mportant question, my son," said Hillel; "the reason is because
their midwives are not clever." The man went away, but after an hour he
returned, calling out as before, "Where is Hillel? where is Hillel?"
Hillel again threw on his mantle and went out, meekly asking, "What now,
my son?" "I want to know," said he, "why the people of Tadmor are
weak-eyed?" Hillel replied, "This is an important question, my son, and
the reason is this, they live in a sandy country." Away went the man,
but in another hour's time he returned as before, crying out, "Where is
Hillel? where is Hillel?" Out came Hillel again, as gentle as ever,
blandly requesting to know what more he wanted. "I have a question to
ask," said the man. "Ask on, my son," said Hillel. "Well, why have the
Africans such broad feet?" said he. "Because they live in a marshy
land," said Hillel. "I have many more questions to ask," said the man,
"but I am afraid that I shall only try thy patience and make thee
angry." Hillel, drawing his mantle around him, sat down and bade the man
ask all the questions he wished. "Art thou Hillel," said he, "whom they
call a prince in Israel?" "Yes," was the reply. "Well," said the other,
"I pray there may not be many more in Israel like thee!" "Why," said
Hillel, "how is that?" "Because," said the man, "I have betted four
hundred zouzim that I could put thee out of temper, and I have lost them
all through thee." "Be warned for the future," said Hillel; "better it
is that thou shouldst lose four hundred zouzim, and four hundred more
after them, than it should be said of Hillel he lost his temper!"

_Shabbath_, fol. 31, col. 1.

Rabbi Perida had a pupil to whom he had to rehearse a lesson four
hundred times before the latter comprehended it. One day the Rabbi was
hurriedly called away to perform some charitable act, but before he went
he repeated the lesson in hand the usual four hundred times, but this
time his pupil failed to learn it. "What is the reason, my son," said he
to his dull pupil, "that this time my repetitions have been thrown
away?" "Because, master," naively replied the youth, "my mind was so
pre-occupied with the summons you received to discharge another duty."
"Well, then," said the Rabbi to his pupil, "let us begin again." And he
repeated the lesson a second four hundred times.

_Eiruvin_, fol. 54, col. 2.

Between Azel and Azel (1 Chron. viii. 38 and ix. 44), there are four
hundred camel-loads of critical researches d