Hammād bin Zayd, [may Allāh bestow mercy upon him], said: “It was said to Ayyūb as-Sakhtiyāni, [may Allāh bestow mercy upon him]: ‘Is knowledge today more or less?’ He, [may Allāh bestow mercy upon him], replied: ‘Speech is more today, whereas knowledge used to be more than it is today.’”
Al-Ma’rifah wat-Tāreekh, 2/232 | Al-Imām Ya’qūb al-Fasawee, [may Allāh bestow mercy upon him]