The man who desired gold

The book is a set of parables set in ancient Babylon. It opens with Bansir, a chariot builder, and his friend Kobbi, a musician. Both have worked hard all their lives, yet their purses are empty, while their old friend Arkad has become the richest man in the city.

They go to Arkad and ask how he did it. His answer is simple: part of everything you earn should stay with you. Arkad learned from a moneylender named Algamish to set aside at least one tenth of everything he earned, before spending on anything else.