Story of the fool who was nearly choked with rice.
“So those foolish people, many in number, who are quite at home in a small accomplishment, through their attachment to this unimportant accomplishment, are brought to ruin.”
“Hear now about the fool who ate the grains of rice.”
A certain foolish person came for the first time to his father-in-law’s house, and there he saw some white grains of rice, which his mother-in-law had put down to be cooked, and he put a handful of them into his mouth, meaning to eat them. And his mother-in-law came in that very moment. Then the foolish man was so ashamed, that he could not swallow the grains of rice, nor bring them up. And his mother-in law, seeing that his throat was swollen and distended, and that he was speechless, was afraid that he was ill, and summoned her husband. And he, when he saw his state, quickly brought the physician, and the physician, fearing that there was an internal tumour, seized the head of that fool and opened his jaw.[15] Then the grains of rice came out, and all those present laughed.
“Thus a fool does an unseemly act, and does not know how to conceal it.”
Story of the boys that milked the donkey.[16]
Certain foolish boys, having observed the process of milking in the case of cows, got a donkey, and having surrounded it, proceeded to milk it vigorously. One milked and another held the milk-pail, and there was great emulation among them, as to who should first drink the milk. And yet they did not obtain milk, though they laboured hard.
“The fact is, prince, a fool, who spends his labour on a chimera, makes himself ridiculous.”