Emperor. How many flaggons of salt water are there in the sea?
Knight. Give me the number of flaggons of fresh water, and I will tell you.
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Emperor. To the first question you answered, that the distance between heaven and hell, was as great as between a sigh and the heart. How can this be?
Knight. A sigh passes from the heart with the rapidity of a glance; and in like manner the soul goes from the body into a state of punishment or happiness.
Emperor. How is the depth of the sea a stone's throw?
Knight. All weight descends; and because a stone is heavy it drops to the bottom of the sea at once. Its depth is therefore a stone's throw.
Emperor. And how if you knew the number of flaggons of fresh water, could you estimate the number of salt? This seems impossible. Knight. Be good enough to try it. Begin the reckoning yourself.
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The emperor, pleased with the knight's shrewdness, bids him 'Go in peace.'—MS. Copy of the Gest. Rom.
