sight of the flying rogue, who, finding escape hopeless, climbed up into a pipal tree. The husband soon reached the foot of the tree, when he shouted to the rogue to come down. “No, I cannot," said he; "this is the way to Kailása," and then climbed to the very top of the tree. Seeing there was no chance of the rogue coming down, and there being no one near to whom he could call for help, the old miser tied his horse to a neighbouring tree, and began to climb up the pipal himself. When the rogue observed this, he thanked all his gods most fervently, and having waited until his enemy had climbed nearly up to him, he threw down his bundle of booty, and then leapt nimbly from branch to branch till he reached the ground in safety, when he mounted the miser's horse and with his bundle rode into a thick forest, where he was not likely to be discovered. Being thus balked the miser came down the pipal tree slowly, cursing his own stupidity in having risked his horse to recover the things which his wife had given the rogue, and returned home at leisure. His wife, who was waiting his return, welcomed him with a joyous countenance, and cried, "I thought as much: you have sent away your horse to Kailása, to be used by your old father." Vexed at his wife's words, as he was, he replied in the affirmative, to conceal his own folly. MIDDLE DIVISION PART I GREECE IN essaying an Outline of the World's Humor, the greatest obstacle to our work is the insufficiency of data. While we are sure there was humor in the early days, we cannot get much of it for publication. The Fables and Folk Tales that come down to us are of uncertain origin and date. Traditions have been traced to their inception but the tracery is of vague and shadowy lines. Wherefore it is well nigh impossible to formulate or systematize our chronology. The simple division of Ancient, Middle and Modern must serve for a main arrangement, with the subdivision of the Middle into Greece, Rome, and the Mediæval Ages. Greece will include generally the time from 500 B.c. to 500 A.D., although its traditions reach farther back into antiquity. The whole Middle Division must include all from 500 B.C. to about 1300 A.D. So, we see the boundaries are inevitable if not entirely satisfactory. Greece was the primeval European civilization, and in the year 500 B.C. it already had its own literature and the Iliad and Odyssey were even then antique. These, at this time, were traditionally ascribed to Homer as they have ever since remained. But Homer's individual existence is a matter of doubt, and his history and personality are as unknown as those of the ancient patriarchs of the Old Testament. |