Nedarim 50B

ומן אשתו של טורנוסרופוס, ומן קטיעא בר שלום.

And R' Akiva also grew wealthy from the wife of Turnus Rufus, who converted and gave him her money, and from Ketia bar Shalom, a Roman minister who bequeathed his fortune to him.

רב גמדא יהיב ארבעה זוזי לספונאי לאתויי בהון מידעם. לא אשכחו, אתיוה ליה בהון קופא. אישתמיט על לחרתא, חפרו בתריה, אשכחוה דרביע על מרגלייתא, אייתינון ליה כולהון.

§ The Talmud relates a similar incident: Rav Gamda gave 4 dinars to sailors to bring him something from overseas in exchange for them. However, they did not find anything of worth, so they bought him a monkey with the coins and brought it to him. The monkey escaped and entered a hole. When they dug after it to retrieve it, they found it crouching over pearls, and they brought all of the pearls to Rav Gamda.

אמרה ליה בת קיסר לרבי יהושע בן חנניה: תורה מפוארה, בכלי מכוער. אמר לה: למדי מבית אבוך, במה מניחין יין? אמרה ליה: במאני דפחרא. אמר לה: כולי עלמא בפחרא, ואתון במאני דפחרא?! אתון אחיתון במאני דכספא ודהבא!

The daughter of the emperor said to R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: You are the epitome of magnificent Torah, but it is stored in an ugly vessel, as R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya was an unattractive man. He said to her: You may learn the answer to your statement from your father’s house. In what container do you place wine? She said to him: In earthenware vessels. He said to her: Is it conceivable that everyone stores their wine in earthenware vessels, and you also store it in earthenware vessels? Is there no distinction between the emperor and ordinary people? You should place your wine in vessels of silver and gold.

אזלת ורמת חמרא במאני דכספא ודהבא, וסרי. אמר לה: אף אורייתא כן. והאיכא שפירין וגמירין! אמר לה: אי הוו סנו, הוו גמירין טפי.

She went and placed the wine in vessels of silver and gold, and it spoiled. R' Yehoshua said to her: The same is also true of the Torah. It spoils if it is contained in a handsome person. She asked him: But are there not people who are both good looking and learned in Torah? He said to her: If they were ugly they would be even more learned.