Story of the violent man who justified his character.
One day a man was relating to his friends, inside a house, the good qualities of a man, who was listening outside. Then a person present said: “It is true, my friend, that he possesses many good qualities, but he has two faults; he is violent and irascible.” While he was saying this, the man, who was outside, overhearing him, entered hastily, and twisted his garment round his throat, and said: “You fool, what violence have I done, what anger have I been guilty of?” This he said in an abusive way, inflamed with the fire of anger. Then the others who were there laughed, and said to him, “Why should he speak? You have been good enough to give us ocular demonstration of your anger and your violence.”
“So you see that fools do not know their own faults, though they are patent to all men. Now hear about the foolish king who made his daughter grow.”
Story of the foolish king who made his daughter grow.[30]
A certain king had a handsome daughter born to him. On account of his great affection for her, he wished to make her grow, so he quickly summoned physicians, and said politely to them: “Make some preparation of salutary drugs, in order that my daughter may grow up quickly, and be married to a good husband.” When the physicians heard this, they said, in order to get a living out of the silly king: “There is a medicine which will do this, but it can only be procured in a distant country, and while we are sending for it, we must shut up your daughter in concealment, for this is the treatment laid down for such cases.” When they had said this, they placed his daughter in concealment there for many years, saying that they were engaged in bringing that medicine. And when she grew up to be a young woman, they shewed her to that king, telling him that she had been made to grow by the medicine; and he was pleased, and loaded them with heaps of wealth.
“In this way rogues by means of imposture live on foolish sovereigns. Now hear the story of a man who shewed his cleverness by recovering half a paṇa.”
Story of the man who recovered half a paṇa from his servant.[31]
There was once on a time a man living in a town, who was vain of his wisdom. And a certain villager, who had served him for a year, being dissatisfied with his salary, left him and went home. And when he had gone, the town-bred gentleman said to his wife,—“My dear, I hope you did not give him anything before he went?” She answered, “Half a paṇa.” Then he spent ten paṇas in provisions for the journey, and overtook that servant on the bank of a river, and recovered from him that half paṇa. And when he related it as a proof of his skill in saving money, he became a public laughing-stock.
“Thus men, whose minds are blinded with wealth, fling away much to gain little. Now hear the story of the man who took notes of the spot.”
Story of the fool who took notes of a certain spot in the sea.[32]
A certain foolish person, while travelling by sea, let a silver vessel fall from his hand into the water. The fool took notes of the spot, observing the eddies and other signs in the water, and said to himself: “I will bring it up from the bottom, when I return.” He reached the other side of the sea, and as he was re-crossing, he saw the eddies and other signs, and thinking he recognized the spot, he plunged into the water again and again to recover his silver vessel. When the others asked him what his object was, he told them, and got well laughed at and abused for his pains.
“Now hear the story of the king who wished to substitute other flesh for what he had taken away.”
Story of the king who replaced the flesh.[33]
A foolish king saw from his palace two men below. And seeing that one of them had taken flesh from the kitchen, he had five palas of flesh cut from his body. When the flesh had been cut away, the man groaned and fell on the earth, and the king, seeing him, was moved with compassion, and said to the warder: “His grief cannot be assuaged because five palas of flesh were cut from him, so give him more than five palas of flesh by way of compensation.” The warder said: “When a man’s head is cut off, does he live even if you give him a hundred heads?” Then he went outside and had his laugh out, and comforted the man from whom the flesh had been cut, and handed him over to the physicians.
“So you see, a silly king knows how to punish, but not how to shew favour. Hear this story of the silly woman who wanted another son.”
Story of the woman who wanted another son.[34]
One day a woman with only one son, desiring another, applied to a wicked female ascetic belonging to a heretical sect. The ascetic told her that, if she killed her young son and offered him to the divinity, another son would certainly be born to her. When she was preparing to carry out this advice, another and a good old woman said to her in private: “Wicked woman, you are going to kill the son you have already, and wish to get another. Supposing a second is not born to you, what will you do?” So that good old woman dissuaded her from crime.
“So women, who associate with witches, fall into evil courses, but they are restrained and saved by the advice of the old. Now, prince, hear the story of the man who brought the ámalaka fruit.”
Story of the servant who tasted the fruit.[35]
A certain householder had a stupid servant. As the householder was fond of ámalakas, he said to his servant, “Go, and bring me some perfectly sweet ámalakas from the garden.” The foolish fellow bit every one, to taste if it was sweet, and then brought them, and said; “Look, master, I tasted these and found them sweet, before bringing them.” And his master, seeing that they were half eaten, sent them away in disgust and his stupid servant too.
“Thus a foolish person ruins his master’s interests and then his own, and here by way of episode hear the story of the two brothers.”