ZINÔN BIN TÂLÔGHÔRAS.

He was a man of ruddy complexion, middle stature, with large and lively eyes, and a large head. He was sweet spoken and of polished manners; his attachment to those whom he loved was such that on a certain occasion when the reigning king wished to destroy some of his friends, Zinôn collected sufficient forces and extricated them from the king’s men. At last, however, they were all captured, and Zinôn, being pressed to make revelations, stated that no amount of force could induce him to betray his friends, and biting off his own tongue, spat it out; he was never­theless subjected to tortures, under which he expired at the age of seventy-two years. It is related that he always impressed on his disciples that whenever they were deprived of any property, they should not consider it as a real loss, but say: ‘We have returned the loan which had been entrusted to us.’ Perceiving one day a youth seated in a state of melancholy on the seashore, he surmised that poverty was the cause of his distress, and spoke to him as follows: ‘Friend! imagine that you are a rich merchant, navigating the ocean with a thousand ships full of mer­chandize, but that contrary winds have destroyed your ships, and that you are in danger of perishing in the waves; or fancy that you were a powerful sovereign, and that a successful antagonist had deprived you of your kingdom, and captured your person. Now suppose yourself to be either the merchant or the king, and to have escaped from these imminent perils of death; be therefore patient and grateful, because your case might be a great deal worse than it is.’ This admonition changed the grief of the youth to joy, and his despair into hope.