"He seeks out the wisdom of all the ancients, and is concerned with prophecies; he preserves the sayings of the famous and penetrates the subtleties of parables; he seeks out the hidden meanings of proverbs and is at home with the obscurities of parables. He serves among the great and appears before rulers; he travels in foreign lands and learns what is good and evil in the human lot."

The Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach, Chpt 39 vs. 1-4, The Apocraphya of the Bible. (Oxford NRSV)