The scribe asked the Java master: “Why do you have me
record so many tales of students who require correction?”
The master said: “So that a fool may read them, and realize
that he is a fool.”
The scribe asked: “Does mere ignorance or error make one a
fool?”
The master said: “No. The fool is the one who calls himself
‘master’ and speaks with a semblance of authority. His error
begins when he opens his mouth, and multiplies when he
closes it, leaving much unsaid.”
The scribe said: “Then would it not be wiser to say nothing,
either to the student or to the scribe?”
The master said: “Indeed, my very existence on your pages
begins and ends in error. If I had any wit I’d cast your
book into the sea.”
The scribe said: “There is no book here, and no sea, and
anyway you lack hands or a body to accomplish the task.”
