Story 14

Moses, peace be upon him, once saw a poor man who had buried himself in the sand for want of clothing. The man said: Moses, pray that God, mighty and glorious, gives me enough to live on, for this misery has worn me down. Moses prayed and went on his way. A few days later, returning from his devotions, he found the man in trouble, with a crowd gathered around him. He asked: what has happened here? They said: he drank wine, made a drunken uproar, and killed a man, and now he has been sentenced to die for it. And the wise have said: If the wretched cat had wings, it would wipe every sparrow's egg from the face of the earth. Let a weakling once come into power, and he rises up to crush those weaker than himself. And if God were to spread wide the means of life for His servants, they would run riot upon the earth. Moses, peace be upon him, acknowledged the wisdom of the Creator of the world and asked forgiveness for his own presumption. What plunged you into danger, you deluded thing, until you perished? If only the ant had never flown. When a servant gains high rank, silver and gold, his head is bound, of necessity, to meet a slap. Have you not heard what Plato said? Better for the ant to have no wings at all. The father has plenty of honey, but the son runs a fever. The One who does not make you rich knows what is good for you better than you do.