Sometimes he stirred the wonder of the silly by answers to persons who had neither brought nor sent questions, and in fact did not exist. Here is a specimen:

 Who is ’t, thou askst, that with Calligenia 

 All secretly defiles thy nuptial bed? 

 The slave Protogenes, whom most thou trustest. 

 Him thou enjoyedst: he thy wife enjoys— 

 The fit return for that thine outrage done. 

 And know that baleful drugs for thee are brewed, 

 Lest thou or see or hear their evil deeds. 

 Close by the wall, at thy bed’s head, make search, 

 Thy maid Calypso to their plot is privy. 
The names and circumstantial details might stagger a Democritus, till a moment’s thought showed him the despicable trick.

 

 He often gave answers in Syriac or Celtic to barbarians who questioned him in their own tongue, though he had difficulty in finding compatriots of theirs in the city. In these cases there was a long interval between application and response, during which the packet might be securely opened at leisure, and somebody found capable of translating the question. The following is an answer given to a Scythian:

 Morphi ebargulis for night - 
 Chnenchicrank shall leave the light.