One day the Cogia going into a person’s garden climbed up into an apricot tree and began to eat the apricots. The master coming said, “Cogia, what are you doing here?” “Dear me,” said the Cogia, “don’t you see that I am a nightingale sitting in the apricot tree?” Said the gardener, “Let me hear you sing.” The Cogia began to warble. Whereupon the other fell to laughing, and said: “Do you call that singing?” “I am a Persian nightingale,” said the Cogia, “and Persian nightingales sing in this manner.” * * * * * From _The Book of Laughable Stories_, collected by Gregory Bar Hebræus in the thirteenth century. The collection includes some seven hundred stories taken from the literary products of all the Oriental countries available at that time. * * * * * Bazarjamhir said, “When thou dost not know which of two things is the better for thee [to do], take counsel with thy wife and do the opposite of that which she saith, for she will only counsel [thee to do] the things which are injurious to thee.” A certain woman saw Socrates as they were carrying him along to crucify him, and she wept and said, “Woe is me, for they are about to slay thee without having committed any offence.” And Socrates made answer unto her, saying, “O foolish woman, wouldst thou have me also commit some crime that I might be punished like a criminal?” * * * * * Alexander [the Great] saw among the soldiers of his army a man called Alexander who continually took to flight in the time of war, and he said to him, “It is said that upon the ring of Pythagoras there was written, ‘The evil which is not perpetual is better than the good which is not perpetual.’” * * * * * It is said that upon the ring of Pythagoras there was written, “The evil which is not perpetual is better than the good which is not perpetual.” It was said to Socrates, “Which of the irrational animals is not beautiful?” And he replied, “Woman,” referring to her folly. * * * * * Another of the sages said, “The members of a man’s household are the moth of his money.” * * * * * A certain man who had once been a painter left off painting and became a physician. And when it was said to him, “Why hast thou done this?” he replied, “The errors [made] in painting [all] eyes see and scrutinize; but the mistakes of the healing art the ground covereth.” * * * * * Another king was asked by his sages, “To what limit hath thine understanding reached?” And he replied, “To the extent that I believe no man, neither do I put any confidence in any man whatsoever.” * * * * * Another king said, “If men only knew how pleasant to me it is to forgive faults there is not one of them who would not commit them.” * * * * *