410 
is adduced as an example, and faid to be 
the origin of the adage : 
A certain man had loft a white afs, and 
meeting a man ftanding inthe public road, 
as he was feeking it, afked him, whether 
he hadfeeh a white afs> I have feen an 
afs, he replied, entirely white, except 
his ears, whichwere black. And which 
Yoad did he take? faid the owner: the 
man pointed out the road, and the other, 
after looking there in vain for his afs, 
returned, and afked the informer to ac- 
company him. He confented. They went 
together, and fearched, without fuccefs. 
The owner then fufpeéted that his com- 
panion had led him out the way while 
his accomplices fecured their booty ;.quar- 
relled with him, took him to a magi- 
firate, and accufed him of the robbery. 
The magiftrate fentenced him to pay 
two hundred denarii, partly for the cofts, 
and partly for the afs; and as many 
“pieces of gold fer the baggage and money 
foft with the afs.] 
Never do good to a bad man, and evil 
fhall not happen to you. 
Withhold not thy hand from doing good. 
* The bride goes to her bed, but 
knows not whether fhe fhall arife again. 
- Correét a wife man witha look, buta 
fool with a ftaff. 
He who refpeéts his calumniator is like 
an afs. - 
The raging fire defiroys many heaps 
ofcorn. 
Ain old man in a houfe is a good fign. 
If thowhaft lent toany one, thou wilt de- 
mand it an hundred times invain from the 
good, and a thoufand times from the bad. 
Lay the table, and contention ceafes. 
if it be neceflary that thou muf have 
dealings, may thy lot be with the honeft ! 
The bufinefs: which is near, is de- 
voured by the mafter; that which is far 
off devours'‘him. 
Deny not an old friend. 
Though ‘thou haf threefcore counfel- 
lors, rejeé not thou the advice of thine 
own heart. 
Let thine hand be always as liberal as 
if thou wert always full, and not -as if, 
being lately filled, thou remembereft 
thine hunger. 
Yield not thine heart to forrow, for 
forrow deftroys many. 
Many have fallen, and perithed, 
through the beauty of a woman. 
Lruft thy jecrets to one only, though 
2 thoufand teek thy friendthip. é 
EEE RRA ow ih i ae a 
* Taken from the fudden death of a certain 
bxide, 
“Proverbs of Ben Siras 
fOd. 
Keep thyfelf from the forward woman, 
as thou wouldeft keep thy feet from hot 
coals. 
Turn away thine eyes from the for- 
ward woman, left thou be caught in her 
{nares. 
Woe to him who follows his eyes, 
when he knows them to be the children 
of whoredem ! 
Be not with thofe who have either 
thin beards or thiek ones, for thou 
knoweft not what may happen. 
Sons are dear to every man; but woe 
to the father of daughters ! . 
A daughter is a vain treafure to her _ 
father, for whilft he fears he fleeps not 
in the night. é 
_ The guardian of a young damfel fleeps 
not, left fhe be deceived in her youth, 
and when older become abandoned. 
When thy daughter is married, thou 
wilt be very anxicus for her, faying, 
perhaps fhe will have children, perhaps 
fhe will not; and leG, in her old age, 
fhe addiét herfelf to witcheraft. 
Be not idle in thy youth, and in thine 
age marry not an old woman; for an old 
woman will debilitate thee, though thou 
Wert young, but a young wife will be- 
nefit thee. 
The waters of love of a young maiden 
are fweet; but the waters of love ofan 
old woman are bitter as wormwood. 
Shake from thee the bad woman, who 
torments thee with her tongue; for a 
{colding woman is like a mad dog, there- 
fore let the doors be fhut upon her, though 
fhe anfryer thee mildly. 
A wife man will marry a maid, and 
not a widow; for the affeétions of the 
one fhall be thine own, but the hufband 
has already had the love of-the widow. 
Turn. away thine eyes from a wi- 
dow, and defire not her beauty in thine 
heart, for her children are the childre 
of iniguity. 
Turn away thy face from evil com- 
panions, go not in their ways, keep thy 
feet from them, left thou be taken m the 
fame fnare. 
Gather up riches, my fon, and hide 
them, and give them not to thine heirs 
before the day of thy death. 
Gather up wealth, and take unto the 
a wife who fears God, that thou mayeft 
have children, even a hundred. 
Depart from a bad neighbour, and be 
not numbered in his fociety ; for their 
feet run to evil, and they haften to fhed 
blood. Neverthelefs, pity thou thy 
neighbours, though they be bad, and 
give to them of thy food, that they a 
car 
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