The Apologues + 

It is probable that these picturesque and effective little stories came with the main narrative from an Eastern source. The first ten are put into the mouth of Barlaam, the last into that of Theudas, and all are used to point some moral truth. The style is simple and graphic and to some readers the Apologues may form the most attractive part of the book. + 

The best known is, of course, the tale of the Caskets, made famous by its repetition in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. + 