Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-09-18
Ancient Jokes,

A book of old Greek jokes has been
recently published in England, and
everybody is amused to see how many Of
our modern jokes are mere limitations.
Let us give some of the jokes of HE
rocles, which are indeed much better
than some we get through the mail, and
some of which are very much like our
modern Irish stories:
Scholasticus, wishing to train his horse
to live on very little, gradually took away
the fodder from him. At length, of
course, the horse died of starvation.
What a pityl" said Scholasticus, lust
ras had him trained to live on nothing
at all, he dies A"
A friend tells him that he was dream
ing about him last night, and that he
imagined he met him in the street and
saluted him. 81 beg your pardon, said
Scholasticus, "for not returning your
salute, but did not observe you"
One of two twin brothers died Sho-
lasticus soon afterward CHANGED to meet
the survivor. Was it you that died, y
said he, or your brother?"
When Scholasticus was in Greece, a
friend wrote to request that he would buy
ybme books for him. Scholasticus neg
lected the commission. After some time,
when he returned home, he met his
friend. By the way" said he, Il never
received that letter which you wrote me
about the books when | was in Greece "
Scholasticus' son was sent off by his
father to the wars When he was setting
out from his home he promised his father
that he would bring back to him the
head of one of the enemy. "Oh! said
Scholasticus, " ] don't care if you come
back even without your own head, pro-
vided only see you come back safe and
happy"
On another occasion, on board ship,
in a storm, seeing the rest of the pas
sengers lashing themselves to planks,
hen.coops, oars, and other objects, as a
security in case of wreck, Scholasticus
makes himself fast to an anchor.
Having occasion to make a hurried
journey, upon his coming to ferry, he
enters the ferryboat on horseback, booted
and spurred, and when asked why he
does so, replies that he wants to get over
the river more quickly.
So, again, Scholasticus and his friend,
who, as it chanced was bald, having oc-
casioR to keep watch together, agreed to
divide the duty between them, each in
turn sleeping while the other kept watch,
to be by his partner awakened when the
time of his own watch arrived. During
one OF Scholasticus' sleeping times, his
friend played him the trick of shaving
his head. Sholasticus, ON awaking, put
up his hand, and feeling his head bald,
called out in. alarm, that they had
awakened the wrong person"
On another occasion, having a house
to sell, he brings with him one of the
stones of the wall as a sample of the
house" On another, seeing his doctor
coming up the street, he hides behind
wall being ashamed, as he says, ito
meet the doctor-it is so long since
have been ILL" And when thievish
slave continued to steal his wine by
boring a hole in the bottom of jar, the
mouth of which Scholasticus had care
fully sealed, and when friend in ex.
planation suggested that, although the
seals at the top were safe, perhaps the
wine had been distracted from the bot
tom, "You fool" says Scholasticus,
" don't you see that it is not the bottom
of the wine but the top that is goneW