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172
THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES
IV, 8, 48.
'No, Sir, it could not.'
But wherein, o king, would the second crop differ, in its nature, from the first?'
• Oppressed by the heat which intervened, that crop, Sir, perished.'
Just so, O king, whosoever dies before his time does so in consequence of suffering from the attack of some disease,—from excess of windy humour, or of bilious humour, or of phlegmatic humour, or from the union of the three, or from variations in temperature, or from inequality in protection, or from treatment, or from hunger, or from thirst, or from fire, or from water, or from the sword. This, O king, is the reason why there is such a thing as dying before one's time.
48. 'And have you ever heard, O king, of a young crop that, after it had come to ear, worms sprung up and destroyed down to the roots ?'
We have both heard of such a thing, Sir, and have seen it, too.'
Well, O king, was that crop destroyed in season, or out of season ?'
Out of season, Sir. For surely if worms had not destroyed the crop it would have survived to harvest time.'
What then, O king! on a disaster intervening the crop is lost, but if no injury is done it, it survives to the harvest ?'
• That is so, Sir.'
[308] . Just so, O king, whosoever dies before his time does so in consequence of suffering from the attack of some disease,—from excess of windy humoui, or of bilious humour, or of phlegmatic humour, or from the union of the three, or from variations in
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