Once upon a time there lived a woman whose name was Beruriah. She was the wife of R. Meir and the daughter of R. Hanina, son of Teradyon, who is mentioned in the story of the destruction of the temple. This woman had a sister who had been taken captive by the heathen, and was placed in a brothel. We read elsewhere that she had been very proud, and that is why this punishment was decreed upon her; hence one should never be proud.

Beruriah said to her husband, R. Meir: "My dear husband, I feel it is a great shame that my sister should be in a brothel. See what you can do to get her out."

Then R. Meir took half a measure of gold pieces and went to her in order to pay her ransom. And he said to himself: "If she is still pure and has not been defiled, I am sure a miracle will happen to me and I shall be able to get her out, otherwise I fear I shall not be able to redeem her." So he traveled along until he reached the town where his wife's sister was kept in the brothel.

Then R. Meir disguised himself as a heathen noble and went into the brothel to see the woman. And he said to her: "Give yourself to me and I will pay you a high price."

She replied, "I am ill." Then he said: "I will wait until you get well."

And she replied: "Why will you wait for me? There are many other women here prettier than I."

He thought to himself: "I am sure this woman is pure."

So R. Meir went to the warden in charge and said to him: "Let me take that woman with me,"

The warden replied: "I dare not do such a thing without an order from the king."

So R. Meir said: "Take these two measures of gold and if the king should fine you, give him one measure and keep the other for yourself."

The warden replied: "The king will find me guilty of a capital crime and will condemn me to death."

Then R. Meir said: "If they wish to harm you, say: 'God of R. Meir, save me!' and you will be saved."

Then the warden replied, "How do I know that this charm will work?"

R. Meir answered: "There are many wild dogs here. Throw a stone at them and they will run after you to bite you, then utter the words which I have told you and they will not touch you."

He did as R. Meir had told him and the dogs wanted to bite him. Then he exclaimed: "May the God of R. Meir help me!" and all the dogs ran away.

Not long afterwards, the king heard that the warden had let the woman go free. So he ordered him to be put into prison and he was later taken out to have his head cut off.

Immediately he exclaimed: "God of R. Meir, answer me!" And they could not touch him and had to let him go free. Then they asked him what he had said to escape from the punishment, and he told them the whole story about the woman.

Then the king had an accurate likeness made of R. Meir, ordered copies of it posted on every gate throughout the city of Rome, and issued a proclamation in every street to the effect that if anyone saw a man in the likeness of that picture, he should at once arrest him and bring him to the king.

One day as R. Meir was going along the streets of Rome, the people saw him and ran after him in order to arrest him. So R. Meir entered a brothel. And the people said: "That cannot be R. Meir, for R. Meir would not go into a brothel."

Others say he entered a cookshop where much food was standing on the hearth and, putting one finger into one of the boiling pots, he licked the other finger, so that people might think he had actually partaken of the food, and would then be convinced that it could not be R. Meir.

Others again say that the prophet Elijah came to meet him disguised as a harlot, and embraced and kissed him in the street, so that the people said: "Surely that cannot be R. Meir, for he would not do such a thing."

When he saw that the king was pressing him hard and pursuing him, he left Rome and went to Babylon.

There is another explanation of the reason why R. Meir went to settle in Babylon.

But I do not care to tell it here. Whoever wishes to know more about it, may look up the commentary on the Talmud and there he will find the reason why R. Meir went to Babylon.