Nahum ish Gamzo, also called Nahum of Hamadi used to say, “Everything for the best.” Sent to the Emperor with presents, miracles happened. He came to a place where during the night they emptied his chest and filled it with dust. Brought before the Emperor he thought they were laughing • at him. The prophet Elijah came and suggested that this might be the miraculous dust of Abraham which turned into arrows. They used it at a place which they had been investing for three years and they conquered by means of it. Greatly rewarded he returned home. The thievish hosts hearing of it pull down their building and bring the dust to the Emperor. It was found to be a fraud and they were duly punished.
V 26. Adrianus met an old man in Palestine planting fig trees. He rebuked him, saying that if he had not wrorked in his youth why did he work now in his old age. The old man replied that he worked as much as he could and left the rest to God. The Emperor replied, "If thou should ever gather figs of these trees bring some to me”. The old man brought some and the Emperor filled a basket with gold as a reward for him. The envious wife of a neighbour told her husband that the Emperor evidently liked figs, and so he must take him some. He did so and the Emperor placed him in front of the gate and everyone who passed was ordered to throw a fig in his face. When he came home his household said to him: "Thank thy Creator that they were not citrons but only figs, that they were ripe and not hard.”