his country was in disorder, he acted the part of a fool. Others may equal his wisdom, but they cannot equal his folly.” “How can one know about death, when one does not understand life?” “Four horses cannot overtake the tongue.” “If you were not covetous, you could not even bribe a man to steal from you.” “When their betters love the _Rules_ [_of Propriety_], then the folk are easy tools.” “Why use an ox-knife to kill a hen?” “There are two classes that never change: the supremely wise and the profoundly stupid.” “If a man is disliked at forty, he always will be.” “When driving with a woman, hold the reins in one hand and keep the other behind your back.” Chwang Tze, another ancient, wrote much of life, death and immortality, but showed little sense of humor therein. One of his anecdotes, in lighter vein, follows. _THE PLEASURE OF FISHES--ANECDOTE_ Chwang Tze and a friend had strolled on to a bridge over the Hao, when the former observed, “Look how the minnows are darting about! That is the pleasure of fishes.” “Not being a fish yourself,” objected the friend, “how can you possibly know in what the pleasure of fishes consists?” “And you not being I,” retorted Chwang Tze, “how can you know that I do not know?”