In the time of David, there were three years of famine. A poor man with nine sons and daughters had nothing to eat for several days. A neighbour gave them 9 boiled eggs. After 20 years the man claimed compensation on the loss of the chickens continually hatched. He came to David, who condemned the poor man to pay 300 dinars of gold. He did not have this amount; offered sons and daughters as slaves for 200 dinars and his house
for io dinars. 90 remained to be paid. The taskmasters beat the poor man. Solomon heard of this judgment, had pity, and advised him to sow the field with boiled beans. Asked by David how he could expect boiled beans to grow, he replied, “And how can boiled eggs be hatched?” The man and his familv were thus saved [v. above 329].