The Talmud. 



23 



33). Alexander on his conquering march had come to the king of 

 Kasi, which is in India. When entertained by the king, he found on 

 the table nothing but bread made of gold, and all the dishes were filled, 

 with silver. " What do you mean? " said Alexander; " do you think we 

 feed on silver and gold? " " Yes," said the king, " we thought so. For 

 have you not bread and meat in your own country? why then have you 

 taken this great trouble of coming with your mighty army this great dis- 

 tance? " " Oh, I have come to learn of your customs." While they were 

 yet talking two men came before the king for judgment. One had 

 bought from the other a piece of field with all that was on it. When 

 he was ploughing the field he found in it a hidden treasure, which he 

 wished to return to the man he bought the field from. This man, 

 however, would not accept it, for he said, "I sold you the field and all 

 that is in it and on it." Thus they were quarreling with each other. Then 

 the king asked one of them, "Have you a son?" and he said, "Yes." 

 He asked the other," Have you a daughter? "and he said, " Yes."" Then 

 let your son marry his daughter, and let the treasure be their dowry." 

 Thereupon Alexander burst out laughing. " Why do you laugh? " said 

 the king, " did I not render a just judgment? How would they have 

 disposed of such a case in your country ? " " In our country," said 

 Alexander, "both would have been imprisoned or slain for quar- 

 reling, and the treasure would have been confiscated into the 

 king's treasury." Thereupon the king asked, "Does the sun shine 

 in your country?" And Alexander said, "Yes." "Does it rain in 

 your country?" Alexander said, "Certainly." "Are there any 

 animals in your country?" "Of course," said Alexander. "Ah, now 

 I understand," said the king, " in your country the sun shines and the 

 rain falls only on account of the animals. Men do not deserve these 

 blessings of heaven." 



Let me give some parables: The equal reward (Jer. Ber. 5 c). R. 

 Bun bar Ohiya died when still very young, and R. Sera stood up to 

 speak at his funeral. He took for his text (Eccl. 5, 11), " Sweet is the 

 sleep of the laborer, whether he ate little or much." " This is like unto 

 a king," he said, "who had many laborers, among whom one distin- 

 guished himself by his industry and skill, so that the king went up to 

 him, relieved him of his task and called him to himself, enjoying his 

 company. When the evening came, all the laborers, among them also 

 the skillful, were called to the king, and all received the same wages 

 and the same reward. Thereupon the other laborers murmured and 

 said: ' This man has worked only two hours, while we have toiled all 

 day, and yet he receives the same reward.' But the king silenced 



