OF SCHOLARS 177
so as often to take my breath away. Then I must go into the open air and away from all dusty rooms.
But they are sitting cool in the cool shadow. They like to be spectators in all things and take care not to sit where the sun burneth on the steps.
Like such as stand in the street and gaze at the folk passing thus they tarry and gaze at the thoughts thought by others.
As soon as they are grasped by hands, they give off dust like flour-bags, and involuntarily. But who would find out rightly that their dust is derived from the? corn and the yellow delight of summer fields ?
When they give themselves the air of wisdom, I grow cold with their petty sayings and truths. An odour is often in their wisdom, as if it sprang from the swamp. And, verily, I have even heard the frog croak in it!
Clever they are, they have able fingers. What doth my simplicity wish from their manifoldness ? Their fingers understand all threading and knotting and weaving. Thus they weave the stockings of the spirit !
Good clock-works are they. Only take care to wind them up properly! Then without deceitfulness they indicate the hour and make a modest noise in so doing.
Like millworks they work, and like corn-crushers. Let folk only throw their grain into them! They know only too well how to grind corn and make white dust out of it.
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