Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-14
ANCIENT JEsTs. .

BLaek1vOod's Magazine has "a sreview
Of the new collection of ancient Greek
tests of HierOcles and Philager. The
following extract viii give an idea Of
them:
Another abundant class Of stories
are those Of the confusion which re-
suits from sleeping and dreaming. We
read in HierOcles that a man met a
fool, and said to him, Sir blockhead, I
saw and spoke to you IN my sleep'
A thousand pardOns, was his reply;
I was so busy I didn't hear
YOU In like manner one said to an
other simpleton, 'Demeas, 1 saw you
there, three days back, IN my Dreams
You ie,' he replied, I was IN the
country Another worthy dreamed he
was selling a sucking-pig, for which be
asked a hundred pence. Some one bid
him fifty; he sUoUtly refused, and in his
energy woke mp. As pig and money
were alike denied to his waking sight,
he speedily closed his eyes again, and,
extending his palm, said to the
dreamland bidder, We'll, well, let's have
the fifty A variation Of this class is
the story Of the two fools, one Of whom
dreamed that he had trOdden on a nail,
and straightway ION walking) bandaged
his foot. His comrade, having asked
and learned The reason, delivered him.
self Of the sage observation: Rightly
are we called foolish; for why ever do
yOPgO to rest without your shoes On?"
''The doctors and their patients are
not forgotten in the old jests. There
is the case Of one who, having had his
uvula operated upons was bidden not
to talk. Accordingly, he desired his
slave to return for him the salutatiOns
of those who bade him goOd-mOrrow;
but, when this was done, kept saying
to each in the fullness of his courtesy:
Don't take it as an affront if my
slave salutes you IN my stead; my
medical man has bidden me not to talk
Another fool beng sick agreed with
the doctor that he would pay him fee
if cured. So, when his wife blamed
him for drinking vine when IN a high
state Of fever, he retOrted, What do
you want me to get well, then, and
have to pay the doctor his fee?'
"a man is told Of, who seeing a
physician coming, slipped out of sight.
A friend observing this asked the rea-
son. We'll, said the other, "tis some
time since I've been sick, and really
I'm ashamed to be seen by him. An
other story is: a doctor gave up a
Cuman patient. The patientrecovered,
and shirked the doctor. On the latter
~. -,
was as follows: why, you said was
dying, and 50 I'm ashamed to be alive
and we'll
Among the old stories which are
very old, and still current IN some
shape, are those Of the order to stuff e
pitcher. that had served as a bolster,
with feathers by way Of making it
softer; that Of the simpletOn who,
wanting to cross the river IN a hurry,
preferred 20 ride into the ferry-boat
and not aGght; that Of the man who,
going to inquire for a sick friend, was
told BY his widow, Alas, he's gOnep
and simply replied, If he return,
will you say l calledy That of
him who when called to task for UsUrp-
ing his hail-pOrter's functions, and
saying not at home with his own lips,
proceeded to pick a quarrel with his
visitor because he doubted his word,
though he would have believed his
slaves; that Of the host whose guests
enjoyed a cOllared head so much that
they vowed that they would dine with
him next day, upon which he went to
his butcher and ordered another head
of the same pig, which is worthy to
figure side by side with the Irish spirit
merchants advertisement, that he had
still on sale a small quantity Of the
whisky which was drunk by his late
majesty in Dublin"