Rasa'Il Ikhwan as-Safa' (English Trans.)

Rasa’il Ikhwan as-Safa: Debate of the Animals (from the 22nd Epistle)

3 English Translations: Manuel, Dowson & Wall

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TRAIISATEfl FROM TEIC

ORIGINAL OORDOO INTO ENGLISH PROSE,

AND FOLLOWED BY

i A VOCABULARY OF TEE DIFFICULT WORDS AND PBRASES OCCURnIl\TG j

IN TEE TEXT,

: AOl'EOB OF "SICLIECTtOXS EBOH ZWE EPICS OF EUROPE,'' "THC RUBY'S s ~ E , " ''6ACREn LYRICS," TRAlPBLATIOl OP "QOOL-I-BCEAVULLICB,~ "THE POETRY OB OUR INDUI

I . " poms," h. &C. &c. .

"The soul, o i origin divine. God's glorious image, freed from ciay. In Haaven's eternd sphere shall shine

A Star of Day! The sun is but a spark of fire, A transient meteor in the sky: * The S&!, immortnl as its Sire,

Shag never die."-JfonLgomery. '

CALCUTTA : D PRlNTED M'D PUBLISRED B11 DROZARIO b: CO. TAX=-SQUARE. '

E. LODGE, EXQUIRE, A. B.

THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCBIBED

BY

THE T R A K S L A T O R .

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

THE Ikhwan-00s-sz~fScl, in the original Arabic is considered a classic. The Oordoo version of the same (the best Etlition of which is the one published by

Lieut. W. N. Lees of the Fort William college) has now come into public notice from

the fact of its having been fixed us an Oordoo text-book for candidates going up for the

Entrance Exaruir~acion of the Calcutta University. The work is written in a pure,

simple and agreeable style: The subject is not very &tractive. Beasts and men

argue out the point of their respective superiority;the former cl?iming equality with

the latter, and declaring that they were not created for man to domineer over them;

and the latter maintaining that as they were made the lords of the creation, they

mere fully entitled to exact servitude from those wbo were no better than their

servants and slaves. The disputants at last refer the matter to the king of the

genii, who after wading through a whole volurne of testimonies (pro & con) at last

decides in favor of mankind, because they excel all other animals, in being endowed

with an immortal soul. How the cbief argument turns can best be elucidated by

quoting the following from Coleridge :-"Either we have an immortal soul or we have

not. If we have not, we are beasts; the first and wisest of beasts, it max be ; but still

true beasts. We shall only diBer in degree, a6d not in kind; just as the elephant

differs from the slug. But by the concession of all the materialists of all the

schools, or almost all, we are not of the same kind as beasts ; and this also we say

from our own consciousness. Therefore, methinks, it must be the possession of a

soul within that makes the differenoe."

The work is eminently calculated to assist the student in familiarising himself

with the Oordoo language. Rhny words not to be found in ordinary story-books,

are to be met with in the pages of the Ilchwm-00s-su4a. With the moral tenets

and theological (in its ii~eral sense) doctrines of his author, however, the Translator

dissvoms all concurrence. E e recommends the work solely on its philological

merits.

'F. P. &l. Hooghly College, 15th July, 1860.

C H A P T E R I.

fl&s c.reaeio?a; his cont~ozev8p with the 6eask. variegated with every sort; of fruits and flowers; ReJe~*ence made to Beoras6 the kiqt ,~ of the streams of transparent brightlless meau,jered g i u ~ a ~ , who su-)nnlo)zs Q h.w7ilaa philosop/be~. i s every side. The bea& fatteued by ,yne rich THEY say that as long as the human race mere herbage on which they fed, were gsrubolliug on the

few in numbers, they always fled from the beasts lawns, the temperature was excelleut, aud the and took shelter in caves or on mountains. Pound, fresh and verdant, induced the foreiguers Assurance they had none, nor could they uuite not to thillk of departing. In short thsy fixed together and engage iu any agricultulrrl pursuit. their abode there, built houses and comroeuced Not being couvsrmnt with the art of weaving ellsnaring the animals to force service from

knew not how t o hide the nakedness of them. These, when they found themselves in- t h e ~ r persons. Fruits and vegetables supplied couvenienced even here, retired CO wildernessea ; them with foo& and the leaves of the trees but men still thinkiug that they were their afforded them covering. La winter they resorted slaves,busied themselvesin preparing toils where- to warm climates, and the hcat of summer with to entrap them. Wheu the beasts capx drove them again to seek shelter in cooler re- to h o w of this vain presumption, they assern- giuns, Thus sometirue past a w q . As they in- bled *11 the respectable members of their tribes, ore:lsed, all feam of bensts of prey were removed and laid their complaiutv before Bsol.us6, the fmm their uiuds. 'fheu forts bgau to rise, philosopher. After hearjug the circumsta~>ces aud cities to be founded; the tools and mate- of the case, the king passed orders to surumon riah of cultivation lvere brought in use, and men. In obedience to the call, seveuty pereona, be&s were compelied to own the superiority all remarkable for the fluency of their speech, ap- of men by working and carrying their burden peared in the court. h spacious house maa litted for them. The Elephant, the horse, the camel, out for their reception. When the fatigues of and the ass hitherto exempt from Iabour aud travel had worn off, the king cited them to his roving the greeu fields at pleasure, were now presence. When they beheld the monarch made to to!, and wear atmy their backs in con- seated on his throne, they bowed low and bless- stafit service of meu. Notwithstauding all ed him, aud stood in order even ns the laws their'ories and struggles men continued deaf. of etiquette required. The king, a8 already . XL often happened that the beasts dreading ca - meutioued, was not only famous for his justice, w t r had to fly tu dietant recious. The bir% but renowned likewise for his bravery and gene- too mere in the same predicament. Every msity. The poor found a patron in him, and tha human being thought that birds and beasts were weak uuder his protection had nought to dread all their slaves, and no artifice w~xq left untried from the domineering tyranny of power. He which promised t o bring them in their poser. was the staunchest votary of religion, and first ~t last sent d.iai~o.m& for the guitlance of consulted the will of God in ajl his undertakings. rnllkiad. The prophet opened the casket of Turning towards therep~.esentativos of mt~nkiod, religion to all, aud many a Gin also accepted the who were standing before him, Why have you jctvel of faith; Ages elapsad after this, till 13~0. come into my country:' be asked, $'when we ,.as[, a p&losopher, and styled by may of dis- had no precious quainksuce with each other tinction the king of heroes, was choseil to even bg means of epistolary correspondence ? the sovereign of the Genii. He was such a just has induced YOU t o come so far I" One of monarch that the iior? aud the goat are .mid to the. representatives, a man of age and apericucc, have drunls water a t the same fouutain. Thieves returned,-" We came, 0 king, attracted by 'the and robbers were characters never heard of. The fame of Your equity and justice. Fe ?me &;md of BitLa Saghaon through which passes as s u ~ ~ l i a n t s , knoeng tclo well, that no one has the equinoctial line, was his capitnl :teturned unrequited from your p~v$ence."

It.happend once, that a ship laden witli men The monarch req1le~t:ted him t o sgeak more &&ipen by adverse wbds to the shores of this fo the Polut. "0 just king," he began, L( thc islsnd, . The merchauts and men of scienod animals who are our slaves refuse dlegiauce to h y i n g :diiembarked found that the land was W a54 those even, wko gartWlg :ouey W, de-

IKHWAN-OOS-SUFFA.

cline €0 admit our superiority." The king inter- show that we are his suljects and he our sbso- posed, lLWhat renson have you for saying so ? lute master; but simply enumerate the good Qratuitous assetiions cannot be heard in a court things which God has.bestowed upon man. Here l justice." cLMonarch," replied the other, (' we I is my authority for what I say: ' Providence has

. have many grounds, rational and traditional, far subjected beasts to you in the same way as he saying 80." "What are these," inquired the king. has subjected the sun, the moon, the air and the A member of the fam~ly of Abbaas IZaz~ooEak clouds,' now from this i t does not appear that ascended the pulpit, and read the Khwtba as fol- he k our master and we his slaves. But on the lows. AI1 praise is due to that gracious God, who co~~trary, that God hm severally subjected one to has provided man with all sorts of delicacies in the other ; so that all may join together in pro- this world, and created all other animals for his I moting good, aud removing evil. Hence, we use. Wow happy they, who obedient, move fear- $ are subjected to them, to aid them in the acqui- lessly forward in the path whichleads t o future sition of good aud the removal of harm, not, felic~ty, and doubly wretched they who giving as they imagine, to enable them by artifices to loose reins to their folly deviate from this track. become onr masters. Before man was born Blessing8 also be on Mahomed, whom God sent we and our parents lay undisturbed on the face to direct mankind. He also made him lord of all of the earth, grazed a t pleasurq and was each created beings, and he i t is who will prove our individually busy in search of food. best support in the day of judgment. Blessings On mountains and in vallep we lived together also on his descendants thron,oh whose means re- and reared our young ones: Thankful to God ligion has been promoted and faith spread. for what he had given us, our constant aim was I n short every moment should be devoted to to glorify him. Undisturbed we passed our the glorification of that being. who by his won- days in the enjoyment of domesticpeace, When derful power, created the first man out of a drop an age had past amay thus, God made Adam of water, and made him in his turn father of a from a handful of clay, and named him the lord large family. From him came Eve, and through of the ee*h. When his race increased, they her the.popnlatiou which now abides on the face wandered about in wjldernesses, and extended of the earth, to whom power is given over laud the hand of persecution over m. 5iorses and and water, over every ,living creature, -and. for asses, elephants, mules and camels, were all whom ever s o n of dehcacy has been provlded made subservient t o them. Evils to which our by God- $he Quoran says 'All beasts have ancestors were strangers, now accumulated on been created for you, that YOU may derive bone- our heads. wha t could we d~ 1 If we fled to the fit -from them, aud clothe yourselves with their deserts we were still pursued. Snares and skim and hair. It is incumbent on you to drive toas were laid in . our track, and &tigued and them to the fields .at the b r e d of morn, and hungry, several mere csuoht a t last. ~ s k not carry them to their folds a t the close of -eve.' In then what cruelty it was Eurs to endure. Some another place it is recorded 'On dry ground were butchered, some flayed alive, some had and on water ride on camels and si t on boats.' their bones broken, some had their sinews cut. Again 'Horses, asses and mulea are created some their stomachs ripped open, some their that YOU may ride on them.' Once more L Ride pulled off and some were spitted and on these, alld remember the bounties of your rossted. And after all they are not satisfied

• sod.' Beside. these- several other precepts of with m ; they needs muat claim that they are a Similar bear]% are to be on the pages our masters and. me their slaves. If this is not of the same Holy- Work. The Old and New Q,ranny, what 3" . Testaments are both concurrent in their testi- monieg in support of the proposition, that l beasts aremade for men. I n any mse i t is proved that we are their masters. and t,hev nur CHAPTER 11. . subjects." On hearing this the k ~ n g tu&ed to- The coturoversy b d ~ n ?nej, a?& beasts wards the animals and desired them to answer

- I eomz7bueU. the argaments of theif adversaries. The Mule W=rn the king heard all the circ,,mstances obeyed, and thus spoke " Praised be that Holy connected with the of allimals, he prepared Being, who present before the creation of to decide ; but before that he a n @ . WIWn there neither nor space, ed the cazee law-o~cer of hIs court. These H e renounced the word, and creation rose came forthwith. Turning tow&8 ha ~ u ~ t a n e ~ s from the abyss of chaos. The observed-u The beasts have detailed the heavens be made of fire and water, and elevated culars connected with the persecution practised them above the earth. From a drop of water ; what answers h%ve you to make ?,a he developed the race of Adam, and sent them One of them (, king, these are our to people the worid. entrusted animals to and we their masters ; it is proper for them, that they might save them f ~ O r n hafm> us, therefore, by the right we hold over them, and not tyrannLse Over and persecute them. to from them. In obeying us they "0 king!" he continued, "the sentences from obey God, snd dlsobying us they~set t ~ e i r face the Quomn which mm hw reperrtad, do not the Deity. The ging remarked C l Asser-

IKHRAN-00s-SUFFA. 3

tions unsupported by proofs cannot be heard in The king observed that symmct~-y of shape a court of justice. Have you any proof to ad- denoted man's superiority. The beasts urged that duce 2" He answered, 'l yes, both rational and the Creator had avoided extremes in making traditional." The king enquired what these ' them also. Therefore they and men were equal. were, He'answered, <' witbwhat grace and har- Mankind remarked, that the limbs of the beasts m o n ~ has th& CREATOR moulded the features of were far from being well shaped ; that on the man. Each organ is endowed with a plan and contrary their features were extremely odioua, adaptation to perform its individual oEce. and their stature altogether unequal. " Observe Synlmetricaliu shape, straight iu stature, blessed the camel," they said, '(a t d i creature, with a with sense and reason, which enable him to dis- long neck and short tail. Then look at the cover good from evil-nay, to scan the mysteries elephant, a large and wieldy animal with long of heaven,-on whom else are conferred all projecting tusks, broad ears and small diminutive these gifts 1 and do not these aIone entitle us to eyes. Refv also to. the ox and buffalo haviug hear away the palm of superiority l" " And tails, thick set horns and no upper teeth ; what have you now to say?" asked the king the thick-tailed sheep with heavy horns and fat addressing the beasts. They answered, "such buttocks, the he-goat with a long beard and no arguments do not make good their claim." The hip ; the hare, small in stature but l o w eared. kiu- asked " dont you kuow that propriety in In this way all the beasts whether rapagous, or l and riaiog is considered princely, ~ n d addicted to graaing or flying are disproportionate deviation from grace denoted slavishuess!' in shape and 6ze of their limbs:' On hearing "Heaven preserve the king from all dangers !" this, one of. the brutes answered : "What a pity answered one of the beasts, LLpermit me to i t is, that you have not understood the plan of observe, that God has not made men graceful the Creator ! 'We are his creatures. In finding aud symmetrical that they may be called our fault with our own organization, v e blame him masters; nor us, the contrary, that r e may be who has made us. For i t is he who has formed reckoned their slaves. He is wise and all his our limbs as they are. He has made every ob- works bear testimony to his wisdom. He has jeot adapted for some peculiar good. No one granted to each a form which he considered the understands his plan, but he." The man said, best for him." if J-ou are a philosopher among beasts, pray tell

us why the neck of the camel is long " He an- - swered, 'Lbecause his legs were also long, and if his neck were short, i t would have been difficult

CHAPTER 111. ' .- for him to have grazed on the grass of the field. Also for another purpose ; that he may be able

OR t h dtyerenee of featu$*es a d stalures. to rise from the ground by the strength of his W A ~ God created man, he mlde him entirely neck, and reach his lips to all part@ Of his body

naked. ~h~~~ was no covering on his body to when dsirous of scratching. In the Elephant preserve km from heat and cold, ~h~~ fed the proboscis instead of the neck is long, and the on the fruits of the wilderness, and were clad ears are made broader: that he may, Bapping with the leaves of the trees. Hence i t mae that them Over his month and eyes, away the they were mpde straight and tail, that they fleas and gnats that disturb him+ because his might easily reach the trees from which they IIlouth Em,ainS always Open OU account of his derived both their food and raiment. We, on tusks, which are purposely made long t o shield the contrary, feed on grass, aud oar stature i: him from the attacks Of rapaciouS animals, The therefore bent, that we may graze the better. ears of hares are longj because their b b b ~ being ~h~ king obselTed, CL ~~d says in the Q ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ , delicate and their skin thin, their ears serve them 11 have made men extremely well+haped and as covering in winter, and bed in summer. I n

elegant.7 What my you to this l' He ausrered : ] ~ h o r f a d has e e n limbs to ench beast, adapt- G 0 king ! the words of the ~~.t~ can be con- ed to his wants. Moses says : ' God first creat-

in a double sense; and none but thC ed objects and then guarded them.' We deduce wise prove himself to the task? from all this that the limbs of every creature one of. the philosophers present in the are adapted to his wants. What you consider was called upon to iaterpret the text. above beautiful, and ~ a i ~ l y fancy a8 the nlarks of Your quoted. B~ and said X T ~ ~ moment, superiority are not really so. True beauty con- .that God created Adam was an a~~spicious one; sistsin making yovrself agreeable to fellow the and planets jwere in their creatures, apd exciting love in the hearts of each proper houses, and the mere more other. This is the cause of the spread of genera- %han ever to receive the stamp ,,f nature tion. The beauty and elegance of one species have and to be moulded according t o her viii. Hence eeect On another. The Inales will a lwa~a it was .that all *he limb of man came out like the femdes of their o ~ n kind, and aot those symmetrical. The words of the text will bear Of another, although the latter may be far anaer IcOnatruction, ln making man*the better in appearance than the former ; so it is Creator' avoided extremes. Hence i t was ;hat with man- He likes hie Own species* Those his *hape was heither too nor too short, who we dark skiuned do not. like the fair bodied,

and wTSCG, yo11r beauty then is not a In short, mhen one p r t y is victorious 0t7c.ei.' source of glory to YOU, a1ld ou that account you the other, he considers the vanquished be- should not yourself above US. . You are longillg ta the tribe of his enemy, a d the con-

even in R?~iug that your sense 1s sequence is t,hat he sells them as slaves. ?Vho keener than ours, l'lero &re mnny b e a t s who ~ U O W S who are the real slaves ? Superiority and will stand better than you iu comparison. For slavery in natiol~s are always rotatory, fixed as iustauce tktke the oimel. He has long legs and i t .were by astrolo~<cal rules. God himself says neck, his head talks with'the wind, and notwith- 'These proceed turn by turn through ~ges.' s t . ~ u d ~ u ~ all these, his bead in paths through And. mally amongst them know this to be right. l&ich you could not move with the glare of As regards feeding aud other treatmenm, ib is torches, is always sure aud steady, The horse not kixduess but rather the fear of loosillg us too ca~ i henr (from a distance) the soaud 1 and our services, which iuduces them to be con- of the footsteps of .pssseogew. i t has often siderate to us. Lf we die, h o ~ will they ride, Ilupnelied thab he lies givexi notice to nis who will my their burderls, h.?" After l l i s meter of the np roach of his eueruy, and there- the beasts severally aud iudioidually laid their by saved big,. fi you leave an ass or bullock iu conlplaints before the king. The ass said that a place where he has never been before, he cab man was in the kzKt of loading him with bricks, easily retrace liiv s t e p home, without your iron, and stones. " We an: made to groan under assi~tance ; whereas you, it ofter1 hmppcns, are the- burdcr~ are lashed by scourges and likely to Iose j - 0 ~ wag, rhrough paths which you sticks. If the king had seen me in that state, have often frequeuted before. Sheep aud goats he would have oertaiul~ pitied me. In truth, hring forth hundreds of young ones in a night, man klmws not what compassion is." The ox

, . and go to pa~turage in the morning, whence represented that he was made to labour iu the they return in the evening ; and yet every field, to grind iu mills, and be driven about with qother b o w s her oyn young one and the mouth and eyci closed man aacting hin? yowg,each his own mother. You on the contrary with his crud lash. The dieep oomplzincd. that afker n short abeuce from home, are apt t o her young ollcs were depiived of nondshment forget mother and sister, father and brother. to eunl~e nian to f e d his own infaat. Xot cou- Whence then your b ~ i i ~ t of poseessiug lteenncss t e~ l t with this, we are led to the stall of tllc of sense ? If you had the least ~ e u s e in you, you butcher, and there, notwithstandirjg a11 ouw cries, would nyt have gloried in gifts, which God has slaughtered witllout mercy. Our flcsh is tkeu hestowed without any labour on your part. The divided and spitted for the salre of being roasted. man who is trnelg wise glories in those qualities We altness all these ~ ~ u e l t i e s nud still r~mniu nlona whir.h. he has, acquired by honest labour silent." The camel urged that wbeu captured, and unremitting exett,iong, You- have none of his nose was bored and a piece of string put these virtses iu you, Whence then your glory througiu it, to be pullerl by his drivers. That he And is it not true now that your claim is was over-burdened and led hungry a ~ l d thirstv in guoundlesq- and your edmity destitute of the d d n e s s of the uight, through valleysand foulldation ?" hilly Iwasagus, his back ali gored by the joltiug

of the saddie, aud his feet smarting mith the wouuds which ho receives on the rocks. Tbe

CHAPTER TV. elephant declored that he was treated with like Cmplai& qa;iasb m92 eo.ntinw3. cruelties,-11b neck enchained, his feet fettered

and he driven on by the goad of the pacsou T~ king turnink towards mankind, desired riding on him. The horse asserted that 2 hriclln -. .-- .~~ ~ --W - . . - - - - - -

-.tbea to steak out-if they had aught to eay. was put in his mouth,'a saddle laid on his back, They wjwered " There yet remain several rca- and a tied round his loins. Thus equipped sons to give weight to our assertion. I n buying. he was led to the fieid of battle, urged on by his &d selling, in feeding add dressin* in preserv- rider who is clad in armour of steel. Hung-y ing from heat and cdld, in Secu%ng from the and thirsty as he b, his i t is to pass through a t t ach OS .rapaCioiia' atibials, h 0ved00king dust and gloom, and receive sword and spear what is fdse and ii - treating the sick ' with. wDuuds on his face and swimming in streams kindness, we shorn YOU great considerations erell of blood. The mule advanced that his sorrows a8 kings show their shveg," On heayin this were the keenest; his feet fettered, his mouth tbtie;.kin$ desiyed the aaimaIs to answer. % h a t bridled, he had no opportujty to elljoy the

m a n says;" they remarked, about the huying society of the females even. G~~~~~ aid c-,m- knd selling 'of animaIs, the same rules are' man people always bestrid him with their

.--enforced amongst, themselves. When the Per- burden, and unmercifully the lnah to mans prevail over the Turks, they sell ' their' his back alld abugd him in such a filthy rind captives to strangers and ?hen the Turks in obscene mauner, that their own 'their turn gain tIik day, they behave simi- daugh;bters, mere scar,dalized at hearing them

: - 19'~Zj with the Periians. - h like manner tkie ,nttared ~~E~~~~ our former and pur- - 'fitndob with the Sindhians, 'and.. the Arnbs &asers, including; their wives wd children, are '. ,&i%fi--the . ,. Tuiks, . and .G& i i both aylY: 1 not 8 p ~ d ; and truth they dcser~e the

. .

- treatment. If the k i ~ g oyy listened to the liceu- tions words, he wo11ld think that all the wickedness aud ignorance of the world were to be found in them, And these wretches never remember for a moment what God and the prophet have said. 111 one place it is written in the Koran, 'If you wish to be forgiven for- give others.' . Again : ' Order the Edthful, 0 Afahomed ! to overlook the faults of unbelievers.' I n another place : All the auirnals that creep on the earth or. fly on the air have their community as wall as JOU~S.' And once again :

Whenever you ride ou camels, remember the

Lord, who has subjected such auimsls to us, graciousuess of God, and exclaim, noly is the

over whom we could ucver have prewiled.' As ~ o o n as the mule had delivered this speech, the CHAPTER V. *camel desired the hog to lay his compb~int be- fare the impartial justice of the king. "For," observed he, "You also belong to the gr&iug tribe of animals." Oue of the philosophers remarked'that the hog was uot a grazing animal, as the length of hi teeth showed. Besides, it is well knoiv, that he feeds on dead bodies also. Another said that he must be oousidered as an herbivorous auimrl, because he had cloven hoofs and ate grass. A third urged that he waa both car~livorous and herbivorous aud partook of the quslities of the OS, the camel and tbc leopard, eve11 as the ostrich resembles in shape both a bird aud a camel. Upon this tile hog declared, that he did not kuov.mhat to speak, and about.whom to complai~l, as people held

vtaious sorts of opiniorls about him. "The Ua- homedanq" he said, ';consider me as cursed, avoid my sight, forbear from eating my flesh, aud never mention my name in conversation even. The inhabitants of Room on the contrary, consider my fleah as very beaeficial food, and offer i t as sacrifice to secure reward hmenfter. The. Jews hold us in detestation, acd abuse and ourse us, because they hate both Christians. and Romans. The Armeuians regard ua as useful as oseu and goats, on account of our fatness, and the fecuuditjf of our breed The Greek Physicians often prepare their ointments mith our lard, nay, mix i t with their medicines. Shepherds and Groom keep us in their stalls and atables, to bear corupauy mith other domestic animds, because our presence proves a safeguard from dangers. Wizards and enchao: ters make use of our, skins in recording their charms. Shoemakers aud those who deal in stockiugs, highly value the hair which grows 011 our back and neck. I rea!ly do not know under these oircurnstai~ces whom to commend, and whom to , blame." When the hog had done speaking the ass looked towards the hare, aud found him s tandi~~g near the camel. He desired him t o put forth his complaint, in hopes that the Lug may hear him favollrably, and. release him and his race. Upon which, the hare expressed himself to the efl'ect, that

in their iagratitude all the p~sb services rendered { Repentance they know not, warning they never by us."' FVhen the hare had done speaking, the take." When he had done speaking, the rnace- ass desired him to stop, mgillg, that t+ere,is no 1 bearer annonnced that i t was evening, and time one on earth on whom every good quality 1s bes- for the court to rise; but that tomorrow the dia- towed, and from whom some good thing,is not l putauts should appear again. mithheld. 6 No one i s blessed with all virtnes. j The favour of God is not limited to any. His : gifts are general. But on some he has bestowed i CHAPTER VI. largely, and On in less degree' Even soon as the business of the day was over, perior creatures are not exempt from some slight ! the for his minister BedaT; and desired depreciation. Witnkss the sun and moon, how him to give his opinion upon the of the glorious and bright they are, so much so that cnse ullder discllssioh. The mi,listcr, was some nations in their' ignorance, have mistaken 1 them for the Deity himself, and yet they are llot j a and prudent man, the and

from being eclipsed. so that the nlay I advised him to send for the Cuaees, the lam 0%- know, from the hCt of their and he:rig I ccrs, and the philosophers of the genii. and clarkened,that neither one nor the other is God. refer the matter to them ; for the case was a In the same way the stars, they too are j Very important one, and there was no homing bright and luminous, but they lose their luscm who i l l the right; counsel was certainly befoze the efhlgeuce of the stm. They are also ) required, because where me consult mauy me a t

to revolve for ever, thereby ; last come to a decisive point. The wise should

that they are creatures to the will of a do nothing mithout advice. Accordingly the king creator. ~h~ name h o ~ b good genii, 1 ordered that all his courticrs should be sent for. and angels ~f any is entlomcd k t h super- c Obedient to thc call, the Cazee of thc race of

blessillos m l %herc iis some slight dcfcct { Bi~gees, the lay oficeis of that pf skkeed, wise added to them. ~~d alone is when men OF the tribe of BmZer, gEiilosophcrs equal the am had said this, the ox went on thop, ~f 1 f0 -B"Jp, expefienced men, the children of

is blessetl than anothel., hc I$~n~Liil, lesr~>cd persons, sons of ~?cc~v ( I l z , shol,ld render thanks to CJ,~, and make the noblemen, descendants of Bcch~um, all came. others partake of the good things conferred on 1 The Icing opened the dicourse by inforn1ing Km. ~~k~ the snn for instance, ~~d has them that man and bcasts had come to him as gimn him light, but i t he enlightens and 1 complainauts, the latter sorely distressed at the cheersthe creation. So do also the moon and f persecution practised on them by the former. stars, according to the degree of lustre lent to . H" asked how he wi9 to dccidc the case. One each. Hence man, psrticularly favoured by ~ ~ d , 1 from tho tribe of Nuheed opined that the beasts should be kind and generous towards the l>easts.*f should draw out a list of their grievances, and -Qter thh, tile bratCs set up a loud homlillg submit it to the philosophers for decision. 'If cailed upon the ]ring to justice to them they are entitled to be froe, the Cazee and law and free them from the ncrsccuting tyraillzp of 0f6ccr should Pass an order preventing man man. The king turner1 tokards tllcphilosopht?w $0" capturing nnd selling them. If men dis- who were present md iuqLIired if they obey, the beasts are co~isidered guiltless, and attentively heard the beasts had said declared free.' The king asked how t h y l i e d against mel~. They ans~ered,-lLYes, arid daily the propoeitiou 2 They answered, that it was to esperiencc confirms us in the belief that tlley the point and befitting the occasion. One of the are tlic most notorious of ",yrants ; even giants, noblemen did not approve of the decision, and t o escape from them, have given up the practice remarked that if mankind agreed to sell the of visiting popnlons places, and taken to moods beasts who mould pay the price ? A professor and mouotdns to bc far from them, j of religion replicd, ctThe king". It was agun But still i t is impossible to avoid the evil we I asked, "Where will the kiog bring all the moucy shem, they are so mnlevolcnt, that whenever a from 2" Thc professor returned "From his trea- mm, woman or child is &aicted d!& any gpeiv- su~~y.*' The nobleman again observed, Will Ous discase, they are surkto ascribe i t to the cir- 2 all the wealth in the treasi~ry snffice for his eumsknce of our shadow having been cast upon { purpose ? And besides this, many \?ill not think him or her. They always pray for protection of selling animals for they are very servlceablc to from the power of the wiauts ; but no one has i them. The king, his minister, and other respsc- ever h a r d that a had kill& man, or ; table people cannot manage without convep wo~mcled him, or deprived him of his ~ ! ~ t h e s , ancea, and are not in want of money. These or committed a burglary in his house, or cut his therefore will not obey the order." The king pockets, or tarn his sleeves, or broken a lock, or 1 then asked. "Vhat do you say 'l'' He answered, murdered a4roeller, or w d e an attack on the "1 deem i t advisable, B a t a!l th? beasta should king's palace, or robbed or imprisoned any one. depart together on a certaln night, and retire All these vices disgrace man himself. They far from the abodes of man in the same way-as .continualiy plot mischief against each other. the dccr and other* fly from the haunts of the

:

- rapacious mimale. When man mill come to know of their tlight in the morning, on whom will they place thcir burdens, ancl who willserve them for the purposes of riding? Under thcse circumstances they will not be able to pursue them, and then beasts will gain freedom." The king again referred the matter to his couucil. One of the wise men of the tribe of LESOP, answered that this advice was entirely opposed toreasoo and in every way impracticable. Severn1 bcasts are kept confined iu their pens and stalls, and sen- triesplacedover them for guard. '; now then, can they escape?' A liohleman suggested, that the king should order the genii to open all the doom of the stalls, &c. that very night, and apprehend all thc guards who match over them, and not release them until the beasts be beyond pursuit. 'L The King" he continued 'L %?ill reap large benefits from this kindncss ; he who givcs freedom to another, is sure to bo assisted by God ; for the best way that we can return thanks for his kindness is to give liberty to those who groan in captivity. They say, that i t is written in the Books of the prophets, that God expressed himself thus :-'I have mjde thee a king on the face of the earth, not for the purpose of accnmalating wealth, nor to involve thyself in the tempting vanities of the world but to hear the cry of the distressed and relieve them even as 1 do with the atheists too.' The kiug again dcsired his councillors to gioe thcir opiuion. They all approved of the proposal, all but a doctor of the race of Kywan, who declared that the matter was a delicate one, and the proposition last made if carried out modcl be fraught mith dangers. The king desirecl him to be more explicit. He proceeded thus. .'The plan proposed, 0 king ! is impracticable, for this reason-mhen mankind mill rise in the morning and miss the auimah and come to know that thcy have a11 taken to flight, they will at once come to the conclusion that neither mcn nor beasts buC tIie genii themselves were in the plot." ':True," said the king "they mill." l' And then," added the doctor, '[they will regret the loss thcy have suffered and hold the genii as their Litterest enemy, and their rancour for you will be retlou- bled." " He indccd is wise," said s philosopher, "who conciliates foes and remains himclf s a h from the effects of their malevolence." The genii admitted the truth of these remarks. One of tbeph'ilosophers askedaEnt mhy should me fear their displeasure l As cnemics what can they do us I We are fiery in nature, light and buoyant in body. V e can mine our flight to heaven, descend on earth, and $ 1 ~ ~ 1 ~ unperceiverl with mankind who arc made of dust ancl always doomed to walk bolow. Why should we fear these ?" The Kywany pl~lsophcr replicd- "You have misrepresented the case. Though made of dust, man is inspired with heavenly breath and is angelic in nature. He is more artful than me, and our superior too. In ancient times rncn and giants have contended with results which fill us

- with f a r ': The kiug desired to know tha particulars of the battle. The doctor returned that they were too long for narration, but added that men and giants were unturslly and essentially opposed to each other. The kin@ insisted ou knowing some portion of the h~storS. Upou which the sago thus began.

UEAPTER VII.

The eo~~te>*tio)z tetvlrsit w e r z ujicl giccat~. . "Ix days of yorc, bcfore Bdam mns ereatecl, the

earth was inhabited Lg giants, whose sway es- tended over land and matcr: over cit ies and wii- derncsses. God was bountiful to thern ; religion t a s sent to cheer them, and prophets to teach them right from prong. Eot the^ devia- ted from tine path of rectitude, turned a deaf car to the preachin,o of the prophets, spread strifc and dissension in the world and oppressed the inha1)itant~ thereof. Oce universnI cry of complaint rosc t o heaven. Tears rolled avaF, brit there was no diminution in their oppressious tiil at last God sent a body of angels who drovz off the giants, imprisor~ed several of them, and livcd and rulecl in their stead. Izraecl and Satan, who tempted Adam uud Eve, mere among the pnsoners. The latter wa5 voung at that time, and knew nothing, but assoc"iatingwith angels hc adoptecl their m:mncrsantI cnstoms, bccame conversant nith their arts andscicnces, made himself the captain of the band, and passccl such orders

, as suited hi& best. An age passed away thus, when tho Almighty spoke to thc angels saying, ' I mill make one lord of the esrth who is no6 of you, and I wiil reoal you b hearen.' The angels who mere uilwilliug to part mith the plea- sores which they had enjoyed hcre, answered, ' You will create one who will fill the earth with strifc and bloodshed, even as the giants did, while we have revered thy name and held iL sacred.' .The Lord replied 'I know for vhat bencfit I will create him, aud I sxear by mpszif that after Adam and his ray, I will kcep neither giants nor beasts on earth. In short when God made Adam and breathed his spirit into him, sul,- scqnently making Eve out of him, he orclerell the angels to bow down before dclam. A11 but lzraeel obcyed thc dlmi:!lty. Ilc alone, actnntetl by ignorance and cnvy roEi~sed to bow dowr:, thinl:ina it wonld derogate from his dignity b do so. O ~ o d next orrlerccl the angels to admit Adan] in Paradise. The moment this was done the Almighty spal;e to him thus : '0 hclac~, live here togethcr with thy wife, and eat whatever frnit thou lilcost, but app~onch not youcler treo, for the moment thou (last, SO thou shalt bo considered a sinner.' This Paradise, which was appointed as the rcsidonce of Adam, was a garden bound on the east by monntains of rubies which are iaacccssible to man. The grouud fertile, the climate escellent, it is in fact

8 IKIl \\'AN-00s-SUPW - the pcrp2taal aboLlc of spring. I t is watered i do the deed This increased the ill-mill which by several streams. The trees are clothed witb 1 already existed between mankind and the giauts, verdure, frt~its are plentiful and every sort of I and they viahed to pxrt cornpany with the latter. flDnrcl3 va<egate aud cheer the scene. The ; Charms and iucantations mcre therefore tried; animals are harn~less, the birds' s~veet tone amulets were brought into use, and giauts were long their melodies in the leafy groves. 1 shut up in glass cases. I t was only when-God and Eve fired together happy. Izi those days I sent the prophet Esdras tllat peace was made their waving ringlets descended to the feet and , hy his means betwcen them. They came to served both to cover their riakeclncss and 1 horn what religion was, and lived in concord to heighten their native grace aud elegance. Freely 1 the time of the second deir~ge, even after that, they wandered through the garden, fcd on the ! to the age of Abraham they remained in peace; fruiis; aud drill k water from the streams, exempt- 1 but wheu Kimrod cast Bbrah~m into the fire, eL1 from the toils of cultivcrtiig, grinding, cooking mankind again suspected that the giants had and waving and a11 the other cares whlch weigh j taught them how to make a sling. So also when heavy on their dcscendauts now. As the beusts i Joseph was tllrown by his brethren into the lived in safety sud traliquillity, so lived they. 1 well, the giants were again til~uncd. When Moscs God had also cou;munioated the names of 311 cume into the world a second tnicc wns made, the plants and anlmals to him. SPhen the When God granted the kingdom of the \vhole angels mere asked to desiguatc these severally, habitable earth to Solomon the son of David, they failed, but man did not, thereby convirl- the giants submitted to him, but still not relin- cing the angels that they (the u~gels) vcrc their / quishing their pride, they asstmd mankind that iuferiors. B~ i t this only ael-ved to fa1 the f lme j SoIomon had gained the throne only through of jealousy. which was already kindled in the their msiataace. They professed that they mere heart of Satan. Re determined to try by all lllealls able to read the future wh$h mankind could not. of fraud and artifice to mark tho fall uf man. When Solomou died, the giants knew nothing Assuming therefore the looks of a grave adviser, of the occurrence, and ivere wondering \\,here the he approached him one day, and mid, 'God has son of David could have gone. 31ankind theu glolified YOU above others, by giving the power came to kllow that their ho=t of pro~nosiiatiou of speech to you; if YOU will but eat tbc fruit was all false and hoilow. \Vhcn the hoopoe comma- of yonder tree, your knowledge and exceflcuce nicated the illtelligence of the Queen of Sheha to will be incrmed, and YOU will liye happy Solomon, he debircd to 1:llow which of the gjauts and peaceful without knowing what death is.' was strong ellough to bring the throne of that Then the cursed creature swore and said, '1 coun- princess to him, One of them, n a e d Adoos, sel you, do this.' hlan was deluded, and over- I the son of Hywan, expressed himself ready to come by temptation, raised his handancl broke 1 undertake the task before he (Solomor~) could and ate the forbidden Fruit. At tbat instant the 1 rise from h j i seat. The kin0 desired greltter ce- heaveuly garments which had clothed their bo- j lerity. ds<f Bi~hhym who kngw a powt ,l .f ul charm dies M 1 of, and they had nothing -left but to j ngrecd to do it, arid did i t too. The sight of the cover their nakedness with the leaves of the j .throue stunned Solonm)a. He bowed down he- trees. They lost the waving honours of their fore God aud praised him. Then it was that the head, the heat of the sun beaame unbearable, a$ giants knew that rnaukind were their superiors. their colour changed. The beasts heard of them They were much ashamed of their vaunts and disgrace and their sight-becamc hateful to tbein. retired with infamy dogging their flight. Solmtoa They therefore renonnmd their companionship. sent an army i~fter them to b rb~g them back, ~ u d Thc mlgcls were ordered to drive them out from devised several schemes to coufine them in Paradise and to cast them below the hill. This glass bottles. The charms which he used in was done, aud they fouud themselves in a plaoe accomplishing this o\~ject mere recorded in a where there were ueither fiviis uor Icarcs. Thus book wt~ich was published after his death. When some days passed away, they weeping alld mourn- Clbrist came and iuvited all to the true faith, and m& ~ontiuually for their folly. A t last God had proclaimed himself their guide, and showed compassion on them, forgave them their sin, thcm how it was possible to approach angelic and seat his angels to them, who taught them ~lature, several tbf the giants followed hi &rec- the ~ t t of digging and ploughing, of cuttir~g tion and wcre able to travel .to and come back pnd grindiug,.of brewing and bakit~g, and of sow- from heaven. bringing information tlierefrom

and dremmg. )Then their ram illcreased the 1 for the use of inspired writers, - Whw Nakomed giants came aud associated with them, and came t h ~ y were prevented from going to heaven, tullaht them how to cut trees nod ljuild houscs end said it is ,lot known whether maukind are TLcy nlutual!y became the frieuds of each other to be i!ljurcd, or God wishes to be their guide. aud passed their time in cordial civility ; but Several of the giants .became Mahomedans, and whewver they remembered the trick ph:yed on at pr.me~~t colrtil~ue w, be in frien[U~ telms with them Satan. they became suspicio~~s of the When the doctor hadspoken thus, he ginlts to& W b n Abel mm olain by Cain the I towards the giants and mid, .'fiuee a d dehcendtlllts of the former imagined that hhe j do not renew dissensious. . Strife is like fire. in giants had a hand In instigating the lattcr to ; the flint, when once atruck out it is slficieot

to consume a morld. Heaven save us, when once me provoke the enmity of creatures like these." The king said to the phiIosopher '$You see

to decide their quarrels, and send them back satisfied with the result of our ~rbitrafion O"

these have come as complainants ; how are we r

Right council" answered the Uoctm '' is the daughter of deliberation and mature rdection. In haste there is mischief. I am of opinion that

i to speak out the cause of their grievances.. shall then pass orders, as the occasion mill re-

they should be called next morning and desired (

quire." One of the counse;lers observed that . men ard gifted with eloqnence, with which beasts are not. '' Supposc then, that the former prevail ; are the latter to be consigned to perpe- tual bondage 1" The Doctor answered they should exercise patience. r'Times alwny~ chanze. They will at last gain thcir freedom, even as the children of Israel did thcirs from the tyranny of Pharoah, aud the tribe of David from the per-

length of time ; like the circumference of a

aecution of N.?buc?~adnezn~ and so on. The cir- 8

cumstances of no one remain unnltered for a 1 wheel they go on revolving. Either .once in a 1000 years, or in 1200 or 36,000 or 360,000 or iu one day, which may be compared to 30,000 ycars. I In sooth the condition of no one remains un- 1 changed." 1

slaves and thus obtain freedom for them." " I t is true what yoa speak," observed one of the party, cc when the king mill leave this matter to hie councillors, they will not concur with the views of each other, and the rksnlt mill be endless contradictions." A nother said-"If the king consults the Cazee and the law officers, t h e i ~ opi~~ion will be as foilows :-they will direct that the beasts should be liberated or sold, and the sale proceeds paid to man; or they wi?! order that they should not be persecuted. ' And if the Vueeor be nsked, what will he say ?" inquired one of the members. '' I know what he mill ay,'' replied another, " he will plead that ae the beasts have sought shelter in the dominions of the king it is incumbent on him to protect and aid them. Kiugs are the captains of God on earth. They have rank and authority granted them to administer justice, to help the weak, to give refuge to the oppressed, and to preserve the strict maintenance of law and eqt~ity on earth; for they are sure to be held responsible for their deeds on the day of judgment." One of them said :-'l If the king will ask the Cazee to decide, he will pasa one of these orders. What shall we do thcn?" Another answered, " The Caaee is one of the represeuta- tives of the prophet on earth, even as the king is the defender of the Faith, These we can never rl;anhan ' l

i r '' But if the Ccme orders the beasts to be liber- CHAPTER VIII. I ated," asked a third, " what then l" <'We

The conszdmlian held atao,lg IrtaqakilL& , shall nnswer," replied a fourth, "that we are tbeir . . f ancient masters, and they our slaves, even from

T H ~ E the king was holding a coancil in the the time of our ancestors; aud that now there- royal Chambers, mankind also &viding them- fore, i t is optional for us to free them or keep selves into committees of 70 individuals each, them in bondage." Suppose that the Gaze calls were consulting amongst tbemseives- One of I for documents and witnesses to prove our asser- the members spoke. " You have heard what has t i o n ~ " a fifth returned. fL We will adduce the

between us and our slaves The ewe is testimony of our friel>ds." But," retorted the not yet decided; but can you guess how the former querist, the Cazee may urge that evi- kiug is inclinecl towards us?" Another answered, dence of lneu cannot be relied on, as they are " We can see the king is evidently embarrassed, the of the beasts, and a4 such their and ~ e r h a p s will not show himself t0morYow." depositions are valueless in a court of judicature. G Perhaps tomorrow he will consult the minister ! H, may even reqliiye the deed of and agree- about us ;" said another. L' N t t the minister but meut,-where will we get these from l" This the philosophers a d dact0~3, observed a third. / alenccd all, tiU an Arabian observed, l' I would L' We do not know what Wese 'mill advise" con- say that all these papers mere drowned in the tinued a fourth, but weknowthat the king'sopi- eneral deluge, and if the ~azee would desire us nion is iu our favour, and he trusts us.'' A fifth 1 f take our oaths, we say, that those who remarked, tha t he was afraid lest the 6 * w r ; doay a fact are to be sworn, not they who sue should spoil the case, to mh~ch a sixth retrimed- for justice.v, - ~~t if the caiee cluestion the "Thnt it was emyeno@, a slight doureur would 1 beasts, and they b k e their that they easily win over the minister ; but there is a Rere not our sbkves, how we manage ?" danger attending this!' The others enquired ~ ~ ~ t h ~ ~ We shall s y that the ani- what thBt -as. Re ans%'ered-" The has of the mals have perjured themselves, and that me C a ~ e and the lam &cer." The others observed have evidence to the contrary in our possession:' that this too could be managed, the Cazee and ono of them ' l ~f we are ordered tz the law Officer could be bribed also, and over- sell the animals and receive their pricea: then? come by avarice they mill commence hair- ~h~~~ =ho. were the inhabitants of re- splitting in the coustruction of the law. But the U we tbml>-Those pvho were noblemen, who are wiser than the rest, will not denizens of woods, and forests, such m the Arabs descend, to such dishono~lruble practices. The and persians, answered, z"J&~ will never do. only fear is, they may plead in f a m w of our We shall be ruiued if me sell tbe beasts!' Those

who mere in favour of the proposition enqllired i CHAPTEE L what, harm m there in doing so. They returned :c We will be exposed to a great deal OF incon- THE leopard asked the iiou what qualities veaience. Milk, meat and covering, me shall were necessary for an ambassador ? The other be deprived of all. And what would be life ansaercd, l' He shouid be a wise aud prudent after this 1 Death .mould be preferable. Those person, elldowed with eloqnence, blessed with a who live io the. cities will not be mempt from retentiva memory, and the power of retaining these troul>les; in a word, then, never ente~tain secrets in his own breast, and never think of the idea of releasing the beasts. If you wish exceeding and abusing the authority entrusted to show hilldness to them, do so; because they to him. He should also exert his best endea- have lives too, m d are covcrcd with flesh as we vours to promote the good of those whom he are, and feel pain equally. You have never done represeuta, and never allow temptation to pre- any s ecial rirtuous deed, for which God has cipitate Mm headlong, from tne heights of rewnrjed gon, by making the animals your sub- integrity and incorruptibility. If he gaics the jects ; and they have not been guilty of any freedom of any city, he should not make up his particular crrme, for which they are puuished residence there ; but return as soon as possible, in this way. It appears then that HE is the and apprise his master of all what he had seen Lord and master of 011, and there is no one who and heard, and act up to the instruction he can oppose His will. theu receives. He should omit nothing through

fear or favour, because an emissary is free to deliver his errand without any restmint." After this he enquired from the leopard, who in his

CIIAPTER IX. opinion was the fittest person to be honoured Coaasltation held amangst a n i d &

THE retirement of the king from his council, was the signal for the beasts to repair to their own quarters, for the purpose of holding con- sultation amongst thenrselves. &' You have heard our aisputes? thus opened the speech of one of them, '<the case is yet t o be decided ; what i s to be done ?" Tomorrow morning," answered a second, " Z shall appear before the K~ng and urge our complaints on him. Perhaps h e may be propitiated and order our release. He is already somewhat in our favour, and he is bound by duty to attend to all the pros and cojzs we bring forward. No king should decide any case unheard, and truth supported by elo- quenee always proves irresisbable. The prophet says,-'ye, who hear enmity against your brethren, and come supported by the aide of rhetoric to me, I say unto you, i f you will deprive another of his right, ye shall inherit the pains and torments of Bell.' Mankind too are masters of declamation, and I am afraid our arguments will be borne down before the over- whelming torrent of their elocution. How are we to proceed 1" One of them returned. " Send to rll the beasts and desire them to despatch their pleaders and o~xtors to us, that they may conjointly aid us by their endeavoura. \Then many friends assemble, we shall surely be able to devise a plan which i d 1 ultimately lead US t o liberty. Of course all assistance comes from the Lord." The beasts approved of this proposition, and s i x ambassadors mere nomi- nated fur the purpose abovementioned : one for the rapacious animals, a second for the wmged tribe, a third for the beasts of prey, a fourth for the torraceous animals, a fifth for the reptiles, and a sixth for the aquatic race.

16th such a post ?-He answered, ('The brothers of IGzlEiZa and Dam~~a." The lion referred the matter to the jackal aud called for his vote. '' May God reward the leopard far what he says," answered the jackal, and grant that his view& may prove successful." The said-" If you proceed to your tilhe and solli>d their opinion, on your return you shall certainly be remuner- ated." The wolf represented that he was a servact of his majesty, but that there were several enemies of his race, and he knew not how to manage thes . The king enquired who these were He ansmered-" The dogs are our worst foes. They are the best friends of men, and aid / them in our destruction!' The king enquired what the reason was, that they aided men and deserted the cause of their brethren. None could answer the question, but the bear, who declared that he was ready to offer an explanation. The monarch desjred him to do 80. The bear answered. " Men and dogs are in their nature and principles, and besides the latter enjoy several ad~antages, as far as eating and drinking are concerned. They are also the slaves of covetousness, and afflicted with the same curse of parsimony. Other animals of the samo tribe are exempted from these vices. Uogs feed on everything; on flesh forbidden and unforbidden, raw as wcll as cooked, salted I as well as unsaitcd. Besides these, they do not leave vegetables and fruits, bread and doEl, acid and sweet-meats, milk, oil, honey clarified butter, and all the other edibles used by men. Other animals do not feed on these, nor even covet them. They never allow other beasts to in-

j vade the village, lest they should consume all pro-

I vlsions. If by chance a fox or a wolf cnters a habltated part of a village by night to purloin a fowl, a mouse or a piece of bread, the dogs pw- j sue them with fierce violence, bark at-tliegn,

- and eventually succeed in drivinw them off. lion expressed his repet a t healsing these Covetousness is their curse. ~ h z n e v e r they vorda, and exclaimed "Really there no help

.see a bit of bread or meat in the hand of a man, but in God the merciful, from ~ h o m we had Our

woman or child, with what sycophancy they be,&ning and in whom we mill have our ead !" shake their head and wag their tail until they Often did he repeat these ~ ~ r d s , until the bear receive the refuse they pray for. This they lifb could not help but ask of his mtjcstg what it up with every sign of cringing in all haste pos- was that made him sorromful at hearl?g of the sible, lest anather may snatch the covctcd separation of the canine 2nd feline tribes from morsel. All these vices are to be found in men their own races. He answered-" I do not grieve also, hence i t is that dogs have aba~ldoned at their secession : but it pains me to remember their owntribe, to associate with the human race. that philosophers have declared, that there is no- For this also they connive in the apprehension thing disasiroua to the inwest of a soverejgn of other rapacious animals." The king enquir- as to find his Friends and assistatlts abandonlug ed if there was anr other animal besides the dog who was on friendly terms with man. The bear answered. Yes, the cat too is much attached to them." The king asked the reason. " 'Bey too," returned the bear, ' l have a na- b ra1 fcl10w.feeling with the human race. They too are cursed mith the same spirit of covetousness, and relish the food liked by man." The Line questioned, ' l But what treatment do they rec&e from men 1" '' Why," replied the shaggy speaker, "they are bctter fed: they have easier access both to their bed and board, aud better opportunity of purloining. But the dogs bear no good will to .them; hence these endless strifes amongst them. RThenevcr the dogs see them, they rush at them, as if determined t o tear them to pieces, and devour them : and the cats in their turn smell and puff at sight of

over Absl," answered the bear. The king desired him to give a faithful oersiou of the

-- story. The bear complied thus,-"When Gain i

had killed Abel, the descendants of the lab 1 CH hPTER,XI. ter demanded the price of blood froln those of the former. The seeds of strife *re thus THEY bhe second ambaesador Lad todied his sown, uutil the sons of Cain prevailed, and took 1 complaint against m m in the court of the &way all the wealth, property, cattle, and other / sovereigu of t b feathered tribe, the Latter sum- domestic nnimal~, including camels, asses, mules, moued all the winged race, wild as well as Cc. from the vanqnished. They revelled in domesticated, to present themselves before him- aftluence and sacrificed other beasts t q satisfy They came iu cnuntless ntimbers. The king the greedy lust of their palates. In company spoke thus :- Mankind assert tha t they are with the friends whom ihey invited, they orer- the supreme masters of all the birds ; hence gorged themselves with meat, w5ich beoamo so 1 h ~ v e summoned you all to go and confront plentiful that it was thrown on the street3 and them and argue tbc point with them." The thoroughfares, attracting cats and dogs, who peacock, who was the Vaseer, vas then asked mere thus tempted to relinquish their own tribe, ( who waa the ,best speaker amongst them all, and associate rpith man, t i ~ cohabit with him, j aud the most competent for such a task. Re to aid bnd a s i d him, in houes of shariitg the answered-" Whomever .your majesty pleases pithno@ which they r e l i ~ h d so much.'l The 1 to a~poiut." The king desired him to repcat.

the names of all the birds. The peacock answered-"The lap-wing, the cock, the pigeon, the partridge, the nightingale, the lark, the swallow, the crane, the sparrow, the dove, the turtle-dove, the wag-tail, the dnck, the heron, the waterfowl: the Persian nightingale, the ostrich, $c. all these are present." The king requested of him to point to him each, so that he may be able to judge of the nature and qualifications of each: and find out who was the most deserving. The minister returned, "The hird whn nits in a variegated dress is the boo- --* - .. -- -. -- -- -- -. -G. - ~ - ~ -~~

poi, the spy of solomon, the son of David. Whenever he sings, the best warblers of the grove bow down -and pay obeisance to him. He preaches virtue and prevents ill. He, i t was, who informed Solomon of the kingdom of Shebn, and declared that the wonders of the earth which he had seen were never dreamt of by Solomon even. In proof of wbat I say," he continued, " I will give you a piece of information. which I have brouzht from the land

destination, that Z may once more revisit my native land, and gladden my eyes with a sight of the friends I love.' This is the partridge mhich always moves gracefully in gardens and p-oves, an? exerts the powers of harmony to gloe marnlng to the thou~l~tless. (Ye who weaken the foundation of hfe, she cries, ye who plant gardens, populate cities and exaIt yourself in the pride of your hearts, remember what the world is. Ply from the vanities of life and forget uot your Creator for a single moment. Be mindful that the awft~l day is drawing nigh, when you will have to bid adieo to all pleasures and frivolities, and lie down in the grave ~ i t h the worms for your companions. I t would be me11 for you to treasure up such . thoughts from today, then you will iuherit hap iness and escape ete~unl perdition.'

'&is again is the lark, who like a preacher pouriug forth wholesome counscls from the pulpit, mounts on high, and descending, alights on corn heaps and gives vent to melody. The

of Shebq'which is now goPeFned by a womau whose grandeur and magnificence i t is impossible for the tongue to describe. She sits on a high, exalted throne, aud all the good things of the world are to be found in her court. Bat her people have all gone astray. They know not God The sun they worship, and misled bp Satan, misconstrue the meaning of adoration, and not knowing Eim who has created the heaven and earth and all things visible and invisible, bow down in worship before the sun, and consider it to be the true God; whereas h e is but a particle of the immensity of His light. This is the cock crowncd with his ruddy crest, who preaches every morning, and inculcates with beat of wings the followiug instrudion to his neighbours :-4 Arouse ye, my friends.' thus ring his notes, ' and remember the Lard.' Don't give way to indolence; death i s approaching fast, and with it retribution. Dread you not the pains of hell, nor sigh for the joys of heaven ? Are you not thankful to God for all his bounties bestowed on you ? Know you not that the world will soon pass away 2 Prepsre then for eternity, and if you wish to avoid hell and its penal fires, have recourse to devotion and abstemiousness." Rere behold the &ridge, white-winged, standing on a hillock, body variegated, his stature bent by repeatedly kneeling and bowing down, calling on all idlers to wake from their dreams of rest, and speaking thus:--$Thank the Lord for all his mercies, that mercie~ may be showered fourfold on us. Never lose your trust in God !' And when he invokes- the blessing of Heaven, he prays thus :-c 0 Lord, preserve me from the rapacious animals, and from carnivorous habits and appetites of man and wolves.' The pigeon who stands yonder, acts as guide, carries letters and missives to distant lands, and exclaims, ' I grieve a t the absence of friends and long intensely to meet them. Be thou, therefore, my director, 0 God ! and lead me srvfe to my

- Take the miming now. Know yon not how God treated those who presumed to equal him in might? Their chief attempted to destroy thc house oE God, for which purpose he placed his followers on towering elephants, and flushed with pride, approached to carry his intent into execution. I t was then that the Almighty sent r fligknt of birds over their heads, who r$ued down such a shower of stones on them thnt they all perished like !eaves ea tw up by the worms.' After this she adds ' Preserve us, 0 Lord, from all temptat;ions, and save us from uischiefs of ali living tribes.'

Yonder againis the foreteller of the secrets of fate, the esble crow, who 11ves a life of abste- miouslless and is conversant wit11 matters that are not yet revealed to man. He retuembers hi God every moment, passes his time in travelling from one clime to another, mituessi~lg the mlrnuers and custorns of each, and rirlgs the

a" - is glorious and the tongue of man acknowledges its im tence to praise him as he ouglit to be p r a i s e 6 On y o ~ ~ d r r braoch sits the bulbnl, small in size, yct nimblc in motion. How he exercises the porvsrs of melody and sings- ' Blessed is the name of the Lord of might and mercy! Hidden from the view of the world or publicly, his bounty descends on all, his favor he grudges to none.' Sometimes he changes his straiu :-'How delightful was that season when Aomercts bloomed in the parterre, and fruits made the green branches bow t o and kiss the g ~ o u u d ' ~ Upon this the kiuo of the birds asked the Peacock whom hc couzdered thc best and wisest to be seut to reason with man. '. Ali" returned that bird. All are well qualified by their powers of eloquence to undertaice thc t:&; but 1 think the bulbill has a larger share of these gifts, aud it is my opiuiou that he sikot~ld be s e n t -

notes of slarm into thc ears of the neghgent. ! ---- - - - - 'Be wise,' thus he preaches, be uot fkariess, tbil~k of the hour of denh, when every dced / will have its retribution. Do you vtxlne thc I gewgaws of life better than the glories of

CHAPTER XII.

Heaven? flying from a d , where will you or WEEN the third ambassador had laid hi8 corn- can you stop ? If you sigh for. freedom, p r v plaints before the sovcreigu of the reptiles, this

ruighty potentate passed an order directing that all his subjects should be b~mmoned.

haunts of men, both go;d'aud evil,*uud the're brings forth and nourishes her youug. JIorzliuy alld evening she repeats her prayers, migrates iuto far distant muntries, loves cool houses in summer, and warm ones in winter, and continually blesses the Lord, saying, ' Holy is he who has created the ocean aud the earth, who has fixed the mountains and given motion to the streams ; ou whose will depend life and death, who guides and assists travellers, and who is master and sovereign of everything that esists.' After this she adds, -I have trwersed every re-

. gion, have seen many l~ations and have now returned home. Blessed is he who hag broilght the sexes together, and has thus multipIied the races on earth, who has clothcd them mith ihe robes of being, who is the Creatur of dl, and. who has showered his bounty so plentifully ou us.' Here staods the Crane, long-necked, sshrt- legged, who ciirnbs half the may to Heaven iu hia flight, wlio wakes to watch, twice during the night; and praises God sayiug, 'Holy is that God who has created every animal, to encourage procreation! Here amin is the bitteru who walks on dl-y ground and Pnhabits the woods. hlorn and even he says. 'Pure is the Creator of heaven and earth'. At his biddiug the firmament stands on unshakable pillars, ths planets revolve, the rain descends in genial showers to freshen the earth, the lightnings flash and the thunder growls. At his bidding the shadowy exhalatlons rise from the ground to regulate the seasons ; wonderful is he, who enlivens the bones which are laid to decompose in the grave. Indeed he

* ,

gunts, musquitoes, grasshoppers, fleas, hornets, moths, and every other insaot which lives but for a year presented itself. The king opened the council 11y explailiing the case to thcm, and wished to kuotr who was best fitted among them to represent his tribe, aud plead its case with man. They unanimously enquired, 6 t h what does the glory of man consist?" The ambassador retdrned, ('In stature they are much higher, possess mcre strength, and asH rule, con- trire to lord over the byte creation." Tne leader of the hornets expressed himself ready to go as a representative, thnt of the flies, as well as of the guats and locusts, mere all over-zealous to do the same. The king was takeu by surprise, 'c Without considering the matter in all i ts bearings, why do you all offer yourselves as carididates for this onerous post ?"-"Oh king," answered the leader of the gnats, '' we all hope for the assistance of God, and mith tha t aaaist- ance we are confident me will remove every d~fficulty and prevail over cur opponents. Manj a tyrant has ruled ere this ; but with the aid of Heaven we have always overcame them, and we can adduce proofs in support of what we say"-The king was willing to hear the dc- tails. "Know then, oh monarch," continued the speaker the days of yore, there lived a great and mighty sovereign named Kimrod, who was so vaiu of his grandeur and power, that he had no regard for any created being. But what happened 1-911 old, weak, and insignificant member of my tribe ended all his greatness and laid hi^ magnificence in the dust, and

14 IKHWAN-00s-SUFPA. - mighty as he he not sxve himself"-- and shun him, and are not conversant with NThou speakest the truth: snid the Iz~ng. their tongile, wherean the owl lives in their LL &re," then began a hornet :L

man glorying ! abode% nay, haunts the old and rnlnorts dwel- in all the pride of strength oomes out armed lings vacated by them. He ismoreover singulnr with spear, and sword and and arrows. for his devotinu, and contentment. The d q he i At that moment if oue of us leave a 6ti:tiou in one 1 passes in fnsking a d Feeping, and the night of his pores, what becomes of him $ Iufla- i iu preying and rousing the negligent. He thinks rnmatiou sets in, the memhers of his body lose of adcicut ki~lgq dead and gone, and mourns sense and motion for time, and his sword and / their fate by repealing the follo~ing Verse from shield are both cf no avail to him." ;*True it the Korn7a. 'Their gardens and their magni- is the king, The then spoke ! bwut p~laces, their cultivatioll~ aud all the thuB :-I< when the human sovereign sits iu all clelightful luri~r?es which were theirs: these they hia glory on the throne, d t h his atteudant. 1 have leb for others to enjoy.' " The king asked and guards snrronncting him, that nothing un- the owl if he had aught to say in reference to clean or danpei-0~5 sholrld come near, at that the recommendation of the minister 'l IVhat he moment if a fly. issuing from his kitc'nen or clo- says is r i~bt ," replied that solemn bird, "but set, and dripping with impilrities, alight on him i t is imposaiblc for me to go. blankind hate me, or his robes of state, can they by any meads pos- anii think it nniucky t~ cast their eyes 03 me. dble him from this unwelcome guest's I am 8ure I never harmed them. I am corscioua attsntiona l," 'c No" said t l ~ e king. " Or" mm- of my own innocence, hut still they take a de- menced the gnat, G rrhe11 he lies in his pri- light in abusing me. When they will see rue on vat6 apartments, Troder the light protectiou of the arena of public discussion, they will become his gauzc and curtains, if we penetrate through my foes, and ~ h o knows what the issne will this, and sting him in his vaunted security, he he. It is advisable, therefore, that I should not loses all forbearance, slaps his face and beas he sentm--" Whom then should I send 7" asked hia head, but has no power to revenge himsclf the king. 'l The royalty and aristocracy of i on us." L'This is all right," observed the king, . mnnliiod" he returned, " are very partial to

but in the Court of the monarch of the Genii, 1 harn,ks and falcons, whom they carry abtrut mith such small creature are not much cared f o r j them on thei: wrists. I t would Lie better to There they look for st15ct justice and equity, depnte them. " ?%at is true" observed the respect and civility, eloqnence and the flowers hawk, "but they do not regnl-d U& because we of rhetoric. Is there an one who is expert in are respectful to them ; but for t h e i ~ own ad- the use of such weapons $' Eve17 one held his vantage. WC hunt for tbcm, and they very l peace a t such a question. till a philosopher convenie~ltly deprive us of our prey and bring issued from the ranks of the flies, and approach- i t to their o m usc. Thus they pass their time ing the king,-"1 go," he said, "ta plead for in bloodshed, and never turn their thonghis to the cause of my brute brethren, and by the their duty, which cousiats iu worshipping God grace of God hope to succeed." I' May Heaven and preparing for the day of judgrue~it"- help thee in thy righteous wish l" responded Whom then, do you thinlc it advisnble that I his sovereigu, aud mayst thou return soon in should depute ?" questioned the king. ' Send triumph !" the paro uet" he replied. " bi1anl;ind love him ;

In short, his travelling traps being ready, kings an! nobles, bigb and low, men and women, he departed thence and reached the Court of learned aud unlearned, all hold him dear, and the king of the Genii, attend to what he saysm-The king asked the

-- parrot if he wm willing to proceed-"Yes," h: said, ''if the king and conncil would assist me.

CBAPTER XIII. "How," was the enquiry. ltPray for me to God," he said that Imap overcome my enemies."

WHEN the complaint of the fourth ambassa- The monarch did as desired, his council dor lodged before the phmnix, who was the responded " dnren" to his pryers. The owl soyereigll of Raptorial Kfds, he also summoned bere observed that if Heaven rejected the prayer, the members of his tnbe. ~ccordingly the \ ali would be labor lost, " for," corltinued he, to vulture, the phaaoix, the hawk, the royal white pray effectunlly is not pomible for all." The king falcon, the owl and all other carnivorous birds, wished to know horv we could pray effeetuaUy. who have talons and bills formed to destroy " Pray with purity of illtention and clearness their PreYv attended the call. The king statcd of heart, even as one vho hopeless in worldly the case to his minister, and asked him who was aid turns the full confidence of his mind towards best fitted to proceed to join the di~cussion,which his Creator, fasts, relieves the poor and then was carried on by mankind in reference to' their pours out his sou1.in prayq to. Him. Then his re- anperiort~ over the brute creation. The voazesr questsare granted." "This isvery t ~ e , " remarked named the owl as the best fitted for the task. the assembly .--'l Wall then," mid the king address ' ' W h ~ so" enquired the %gi "1s there ]lone ing his conucil, "you know how mankind haPO beside him equal to him 2'' <'The other birds of oppressed the beasts, so far so that they havs our tlibe," retul-ned the minister, "few mankind come all this distance to seek protection from.

IKHWAN-00s-SUFFA. 15 - me. And we, although stronger than they, in- asmnch as me can soar to the highat heavens, we even are compelled to seek safety in the woods, aud on the mountain tops. Here is my brother who bra left dwelling in their regions, and has preferred a life of solitudo in the forest. justice and fair plny." On hearing this the mo- At last we have determined to come to a narch turned himself to his counse!!ors, and public discuvsion with them. Although we are I wished to know whom they considered the Lit- so powerful, that if we mish one of us can i test person to be deputed to thegeneral msem- destroy many of them, yec i t is not proper for ( bIy. All held their peace, nntil the dolphin, the virtuous to em~rlate the bad conduct of the who has affection for men, and often saves thein VICIOUS. Knowing then too well that all con- from drowning by carrying them ou his back, tentions are useless in this world, we dclibentely rose and said :-"Send the fish : large in body, recommend our case to God who remards aud fine to look at, fair faced, white in color, straight punishes in another world. Many a ship," he in form, nimble in motion, extremely agile in coutinued after a pause, " hau becn almost waft- swimmina large in breed, popolnting oceans, ed to destruction by nnfavorable winds. 'Tis r i ~ e r s anS' tanks-they are much regnrdcd by then that guided hg us they have rcgained men. A fiah it was who saved their Prophet safety. Many a person after the wreck of his i Jonah: by carrying him in her belly, and then boats has almost sunk to a mt~tery gave wilen, safely deposited hiru on shore uninjureci and safe. our ready assistance cnme to his use, and re- I Mankind, moreover, consider that the whole placed him on the shore. These WC did, that globe is supporter1 on the hack of one of these !" God Almighty may remain pleased with us. / The kinp referred the matter to the fish, "I can- In this may we thouuht it better to thank him \ not go,;' she replied, " nor carry on a dicus- for his goodness in ha&g made us strong. In sion nlth men, I have no legs to take me, no every case he is our helper!' \ tongue to aid me to carry on a war iu words.

Thirst I cannot bear. A moment's senar~tinn - . - - . , . .. . - -.- - from water mill dcpri~e-rne of my breath a:to- I gether. Depute the turtle, he can live on land

CBAPTER SIV. I as meii ss in water. Besides he is very strong NEXT, to the king of the aquatic animals the ( in his back, and is endowed with a great deal of

fifth ambassador repaired, whereupon his majesty forbearam and patieoce." When questioned, summoned the fishes, frogs, crocodiles, dolphins, however, the tortoise begzed to be excused, de- and turtles to his Court-They came-The king daring that he was slow in motion, and could disclosed his purpose to them, and turning to 1 not travel to a distant place. Besides he mas the ambassador said :-l'If men actually think 1 rathrrr laconic in his speech. In his opinion the themselves stronger and braver t l~an me, this ! Dolpl~in the most fitted both by agility and momeut I can undeceive them, and spread des- eloquence for the task. The dolphin was not tlaction far and wide in their domaios." 11 They milling. Be recommended the Crab, who wae do not claim superiority in possessb~g brute 1 more of a polype, swift in nlnning, sharp nailed, force," returned the messenger, they collsider and carrying a coat of armour on his back. The themselves endowed with reason, blessed pritll Cisab declined the honor. I am ill-formed," he wisdom, and perfect adepts in all arts arid said, " bent in bacls and extremely ugly. They smences. In devising plans, and a r r a ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~ ~ will laugh to see me there.'' " Why will they projecta they think themselves unriralied, laugh at yon," asked the king, IL'what defect have Reason and conscience esclusively belong to you?"-$'When they'll see me," he replied. them, and the special gift of ingenuity is "they'il think me to be a headless animal, with theirs."-'(Favor me with details," requested my eyes on my neck, my mouth in my breast, the king, <(that L may judge of their pretensions." double-necked, with eight feet, everv one of

Does not his majesty know," he replied, which is crooked, and crawling on m$ mouth. I' that they dive into the depths of the Red sea, I am sure they'll musider me perfectly ridicu- (the Sea of Clysma) and extract pearIs there- IOLIS." The Icing then mished to know who was frorn. They ascend the mountainous steeps and the person most fit to be deputed. The Crab carry away asses and eagles from the heightu. said, ;'The crocodile, becgnse he is sure-footed, They place the yoke on the shoulders of their indefatigable, swift, long-mouthed, voluble and cattle, nod drive them overloaded from the er- 1 S ~ W U ~ . Ha is also patient and can wait long for treme West to the farthest East, and vice usma: the fulfilment of his wishes. He hates expdit- traversing forests and hovling woods. ~ o a h the; any business." The king then referred the htrild and promote the interests of commerce matter to the crocodile, who in his turn express- by carryi~lg goods from one country to another. ed himself u n d i n g to undertake the task, From the mountain-tops they provide them- j "Fo'," said he, "I am prone to anger and incliu- selves ~ t h gems most precious, and the earth j ed to make away with every thing that comes yields them gold, silver, iron, copper, &c. If they j mY way. 11) fact whatever I do, I do by the place a talisman of art on the banks of a river, 1 a~sistance of art aud duplicity." The ambasea-

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- - - dor here interfered and said " Strength and art- fulness are not needed; sense and discretion, justice and equity, eloqaeuce and the power of speech are what \vill be required from you." The crocodile observed that he wanted all these qualities. He recummended the frog for the purpose because he was a philosopher possessing a great deal of patieuce, and blessed with the spirit of devotion. "LUight and day he repeats the name of his maker, and morning and evening emlilo.@ himself in fasting and piayerS.

and in every respect were perfectly weak and helpless. Iu short the king mas quite despoud- ent and could not suppress h ~ s team at behold- ing the utter worthlessness of the members of hi8 tribe. Raising his eyes towards heaven, " Oh thou", he cried, "who art the creator aud provider of all, who lookest down with mercg on those who invoke thy aid, look down on these thy helpless creatures, for thou alone art good and compassionate." The prayer of the king proved.effectud, and the reptiles were blessed

Be freqtefits human habitations also. He is 1 mith the power of speech. particuiarly held iu regard by the SOUS of Israel, because he once behaved very ha11dsomeIy with them, at the time when Nimrod flung Abraham into a heap of fire, he caxrled water in us mouth and sprinkled i t on the burning element to extinguish it. On mother occasion, when a war was carried on between Pharoah and Moses, he took the part of the latter; beaides he is a graceful speaker in reciting his creed. He ie amphibious and can skim on the surface of the water with as much ease as he leaps on the earth. He is well-formed, round headed, with a symmetrical mouth, brilliant eyes, and well-formed hands and feet. He haunts the dwellings of men without entertaiuing any fear." The king wished to know the opinion of the frog hiaeIf oil this point. H e replied, ['I am ready in every respect to obey the king. ZE he Wshes me to undertake the task, I am perfectly willing to do so, and I shall advocate the cause of my brethren with all the might that lies in me; but I sincerely hope that the king will pray to God on high in my behalf, for the blessings of sovereigna never fail to beuefit their subjects." Complying with his request, the king raised his voice in prayer to heaven, and all his counsellors responded, "Amen." The frog then departed.

CHAPTER XV. Vam the sixth ambassador presented himself

before the king of the reptiles, and stated his case to him, his majesty snmmoned at1 the members of his tribe to attend hi court. Accord- ingly serpents, scorpions, blood-suckers, lizards, snakes, spiders, ants, worms, and every reptile which is bred in impurity and crawls on leaves all obeyed the summons, and came in such crowds that none but the eye of God in Heaven could enumerate them Tha moment that the king beheld them, he held his peace for a aoo- ment, and then perceived that all were small, weak and deficient in every requisite talent. For a time he gave way to anxieties, considering that nothing important collld be done by them. n r n i n g himself to his minister he enquired from him, who was fitted to be sent to the general assembly, "For," aaid he, these creatures are dumb and deficient iu the power of speech. Deaf they are also aa well as blind, and wanting the powers of motion." Their bodies vere entirely uncovered; they had neither billsnor claws,

CEdPTER XVI. WHEN the locust perceived that the king mae

very favorably disposed towards his sui~jects and troops, he placed himself on the elevation of a wall, and opened his mouth in praise of h ~ s Maker:-"Every praise is due t o that Qoci who has showered unspeakable bounties odthe face of the earth, and who from nothing has brought to existence those various creatures who people the globe. Before heaven aud earth were created, aud time named, he was present. Bg his almighty power and marvellous might he called forth creation from &he abyss of ch:ros, and bade it flourish aud prosper." "Oh king," he said, addressing the monarch 6' be not thoughtful about the helplessness of thy subjects ; for he who ha8 made, and daily provides for them, is not regardless of their deficiencies. As parents are never neglectful of their offspring, so he. the Creator, never forsakes his creatures. Vhen he made the animals, and bestowed different shapes on them, some he made strong aud some weak, some l aqe in ata- ture, and well formed, others diminutive and ill- constrocted. The scdles of his equity were always equal. To each he has given the powers of offence and defence according to its indivldual requirement. But he has blessed all equally. To none has he given superiority over another. Large is the size of the elephant, and stronger is he thaoother animals; but at the same time his tusks prove weapons of self .defence to him, and his proboscis assists him in carrying food to his mouth. The gnat he has made small, but he has provided him with two dehcately formed wings, by means of which he can fly away from the pursuit of his enemies. In the ossession of members fitted for safety and seZpreserva- tion, all are equal. So our tribe: who to all ap- pearances, are small and helpless, are for all that, not entirely excluded from the bountiea of heaven. When God created them,, he did not forget to provide them with offensive and de- fensive means. If the king will consider the matter properly, he will peroeive that those who are small and weak are the most agile in flying, and at the same &me the most fearless ; and hence it Is, that they are enabled to elude all creatures that pursue to make a prer of them; whereas those who are larger in stature, atrong-

IKHWAN-00s-SUFPA. - 17-

er, and more courqeous can keep off all their j he enquired if he was ready to proceed to repra- enemies at a distance from them, cven as the scut his tribe in the general a s e n ~ b l ~ . He an- elephant, the tiger, &c. Others there are, who / swered: ' Yes, if the king cornman& me,'. The can run with the greatest smiftucss, and hence i serpent advised him not to bctray himself, b;r escape destruction, as the deer, the hare, the 1 saying that he was deputed by cl~xgons, kc. The wild am, &c. Some can fly from dangsr, as the j locust wished to kriow why he prevented him t o birds, and some dive iuto the water and thus j do so. " Eecawe," aos\vered the other, ':there is save their lives. The mouse and the ant ooucenl ! an old enmity esiatiug between men xncl ser- themselva in subterranean recesses, and God j pents ; so much so, indecd, that the former are has thus expressed himself in favoirr of the > not backward in fiuding Psult with God, for hav- latter :-' The leader of the ants advised his j ing created the latter,fi.om whom nought but evil tribe to hide themselves in their retreats, lest is to be derived." L'Why say they so?" asked Solomon and his army might tramole thein un- 1 the locust. cLBeeause," answered the othcr, 'lhe der foot.' Others there are, whose &ies are hard, , carries venom in his fangs, and w?loever comes by which means they are preserved from every iu contact mith him, dies. liellce i t is, that danger; even as the turilc, the fish. snd other 1 they t d k so ignorantly, not knoiving for what aquatic animals. There are some again, who j purpose God has created diffirer~t ohjects. can hide their hcada und0,r their iails, and thus Eence i t is also that he has made them depend- escape every harm, such as the gorcupiueB Food / ant 011 these, and their nohla, and kings are too is easily provided for them ; some ivho are compelled t o reserve their venom in their sharp-sighted soar on atrong piuions, and alight rings, which pl.bves efficacious at certain times. in places where a banquet ia spreud out for Xf they would cousider well, nud know the true them; such as the vulture sild the eagle. Others value of these venomous deposits they mould can scent out their provisions, eve11 as the ants. 1 nevcr commit themselves, by asking why God Those who are created extremely smell, and hw made such creatures? If the Maker hm therefore powerless to provide food for them- / filled their fangs with poison, he has made their selves, are at the samv time freed from many a flesh au antidote for the same." ' What other trouble to which the others are exposed ; where- ; advantages are to be derived?" asked the locust. as some are sl\rsgs obliged to fly frori the pur- j The snake ausmered; When God created those suit of their euemie.~; but these aiv exempt i animals about whom you have been speaking, from every atte~ilut a& concealmeut because they I he provided them with members which serve are born in the-safest piaces. No one knows ) t'neru in their hour of need, and prove preserva- where they are, whether hidden in the grass, ( tives against all harm. Some have such warmth or enclosed in a grain, or breathing and moving 1 iu the stomach, that their food is immediately di- in the stomach of another animal, or even crawl- 1 gested and absorbed by their system. The ariakes ing in mud or iilth. There is a God who pro- 1 are neither provided with stomach to digest, vides for all without any exertion on their part. nor teeth. to chew. To supply this dehciency, To them the power of absorption is given, by their fsnga are charged vith venom, by means of means of which they escape the evil conse- which, they do not feel the want of what they ! quences of damp, and derive uoul-ishment from t have not. The moment that they eelnit poison whae would have proved injurious to them. on any living flesh, it dissolves, and thereby they Other animals are ohligcd to toil both for are enaoled to swallow i t domn most easily. food and self-preservatio!~ ; whereas these are Hence it is, that if God withheld their venom free from every trouble of this nature. Hence from them, they could never have partaken of I i t is that God has given them no hands and i their food ; and starvation would certainly have feet, for they requira them not, nor teeth ensured their destruction. No snake would to chew, nor throat to swallow, nor sto- there be left in the world." The locust ques- maoh to digest, nor guts to hold digesced tioned again " What benefit is derived to the matter, nor lungs to purify the blood, nor other animals from them!" H e answcred :--"The spleen to absorb the humours of the body, same benefit, ahich is derived from other ani- nor kidneys and biaddelu to coucentrate the mals." The locust wished to be favoured urine, nor veins to promote the circulation with details. The snake returned:-L'Wheu of the blood. Their braiu is hot the seat God made the world: he arranged all things nc- of inteliectual powers, nor are they dieted cordiilg to his Ftill and wisdom. In the with any chronic disease, mbich would compel ; whole range of creation, he has made one to them to have recourse to a physician. In short serve as food for the other, aud one tribe to they are free from all those distresses to which give assistance to another. He has attended i animals mightier than they, are exposed. Holy to the good of all. Some however fall into is that God, whose mercy shields them from perits, alchough i t is not God who leads them all harm, and worthy is he to be praised, who into aaictious. Although good and evil are attends to all their requirements." When the to be found eve~where in the world, yet i t is locust had finished his perordtion, the king said not God who assists in the propagation qf

May Qod bless thy rhetorical powers, for t n ! y ' either. When the good results preponderate, thou art both eloquent and wise." Aker this \ he does not withhold creating objects who are

in a slight degree noxious. To give an example, i sizes, who always takes care of them and pro- when G d made the luminaries of the skv, to che vldcs for them, and whose glo~-ies shine through

he i m o a h d the p a t e s t degree of b;litiaucr 1 t k e : for when Ha the Rod of all, withdrew hi,m- and endo6ed him with the powers of enlivening 2 self from our eight, andveiled himself ill a cloud creation. Even as the mind lights the chain- of dazzling radiance, which thought and fancy bers of t h e body, so this orb irradiates nature could never penetrate, he brought forward these a% large. If then his beams prove injurious to 1 creatures and placed thom before us, that we any createcl object, is that n reason why the may judge of his power and might by the objects Maker should extinguish this glorious lamp, a;ld he has made. And these bodied forms are the deprive the world of the blessings which result exact prototnes of those who are in the world 'from his vivifying rays? The same is the case of spirits, only the latter are more subtle, with the planets Saturn and Mars. Some, a t in- essential and bright thmt the former. As ia auspicious moments, are afflicted by them. The pictnres, Ne find the different members of the clouds too are made for the good of manlcirld, anirni~l agreeing with i t s living origi~~al , so these although a t times they coudace to delngc in t,be world agree in shape with thosexho are the earth, and sweep away the ilomble habita- i yet in snirit-larlci. There is oue difference tionp of the poor. So i t is with rapacious and however ; that is, the latter move iike puppets grazing animals ; snalies, scorpions, fishes, cro- whose wires are in the hands of the former. Af- codiles, and all other created objects. Some are ter the animals, there is another orcler of Crea- made to pass their lives in 61th atld corri~ption, tion, to whom the powers of motion and speech so that the air might be thereby purified, i n d are denied. These perish ancl are destroyed prevent infectious malaria from rising and here. But the spirits of the others survive in spreading contagion, which would end in the another world." After s a y i ~ ~ g these words he rose

. general destrtlction of animal life. Honce i t is and exclaimed :-"Praise is due to that God, who that these reptiles are generally bred in the has created so many-shaped beings on this Eartl). shambles, or in the stalls of the fishermen. He it is, who has given s i r bonndaries to the world Being born in impurities, the feed on the same and fitted i t to become a comfortable abodo filth, and thereby gave rnnntind from the des- : for his creatures. The heavers he has divided tructive effects of a pestilence. The smaller { into diEerent grades and appointet1 au angel in reptiles also become the food of t h e larger. I t charge of each. To the several animals He has

proved beyond a doubt then, t h r t the Creator l given varions shapes, and Eis bounty provides has made nothing uselessly. They who canuot { for all. The mourners who approch him, he fathom Ris wisdom, generally object to what He i ransolea, and punishes those who try to ques- does'and question the use of a good many ob- 5 tion his wisdom. Before Adam, he created the jects. Nothing but ignorance prompts them to ~ n i i out of fire, and endowed them with subtle do this. They know not how good, gracious a r ~ d I and essential bodies, and wonderful and sur- wise the Lord is. Some are s o foolish as to h prising forms. He i t is, who has summoned - declare that His gracs bxiends not beyond the 1 out of chaos many a creature, and placed them re@ons of the moon, whereas i f they would in different gradations of life. Some H e has consider well, i t would appear, that EIe is atten- j elevated to glory, and others cast down to tive to the wants of all, be they high or low. : the lowesest abyss, while n . third are placed , R e showers His bounty upon all, and each iu in the middle rank ; but to all Re holds out proportion to his m n t s paltakes of His mercies. a light in the person of his prophet to guide

them in the way of salvation. Thousands of thanks are due to Him, who has crowned

CHAPTER XFrTI. with the glory of faith and made u s head and master of the earth, who has blessed our

E m m in the morning the several deputies, kings with wisdom and forbearance." When .assembled in the court of the king of the Ge~lii, the speaker had ceased, the king tnrned his who presented himself to decide the case to the eyes towards the representatives of men, and best of his ability. The herald proclaimed aloud found that each differedfrom thc other both i n tha t all seekers of justice, and those on whom features and attire, Amongst them he ohserv- oppressions were practised were to approach ' ' ed one who was taller and handsomer than the t h e throne and state their cases. No sooner reat, and inquired from his minister who h e were these words uttered, than all the deputies was, and where he lived. He answered; &'He is who were present came forward, and stood in a a Persian, and lives in Eran." "Bid him speak," I row blessing and praising the king, who looking said the king, and the Paceer gave t h e s i p , round perceived that the crowd was incredibly upon which he opened his mouth, and gave ex- large. H e held his peace for a time ; then turn- pressioll to the following sentiments :-“ Thank- ing to a phi1osopher of his own tribe, he asked ful are we t o that, God, who has placed us in him if h e beheld the multitude. Yes, your ma- a climate congenial to ua,-a climate which is jwt~," he replied, rLI bahoid all, and I cannot more agreeable than that of any other region. We but wonder at the glorious might of that Creator also owe' our gratitude t o Him, for his having who has made beings of S U O ~ various ahapes and conferred a higher degree of superiority on us,

H e it is who has msisted us in making inven- tions, by means of which onr predominance is' acknowledged over others Prom him have me received wisdom, moderation, pr~ldence and an ever-watchful conscience. The Prophets too he sent for our guidance. h our tribe he chose Noah, Esdras, Ablxham, hIooses! Jesus ancl Ma- hommed; as well as great and glorions kinga such as Fureidoon, Dxrius, Artaze~xss , Buhram, Kousherwan and many others whose names will never perish. We in short are the essence of of maukind, as mankind in general is the essence of Creation. Every \vllere we are considered greet, and it behoves us therefore to be grateful to God for hi3 mercies." When he had finished, the k i r i ~ turned to the wise men of his court, and wished to lcnow if every word &rid in favor of man's superiority was indisputably true. All admitted the truth ; hut one m60 was cursed with a dogmatic spirit,' aud hnd no wish to al. i o n any proposi~iou to pws nnqa~stioned, tried to depreciate the merits of mxrlkiud in general, and turuiug to the other philosophers remarked, that man ia praising himself had omitted to name certain very famous sovereigos, in whose reign certain very f a m u s events happened. The king's curiosity was roused, and he immediately expressed a deeire to know \vha and what these mere-': He has ornittcd to mention," said the individual referred to, "that on account of the trausgressions of his tribe, a general d e l ~ ~ g e came 2nd drowned the world. He has omitted to mention that his tribe is notorious for misan- dcrstaurIiu9 and discords amongst themselves, the reasons for mhich none of their wise men could urge. That many of their Kings have been tyrants, such as Ximrod who exposed Bbra- ham on a pyre to be burnt. That in his tribe was born Nubuchadnezxar mho desolated the Holy Land, burnt th-: old Testament, destroyed the children of David and Solomon, and the Israelites iu general; eqe i i sd t'ne Edenites from the fertile banks of the Euphrates to mountain w2ds and fastnesses, and delighted in tyranny and blood-shed"-" Born conld he have related these matters?" asked the kiug, hat advantage would he derive therefrom P" ': In- a place OF public discussion," returned the spealcer, rL i t i s not fair to give a list of your good qualities and hide your fauits, for which sorrow and repentance are due.'' Ouce more turning his eyes towards the crowd of men assembled there, he beheld a thin, swarthy personage, with long dis- hevelled beard, his ueck encircled mith the Brah- miuical thread, and hi6 Ioins surrouuded with a piece of red cloth. ' Be askod the Vaaee~ who this individual was. ;' ITe is an inhnbitaot of Sa- rundeep, an Indian Island," The monarch wished him to speak. "Thanlcs bc to God" ; commenced the man, '' mho has placed us in the most propitious of equinoctial climes, where the fields are always clothed with verdure, the breeze always mild, and the climate always temperate ; where the mines almays teem with mineral mealth,

the fields are fertile in vegetable productions, the commoliest wood as smeet as the sugarcane, stones valuable as diamonds aud emeralds ; i t s animals fat and robust even w the giant-sized elephant. That was the cradle of mankind, and every other animal derives i ts origin from that place. B l a n ~ a prophet and pililosopher have also risen from that..couutr.y. God has also blessed me with power of invention. ffe has endowed us with proficiency in Astroaomy, magic and rhetoric, md, in short, he has placed tne crown of superiorito over our brows." "If yoa bad only added," remsrked the s a g , c'tha8 you had cons~~rned many a body on the funern1 pyre, adored and worshipped many a false god, ained i n the increase of population by your adulterous loves, and that eventually you were scandalised and ruined, it would have answered all the wnrposes of jastice."-

Ouce more the king cast his eyes 011 the crowd. and beheld a tall person, Qrapt up iu a yellow sheet, busy in reading a paper and moving back-mar& and forwartis in the act of doing so. " Who ii thia?" he enquired from the Vazeer. "He i a a Hebrew of the .tribe of Is- rael, and an inhabitant of Syria." "Bid him speak," was the order, which was obeyed in the following words :-lL Praise be to God, who made the Prophet Israel the most glorious of men. I n his tribe were born Abraham and Xoses. Thanks be to him for rnnlcing us the disciples of such a person, and for bestowing innumerable favors on us."-;; Bat why not add" renarked a g~erulous philosopher, ':that on account of your shameful idoiatory, Cod mns o3ended with you and made you companions of hears and monkeys." Once more t u r n i ~ ~ g t o the assembly the monarch saw an individual clad in woolien garments, with a s t r a ~ of leather tied round his waist, praying and burning incense i n a censer which he held in his hand, "Who is this" he asked. ':Re is a S ~ i a n , " answered the minister "and a follower of Jesus Christ." " ELd him spealr" was again the eommand. r'CXorified be that Creator," spokc the Christian, <'who made Christ incarnate, and born of the spotless Virgin Mary, crowned him mith the dignity of a prophet, and bestowed on him the power of working miracles. He i t was who freed t h e Israe!ites from the bonds of sin, and made u s his followera. Praise be to God, who made many a saint and philosopher rise from our tribe; who has taught us h ~ v tolove and serve him, and to be kind and merciful to our fellolv-men ; who has blessed us with superiority 2nd crowned us v i th never-fadin!: glory." Agaia the quem- lous sage opened !is mouth, and remarked.- "But you have forgotten to ~ d d , that instead of worsLipping God you adored the Cross, that you saori6ced swine, and mzde yourself unclean

j by eating their flssh, and that you calumniated your God."-The king's eyes next fell upon a m m of slender make, and ~wrwthl cornpisxion ;

1 who ma3 standing wrapt up in a sheet. " Whe

"U

is this," mns again the e n q u i ~ ~ . He belollgs to the noble Arabian tribe of Qlro~aish, and is an inhabizant of Mecca." <'Ask him to speak." Upon which the man begau :-': Blessed be that God vho made 3Iahommed, (on him be peace,) placed him in the rank of Prophets, bade him read the Koran to us, and enforce on us the observance of the holy fast of Rm~zan, pilgrimage to Mecca, and bestowal of n portion of our property on thc poor. Praise be to him for his other mercies: for appointing the night of Qadlr for us, for per- mitting us io pray in coogregations, for waking us conversnnt mith religious truths, and for pro- misiag Heaven to us. Besides these me elljoy other blessings, the euumeratiotl of wluch mouid occupy too much time." <'Add, if you please," said the sage aivxys ready to put a spoke to the whcel, ':add if you pleasc,tLat after hiahommed, we disagreed amougst ourselves, forgot all bis relieious precepts, and slaylltered our Imnrus for korldlj couiiderstions." T h e monarch next ! beheld a person standing with an astrolabe aud electrical apparatus in hand, andwished to know

- lligher tiegee than what he has conferred on others, Many there are amongst us; who read-the old and new Testaments without auderstand~ug them, and pet firmly believe in Christ and hfoses, whereas there are others N ~ O study the l<oibau in thc same may and yet p!ace full trust on the religiotl of Nohammed, the last of the prophets. \Ire lament the death -of Hosein, and h v e avenged ourselves on h ~ s heartless murderers. Hence i t is, we hops that the last Imam will bc hor11 in OUT 1-ace." The king upon this tome& tonards his coansellors, and wished to kr~osv if what the Khorasany had npokeu ill f~rrour of his own superiority was true OY not. 011s of the sages a~~snered, if his t r i k were not cruel and idolatrous, Vfo~hippillg the suu ;~nd the moon, we would have believed him." Wheu these discus.;ions had come to an end the herald proclaimed aloud aud said, " Gentlemen i t is eveuing now ; you can depart; re-assemblc to-rnonaw morx~ing.

-.F

CAAPTER XV 111. he He is a Grecinu" was the answer.

He was a ~ k e d to speak, and complied thus: Pmised be God, who has made us more blest than

most other creatures; who l= made our goves abouud mith the most dclicio~is fruits ; who has in his mercy taught us t u u ~ ~ d e ~ s t a n d the arts and sciences, to know the various properties of k k g ~ , to become familiar with the ~~~~~se of the heavenly bodies, and to boast of proficiency i n Astronomy, Geometry, Astrology, Geomancy, Yedicine, Logic, Natural Philosophy, &c!' "Stop" interrupted the querulous sage, "do not take credit to yourselves for arts and sciences, which you never introduced in the world. In the time of Ptolomy you learnt some from the Israelites, md others again from the Egyptians, why then glory in Arts which you borrowed from others 1"

Is this true l" asked the king. '"Yes" resumed the Greek, ' l we learnt these arts and sciences from the ancient sages, even as others now learn from us. Thus always goes the world, one reaping benefit from the other. The rules by which Persian sages. make sstro- nomica1 calculations, are all imported from Hin- doostan. So the Israelites learnt m?, ..?c m d the use of talismans from Solomon the son of Da.- vid." of all the king perceived a well built

with a long beard, who was very i~~tent ly looking t o h r d s the sun. G' Who is he 1" was the enquiry. " He is nn inhabitant of Khoms.. sari;' was the answer. On being ordered to speak* he began thus:-"Grateful are we to that God who has bestowed a variety of favours On ns. Our country he has made more P ~ P U ~ ~ W than other climes, and has made allu- aioa to by the mouth of the prophet in the sacred Pages of the Koran, so that several verses of the holy writ have been exclusively devoted t o us. In short praise is due t o that ~ o d , has blessed us with the jewel of faith in

On the third day vhen all the heasts and men 1 had taken their ~.espective posts hefore the king,

looked round, when hp chance on a wolf, who was standing before

him. Oo enquiry as to who he was, he replied that, ho was ihe representative of the beasts,

! and had come to advocate their cauje. ':Who has sent you", was nest nsked. "T ie lion, the

) king of rapacious animals," was the answer. '&Where lives he, and who are his subjects?"

l cLIn the wilderness" was the reply, "and all the wild animals owe allegiance to hlm." "Who are his assistants'l" ,l' The leopard, the dee~, the

I rabbit, the fox and the beai; all these assist him." " Please describe !;m," bade his hlajes-

" Id shape and size, began the wolf, '- he is larger thau other animals, stronger also, and !

I more awful and terrible to look at. Broad in his shoulders, slender of loins ; strong pf arms,

1 hard of teeth and paws, loud-voiced, dreadful to look at ; no oue, neither man nor beast, dare 1 approach him. So expert is he in business, that he is never dependant on others for help. So geuerous is he, that after destroying his prey, he shaccs it out among other animals, content-

! ing himself vith just as much as is sufficient for inrn. Then he sees light from a distnnce, he app~oachcs it, and every trrce of anger disappears from him. Women aud children he will never attack. He delights in melody. He fears .no one, but the ant, for ants eau overpower lions ; 1 even as fleas can overpower elephants and oxen, and flies men." "How does he treat his subjects ?" oslred the king. " With courtesy and consideratiou" was the answer. "I shall give you full details by and by!'

C[L4PTe% XIX. t u r n feast on him when he dies. The seme is. 1 the case with obensts and birds of prey. Spar- Loosrx5 round once more, the king beheld a rows, $c. feed on fleas and acts, and in their

locust shaking his wing%, and hummmng a tune trim devoured by the sparrow-hawk and the royal iu a low gelltle voice. " Who arc you ?" aslied \dnite-f81con, who spin fall a prey t o the black the king. "The plencicr of the rcptilcu," he an- 1 englc and the mltore; and Past of all when swcred "and deputed bp their souercign." thkse die, the rep:iles $c. eat ther,~ up. Thus " Who :S he, and where does he live ?" WAS the lt 1s with man also. ue feeds on t h i flesh of l ' ' . enquiry. He replied :-" S a h is his w a s , deer, hog-deer, goats, shcep and birds ; but when he lives on high mountains ancl hilioclrs, in the I he dies, the worms revel on his rol&rls in the frigid regions where there are nothing but ; tomb. ~ h u s it i s with all. &metimes the clouds, rains and moisture, and where other j la.rge animals devour thesmaller ones,a3dsome- animals would perish on account of the iutoier- times the &her fen& on the former. fiellce able nature of the cold." " !v110 ore his Sub- PnilosDphers have said that tile death of ono jects, and N ~ O fi~1.m his army ?" " dtlakes, scor- to the ba!lc&t of ~\uoth-r. The Almighty sxys : pions. &C, who are i'out~d infestin:: every house," 6 1 tllpn tine wheels of rortlulic in firvor of Was the reply. " why cloes he live SO far fY0m and none ljut the wise kuoiv this."' After this h18 troops on such an c1ev:~tiion 2'' " Because the fro; mellt on thus :X I am told that man.~cld there iu poison i u his moutll, whose heat kee!~~ conddcr that they are the lords of cre:\tio!l, all& his whole body btiruing, and the refreshing <mLt the beasts are their slaves. Prom wilat I ~ 0 0 l t l ~ s O F the frigid zone is c0nsequ~Llt~y more have s:lid jast why don't they ullderstnnd plensaut to hiru." "Describe his nature and that all aniomls are eclllal alld that there is no appem.nce"--was the command. " 111 bobh," di&rellce betmeell them and men? Sometimes retorued the locust, he very much rcsemblcs they eat ancl arc eater, up in their the sea-dragon." "What sort of a creature is turn. LVheuce then is their superiority over tllat ?" asked the Hiuv "The frog, who repre- ug rhe.n our col~dition is enacay the same as sentis the aquiltic a;imalu," replied the locust, theirs. Virtile and vice will be known d tc r " .rviI1 be able to describe him to Four APajes~y." death. The common lot of is to die Bud The king glanced at th:: crowd assembled, alld 1 mix pith clay. God \vill judge wall When behdd the frog stnndi:lg apart, employed iu I lqanlii~ld declare," be continued addresssing the counting his beads aud praying; On enquiry, k~ng , that all the beasts arc their slaves. 1 am he wns cold that he (the frog) reprcscntcd the perfectly astonished at their ignorance ancl pre- animals of the aquatic tribe, whose king was thc sumption, and cannot comprehend how they sea-dragon. Upon which, the monarch desired could have ever come to such an unreasouable him to describe the sca-drsgou to him. K He conclusion, as to think that all brutes, caruioo- lives in deep, tulaultuous wt~ter," said the frog. rous and graminivorous, as well as birds, includ- I "He is the sovereign of all animals that live in the ing amongst them dragons, cmodiles, serpents water ; and fishes, turties, frogs aud crocodiles and scorpions, are their slaves. Know they not, ail owc subjection to him." Describe his appear- that if the rapacious animals were to emerge ' auce and nature," said the king " In size aud from the forests, the beasts of pray from the shape," began the frog, he excels every other moods, and the aliigators from the rivers to -at- aqulltic animal. Strange and formidable looking, tack them, that they ~ ~ o u l d aU be destroyed, and xud tall in size, he is feared by all. Large- not a single pmsou left living to repeat the headed, bright-eyed, wide-mouthed, with many tale? Ought not they to be thankful that God teeth, he opens his jams, ~ i l d in one gulp, has kept them at a distance from their habits- I swallows down innumerable animals of all tio~is ? hstead of this, they delight in persecnt- shapes. When over-gorged, he bends himself ing those haFmless animals who associate with like a bow, and standing on his hcird and tail, them. and 10 ! they are punished, for do they raises the middle part of his body above the 1 noc drge claims which they ca:lnot, estabiish by surface of the water, so that the rays of the sun reason or arguments ?" Again looking round, fall on his stomach, and aid thc digestion of the the king observed a prroc sittiug 011 a tree- food he has taken. Often he faints while in branch, and attentively listcuing to ali what was this state, and the clouds that arise from the mid. When asked who lie was, he replied that he ocean somcltimes pull him'up, and cast him on W:LS the advocatc of the birds of prcy: ar~ti was dry ground, ~vhcre he dies and becomes the food s e n t by the pbcenis, their sovereign. Where of carnivorous mimeb. Often again, he is taken up so high as to enter the regions of Cog and Magog, who feast on him for days and d:~ys, All apuat~c animals f e u him m d fly from him ; though he is a h ~ d of none, but a small c m - ture resembling a flea, whose bite is sure to prove fatal to him, when the other animals all crowd round his remains and feed 011 i f for a lollg time. AS he devours them mhen living, so they in their

der the burden of fruits that hang from their boughs. It is moreover peopled with innumerable kinds of bea3ts.r The king next wished to be favored with a description of the phmnix himself. "He is larger than all other birds," returned the pnrrot, "and swift and strong in flight,. Bis talons and bill are hard, and his wings broad, so that when he cuts through the air, you would think him to be a ship sailing over- head of you. His tail again is very long. When he dies, there is violent concugsion i n the wind, and mountains and hills shake under him. Re

one is ubiquitous, one king could scarce suffice for the well-being of all the realms nf this earth. Again as each town is peopled by lam and Iacs of men, and as the nations differ from each other in Iar~guage and religion, itwould be impossible for any one aerson to govern the whole race. Hence it is that God Almighty has made several kings, vho are designated His representatives on earth, and mho ;we made lords of others, that they may protect their subjects, be kind and lenient to all who approach them, dispense stern justice in the world, and make-his people --- -. ~ -

is so strong that he lifts up elephants, rhinoce- abstain.from what is displeasing to God, who in roses, h. from the ground with the great- reallty ra the sole sovereigu and protector of est ease." The king next desired him to de- i all creation." .-. -~ - -

scribe hi nature;-but he simply contented l himself bv saving that his &isposition was - - - . . . - good and dpro;hiszd zo enter into -details sorue I; CHAPTER XX. - - - -- - - - ,

WHEN the Irakee had ceased speaking, the king on lo@l;ing towards the crowd, was greeted with a soft, bnszing sound, and irnluediately

plaiied against you." Questioning them fa- wings, praising and glorifying God. On being * mediate$ afterwards he asked, Who is your asked, he acknowledged who he was, upon

king ?" They answered 'c We have many which the king wished to know why he had sovereigns, each liviug in his own kingdom come personnlly and not depntcd some one from with his subjects and troops." Why is this 9" ! his suhjeds. "I felt compassion for them," was he asked, "the beasts, notwithstauding that the answer. <<and did not wish to put any one l they - are many, have orLe monarch, while you to tronb!e." "Others did not show this consi- few though ye artre! have so mauy. One of deration," observed the monarch "how is it that them. a native of I r k . returned. The necessities 1 this quality is to be found only in you 1" "God of mankind are they biffer from each has bestoGed i t on me;' he returned, "and f other in their several conditions. and hence re- several other properties besides that." What quiremore than one ruler. ?Tot so the beasts. 1 are these?"--"Jlany, which are exclusively Amongst them! you will find that the largest ours. The rank of Prophets and Angels is and biggest in slze is appointed king ; whereas ours. Other animals have it not. w e are con- amongst mankind, the king is often a thin, versant with mathematics, we construct our slender being. We loot not to his size. All houses mith exquisite nicety. The flowers and that we require are justice, equity and benevo- fruits bloom and blwh for us. Unprevented by lence on his part, with kindness and consider- any, we feed on the sweets of the earth: and ation for the whole race of man ; his servants from our saliva is produced honey, wwhh in also are many. Some are soldiers and bear medicinal matters conduces to the recovery of arms to defend the king from his foes, arid keep health among mankind. The I h a n bears tes- the city clear of thieves, rohbers, and other timony to the truth of what I say. Besides the rogues and vagabonds of the same kind. Some Creator has made us with such art, that our are ministers, chancellors and clerk's, t o look to very formation is a proof direct in faror of the the internal msnagernent of the state, and keep existence of a Maker. Look at us, how wonder- the Treasury full for the support of the army. ful and delicate our "mah" is : our body is Some are farmers and cultivators, others cazees divided into three parts. The middle part is and moofties, who dispense laws, for it is in- like a square, the lowest is long and the upper- cumbent on sovereigns t o see that the laws most round. We have four hands and feet, (R-hich (civil and divine) are resxlected, and the people form as it were the boundary line of a hem- deviatenot from the patd of rectitude. There gon,) and which aid us in sitting, rising and are merchants again, who travel about, look to 1 co~st ruc~ing our dwellings with such a degr~a cotnmerciel matters, and improve by trade. 1 of gracefulness and care that the winds cannot Some ag$in are exclusively given up to servitude, enter it to harm us or our gouug ones. These auch as menial slaves, Be. Besides t h w there 1 memhen, also aid us in fetching fruits and leaves are. others, indispensably required by the king, [ and tlowers, which we keep in deposit in our without whom, in fact, the business of the state 5 hives. Our wings are strong, to .enable us to would come to a stand-atill. Consequently ! fig, and our stings are charged with venom which mankind reqaire many rulers to superintend preserves us from the attacks of all our enemies. over the policy of the several cities, and t o pre- 1 Our neck8 are thin and slender, m that r e can vent harm befalling any one of them. As no Y easily turn our heads towards the right or the

CHAPTER XXI. .

IKBW AN-00s-SUFFA.

voice and observed :--"It is a matter of surprise t o see the monarch respecting the lcadcr of the bees more than any one else.'; A~hi losophcr from the giants, race returned-<' Woncler not, though yrssoob is small and diminutive of sire, yet in sense and discretion h e is unsurpassed by n n v RP; i s fit at any time to teach otllcrs how - - J - - - ~-

t n become like hi&elf: and i t i s c~~stonla?y - - - - - - with kings to shorn kindness and consideratioil t o those who are their equals both in rauk all& possessing qualities which grace ropdiy, aithougl~ these latter mav differ in form aud fe:ttu~.cs Ero~il

false. I h t him nest t u ~ n his attention to the anb. Srurll though she is, she still coustructs labyrinthiue subterranean house's, uuapproach. able bv the most dreadfa! of inundatioas. Her food also she coilects therein. When moistened by auy chance, she lays it out in the suushine to dry. T h e n any grain is about to germinate, she immediately dit.ides it into two parts I n summer, several of them assemble nud go out in quest of food. If one of them finda aught, mhich ou account of its weight she cannot removc, she immediately takes a slnall particle -

CRAPTER XXII.

not also attended to, hence they fall unwell sometimes. The reason why your children fall

sweetmeats. * * * To amuse ourselves we have sick is this: preguant women and nuram eat danciug, music, s ingi~r~, games, and all the plea- the food you praise so much, and the result is sure8 of innocent conversation. We dress also that it breeds humours which spoil the milk, oerg splendidly, and our jewellery is magnificent and children are either born deformed or are in the extreme. Carpets of the richest texture continually ailing afterwards. It is on this ac- we spread, and sit under gorgeous canopies of count that they are always liable to sudden every hue. Where do the beasts cojoy this deaths, and pains and torments. I n short, it is l s tate? They live in woods and forests, graze, your own deeds that keep you exposed to all and work like slams. A11 these circumstances these sufmings from which we are exempt. prove their inferiority." The representative Honey you consider to be very good both for of the birds, the Nightingale, who was per- food arid medicine ; but mind, i t is collected by ching on a twiw opened his mouth and said : the bees and not prepared by any art of yours. -c'Maa glories zmself on the articles of his On what then do you glory ? Fruits and coril? food and drink; but he does 11ot know that why w e partake d these in common, even as P1 these arc the sources of evil to him." " Why 1 vour and our ancestors did. Wheu your first, should they be so 1" enquired the liiug-"Be- pareilts Adam and Eve were in the Garden of cause,'' returned the speaker, "to et in these Eden, and enjoyed its fruits without ally toil they are constrained to toil hard, to dig, plotlgh, or trouble on their part, our first pnrents were smwthen the earth, fill water, MW the seed, cut there also, sharers and companious of their ease. &he plant, weigh, bake and cook ; then again for When your ancestors overloaked the injuuction meat, to quarrel with butchers, keep accounts of God, and tempted by the enemy, ate the with bunlaeald, and for the sake of gain, acquire fatnl .grain, the angels came dowu, expelled . arts and sciences, afflict their own bodies, them from Paradisa, and cast them in such n travel to far, distar~t countries, stand with clime, where there mere no flowers or lavea, hands folded before rich men for the paltry stlrp much less fruits. For a long time they wept of a pice or two ; in short these are the erils and mourned in that scene of desolation. ~t they suffer to gaiu the llrxuries of life. And after last they repented, the Creator took wrupassioo their death, all their gains fall i n L0 the of on them, and an angel was sent to place them strangers. l f they have acquired these by fair on earth, nhich they mere to dig, and sbm seeds means, well and good : if not eternal pains are therein. They were also taught how to grind, reserved for them, in the next world. We are cool; and weave clothes for t!aeir use. Xiipht exempt, from all these. We feed on grass 411 and dayit was theirs to work on m~iutzrrupted- that the earth produces we enjoy without care Iy. & W h i n their children iticreased and spread or trouble, and many are the fruits which a through the wilds and fastnesses of the earth, bountiful ~ o d has made for our use, for whioh then it was that persecution began, The other we are deepiy thankful to Him. We have never denizens of the world were deprived of their to go in quest of food and drink, wl~rover we habitations, many were taken and placed in

IKSIWbhT-OOS-SUFP.4. 27

tional exercises are practised night and day heat and cold. T l ~ u s thsy roved about in t h e regulwlg. In a rurd. ve need not perform those ' garden, enjoying the frnits of all the trees, acts in which you glory so much." When khe ! mithont toiling as they IIOW do. Cod had com- winged speaker hsd come to a conclusion, the 1 manded them to eat thc fruits of all trees but king asked mankind if they had aught furkhher one. Satan, howeve~s. beguiled them. They for- to nrse. One of thorn, an inhabitant of I~aak, got the irljunction of tile .41111i&hty arld sinned. replied, that there yet remained several qualities j Then their glory dcparted from them ; their in manz which established his claim to superi- ( long ringlets dropped off, they became naked, and ority. 4"n the ~ngnificeuce of dress, me have ' the angels, in obeciience to the command re- shawli and b-ades, silk, sable..skin. muslin, satin I ceired from God, descended from Heaceu, &c. me have carpets spread on the Yoor, and ancl expe2.d them from the Bower of Bliss, canopies and other coverings to give ccicit t o 5 cvsn as already recounted by She philosopher our state. To the beasts ail these are denied. of she genii." When the advoute had spoken Naked they rove &\,out like s l a ~ e s in the wilder- 1 thns, lilallkind desired him and his tribe to re- ness, aud therohy es:abliih our claim of supe- rnain a i l e ~ ~ t and cease to speak. " Why 1" asked riority oier them. The Liventics of Heaver, / tbc former speaks. Eeciuse~" they $id, which are cor~fcrred on us, prow r:s to be the lords ' &'gou, ~aptorial a:iimals are t!ie most ~uischiev- of t h e brute creatior~ ; a t ~ d it is i~~cumbeut on I ous ou ei;r:h and tll3 must ha:d hearted. You us to ksep them within the bounds of snbmis- devour botli tlie living nod the dead. Eepond sion." L; What, ausmer do you now return 1" wisiling evil to eve?? created oltject you have asked the king. ;..~iciresill$ the beasts. Their re- 1 nothii~; to do." " Horn do you prove th j~ ?" presentaiive: &,deila, spoke thus to mau, " You " Every rapacious animal," they replied, "tires who glory irl ii~tedrcss, will you please tell us, 1 by preying on others, whose hones they gnaw where these robes were in times of old. b v e xrld vrliose blood they dri:~]:. without feeling any ~ O L I not violently robbed the beasts of ihe sarnc?'' / pity or compassion," .'This they hare been Mankind mished to 1;11om to what time h e was ! instructed by you to do," ret1:rned the advocate, referring 1 Iu reply to . which7 i t was said :- I " if !tot, we were pe~feect strangers to such cruel "The ssftest and most c\eliwte of dresses that I hah~ts. Before the creation of hdaru no ~ n i - you p11i on are silk and brocade, both of mhich znal preyed. upon another, Then one died are made tviti~ zhi: slimg. t u r e ~ i of a worm uot i then the ot!lers ~vould feast on i ts lifeless re- belougiu r tn your tribe. He prepares i t for his mains, h u t in 110 case wouid they aottcck or in- own wmkorb md couvenienca in miuter; but ( jure any living hoiug. As tons ns me could you, disrsgardil~g all his Ixbors, rob him of the j find dead bodics mo never thought of depriving same; for which act of injualice God is not i,sck- I any cl-egtture ; but w11r11 that faliccl, then maril in punishing you, iu as much as you are ( we could not but kili. lVhsn you were born, coudernued to Iabor in syiuuiug :rnd weaving ancl ! goats, sheep, oxen, camel3 aud asses were then being depeudan~ o n the tsilor far its bcing 1 all made prisolicrv by you, no animals es- sewed and the washerman for its being washed. caped. How then could mg procure the flesh of Many other troubles you also undergo, lu or- these in the woods 2 We were compel!ed there- der to preserve i t safe for purposes of sale. fore to prey on living creatures. But this is Oftell it is that the hides of beasts form yonr permitted us: even as it is allowed you to feed covering, and the most valuable of Sour clothes on dead bodies when you are in a state of star- are made of wool of which you vioientiy deprive vation. As reprdu the charge of cruelty and them, and then take all the 'glory to yourseif. hard-heartednrss, xvhich YOU bring against us, Sach vanity is perfectly uucalled for. If we no other animals that we l i ~ ~ w of bring a simi- bonsted of our wool, it would be more reason- charge. We rip open the stomachs of others, able ; for the Creator intended it for our oover- you s : ~ , feed on their flesh and drink their ing, to preserve us ,from heat and cold. The blood. why, 2 / 0 ~ do the same, you slaughter moment that we are born, this garment is placed them, cut them with knives, flay tbe=.,rip open on us without any toil or trouble on our part ; their stomachs, break their bones, roast and eat whereas you, to the last momellt of goor lives them : all these you do, fiat we. If YOU would are perpetnally i n thoughts of cloihiug, Your consider the matter well, you wouid find that ancestors disobeyed God, and you are punished the crsuelties exercised by u s are nothing in corn- for that one fault of theirs." The king wished parison with your own. You treat your bro- CO know something of the origitlai nature of thers eveu in a yay that we never do. YOU Adam. Eitl&a answered :-<C When the Lord moreov~r sag that p c never benefit others. 1s created him and Eve, he illtended that they it so '! What benefit do you derive f~.om our should be fed aud clothed like any other animal. hides. T h e beasts of prey that are confined h d i n fact, on the east side of Eden, on a in your homes,-derive you no benefit from mountain of ,diamond, through ~ h i c h passed them 1 But' what advantage do others derive the Equinoctial line they both lived. When from YOU f On the contrary i t is obvious that created, they had no ; bat their own YOU slaughter and devour us. a n d such is the long, waving locks served t o bide their naked- enmity YOU show us, that your dead even YOU ness, and preserve them from the efects of hhume in the earth, 60 that your Living and

28 IKRWAN-OOS-SUFFA.

dead are equdly of no use to as. We, You further say, slay and destroy other animals. Yes, CHAPTER XXIII. we do ; but we have lear~lt it from you. We see that from the time of Cai11 aud Abel, to the present day, you are always e n ~ = e d in strife nnd contention with each other. Rusturn, Isfundiar, Jumsheed, Zohak Fureidoon, Afrasiab, 3Iuuoo-

species into nvhioh birds were divided. It is true, they are divided illto various tribes ; but for every good tribe, in svhirh he glories, there

ever gOUr tyrefib kings have occasion to doubt is another most vicious and corrupt. Nimrod and the virtues of any person, they expel him to Pharoah, mere men ; besides, they have atheists, the wilrierness, and if the beasts injure him fomlcators, hypocrites, heretics, not, consider him to be innocent ; for k i ~ ~ d tyrants, highm:ly robbers, thieva, knaves, pick- knows its kind, and it is because that the indi- pockets, li;irs, chblts, eutiuchs, ad&- vidual is inuocerlt, that they do not harm him. tcrers, fools, misers, a ~ l d others, True it is: ' lords are recognized by lords.' whose evil habits cannot be, decelltly expressed, yes : there are wicked ones fouod amongst .us ; dud we are worse than these !-On the contrary but where are they not? In every trihc: there we their good qllalities, for me have are .good rud wicked individuals to be found. governors alld respectai>le azsistants friends, But those, who are even mischievous amongst us, In fact, in justice and respectat1ility, our r&rs do not attack those of your race who are viutuous; are better t b n those of men, because the latter although they devour tbe wicked without any protect their suf,jects to derive benefits from hesitation. The Almighty says :-L I have placed them, The moment they gain their *hjoot, $rants to tyrannise over tyrants, that they may they think no more of their people and thus feel the effects of their sin."' Wheu this army. rs tilis acting respectably? angs are speech had come to an end, a philosopher of the houlld to be always kind .arid lenient to their genii remarked: I t is true, the virtuous fly srliljects even as the ~ l ~ i ~ h t ~ is to ~i~ creatures. from the wicked and as3ociate with the good of The of the beasts are always watchful to another tribe, and those who are vicious fly promote the good of their people andamy. soalso from the companionship of the good, alld mingle those of the ants and the birds, who &tend to with ~ r m t u r e ~ like themselves. If rnaukil~d, the prospedty of their subjects the &erefore, were 110t evil, why would their hermits hope of r8ward from them. ~h~~ nourish their and saints abjure their society, and go md live young also, without expecting a return of ser. in the woods associating with the rapacious ani- vice from them as mankind do, demanding favor mals, who are not of the same kiud s. thcyl 1 for favor and service for service. They bring Externally there is no resemblance between j forth their young, aud hope nothing from them. them 1 hut in nature they are alike." The crowd They feed them, however, and take care of them o f ~ a o t s ; p ~ n t t h e r e , d I c o ~ ~ ~ ~ r r e d i n t h . i ~ opini- ovip tbrough love ond affection. Thus they on, and mankind, assailed on all sides with taunts please God, who provides for his creatures, with- and reproaches, were obliged to hold their peace out expecting thanh. If men were not exceed. a n d bend low their heads through shame. It ingly ungrateful why would the Lord make it am evening now and the Court broke up. . 1 b c ~ ~ m b e u t on them to be thankful to &m6, and

IKH WAN-00s-SUFFA. 28

to their parents? We are not enjoined to do nut a cylinder; whereas mankind can never the same, because we are never guiity of intide- dispe~lse with these instruments. The spider lity and disobedience!' When the parrot had again, who is the weakest of reptiles, is more ceased speakipg, the giants assented to the trnt,h than a matoh for their weavers iu the a r t of af his assertions, and maukind held down their spiuning and weaving. She first draws O U ~ heads through shame and remained silent. Upon threads from her slimy secretions, and then this the king turning to a philosopher, wished to twasts them iu circular directions. She leaves know, what sovereign was most liind and consi- a small space in the middle, designed for the derate to his subjects' and troops ? The ruler reception of fliev on which she preys. In alI of the angelsn-answered the sage ; for every these arrangements, she requires no assistancc ; tribe and individual of man and beasts is whereas their weavers do. The silk-worm also guarded over by angels, whom God has appoint- a small, weak creature, surpames their artists. ed to defend them from all harm. And the When well fed, she to a tree, weaves a angels too have their ruler, who governs their circular web? makes it as strong as possible, and different orders under different denominations." impervious to rain, and sleeps in it. This art "How came the angels to imbibe such love for she lcnows without being instructed by parents each other 1" enquired the king. '<The 81- or tutors. Thread and needle, which areso iudis- mighty has endowed them mith it" vns the re- pensable to their tai l~:~, she never uses. The ply. Man's love for man is not equal to the one swallows, and more partieula~ly the bya, with hundred thousandth part of Cod's love for them, for when 1Te created them, Hc gave His augels charge over them, made thcm with the most exquisiteperfection of art, blest them with power6f understanding, by mcaas of whiob they could distinguish good from o i l ; for their convcuience and comfort He madc the sun, moon and other heavenly const&n- tions, and the trees were rendered fruitfill so that about twenty or thir$ egF arc collected, she they may be provided with food. AU these dividcs them into three heaps, orlo she deposits prove the loving kindness of the Ualier." 'l Of under earth, another exposss to the heat of the thove angels who are appointed to guard over San, and a third keeps u~lder her own wiljgs. mankind who is the chief?" enquired the When the young are hntchcd, she digs the king. &'The spirit that speaks in him," he re- ground, extracts worms therehorn, and feeds plied, ~'Frum the t ime that Bdam was born her little ones. women never act thus. They th13 1s with him. Tho~e spirits that fell dow11 are delivered by mid!vivcs, and as soon as before him are the bodily spirits, who obey and the child is boru, hired n~vses bathe it, ancl are governed by the speaking spirit Those who wet-nurscs suckle and cast i t on a cradle to worshipped him not, are the passions. Eblees sleep. The mother all the while knows nothing is one of them. The spirit of speech is yct to about it. Their children too are e s t r e ~ e l y be found in the children of bdnm, even as his foolish, .and have no discrimination of good form and features are still preserved in his de- from evil. After fiftecn or twenty years they scendants. On the day of judgment, Sdam in come to reason and discretion, yet even then these very forms and features will rise again and they cannot do without teachers. Thcir whole euter Paradise." The king wished to kuum life they spend in learning to read and write, and why the angels and spirits mere invisible. ‘c Cc- still for all that, remaiu os great fools as ever. cause," answered the sage, they are creatures Not ao we. The moment we are born, me know of light, and elude our senses. The prophets see eve1.y thing good and evil. Fowls, partridges, them, however, for their minds are also steeped aud quail% for instance, rnn about thclr pnreuts in light, ignorance haugs not her pall over thcm, ns YOOU a s they are hatched, and fly off from their souls are always watchful ; hence it is, that those who attempt to outch them. This in- the^ hold intercourse with these spirit% cou- atinct is given them by Cod Himself, Because in verse with them, and communicate to manbud renrillg them up, both the male and female bird generally the messages they receive from Heaveu do not joiu, as is the case with pigeous, &c. Cqn- through them." " Con t ime thy speech," order- oequently God has cudowed them vith the pow- ed his majesty, addressing the parrot, who went 1 er of knowing good from evil, by means of on thus :-$'Tilis man s q s that there nre many which they are not entirely dependant on their skilful artists to be found in his tribe. This is not mothers, 21s the young of beasts are for milk, to be made a subject of vaunti~ig, for amongst ancl those of birds for graiu. Now say, who is us there are many who rival him i n those arts. higher in the estimation of thc ,-$mighty z The bee, for instance, is more skilfizl than their Night and day me pray to Him and are cause- architects, inasmuch'as sne constructs her house q u c n t l ~ blessed with especial favbrs. you sag withoat such materials as bricks and earth, lime that you have poets aud prea~hel.~ amongst and mortar. Circles she describes nrithout, the y02b only. This is because p u understand ]lot use of a compacs, and draws straight lirles with- 1 the la*lwge of beasts. If you xcrc couversaut

IHRW -43-00s-SUFFA. 3 1

; ~ i f i the devotional practices of the reptiles, the I lence of the infidels- The same was the case of the illsects and beasts, t h e descriptive with Phmoah? who persecuted the sons of IS-

powers of the i o c a ~ t , the prnyers offered by t h e { rael. Bur tne same Bhnlghty yorer shielded fro& the lectures of the nightingnle, the preach- ; hfoses from all harm. Say what the a a t r o l ~ ~ e ? ~

of the lark, the llotice to worship given try : may. the decrees of Fate -are never to be alter- the rnek, tbe cooings of the pigeon, the forebod- ; ed. &hy then glory in your astrologe~s and dot. ings of t h e crow, the eullogiuzn p m ~ ~ o ~ ~ n c c d by ' tors ? These people can only mislead the &no- the swallow, the fear of God entertained by the 1 rant. Those who confide in the mercies of

besides d i c h the religions exercises of i a Providence never beliese the assertions of meu the nuts and hees ; if you were conversant with { like these? Here the king interrupted the all these, you vonld have known that they too parrot, and wished to kuorr, why i t was that had eloqt~eet speakers aud preachera, and eler I nstrologera took the trouhie of learnitrgn science, gant poets amongst them. The Almighty Hirn- which was after all poweriess in reruoving evil. self says : 'Every created ohject repents the : "The removal of evil is possible," rctnrned the praises of God.' You do not know this ; from other, "not by the skill of the astrologer, but, rvhich it appears that you are entirely eartly by t h mercy of God who has made astro!ogers in your nature, that you understnnd not thcir j too." "How is this mercy t o be obtained?" language of praise. K~~nwledge is for ns :-Be I! asked the king. " Ey oolrservil~g the command- says :-'Every beast Icnova how to pr:lise God.' ments laid down in the Sacred Wri t i r~~s , Now the r i s e and ignorant are not l a t h equal. ! b weeping, nrrying, futing, arcrilcing, giving We are therefore higher in ra111i than you. : alms-deeds, and by wor3hippi::g with a clean Why then foolishly depreciate our merits a ~ i d i aud pure heart. These will bring down the exalt your own ? As regards your vaurlte(1 p1.o- grace of Qod, aitd preserre us from all dangers. ficiency in astrology, know you not that this : The astrologe~s and soothsryers profess oglp scie~lce is only professed arld believed by fools ; [ to foretell that such and such an evil mill be that women aud children only pn t faith in its i s e ~ t bbg God: why uot pray to Goci Himself revelations ; but that the wise do not pur, crc- then, to keep off the erii, rather than try to dence in them ? The professors of this scie~lcc, j escape by the aid of astrolo~y ?'' " If I>y prac- j1~3t for the purpose of misleading ignorant peo- ( tisilrg devotious me can remove evil, obscw.ved pie, give out that such a caiamity will IjefaI 1 the kiug, "it appears that the mill of God can be sllch a city after ten or twerlty years ; whereas i changed .also." " No i t is uot," replied the they know not what will happen t o themselves other, &<only those who pray to God for safety or their families. They generally prophesy nhout are exempt ft-om the evil : for iustance, when coantries far distant, that the generality of the astrology informed Kinrod, that a child was ta public may easily believe them. Those who are be born, who would eventaaily overthrow and misled -and unenlightened, put faith on the 1 exterminate the idolaters, and t h e r e b ~ alluded assertions of wtrologers ; for instatwe such of to Abrahnm, if Nimrod a t that moment prayed their tin!@ .rho are tyrants and deepots, rho 1 t o Rod to remove from hirn the danger threat- believe not i n another world, and who are blind I ened, He would have made him profess the to the decrees of fate. Nimrod was one of this ) faith of Abraham, and his troops and subjects kind ; Phwoah amther, who, iu pnrsuance of 2 would have then been saved from destruction. what t h e astrdogem told him murdered hun- So also, when the astrologers foretold the hirth

tfioumnds of innocent children. H e i of Moses, if Pbamah bad supplicated Cod for knew t h ~ t t h e re,aulatiolt of the world was en- sssistance, the Atnighty would have convertd trusted to seven planets and twelve houses of him t o t h e faith of the Israelites. and saved his the Zodiac- B e knew not, that nothing was ) hosts from being overthrown him ; even as his done ~ t h o u t the will of the Almighty, who wlfe waspreserved by God, and blest bp being made both the plenatn and the housu of the biought the true faith. The tribe of Jonas Zodiac. again cried to the Lord in their distress and he

Fat& stsrn decress'are never changed bp schemes.'

At last, what God had milled happened. %W run t h e details. The astrologers had told Nimrod, that in his reign s child mould be born, who would eventually overthrov idolatry, and extirpate t h e idolators from the land. When h e wished to know where he would be born, in what family, and where brought u p they could not satisfy him; upon .which th; king pawed a general order, that every child born that Year, was to be destro ed, thinking that t h e ihxded child would &O be ono of the number. w e l l and what happened ? Abraham

born, and Qod saved him from the malevo-

relieved them." "This is all very true," observed the king, " i t is useless now to study the secrets of astrology. Suffice i t t o know what will happen, and then pray to God to avert t h e calamity. These are what Moses taught ta the children of Israel. When you are in distress,' he said, 'CV to the Lord, weep, and lament for your sins, and Be, the Almighty will relieve you.' From Adzm to Mohamed, i t has always been the y t i c e of the prophets, to counsel their peop e to cry for help to the Almighty i n the time of distress. Rence i t is proper that we ahould make a right use of astrology, and not abuse it, as they do in the world, hy forget- ting Cfod end ascribing UU t o the revolutions af

the planets. I n sickness also, it is our duty, the existence of sense and reson. Besides first to prny to the Lord for the restoration of these there are several other kinds of false faith i health, (for this is done only through his grace I and religions which mislead mankind. We pro- and mercy,) and not place all our trust and wo- ' fess one faith, a s me believe in one Qod, whom fidence on physicians, who are ouen to error like we continu:illy worship, withont vaunting of ourselves. Warrg a person bns' fniled to bo res- our supeliority. We aye thankful t o Him for tored to health, i u spite of all the Doctor's what He hnsgiren us, never break His comraand- exertioos. Many have written their humble rneuts, never asli Hirn why thisis so, and not so, supplications 011 pieces of paper which they as mankind delight to do, when they question the . have attrolled to the wails and pilirrs of mos- i v i d o ~ n diipli~ged in Ria ordinances. You also ques, nod the mercy of the Lord has de- 1 glory iti your geometricinns and mathemnticinus ; scended on them and they have got well. Th~ls but what are these pmplsO Xight xnd day they i t is necessary to accibs a\l t h ~ starry influence are p~izzleiLd in swtrch of p~oofs. T h i ~ i p beyond to the Creator Himself. and never believe what ! cornprehension thev pretend to elucidate. Thus the astrologers say. A certi~in Kirlg wn3 inform- { they \vaste their liv-s in learning sciences per- ed by one of tllcsc people, that a calamity m;is to { fectly useless in themselves ; ignorn~lt all the befal his Capital, by which the inh:~lrit:~nts while of that grand science, which tcaches how would be exposed to great duogsr. When desir- to be h:ippy herc nrld hereafccr. Same are en- t.d to explain the nature of t h e catnxtrophe, they grossed it1 calculating the distances of remote esDreasad themselves uriable ; htrt foretold that i heavzuly bodies, some in itlvestigatiug the height o i s n c h a date of. sach a rnnnth, the cala~nity I of rooar~t;rins and clouds, some iu n~easuriap the would befill the city. The King referred to his leugth of forests and the depths of rivers, and peopie, and wished to know horv i t was possible some puzzle their heads in cornprcheudiug the to --cape from the danger threatened. Tile lnivs of the solar system, or dnterulining the priests advised, that on the day appointed, it centre of the earth. And all this time they was proper for the King to retire with his sub- 1 ktrow notl~ing of the physiology of their own jects, high and low, rich sad poor, to a distant bodies. They know not how the intestitles are part of the country, and there to weep a ~ t d cry placed, and hat duties they perform ; what to God for safety. dccord i~ i~ iy on t h ; ~ t day, the strength is possessed L)y the ribs of the breast ; monarch, with rr~ost of his s ~ ~ l ~ j e c t s !eft the city, j mhat are tile nature of the henrt and b r a i ~ ~ s , relircd to a distaut part of the couutry, and them j how the \ m e s are arranged ; and how the j o i ~ ~ t s bepun praying for stlfety from the misfortune strengthened. These particnlar~, which to with which they weye threatened. There they know is both simple and necessary, they never p;ist the night in watchfulness. Bnt others, who study ; \sherens, it is from Cl~ese, t l ~ t ire come 'did ,lot care for the forel~odings of tile Astrolo- to know the Creator, even as the prophet Says : gers, did uot leave their homes. I n the 11ight a ' He who knoms himself, kcoms God!. nnoral~t ,,ere shower of raiv fell, the city was situi~ted as they are, they still for all thai never h i z h t in on low so the waters rushed in from all the words of God, nor observe the rites of cir- sides, and those who had remained io the town j cumcicion and true faith. YOU boast a@in of mere destroyed ; whereas those who were out ! your doctors. But you require their nssista~lce weeping and pr:~ying to God, ?aped, cven as : only u~hen'lust or intemperance breeds a malady Noah and his family, from the uulvers:rl derstruc- in you. Then you run to them. Only the sick tion of the Deluge. 111 reference to this, God go to physicians and druggists, even as the expresses Bimself thus:-. 10211, and those who wretched and unfortunate congregate on the ! were in the Ark with him, I saved; and &strop doors of tbe astrologers, who are sure to make ed the rest because thcy would not put faith 1 mntters worse ; for they have no power to change on what 1 said.) YOU are proud again because ! the evil aspect of a plar~et ; yet still for all that, sou are phi[osophers and Logicians. But knom j many a professor of that science, writes down you not that these scieiices o:lly mislead you." nonsense on a piece of PP to misleafi fools. " How ?" enquired man. Bs~ause they iuduce . The sun* is the case v i th ph.6ciillls,mho gene- you to turn away your facp. from religion, and by rally i m e + s e the malady of theil* ~a t ieu ts , by pointing out contradictions in your sacred hooka, advising them to abstain from thi~lgs which would shake your'faith in them. Opiu io~~s sod reli-, have ensured a speedy cnre If the diseases gions then begin to dif?er. Some cousider this were left to nature, they would -vanish earlier. world as ancient, and others regard ckdos as old. 1 Hence their i t is foolish for you to boast of your Some believe thnt appearalrces blve aIways exist- 1 physicia~ts and nstrologcrs. We clo not require ed. Some say there are two evils existi~rg, some these. 1% regulate our diet, and therefore never three, some four, five, s i r , or eve11 as far R 8 S ~ V ~ I L . falling sickt never need the prescriptions of the Some believe in the CO-esioter~ce of l;\l:~ker and former uor their mixtures, and electunry medi- made. Some think the world t o "e iuEuite, while cines. Tliose who are free, depend on no one. others believeit finite. Some heileve ill i ts revo- S1:rves only rut1 about begging assistalx:e from lutions, others do n o t Some put f8ith in the I others. Sour merchants, architects and farm- prophets and their saying, others ~ e f ~ l s e to do so. er5 again, in whom you glo~y, are worse than some wander.in the mists of doubt, others deny f slaves, worse treated than beggars. Pe~-petuall~

yet there is uniformity in our spirits whereas mankind are just the reverse." '' Horn do you prove this 1" By referring to the variety of their creeds. They are split up into thousands of sects such as J e m , Nazarines, Gucbres, Bypo- crites, Atheists, Idolators, Fire-worshippers, R b r - ~ r l n r ~ r a . and besides these several more. - - - whose opinions differ from each other, even as those of worldly philosophers do. " * * * Each regards tho other as an atheist, and calls down curses on his head. We are free from these diversities. Our Faith and Seli-

~

gion are one. In a word all the animals are pure and clean in heart. They know not what hypocrisy, crime, and wickedness are; they believe in the unity of God ; ncknomledge Him to be ~rovident : think of Ilim nixht and

ckuse this is pleassnt to bin^." T h e n Christ asked, wlio were d l l i r~g to assist in the service of God, all his friends ansmered that they mere ready. Cyon which he remarlied:-' If ye are willing, prepare yourselves for death aud the Cross, so that you can go to heaven mith me and live with your brethren there. And if ye do not assist me, ye are not mine.' At last, they were all sacrificed for God's mke and nevcr prol?& faithless to Christ. I n the same way the Era. mins of India destroy themselves, and for the sake of religio~~ burn themselves living, on piles of fire, believing a11 the nrhile, that God is pleased, whcn thc repentant sinner ~ncri5ces himself to obtain parclon of his sins. Devotees, in this maner, subdue the lusts of the flesh, so that not a single deaire remains to draw them

day; and are a;lways employed in Eounting j away from commu~~ion wit11 God. In a word, therr beads. But mankiod are not acquainted all the P ~ O ~ ~ S S O ~ S of Heligio~~ have co~lsider~d with our mode of prying." A Persian remark- seu-sa~rifice the surest meatls of avoiding l "We also think God to be the Creator , Hdl and gaining EIcaven. Ent in cvel-p religion and Provider of all, and believe in HIS Unity." I there arc good and bad individoaLs. The worst, "Then why have you so many sects amongst however, are they, who believe not in 2 day of you ? lJ asked the king : " Religion and Faith," ! Judgment, nor in a day of Account ; who dread returned the other, "are means by which me i not the recl~utal of crimes, and who doubt in attain certain ends. How, as long s s our e t ~ d ia I the unity of Gocl, t ~ ~ ~ d s vhom all our hopes the same, it matters not what means we employ I are bant.'?Wheu the Persinn had coore to s in gaining it Go, in whatever direction we Pause in his sl~ecch, a Bindoo contiuued, saying: like, as all more towards God." If each wishes 1 -''The race of -%dam is more uurnerom than to go to the same God," asked the king, all the beasts put together. There are nineteen

why do they kill and slaughter each other 1.' tho~~sand cities 111 the world, populated bp "Not for religious purposes," answered the ous kinds of people. In the habitable world, other, "but more for the sake of politics." I there ,are China, India, Hedjnz, Yerncu, Egp t , "Explain this fuIly." "Politics and Religion," 1 Ylgrit~a, Alexandria, Punjaub, Constxntinople, he continued, " are twins. One cannot live I Aaerbijan, Syria, Greece, Irak, Budukshan, Jeelan, without the other; but Religion is primacy and Jiqan Neeshapore, Cebul, Biooltan, Xho~assan, Politics secondary. The one is necessary for ! Ferghaua, &c. Besides these there are innumer- the ~ecurity of the other. The latter requires 1 able other cities and countries. Evon on the that mankind should be honbst, and the former tops of mountains, in islands and in fawsts, that there should be one king, who should look 1 thuusands of men are to be fo~md, each tribe to the spread of Religion amongsh his people. differing from the other in langnage, cclor, na- For this reason many n Professor of Tlzeology ture, dispositio:~, religion and ingenuity. A God has slaughtered several people for their politi- watches over, and provides for all. These show cal tenets. Each wishes that the rest should that mank'ind are better than the other ohjects follow his own religion. If the king mould lis- of creation, that they are superior to the beasts, ten patiently I shall recite an instance." The per- and that they are the lords, and the brute cren- I U ~ S S ~ O U was readily given. 'I To sacrifice the ) tion their slaves. Eesides these. there are other passious is always commendcd in every religion; j qualities i n us a recital of which would be too and in sacrificing the pnssions, the devotee sa; lon and tedious." The frog here brokc in and crifices him~elf, 1. Politics they always make I saib: This man apealis 'highly of the multi- i t a rule to sacrifice others." "It is evident," ) plicity of his tribes. If he would but see the interposed the sovereign, "that kings are to be different kinds of aquatic animals, he would find sacrificed for theireountries; but for Religion how thirt his own tribes are comparatively few, The can one sacrifice his passions l" " In the Naho- cities and bwns too of which he talks, will medan Religion," returned the other, "this too is appear not many after all. For there are fifteen plain. In the Koran i t is said, 'God has pur- big oceans in the wodd, and five hundred rivers chased t h e souls and property of the faithful, such as the Jihoo, the Nile, the Euphrates, &c. and made them inheritors of Reaveu ; so that each from two hundred to two thousand miles they ~acriiice all they possess, and themselves 1 long. Besides these there are several lakes, and too, in the way of God.' Several other passages I rivulets in 0 t h ~ parts of the earth too numerous prove the same. The following again ia accord- to be recounted here. I n these are to be found, i ing to the spirit of the New Testament :-"If , fishes, turtles, crocodiles, porpoise, zlli~ators you are God's, sacrifice yourself for God, be- 1 aud a thousand other species of aquatic animals,

IRA WAN-00s-SUFFA. 35

~ h o s e existence and numbers are unknown to I not recounted." The Persixn nightingale imme-. ali but God. Some say, that there are seven diately answered him and ~n id . -~~As God has hundred species of aquatic animals, and five promised you blessings, so are curses also entailed ! h~indred of those, who live on dry ground. All on you. To suffer in the tomb ; to be questioued these are the creatures and sul?jects of God, 1 by Jloonkir and Nukeer; to render a strict ac- who has made them, provides for t.hem, and count on the day of judgment; tn burn in the keeps them aafe from ail harm. From Him 1 Bres of Hell; t o w a r rags ; to drink yellow nothing is hidden. If mankind mould hut refer j water; to feed on thonly ashy fruits ; to live to the number of the beasts they would find ; near the king of Hell ; with devils for your com- that they are not their slaves. panions :-all those are for you, and many more,

l a description of which ie given also in the - 5 Komw. We are free from these. TlSue i t is,

CEAPTER XXV. no blessi~lg is promised us ; but we are exempt 1 from all curses too. We are content, and indecd THEN the frog had done speaking onc of the grateful to God for what Be has given us. We

genii, addressing maulcind, said. "Oh race of men j derlve no benefit frorn any action. nor sustain and beasts! YOU are nnacquainted with the might anv evil thereby. Hence pour arguments are au- of pour Maker. YOU horn nothing of those j smired, end you are not highcr than we." The glorious spirits, who frced from ail earthly alloy Hedjazec still persisted. '' How are Fe equal 1 now reside on the several degrees of the Hea- ; We mill live to everlasting ages. E we have vens. Those who are angels, hawe their own 1 lived virtuously me mill yet be the companions especial appointmcrlts there ; but those who in- of saints and prophets. Those who are virtuous, hnhit the colder regous are giallts or devils. < wise, intelligent, abstemious; and temperate, can Refore these, manlilnd and heasis, numerous be compared with angels. In doing good none thongh they he, are nothing ; for the regions i excel8 them. Thcy are always desirous of pleas- these spirits inhabit, are ten times wider than ; ing the Lord, and sacrifice their property and the earth, and the heavenly regions ten times ' themselves in His service, place all their trust widcr than this again ;-in the same way the on I s m , commune with and hope in Rim, and lunar degree is ten times wider than all the rest. fear no one but Rim. I f nre are inners, how- Thus every higher degree is midcr than the over, me will gain salvation through the inter- lower, and each and all are inhabited by heaven- , cessions of the Prophets, especially of 3lahomed, ly spirits. Not a spau of space is left un- j may peace be on him !-Then me will inherit occupied, even as the Prophet says: ' S o t a i Paradise mith the horries and gl~iilmans, and span of space is to be fonnd on any of the i the angels will say to us :-' Blest and happy seven heavens, but angels are there worshipping 1 are ye, that ye have entered Heaven ; remain and adoring God? Heilce it is, Oh race of men ! j here always I' you, ye beasts! enjoy not this that if you beheld these, you mould thiuk that $ glorious privilege. The moment ye die ye are your own numbers mere comparatively nothing, entirely destroyed, and no trace, mhatever re- and that thus there were no demonstrations of mains of SOU." On hearing these words, the g ~ u r superiority. All are the creatures of God, representatives of the animals and all the genii and form his subjects and army. Some indeed exclaimed :-U Now you hnve spoken to the are sulI>jectcd to others. In n word. his perfect point. People should glory on such blessings wisdom has formed and arranged all, and it is ' alone. But do Iet us know what ~ o r t s of beings incumbent on us continuaUy tn occnpy ourselcea are those, whom you hare praised so much 11' in praying to and praising Ilim." When the ' %fankind remained silent, thinking for x moment ; sage had come to a conclusion, the king address- ! bat none could explain the nature of the beiugs ed mankind, and said:-The beasts have answer- i above referred to. At last, a sage, opened his ed dl your arguments. h'om have you aught ! mouth and said :-[l 0 just king ! when the else to say 1" A Hedjnzee returned :mi' There i claim of mankind is proved, and when it is also are yet other qualities in us which prove us ; established, that among them is a raceof beings, lords. The Lord has promised blessi~lgs to us: I who are always near God, and whose nature is To rise from the dead; to spread through the c angelic, that they are so pure, holy and great world ; to render an account on the day of r that the tongue fails to give a right description judgment ; to go over the bridge of Surat ; to 1 of them, and that they are very wise ; but whoae enter Paradise and thcrc to rove through Eden; wisdom no one has been ever able to fathom ; t o sit under the shade of the toohr-tree on the j mheu all these facts are satisfactorily and incon- banks of streams filled with wine, milk, honey and < trovertibly established, what order mill your water; to live in high fahies in the society of Majesty pass in fnvor of man ?"-That the Aouries; to be near God:-all these blessing has ) beasts should be their subjects," returned the the Almighty promised us i n the Ko~alz. The i monarch, "aud that they should henceforth beasts will enjoy none of these. The , fact I obey him in all things:' The brnte creation Proves that we are lords and they our slaves. 1 were satisfied with the decision and all returned Besides these we have other merits which I hnve contented to their respzctive homes.

>

---

V O C A B U L A R Y :

J.-IbJ S. A swallow.

641 a Piebald, party-colored, black

white.

1 S. pi!. Bodies.

1 S. Brother.

9 ~ ~ 1 S. prop. htaxerxes.

a j l d l 8. Assistance, asking aid, protec-

d !&,l S, Praises, commendations.

ujL Lq [,l1

J ~ J S. A female falcon, a hawk.

A:(! s. A kind of falcon, n hawk.

&JC, a A span.

L%*& S, Violence, oppression, wrong.

tion. l S. Bastion ; a sign of the Zodiac. A ; I ~ 1 S, Demanding justice, complaining. 1 j Lj$ S. Lightning. + 3 4-1 S. Approving, con~uRation.

f U :j2d S. Coldnes~, chilinesx. ,.&&~ll &f S. L;(: lowest: depth- \ + . Nights' lodging, birday mm& time

hence Belt. 1 of retiring.

y ~ L l r Manner, mods, arrangement. 1 +j& t!. clad tidiags. J\qJ s. Loosening, opening, purgiog. 1 *+? S. Exciting, fluent, causei y%L-l . An Astrolabe. 1

a. Eloquent, copious. &+dJ r. Tranquillity, content, reat

I a J+J a. Stile, rotfen.

e. Eyes; gmodees. I j 8. Beasts, aiimals (PI. of- ddhg!)

~ 1 / 3 f s. Equals (in age and rank.) 3 . An insect, 001 a bright red @or.

~ ' j l & Incantation. ; i

t'J l r ~ p o r t u n i t y , urgency. 1 sc+JI J! 1 S. An owl.

I 1 U?!!!; S. Pack, do~sers. 8. Goad; the iron with which ele- 1 &S3; S. Dress, prmrota ; concealing.

phants are driven. I covering.

7 8. Inflection, contortion ; gripes. 1 J* firr * present ; lib em lit^.

*p? a. An owl. ! w 2 r S. Ingenuity, intelligence. i I J 9. The interior cavity of a thirlg.

d d l;9 [;l 1 +!I . - 33+" S. Consumption.

, .. f ~ ~ J v. Mending (a garment,) repniring

(a house.)

L+" s commtioo, movement.

4!LJf? I. Chequered cloth.

S The li~:ing of iron arnlonr.

S. The song of a bird. l cf&" s. Extortion, violence, tyranny, wrong. ! h= S. A leopard.

J.h; G Excelling deserving. -- i

S. Imitation, counterfeiting, forgiving. j &A $!='I ,li

S. A sea-dragon. J r Sire, lit: limit md r i m

S A tnio. ! S. Skill, ingenuity. I

WJJ S. Mulberry. 1 a. Clever, cmninp; pleasank

S. Acknowledging the tme God by

repeatiog the sentence-" there is

no God but &d."

3 5 5 S. Partridge,

a4 &J1 +l! J b S. The third j umpire, arbitratog medi-

ator.

[oilu- s. ~ o o d sign.

~ 6 j V b y ~ S. Reptiles.

j ' S, An bag .

~ ~ ~ m r ( i r j (

. s. A porcnpine.

~3 !j S. Wickedness, deprarity.

S'- ,+ S. A hare, a robbit.

&=c" a& S. Enmity, strife. ph 3 ~ 1 0 t h &roan mer the to 1 3 sit on.

- . I h n i e equator.

&fc~. [? a. .A kind of cloth in which the 1 51~ S. Betiremenb, solitude, cioset-

flowers are wove in and not worked. . j -

& 8- Natural, innate, essential.

&p JIJJI ,G 1 u,Jl +4 A S. Eqnity, justice, revenge. 1 L r. A a m e l driver.

33 3 r l > S. A fierce rapacious animal. e b (pl. of p*) Lions, wild beasts. 3 S. prop. The Red Sea or Ara-

bian gulf. a. The cypress tree.

S. A small tambourine. l +(iY S. The n m e of e bird. i S. A moment ; a subtle question. 1 y'a'*

bi Lv l j v. n. To cry aloud. 1 JLir S. A shedder of blood.

(9) J s. Striped muslin.

/ S. L% porpoise.

S. The four oontinenti. d B A bole made in the wall by bnrglars.

d.eJ 6 , Observations of the S~RI'J Or of r

roads. I & a. Thunder.

i i i

d , F - ~ l W[? JaJ S. Departing, travelling.

8. pmp. Syria. 8 S. Act of leading or guiding.

u ' A b a;. Verdant, moist, pleasant. 5r~3,, i Vesetation, growth of a plant. S. A royal white falcon. -.&l?, s. Abstinence, aAterity.

d-2 S. A kind of erneraid, a chrysolite, a

topaz.

2 s. An ostrich.

6. A falcon.

l allsa31Jl

J=-j 8. p. The planet Saturn. / JJL a. k e , reracious.

j a clad in armour. S, A desert, a plain.

&Jj S. . Continence, devotion. CICAI~ 8. A crucifix. d

d b : I a. Eloquent, a. Changed, transmuted.

1 J~ Taken, subdued.

p31b a. A Peacock. S. Lunar heaven. s. Mortar.

4 ' b S. (a) flying A bird. i &Gr a. A lizard, s chameleon. / f. . TO be changed into an inferior I shape. S. A drum, a tambourine.

I JLS' S. Spleen, the milt.

8. Glibness of tongue. I

1 S. Slaughter-how, sbambii.

a. '~mqnered, subdued. I J G . S A go.. a watch ; a crocodile. 1 Q. Insufficient, defective. i j ~ ~ ~ 2 1 a. Initiated, besn, commenced.

tr &A.$@ S. A rhinoceros. - 1 ~2 a. A village or parish.

1 r. Power or ail1 ; plsa9ui-a. I d196*d-J l S. The law of retaliation.

S. pl. Men of wisdom or holiness. -. 8. The ring-dove,

1 0 9 4 S. Detriment, damage.

rJJi +4 +jfJ S. Play, sport, mirth.

i I ~ l f o s. The place or state to which one [ . returns, the other world.

V. Returning, referring to; visiting 0,s 8. Food ; power, virtue, authority.

the sick.

~6y a. Naked, unclad. 4 1 &jtjkaj' S. over of attraction. l a severe, heavy, filthy.

a. Pcederast, S. libidinous.

s. Banghtiness, euntention.

0 (AS(,& S- Possibilities.

ha S. Disputation.

d,ic S. Infection, corruption.

cfFirr cc. ' Reasonable, rational, jndiciom. 1 3a1 +!? k c s. Rare, a. The Phimix.

J v. . To hew, to attend. cr*_J~;r 8. A &htiniale.

f & .'l.i% S. All things existing. S. The ded . 1 &c S. Name of a bird of the partridge

7 kind.

[4 S. prop. Magog.

d9 L a. Familiar, ordinary.

L S. A companion, associate, friend.

UD34 a. Perceived, felt, known. Ir& a. r Vidorious, glorious.

a. Besieged, surrounded, detained.

ad+-+U& 1 5 J h&r 8. A camel*^ &addle.

346 S. A ao;, an aquatic bird. J9*'i# The. .W frigid zone, the srotic re- mons.

( 5 4 9 S. Satire, abuse, scorn.

&+l ,a S. Return, recourse. . b r. Fire of Hell. J& S. Perfidy, fraud.

i - I 3-6( S. Security, ransomer, surety. part. Bound, fastened.

&&L a. Unworthy.

I !j S. p. The planet Veuus. what he

8. Speech, diction.

8. Dipping, diving. ! / cr2&fl S. Waking, gambols, plays.

J3+ S. ' An Epithet of the Deity. Jealous in point of honor & of love. I . A jackd.

s An apostate.

S. One who delays doing promises.

Digging; 2nd " Be and it was." Epi- thet of God.

&1kJa s. A waterfowl. ! S. Disagreement, enmity.

&&.bG 5. Sudden death. h a. Traditional.

e9- 8. The planet Nars. 4 a Light of the Eyes.

eL@ g. Distance, space.

&id[ " (2 1 a. Substance, quantity, measure.

t$9& L (Lit.) The season of spiing ; 1 S. A sparrow. also denotes the early h a m a t of the year. 1 uL~J S. m e whole of t h creation.

U, Pore, Canai. of the body. -

$,A F [? 3b Jb S. Xu'arne of a bird (hoopoe.)

q3b s. Valley, low growd.

S. Path, way, manner, i

&uu) 6 Leisure; amplitude. *("If "!J

j j W+ 4 8. prop. (3%.

> . j3i ~4 > 3 S. h punther, a lyux.

j YJhb S. bpatter.

CALCCTTA:--PRIRTZD BY D'RoZarclo AND CO. 6, TASF-SQUARE.

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BROTHERS OF PURITY.

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T R A N S L A T O R ' S P l i E F A C E .

translation has been i1:nde to sr:pply a want U hi& TH:2s often been repraio:li~d to me. The I k h w i i ~ ~ - ~ Safi" is n stai~dzlrd I-Iindustani work, wilich is usecl e s a teat-

boolc both in 1:ldin and England. Those v:ho havc t o pri-

pnri. theil~sclrcs far csa;nination i i l it, are oltrn ljlaccd ili

situariorl~ w11er.c 110 co~r;>ctenc inslructioa can bc ob;::iiicci.

A trarislation, thcrcfori., at ~ n c c accuratc anc!. esact, \\.l~!i

which thc studciit inay compare and correct his owii ~voi-k, uii!

daubrless prove a grcnt hclp 2nd zdvanragc to him. Such

beizg thc ol:ject of rhis translation, a ciosc adherence co rhc

text has been thl.cilghnrt main:ained,as strict as the r.ecessisy

oi 111al;ing the English clear an r l inrcI!i:ible would aliow.

The vcrsion, tlic.rcic:re, is na t sa smooth as it n igh t 11zvc

11ccn made, b:it it \\,ill givc to rile 1<1:glish reader a cle.ir

idca of the st,.lc aod manner of t l ~ c original.

lYllc11 I cuill~r~c~icccl this work I was not ;\%-are that any

previous trandarion cxis:cd ; but there are at ieast tlircc

diiferent 1-s:-sions. One, a t t r i b ~ t e d to 3lr Jalnes Atl~insan,

the translator of parts of the " ShBh-njma," was publisher!

in an I~tdia ncwjpaccr, and rcprintccl in vol. ssvili. of thc

4sint2r. 70n~jzrt l fi~r 1829. T!lis translation is accurate nncl

spirited, but it is imperfect, and for ail pr:,ctica! purposes it

n:ay be cu~ljiiIerccl buriecl. I Ilctd nearly coinpleticl the

work rv!lcl? 3 rranjlation by L l r ?'. P. hI3llucl c a n e to my

notice. T1x.t versiofi was publishecl a: Calcutra in IS&! and is no1 very gc.ncrall:.- L1:on.n. J t givcj 2 very fair idsa of the

t\.ork, but the tranj!ation :S not sufficientiy close to allsmer

the purpose :or \viiich this 1~0t-k is iiltended. I a?:~ :old there

is anorher translation, p ~ b l , l i j h ~ ~ l in Icdin, bp a ;\.lullarnma-

dan ~ent1ema:l. but I 1lai.c not lnet wit11 it. The origi:lal Arabic \vo!-k has bccrl rranslaced into Ger-

m:i- by Profcsjor 1)idcrici o i Ecrlin. Or?r Hindustani

t?a;l;lxor, in his Prcf:~cc, tclls us ;ome:hing o: the gl-cat \veil; from rv!lich i: is clcrivcd. I t is a kincl of Encyclo-

px:dia of considerable extent. Noticcs of the work have

l x e a pubitshed by Professor Fliigel in vo!. riii., ancl by

I ' r~ i l ssor UicterLci in vols. XI-. and xviii. of thc ZL-if~c!w$f dt2: L'Sn~?lf>~~/i~tf ~ ~ ~ ~ D J ~ ~ ~ ~ ? c I ' ~ L ~ ~ s c ~ ! c G~~e.l(.~c/mjY.

The present translation h ~ l s been made from the excellent

edition of t1lc Test published by Drs Forbei ard Ricu, and

the chapters and paragraphs follow the arrangement there

obscrl-ed.

The st)-lc of rllc I-Iinlustani translation is cocsiderecl very purc all& elegant, and the language is generzl!~ clear and

perspicuous, but i c contains a very large proportion of Arabic

words. The narnre of the subject renclered thz iniroduction

of many Arabic scientific terms a marter of necessity, but

stillthcsc forcign ~vords are often employed ~\-l-lirn pure verna-

cular ~vords r~light have bceu used wit11 advantage. Tkis,

h o ~ x v e r , is :he genci-a1 fxdt of these rrandztions.

C C N

CHAP.

PBBl?.\CE, . l. CREA'C1<)3' 01: M.4X -ITIS CCX7rEYl'r<.jS \!;l.ri{ Trlx

Z~>:I.\L<T,S; ?\XI3 ' 2 i I I < ~ l l A P P I . \ l . 'l'[:! 'I'IIE KIX:;

OF T I I T : JiX9, ,

11. PXUCF:I:!ilXC,: O f TIIZ KLXG O F TIlS $195, .

111. U S THE [)l; 1,'i)lElIS .\XI) 1'10!.'BB6,

TV. CO:6ITLhlNTS O F 'I I ? , .\S [L! .\I.<. .

'L'. .\CCOI:ST 01' TIIE lI~~l<?iT', . TI. COX3L1L'l'hl'IOS 01: 9'171~: IClSG It - lTlI i::S Iti?;ISTEI:,

VII. I>ISSK\SlOSS EEl'\T I2T.S T!TC h!XS :\S> JISb, ,

VIII . COSSCL1'ATITJ'S 01: Y I I E AIICN,

I?;, C@S5LiCI'A'1'IDX OF TIIE ANI\I.\LR, .

S. T:iE FLBS'L' YESSEL'CBI<, . X:. DXLISE.\TIO?; 01: b hli?SSTIZ<;T.S5 ,

SII. TIIE 5BC0XL1 DIESjES(:CR, . SIIT. TBIS T!liRD 2.T.iIIS3EsGEF., .

XIV. TYE P0URTI.I AI':sSI.,SGBR, . ' . XIr. TI'E rIr;TI-! 1IESSESCBI<, .

intelligence to approach Thee as he ought ? Still man has sufficient power to surrouncl Him with praisc

Blessings unbounded are due to the Chief of SIessengers,

the Scal of the Prophets, Muhammad thc Pure, \v110 having brought sinllers oot from the vallcy of perdition, has led thcm to a placc of rest in rhe road of sal~ation. Through this we

havc received the distinction over all nations, in accordance %ith the gracious test, ' l Ye are the best people.'''

Mullammad is the chief of the universe. Muhanlmad

is the guide of rnnn and of life. He ir is who makes intercession for sinners. He is our

defc~dcr in the day of judgment.

Blessings and peace be on hi; postericy md on hi; C O ~ I -

panions, through whom the religio~l of Isl5m obtaincc1

strength, and by whom the road of salvation has been shown

to US.

After this (exordium), that mosc hunlblc of individuals,

Ikrkrn 'Ni, represents that, in obedience to the kind sugges-

tion of thzc renowned gentleman, of Eigh dignity and grcat

authority, esccliing all the doctors of thc tii~le in learning, and in wisdoi~l surpassing the intelligence of the eleven

( idtns) , 3lr Ab1-aham Lochtt (may his prosperity con-

tinue !)-and upon the invitation of his brothcr and teacher, Ma\vlawi Turkb 'Ali (may his shadolv cr~dure !)-he, Ilcrkm

'Ali, came to Calcutta, and under the guidznce of fortune,

after receiving much consideration, hc was so highly favoured

and patronised that the aforenamed gcntlcman (Mr Locl~ett),

in the kindness natural to him, caused thc w~itcr to be ap-

1 KurBn. S d r ~ t iii. v. 106.

pointed on thc cstal>lis!lment of the Company TlallBdur in a

position subordinatc to himself

After a sho1.t timc, upon thc recommsndation of that dis- tinguishcd gcntle~nan, the cream of the learned of the age,

and the chief of the tilost accomplished scholars, the Pro-

fessor of Hindi, Captain John William Taylm, (may his for-

tune cnd:ul-e!) tllc mriter Ikrhn 'illi, \vas directed to translate

into the Urd6 language the worli callcd " Ilch~vhnu-S SafL,'; which is (a n-orl<) upon the contcntions bctween ~nankind

and the beasts ; but his instructions wcre to make the trans-

lation very easy, so that no abstrusc words might appear

thercin; ancl as the scientific phrases and spcec!les of thc

original test are not free frorn cliflicnlty, he was directed to

run his pen through such pzssagcs, and to reproduce only the

gist of tile dispute I n complinncc with this instruction: t l ~ c writer has writtcn in t1:c Urclii idiom merely the pith of the

matter. He 112s c:ipungcd somc specchcs, and he has

olnittcd se\-era1 scientific tcchnicaliries, which were not gcr- mane to thc point in dispute ; but somc spcccl~cs, ,and some

mathcmatic~l and other technicalities, which bear upon thc

subject under discussion, havc bccn retained. But? in fact, if thc style and polish cf this coluposition arc

duly considered, every spccch is a ~ninc of eloquence, and

every passagc n store of brilliant espression. Ordinary people attending only to the surfacc of the work, lean1 only

about the subject in dispute ; but lcarncd men, \v110 look

into particulars: espcricncc plcasusc in discovcrin~ from the

eract meaning of the phrases, little points and fzcts rcla:ii~g

to God.

The alJtlloru of this work were Abd Salnl.hn, 1\b6-l Hasan. nhmad, and others-ten men, I V ~ O dwelt in communion i

at Dasra, a d s p e ~ ~ t a11 their days in the i n v c ~ i i ~ t i o n of and religious matters. They wrote fift)~-onc works,

chiefly upon the lnarvellous and occult sciences, and this

book, trcating of the contention between mcn and the beasts,

is one of them. Thc arguments, rational and descriptive,' are

well stated. In thc end, after mud1 discussion, the men pre- i

vaiL The ainl of the worb is simply to show from this con-

tention thc (superior) perfections of man ; and so at the end of

the work it is stated that those points in which men pre-

vailed over the mimnls were in those theological sciences

and dogmas which the writers have treated of in their fifty-

one works. In this book the object was to set forth the various truths and dogmas by the mouths of animals, so that

heedless people, by seeing this: might have a desire to attain

to thosc perfections.

This translation was made in the ycar 1Sz5 I-lijri, or 1810 A.D., in the time of thc government of that noblest of digni-

fied nobles, the cream of powet-ful princes, the HLtim of thz age and the Plato of the time, chicf of chiefs and hero of

hcroes, Nawab Governor-General Lord Minto, BahAdur.

May his prosperity endure !

1 'dkli.-intdlecr~al or ration;ll; nafili, dcscripri~~e or illustrative, historical or tradrtional.

CHAPTER I.

011 the bcgi?zxi~zg of the Crentiojt of the H?-r?)iirnrz Racz l-O;f their co?rte7~lioit with the A ?zizzals--Oilz their s r e k i ~ ~ g j ~ ~ s t i c e in the presence of thz wise A7i9g Bf~ tw-hsb , mid or! tht:t S a ~ e ' s s ~ r r n ? ~ t o ~ z i 7 ~ ~ the Afmz drfo~r Li7:t.

RITERS have thus recorded the circumsrances of the first appearance of tile 11uman race :-SO long as

men were fcw in number, through fear of the animals the!. used to run away and hide rhemselves in caves ; and from fear and dread of wild beasts they used to t~.lce refuge in the hills and mountains. There was not eve11 so much feeling of security as that three or four men could join together, carry on agriculture, and take their food. What mention can there be, then, of their weaving clothes and covering their bodies ? In fine, they used to eat whatever fruits ancl vegetables of the jungle they could obtain, and used to cover their bodies with leaves of the trees. In the cold weather they dwelt in warm places, and during the heats they used to choose a dwelling in cool districts.

When in that condition a short period had passed, and their

1 Soils of Adam. A

G 0jp-t.rsjom rf t/rc i l ui~~rnls.

- v about animals an:! \vild offspring had multiplied, the ansict, beasts> which had filled the heart of every onc, entirely disappeared Aftenvards they founded many furls a ~ d cities, ,inages and tourn$, 2nd be;an to dwell thcrcia in comfort.

They the implements for carrying o~ ;1g?'ic1~iture 1

and every man in his own occupation. Catching anilnals in snares, tlxey too!< to using them for riding and bearing burdensl for ag~culture and cul~ivation. The ele-

phants and horses, caillcls and asses, ancl the nLllncrOUs animals were al~vjys roaming about thc wcods and wilds like unbridled cnnlels,? and wherever their hearts desired \yere picking the fine gr:en herl~agc as they found it, n-itl~o~!: any one to inthere with thcn~, now had their shoulders @led with their labours by nigilt and by day : holes were famed in their backs, and alt11ougl.r 111e)- scrcan~cd and cried

still, when did these lords af men crer give ear to tllern? Many beasts, tbrongh fear of capture, fled into re- ,note deserts and forests. The birds, also, havinz forsaken their roosting-places, took their young ones with them, and flew away fram the country of clle men. Every man had the fancy thar the anirnds were their slaves, and \15t11 what Frauds and wiles did they make snares and nets and pursue them !

In this state of conflict a long time passed, until God Almighty sent hluhainmad Muaafa, the last of the Prophets, (the peace of God and rest be upon him !) for the guidance of mankind. The true Prophet made known to all sinners the way of righteousness. Many Jins also obtained the blessing of the true faith and the honour of Islam. When after this also an age had passed, BiwarGb, the sage of the Jins,

1 Ddnz o dad-llarn'.less and rapacious hcasrs. * Shvlut. d dr.azu/l#ir-a camel v/ithour the gicce of rmod in the nose

by which he is guided and controlled. The pli- is used in the sellse of " independent, refractoq, uncon~rolled."

Thc A7ilrz 0 1 th/i~' j i i l ~ . 7 cvhosc cognomcn was "T;~-ave King," bccnnlc tile monarcl: of

the Jias. H e was so just that in his r c i g ~ ~ thc tigcr a l ~ d t!lr goat used to drinli water at oilc 'yhrEt,-\~l~at possibiIitycouId there be then of al:y tAar, thief, sia;indler, or ro;.LI,: gctring to dl:.cil in his dorni~lions ? Thc island called Ealds;ighfin, rvhicli is siruatetl near the ecluctor, was t!:e I-ova! resiclcocel of th3t just lcii-rg.

I t happencd thzt a s l~ip cai-qing mcn, being ir! clistrcss tjrougl~ contia;?. ~vitlds, tocc!lcd the short of that island. All the me]-chants ancl leal-llcd mell that were in the ship Lincled and began to csplorc the coulltry. They perccired tliat it rrlas a place of rvondrous beauty: Aolvcrs ancl fruits of all kinds were hangin;: on chc trces; st~cxns were flau~lrtg on crery sidc ; the animals grazing and brousiilg on Lhc vcrclant hCrl~-

age were fat and s ~ L ' c ~ , and \wrc gaml~ding togahcr. 'The climate of thar. place was esci.cdin;Ig fine, ant! the I;~nti abundaixiy ferrilc ; so no olie desired in I~is hi.art to clcpart fro111 tlie!~ce. In fin% h ~ r i n g built habitations of various kinds, tllcy bcgan ro dw!L in t int island, and ca~ching t h ~ . animals in snares, accordlilx to their c~lstonr, thcy ci1gagc.t: in their respective clnploymen~s.

When the animals pcrccived that thcrc v>-as no safety f ~ r

t h e ~ n cvcn there, ihcy took tile rozd to the drtscrt. The mcn still had rbe same idea thnt all these were thcir slaves, and so,~naking snares of va~ious sorts and kinds, according to their

old coursc, they wcre intent upon capturi~lg them. IVhen this vain issumption of ~hcirs bccanle I;no~\:o to the a~~ima!s. they assembIcd their chiefs, a t t a d c d in the Hall of Justjcc, and related in detail beforc King Eiwardsb all the story of the oppression \\yliich they had su#a-ed at the hands of man. When the King had l~eard all tllc detai!s of the ani-

mals, hc inst7:nrly issucd s command, saying: Good ! let messengers be sent quickly, and let thcm bring thc me:,

1 iTaklli'~~ili".--"rllronc placc," c:ip'~::;.

irlto my presence." Accordingly, seventy of ~hcm, inhabir- ants of different cities, exceedingly cloquent and fluent, attended instantly upon the summons of the King. A very fine house was assigned for Lhern to stay In. Afier two or t h e e days, when the fatigue of thc journey had passed away, he had them called beforc him. Wllen they beheld the King upon his throne, they offered their bencdictions, and making them bows and obeisanccs, they took their p lxes in the~r respective ranks.

This Icing was exceedingly just and righteous, in liberality and generosity he bore the pre-elnneiice over all his equals - and compeers. The poor and needy of the time coming to him obtainecl nourishment. In no part of his dominions was any overbearing tyrant able to practise tyranny upon any poor underling. Those things which arc forbidden in the Law were entirely ~~nknowill in his reign. Kothing was ever dear to his heart except the (giving of) pleasure and satisfaction to GocL He with great politeness questioned the men, saying, g:LL W11y have you come into my kingdom ? there has never been any correspondence between you and me ; what cause has there been then that you have come rhus far ?"

One person anzong them who was experienced2 and eloquent, perfonuillg his obeisance, began to speak, saying, ;-We, having heard of the justice and equity of the Kink arc cone into his presence. Up to this day no seeker of justic: h:is evcr turned away disappointed from this seat of prosperity. Our hope is, that the King will come to our redress." He said, "What is your desire?" He humbly said, " 0 just King ! these animals are our slaves ; of them some are recalcitrant, and others, although they are perforce submissive, still they are averse to our authority." The King inquired, " Is there any proof of this claim ? for a claim without evidence is not listened to in a court of justice."

I Lit.-" rose c?, wen! mv:~y." ' " Seen thc U-orld."

H e said, " 0 Icing. upon this c l a ~ m there are many rcason- able and traditional proofs." He saicl, State them.'' .X person among them, who was of the race of H.azrat 'Abbfs, (may the approval of God be upon him I) thcn mounted thc rostrum, and beg-zn to spcak this oration with eloqucnce and fluency :-

' L Praise is due to that true Creator, who for thc sustcnnncc of the world has prepared so much and has made so many things upon thc iacel of thc earl11 ; and for the sake of frail2 man has cl-czted such various animals. Happy is the state of them .u.ho, giving satisfaction to him, are pursuing the road to futurity. 1Vhat shall he said of those peoplc who, showing disobed~cncc, have unrighteously turncd away from him? And blessings without limit are doe 10 rhe True Prophet, Muhammad the Chosen, whom God Almigl~ty sent after sll the (other) prophets for the sake of the guidance of man, and xvhorn he made chief of all. He alonc is king of all Jins and men, and the support ancl refuge of every one in the Day of Judgment. Benedictions and peace be upon his holy8 offspring, by rvhosc nleans religion and the worid mere regulated, and through rvhom the Muhammadan faith was sprend.4

" In iinc, t!lnnlis are at all times dne to that incomparable Creator who made Adam froin a single clrop of rvzter, ancl by His o~nnipotencc made him the father of children, and having forllled Eve from him, peopled the face of the earth with thousands of human beings, and gave man rank above all crcated things. H e macle hiin ruler oLrer all theland and sea, and fed hinl rvith a11 kinds of pure food. Accordingly He himself has said in the IiurBn (hmbic, the meaning of which is) c All anil:lals have been created for you, take yocr

I 'Arsn-area, p l ~ i n , csp;iase. 5 Za'i/u-l du7zydn-u-eak in constitution. a Ail -pur?, holy. * Aiw~!j pdyc-obtained currrccy.

advantage from tl~eill, eat them, and make warm clotl~ing 5 . . , ~ o m their skins and hair ; in the mnrl~ing 5cnd tliern to the

pasturage, 2nd in the evening bring them back again to their houses. for you they ai-e a beaury acd ~ r n a m c n t . ' ~ And in one pl.:cc hc has tbm said (Arabic)-' On thc dry land and 011 thc sca ride upun camels and in ships. 'Und in another placc be has said thus (Arcbic)-' Hol.scs, mules, ancl asses were cl-caicd t h . ~ you might ride on them ; ' 3 and again he has said, (Aranic)--L Ride upon their backs, and remember the bounrics of Gotl." liesides this, many other verses of the I<n:-;Cn hnvc been revcalcd upon this subject, a:ld it is to be uildcrscoo& also from the Bible and the Testan~ent that animals wcrc nlaclc for our sakes. In eveiy way we are thcir I?iaStC1-5, they 21-C our ~ 1 2 ~ ~ s . "

'I'he King then :cnicd rotvards the animals ancl said-"This man has brought fortrard verses of the ICurBn about his claim : in reply to this: speak whatever conles into your minds." H a v i ~ ~ g hexd tllis, the ~ n ~ ~ l e , with a ready tongue, delivered this spccch : '' Praise is due to the majrst!. of that One, holy, ancient of

days, and fi-ec fl-0111 wants, who existed before the foundation of tbc worlcl, not jconhncd) to d ~ n e nor to place. By the ottclancc of a single ' BE' He made manifest all creatures

: fi-om (bchindj thc veil of obscurity.5 Having fashioned the sky froin water and fire; He gave to it the dignity of loftiness. I-laying broug-hr: forth the race of Adam from a drop of water: He scnt t h a ? ~ hither aild thither in the world,'that they might engage i i ~ its c~iltivation, but not to n ~ i n it. Protecting the animals in a befitting manner, they wcre to benefit by thcni, no: to tyrannise ovcr them and oppress them.:'

After this he proceeded to say-"It is not to be understood

' Kurin, Sdrat xri. v. ;, 6. Kuran, Simt xxiii. v. sn. "uzir., 8 h . r v. 8. 4 K~&, sfira. c X.:]. .i:.. v. 12. " Chaos.

from the vcrscs ~vhich this man has cited that \\.c are theil- slaves and they our masters, for ~ncntion is lvlade in those verses of thosc blessings ~vl~ich God Almighty has bestowed upon them, and this verse of the I<UI-~!I is conclus~vc upo:~ the point, (Arabic,) i.e.- 'God Almighty has made all the :~nlinals subjecc to you-just as H e has made subject the sun and moon, :he air and the clouds.' From this it is no: to be understood that they arc our masters, we their slaves ; but rathcr, that God Allnighty having created all things in the earth and in the sky, ~ n a d e one thing subject to enother, so that they r=nigllt all toyctl1e1- derive benefit and keep off evil from cach other. Consequentlj~ Gocl Blmighty made us subject to them silnply for this purpose, that benefit might accrue to them, and dctriil~cnt b e averted-but not as they have supposed, and with fraud and calumny cantcnd, stating, 'We . .

arc rhc masters, they are our slaves.' " Ucfore these mex wcre created, we zccl our parcnts were

dwelling upon rbe face of the earth without obst~uction-wc grazed in every clirection, wandering whcrever our hearts desil-ed ; and each of us was eiigi'gcd in search ofllis means of subsistence. In fine, we consoncd together among the hills, woods, and mountzifis, ailcl nourished our young ones. Thanl;ful for whatever God hacl orclained, we spent our nights and days in His praise-we kncw no other than Him; dwelling in our lionles in coi~~fort, tllcre was no one to interfere with us.

"CVllen, after this, an age had passed, God Almighty formed .L\daq fi-orn clay, ancl made him riler over the whole face of the &?h. As nlcn became numerous, they took to roaming about in the woods and deserts. Then, too, they strerchec! out over us poor creatures the hand of oppression. Haviu; caught horses, asses, mules, bulls, and camels, they began tc~ csact service from then1 and by force and tyranny they l~rought to pass (all) tilosc eoiis which had never come to

the knowIedgc of our fathers and grandfathers. What could lve do ? Being helpless, ale fled to the wood^ and deserts. Evcn then these persons in no \%-ay gave up rhc pursuit, With what various stratagems did they pursue us with their snares and nets! If three orfour animals, fatigued and weary, anywhere fell into their hands, do not inquire as to their treatment, for, bound and fettercd, they were carricd off, ancl what various ills were inflicted upon them ! Besicles this, ir is their practice to slaughter (the animals), to flay them, to break their bones: tenr out their sinews, rip up their bellies, pluclc out their featlicrs, fix them on spits, cook tlxem,l and having roasted them, to eat them. -4nd wjth all this even they are not satisfied, for they make this assertion-: We are the masters, they are the slaves.' Whoever fled From them was (deemed) a culprit. There is neither proof nor argument in (support of) this claim. On the contrary, it is sheer tyranny and oppression."

Dzsc~i6i~zg ihc $nbls tafien 6y fh:ls kkir1g- of the Ti f fs for fhc settkt~~rozt oJt/~e dicfilltt hzl'wecw the 11fc1z aitd f . 4 ~ Aili~taZs.

HEN the Ring had heard this account of the animals, W he became intent in his heart upon the settlement of the dispute, and gave orders that the judges and lawyers, and all the grandees and nobles of the Jins, shoulcl attend. Imme- diately, io accordance with the order, they all attended the royal court. Then he said to the men-"The animals have fully set forth their account and complaint of your tgran~y- rvllat answer have you non- to give to i t ? " A person from among them made his obeisance, and thus began to make his statement-" 0 Asylum of the world ! These all are our slaves, and WC arc thcir masters. It is proper for us to exercise lorclly authority over them, and to exact from thcm whatever service we may require. Whoevcr among them has consented to obey u s is accepted by God, and whoever has turned atmy from our authority, has, as it were, turned away from God."

The King said, "-4 claim without evidence is not listened to in z court of justice-mention some title-deed or proof." He said, LLOurcla in~ises ta l~l i~hed bymany rationaland traditional proofs. He said-': What are these proofs ? " Then he proceeded to say-"With what perfection] has God Almighty formed our persons, and made every member (thereof) in

1 Lit. "purity."

exact confannit? to what was needed-a graccftll form, ail upl-ight stature-sense and wisdom? by means of which we can distinguish between good and bad, and by u~hic11 even we lealn 2nd declare the Iacts of the skies. Who besides u; possesses these excclicnt gifts? From this it is provecl that we are the masters, they the slaves.''

The Icing askcc! the animals, saying, "Wllat have you now t:) say to tllis?" They humbly represented that :he claim was- not cstnbIie11ed by this evidence. He said-" Do you not k:101v that propriety of deportment is a property of kings, and :hat ugliness and a crouching carriage al-e the marl<s of slaves ? " Then one of them replied-" May God -4lrnighty grant unto the King His divine favour, and presenre him from the da~igers of thc w01.1d.l My state~ncnt is, that the Creator did not lnalre men after this form and fashion tvitl~ the intent that they shouid call themselves our masters ; neither did He create us after this shape, and with this carriage, that we shouid be their slaves. I-Ic is wise ; no worli of His is devoid of a!isdoill ; He bestowed upon every one that form ~ ~ l ~ i c l ~ Fle decncbrl suitaI>Ie."

'' 'TH1.I. n c ~ ~ i ; l > . t of i: is this : I\-llcn God illmighty cleared -1- mcn, tile\; were starlc nal~ed--there was nothing on

their bodies through which tiliicy might live in security horn the colcl ancl hcac They uscd to eat the iruits of the forest, and cover their bodies with lcaves of tllc trees. Consequently He made their stature upright and tall, jo that they might gather the fruits and leavcs of :lie trees; and eat thcm at their case, and take possessior-, of them. Our food is grass ; consequently We made our stature bowcd, that we migl~t graze at ease, and feel no kind of inconvenience!'

The King anstvercd-': God Alnligty says, '\Ye halve nlade Inan excceclingiy gracef~~l.'' TVhat rcply do you give to this ?'' I-Ie hun)l)ly s:iicl-': Asylum of the ~vorld ! In acldi-

tion to the manifest mcar~ings of the Divine Word, tfiere are nuinerous interpretations which arc knoivn only to nlen of science. The esplanatioa of this must be sougl~t from the leanlec2.': -4ccordingl:ly a vise doctor, in obedience to the King's co:nmancl, set forth the meaning of this verse as fo!loxs :-i: When God Almighty created Adam, it was a happy hour ancl an auspicious mornent-the stars rxVcre shining in their respective glorious constellations, and the matter of the elements was ready and prepared for the pro- duction of agrecabla forms. consequent!^ man's person a a s

1 KuAn, 9.i1-at sciii. v. 4.

made fair, his stature erect, his hands and feet excellent, and (all) of the lnost pelfect elegance." Yet one more signification is apparent in this verse, (Arabic)--" God Almighty created man in the happy mediuml-He did not make hinnl very tall nor very s h ~ r t . " ~

The King said this amount of symmetry and suitability of the mcmbers suffices (to establish) pre-ernineice. The animals represented, "This is thc case with us also. God Ahnigllty gave us every one of our incmbers in the happy proporrions that were suitable ; in this pre-crninence ure and they are equal." Thc men replied, "Where is this suitability of nleml~ers among you? Your figures are exceedingly disgusting, your stature clumsy, your hands and feet ugly, Tbere is belonging to you the ciunel, of lalge fonn, Iong neck, and small tail. -4nd there is the elephant, whose form is very large and heavy, two long tusks sticlr out f r o a his mouth, his earl are very broad 2nd his eyes v c v small. Bulls and buffaloes have large tails, thick horns, and no upper teeth. The horns of the drtmba (sheep) are heavy and its buttoclcs fat. There is the goat, who has a grcat bewd and no buttocks. The hare is small in size, but has great ears. In this way there are many carnivorous alld graminivorous beasts, and Lirds whose form and stature are clumsy, one member having no conforlnity to the others."

Upon hearing this speech one animal began to say, " Alas thou hast not at all comprehended the Divine art. We are (His) creatures, the beauty and perfection of our menlbers comes from Hinl; therefore ro find faults in u s is in fact to

set forth His deficiencies. Dost thou not knolv that God Almighty in His wisdom created each individual thing for

solne special good ! No one, however, knows this mystery, with the exception of Himself and men of science."

That man said, "If thou art a sage anlong the animals, ' Hadd i itidil. ' Iiur6r!, Sdrat lsssii. F. 7.

then do thou make known what advantage there is in ma1;ing the camel's neck long." H e said, '! Beca~se his legs wcre long, and therriore if his neck had been short, it would have been difficult for him to graze the grass. Hence he niadc his ~leck long that he might graze at ease, and raise himself zlp from the ground by the strcngth of that necl:, and be able to carry his lips over his whole body and 1ub himself. In the

same way He has made the elsphant's trunk long instcad of his neck, and (He has lnaclej his ears large that he may drive away the flies and mosquitoes, so that none may be able to get into his cyes or mouth ; for in consequellce of his tusks, his mouth always reinains open, and does not shut. And his

tusks are long in order that he may defend himself against thc ferocity of rapacious ani~nals. And the hare's ears are long because his body is very tender and his skin fine-he can wrap round him those ears in cold lveatber, and spread them out in warm.

In fine, God Almighty has bcstowed upon every anirnd such menlbers as H e deemed suitable. And thus H e has

spoken by the mouth of the holy Moses, saying, 'God besto:r,ed an individuality1 upon every thing, and after that He prescribed their I-cspective courses.' 2 Thc meaning of which is, that He gavc to evcry one such members as were appro- p r i ~ e , and showed them the pat11 of rectitude.

" Whar you consider heauty, and boast about, and (when) in your vanity, you consider ' We are the masters, they are the slavcs '-this is (allj a mistake. Bcauty, in every specics, is that which rnalies (its members) agreeable to their fellows, and through which they show affection to each other; ancl

: Khi1kaf-li:. " cremion, form, f ipre ;" or, us here rendered, individuality.

Sales ' rranslatior? of rbe Arabic is, "Our Lord is He who giveth all th in~s : He hath created thein ard directeth them (by His providence)." - f i r i n , Slirar ss. v. gn.

this is the cause of procreation and propapcion of ofispring. For the beauty of one species is not agreeable to another species. Evcry ani~llal fixes its benrt only upon a female of its own species, ancl does not dcsire the female of any other animal, howe\cr much better she may be than its own. In the samcwny also, men have affection for thelr oxvn particular species. Thosc people who are black do not like p~opie of white bodies, and those who are white c10 IIOL set their hearts upon the black. . . . . Tllerefore, your beauty is no ground of superiority that you should consider yourselves to excel us.

"And whcn you say that you have great acuteness of sense, it is also a mist~ke, hlany animals havc b ~ t t e r understanding and scnse than you. Thus there is the camcl, who has long legs and a long neck, and whose head conte~ds 114th the air ; but notwiths~anding this, he, in dark nights, descries the place on which to set his fcet, and passes along roads of ~vhich the passage seems impossible, while you require torches and lamps. And the horse hcar; the tramp of the traveller from afar, and it has ohen happened that having heard the steps of thcadversary, he has aroused his rider, and savcd him from his foe. If a person takes an ox or an ass once along any (previously) unscen road, and turns him loose, he escapes from that place, and comes back safe to his orqn homc; he does not at atiforget it. But if you have passed along a road several tinlcs, still: ~vhenever there is occasion for you to pass along that road (again), you are bewildered and forget i:. Sheep and goats zive birth in one night to hundreds of young ones, and in thc morniag proceed to the pasturage; and when they I-eturn from thence in the evening, the young oncs severally recognise their mothers, and the mothers their young ones. But if one of you remain for some time abroad, and then return homc, he forgets mothcr and sister, fathcf and brother. Thcn where is the jndgment and ac:~teness of sense of which you havc made such great boast i

" If you had any scnsc at all, you would nut boast about rbose things wllich God Ahnighty has givcn you without any labour or [rouble (of your own). For thc srise and pruclrnt

collsider that to be a (ground of) boas^ which rl~eg have acquired by thcir own industry and labour; as xvhen thcy master the theological sciences, or accluil-c great ~ ~ ~ ~ a l i f i c a - tions by their o ~ % ~ n effo~ts and exertions. Eut ).nu have not even one of these things to boast of over r!s ; ).oar claim is ;vithout evidence, your animosity ivithout meaning."

CHAPTER IV.

T HE E n g , tcrning towards the men, said, "You have head his answer ; now say whatever else rhere remains

for you to say." They replied-" There are still many proofs remaining by which our claim is established ; these are some of them :-13uying and selling (the animals), feeding and giving (them) drink, putting garments on them, pl-eserving (them) from cold and heat, shutting one's eyes to (their) faults, saving them from the ferocity of wild beasts, tenderly giving (them) medicine when they are sick. These kindnesses l we show them out of "ompassion and mercy. Thc same practice prevails among all masters, of keeping an eye of compassion and mercy upon their slaves."

The King hzving heard this, ordered the animal to give him an answer, and he said-" This man maintains that they buy and sell animals, but this practice prevails also among rnen ; t lns the inhabitants of Persia, when they gain s victory over Turkey, 3 sell the Turks, and when the Turks prevail over Persia; they deal out the same treat~nellt to the Persians. The inhabitants of India observe the same practice towards the

L Sulzt.&-lit. " treatment. " hut frequently used, as here, for Lirrd frrof- mat.

P Ba-~aar-with the view or intent. ' Rh-Rome. Turkey, Asia Minor.

Sindians, and the Sindians towards the Hindus ; the Xrnbs towards the Turcom~ns, and the Turcomans towards thc Arabs. In fine, whenever one overcomes and gains a victor> over the other, he considers the family of his (defeated) foe to be his slaves, and sells them. How can one know for certain who is s!ave and who is master? These are changes and vicissitudes which, according to the behests of the stars, prevail among men, for so God Almighty says, (Arabic,) c 1 make the times to change among men, from one vicissitude to another.' Wise men know this fact.

"And he says that they feed and provide drink for the animnIs, and in other ways show kind treatment to them; but this does not arise from their colnpassion and kindness? bilt rather from fear lest thc animals should perish, and injury happen to their property; for thus interruption xvould happen to tllcir riding, lading, and other advantages."

After that, every animal individually made complaint of their tyranny before the King. The ass said, " When we fall in-to captivity with men: they lade upon our backs, bricks, stones, iron, wood, and great burdens. With what lnbour and toil do m e get along. They have always got sticks and u.hips in their hands, and beat us ovcr cur buttocks. If the King were to see us at such a time he would feel regret and pity. Where are compassion and kindness to be found among them such as this man has supposed?"

Then the bull said, " When we fa11 into their bonds, they bind us to the plough, and l~arness us to mills and ail-presses, put muzzies on our mouths aad bandages over our eyes. Eolding in their hands ~vllips and sticks, they beat us over our buttocl<s and faces."

After this the sheep said, '' When we fall into their boncls, how many evils do we suffer. To supply their children with milk they take away our little young ones from their mothers, and binding them band and foot, carry them off to the sham-

I!

bles ; never do they gix~e ear to the cries and wails of these injured ones. There, xvithout (giving thcmj grain or mter, they slaughter them, tear ofi their skins, rip up their bellies, l,reak open their sl::llls, tear out their livers, carry them to tile butchersp sllops, and cut them up with knives, stick them on spits, and billce tllcm in ovens. We, seeing all these evils: remain silent and say nothing."

~h~ camel said, When we become captives in their hantls, tl~ie is our state. Havinx put ropes in our noscs, the camel-drivers pull t h e ~ n ; and then lacling very heavy loads up011 backs, k e y :ake us in dark nights along hilly and mountainous roacls. Ir, short, our backs arc p i led by the jolring of the saddles, and thc soles o i ocr leet wounded by the stones ; hungry and thirsty, thep drive us wherever their heart desires, and xvc poor wretcl~cs being l~clpless, submit to them."

Tile elephant said, "When we bccon~e their captives, they put ropes upon our necks, and chaios upon our ieet; and taking the goad of iron in their hands, they beat us on the righr side and on the lefc, and on the head."

The horse said, "When me are in bondage with them thep put bits1 in our mouths, saddles cjn our hacks, girths upon our loins ; and they, wearing their mail and annour, ride us in battle-fields. Hungry ancl thirsty: our eyes stuficd with dirt and dust, xve go into the battle, and (there) we receive sword-cuts on our faces, javelins and arrou-s in our breasts. and w-e swim in a sea of blood."

The mule said, "When we become subject in slavery to them, ive endure the most astounding hardships. They fasten ropes to our feet, put bridles and bits into oar mouths. They do not release us for one instant, so that we may go to ocr liintes and satisfy our natural longings. The gi-ooms and szdclle-men put pac!<-saddles on our backs and ride us.

1 L~~~[E7rim, bridle, bi!, or both togcthcr.

Taking sticks and whips in their hands, they bcat us over our buttocks and faces, and Ivi~atcvcl- collxes info their mouths, sbusc or 01~sce11it;-, tl~cy bawl o~lt. ?'h: measure of rheir folIy rcachcs even to :his, that they often utter al~usc and euiploy ol,sccne expressions against themsclves~ their sisters, and their dnughters. . . . . All this nbuse is beaped 0:) tltrm and tllcir masters : but it is true dlcy descrvc it. :' If the Icing ~xwuld consider this ignorance, folly, an2 ob-

scene talk of thcirs, he \vould perceive that they arc filled with the mickedness, vice; ig~~orxncc, and stupidity of the ivholc world. But still they take no heed of these villainies, and never a11ow the preccpts and admonitions of God and the Prop3ct to enter into their cars, nottvlthstanding thzt they themselves read thcse vcrscs of the I.lur:~n, :.-\rabic, the nlezning of wllicl~ is,) ' If you desire parclon froin God, thcn do you also pass over the oKcnccs of orhcr-S.': (Jlr:~i)ic, i . ' 7 , )

' 0 Muhammad, coln~nnnd the faichf~~l to pardon the sins of unbelievers.'? (Aral~ic, i e) ' LYhntcver cnr~livorotis ;~nc! 11e1-- bivorous animals and birds ivalk t:pon t!ic earth or fly ir. the air, the condition of all thcse is like your o~vn.'a (Arabic, Le.) '\%'hen you ride upon camels think up011 the bounties of God, and say, He is holy rvho made snl~jccr to us an animal l ike this, over \vhon~ rve shoulc! ncver have beon able to prevail ; and we shall return to God."'A

Whcil thc inula ceased from the spcech, the camel said to thc pig Do you also tell the oppression which your race has suffered at the hands of men, and set it forth in the prcscnce of so just a Icing; perhaps lie, sIzotving coliipassio~l and kindnns, will give delicerance from their hands to suc!~ of us as are captives, for your species also belongs to the herbivorous ciass." A sage said, '' Tile pi2 does not belong to

1 Kur;in. Slirat xsiv. v. 12. Ktillin, Sdra: sl\-. v. 13. VICurdii, Si~rar vi. v. 39.

Lit. " We are rctu!-nn.5 to Cocl." Iiuuri!~, Sdrt s:iii. I-. rz.

The P&. The Hare. 25

the herbivorous but to the carnivorous animals. Dost thou not kn& that his teeth protrude, and that he also eats carrion ? " The other replied, He is herbivorous, for he Ilas hoofs, and he also eats grass." A rhird said he is both carnivorous and herbivorous, and is allied to the cattle, in the same way as the can~elopard is allied to the bull, camel, and leopard ; and he is Iike the ostrich, in whose forin those of the bird and the camel are blended.

The pig said to the camel, " I know nothing about it; what can I say, or of whom shall I complain ? There is much variety in their way of treating me. Musulmans consider us deformed and accursed ; they deem our figures detestable and our flesh unclean, and they abstain from mentioning us. The Turkish Greeks eat our flesh with avidity; they consider it as holy, and the making sacrifices of it they deem very meritorious. Tile Jews have great aversion and hatred of us ; they abuse and curse us inoffensive animals because they are at enmity with the Nazarenes and Greeks. The Armenians esteem us even as oxen and goats ; nay, they even prize us more in consequence of the fatness and thickness of our flesh, and tbe abundance of our offspring. The Greek physicians employ our fat in many of their rerncdies ; nay, they even put it in their medicines. Herdsmen and grooms keep us in their stables and pastures near to their animals and horses, because by our staying there the horses and animals are preserved from many evils. Enchanters and magicians cover their books and magical instruments with our skins. Saddlers and shoemakers pull out the bristles of our necks and whiskers with great avidity and eagerness, for these are very serviceable to them. We are bewildered, we can say nothing; whom shaIl we praise, whom shall we blame ?"

to him, L L D ~ you rehearse in thc presence of the King all the tyranny which your species has endured from men. Per- haps the King, taking pity, will grant deliverance from their hands to us captives." The hare said, " W e live far away from them ; having left off dwelling in their country, we have chosento takeupour abodc in valleysand jungles; andthrough this we are saved from their oppression. But we are terribly troubled by dogs and birds of prey; who render assistance to men, with the object of catching us, and lead them towards us. They make over as captives into the hands of men all the deer, oxen, camels, goats, and herbivorous animals of our fraternity who have taken refuge in the hills."

Then the hare said, ' The hunting dogs are excusable in this. They ought to help them, for they also are very fond of eating our Aesh, and they do not belong to our species, but on the contrary are carnivorous animals. Rut the horse belongs to the graminivorous animals, and does not eat our flesh ; why should he assist them, unless it be entirely from his stupidity and folly ?"

' S/ri,Ldri-jd~iwa,; hunring animals : falcons, hnwks, and such iike.

When the hog had finished saying all this, the ass looked towards the hare, who was standing near the camel, and said

CHAPTER 1'.

I-IEN thc man hearcl all these words af the hare, he W said, " Enough, be silent ; thou has1 rcproachcd the horse enough ; if thou hadst but known that h e is the best of a![ animals, and that he is obedient to man, thou wouldst not have ballbled so stupidly." The King asked thc man what the horse's superiority was, and he answered, "Your Majesty, the good qualities and excellences of the horse are numerous. His for111 is good, every limb is appropriate, his appearance is handsome, his instincts sound, his colour is fine, he excels in intelligence, he is swift in running, he is obedient to his rider, for he quickly turns right or left, forwards or backu~ards, or wherever his rider may direct him. Hc does not flinch from galloping, and he is so well trained that whilst his rider is seated on his back, he neither stales nor dungs ; and if his tail ever gets wet in mud or water, he

docs not shake it, lest his rider should be sprinltled. His strength is like an elephant's, for he trots along taming his rider with his helmet, mail and armour, as well as his own saddle, bridle, and armour, altogether a load of five hundred maunds.' Hc is so patient and enduring that on the battle- field he receives \vounds from spears and arrou9s in his breast

and in his vitals, and yet remains quiet. His speed is such that the wind cannot overtake the dust of his-heels. In his

1 Some r1fi1il "seers," ~r-hic!~ is nearer, though &o above t!le mark

proud walk he is like a stnteiy bull: his jumping is like a leopard's. If his rider lays a wager, then he runs cp~iclily! and brings hi; rider in first. In m-horn esccpr the horse are all rhese merits to be found ?"

The hare said, "With all these ~ncrirj there is also one great fault under which al! thesc 111erits are hiclclcn." TheKing asked what it was. and told h i ~ n to esplain. Thc hare saicl.

He is very stupid and ignorant, and does not knnm friend from foc. If he passes under the thighs of an e~-ie~lly, he becomcs submissive to him ; and in the battle-field hc rvill: at the direction of this enemy, Bis new master, charge and attack the nlan in wllose l~ouse Ile was born, and by whom he has Been notrrished all his days. This trait of his is lilce the nature of the sword, but that is inanimate, and is una!>le to distinguish betareen friend and rut.; just 2.s it cuts its enemy and opponent, so also when it faCs upon the ncck of its owner or maker, it severs his heac! from his bocly without hesitation, and knows no difference hetvc7een friends and strangers.

"The samc trait of character is found in men, wvho war against their parents, bl-others, sisicrs, aild re!ations, and bring into operation all kinds of 'Iriclcs ancl stratagems. T h a t trciltment which ought to be practised against enemies they employ against their f~-icnds. In illfancy they drink thc milk of their parents, and a r c nourished in their bosoms, but in early tna:illood thcy bccoil~c their enen~ics. In the same way thcy drick the milk of mimals, and are benefited by rnakin: garmcnts of their ski:^ and hair, but after all thcy slauglltcr those same animals, strip off their skins, rip up their bellies, a i d make them taste the flavour of fire. In their barbarity and cruelty they altagethcr forget the obligations and benefits received from them."

When the here ceased from his censure of the man and horse, the ass said to him, Enough ; so grcat condem:zaticn

Sptcch of the A ss.

is not seemly. \Vhat person is that whom God Almighty has blessed ~r i th ,aver so many virtues and favours, and yet has not debarred him from some one favour which exceeds them all ? Or who is the person that He has debarred from all these blessings, and upon whom He has not bestowed some one blessing nchich He has given to no other ? There is no one in the warld on whom all t a l c ~ ~ t s and blessings are hestowed. The bounties of the great disintcrested Giver are not confined io any one species. His mercy is over all His worbs, but to one much, to another little. To one He has granted the rank of lordship, but on that same one also He has affixed the stigma of sul~jection. What dignity H e has 1,e~;owed on the sun and moon-hglrt, conspicuiry, greatness, altitude-all these excellences and distinctio~ls He has bestowed upon them, to such a degree, indeed, that some people, in their ignorance, have deemed them gods. Still He has not preserved them from the inftrmitp of eclipses, in order that this mixht be conclusive to men of intelligence ; for if they were gods they would never beconle dark nor wane. In the same way He has given light and brightness to all the stars ; but at the same time He has also made rhis provision, that they are lost in the effulgence of the sun, and that all day and night they remain in revolution, s o that

the marks of the creature may be manifest in them. The condition of the Jins, men, and angels, is just the same ; for i f any one of them possesses very great talents, there is still some little defect. Perfection belongs to God only, to no other."

Whcll r'ne ass finished this speech, the bull said, When God has imparted to some one person &Teat blessings Qrhich He has given to no other, it behoves that perso11 to shorv his gratitude for them-that is, he ought to let others share in those bIessings. Thus God Almighty has given light to the Sun, and it by its light carries comfort to all creation, and

does not make an obligation of it to any one. So also the

moon and all the stars, each in their respective degrees, dif- fuse light over the tvorld, and hold it no obligation upon any one, The sarne duty is incumbent on men, for Cod Al- n~iglxty has conferred many blessings upon them, which they should in~part to the animals, and make no favour thereof."

When the bull finished speaking, all the animals gnashed their teeth, wept, and began to say, " 0 just King, have mercy on us, and g a n t us deliverance from the tyranny of these oppressors !" When the King heard this, he looked towards all the doctors and sages of the Jins who were present, and asked if they had heard the statement made by the animals of the tyranny, cruelty, and violence of men. They replied, " W e have heard, and it is all true. W e see it by night and by day. Their tyranny is not hidden from any intelligent or sensible person. For the same reason tile Jins also have left their (the men's) country, and have fled into the woods and wilds, and have hidden themselves i n hills, mountains, and rivers. Through their bad collduct and evil ckhracter the Jins have entirely given up visiril~g inhabited places. But with all rhis even we get no deliverance from their malignity. So suspicious and mistrustful are they of us, that if any child, woman, or man is stupid, foolish, or sick, they say dircctly that the evil eye, or shadow of a Jin, has fallen on him. They have always got mistrust in their hearts, and are praying for protection against the malice of the Jins. But still no one has ever scen a Jin kill a man, or wound him, rob him of his clothes or coininit a theft, break into any one's house, pick pockets, tear sleeves, break open the lock of any one's shop, slay a traveller, rebel against a king, plunder any one, or make any one captive. On the other hand, all these habits are to be found among them, and they remain intent upon one or other of them night and day.

Besides this: they never show remorse, nor do they %\ratch against their faults."

When he had done speaking, the nlacc-bearcr cried aloud, '' Gentlemen, it is now- evening. The Cozrt has risen ; you are dismissed. Go to your homes; and attcnd azain tomorrow morning."

CHAPTER VI.

HEN the Icing arcsc from his assc~ilbly, hc spokc to BedAl-, his ~ a z h , in private, saying, " You have heard

all the statelnents and rcjoinders of themen and the animals ; what advice have you now to offer? How ocght the matter to Le settled ? What course jeems best in your opinion I" The wazfr was a very wise and prucicnt man. Afccr milking his obeisance, and invoiiin: 'ules~ings~ he proceeded to sly, " I t seeins to 1nc prefer;rblc thn: the Ring should call to his presence ail the judges, lawyers, and sages of the Jins, and consult with them a b o u t the case. The quarrel is a serious one, and it is not clear to which side the right inclines. In such matters consult~~tion is necessnry, for in the counsels of three or four some plan is dccidcd upon. Wise men and far- seeing n lcn should be careful ncrer to enter upon such diffi- cuit matters \rithout advice and counsel."

In accordancc with this spccch, the King gave orclers that all the chiefs and noble3 of the Jins should attend. So they all assembled according to the following specification :- judges of the race of Jupitcr, lnwycrs of the race of Venus, wise men of the cbi!clren of I>irBn, sages of the race of Lukmin, experienced persons of the children of Hamin, in- telligcnt persons of the children of KaiwPn, and persons of common sense of the cllildren of Bahriin. The king a& dressed them, saying, "These men and bcasts have conlr

con-,plaining to usl and have taken refuge in our country. The animals all colnplain of the tyranny and violence of men. r\iow do yau advise me what ougllt to be done with them, and how their business should be decided."

A learned sage of the race of Venlis who was present, said, " I n my opinion the proper course is for the animals to write out a statement of their circumstances, and of the oppression they have endured at the hands of mcn, and to take a legal opinion thereon from the learned. I f any means of deliverance can be settled for them, r11e judges and lawyers will give a decree whether the men are to sell them, set them free, or show some kindness and mitigation of their harsh treatment. If the men do not obey this decision of the judges, and the animals flee from their tyranny, then i c will be no fault or sin of theirs."

When the King heard this, he asked them what they had to say to it. They all replied that it was an exceedingly good

proposition, and suitable for the occasion. But thc Sdib-i 'eaimt' did not approve of it, and observed, " If these men agree to sell the animals, who vqU pay the price of them jJ

The lawyer said, "The Icing:' Upon this, he asked from wllence the King could get so much money. The lawyer said it would be paid from the public treasury. The Sihib-j ' f l zha t then said, "IS there so much wealth in the treasury as to suffice for the price of them ? Some men, too, mzy refuse to sell them. They have great need of the animals, and do not care for the price of them. Thus there we kings and ministers and many gentlemen who cannot move about without an equipage. They will never consent to sell them, and will oppose this decree." - - -- ---

The Kiilg then asked him what seemed good in his opinion, 1 A resolure or prac:ical person. 1 have retained the original title.

because i t 1s dimcult to find an equivalent word sufficient!y definite, without using the word rzan, %-hilt the bearer of the name is a j j z .

The Royal Cozlncil. 33

and he said, " It seems to me advisable that the King should direct all the animals to act in concert, so that in one and the same night they might flee from captivity, and go far from the dominions of men-just as deer, hog-dccr, ancl many other harmless and rapacious beasts have lefr their dominions and have fled. In the morning, when the men do not find them, on whom will they lade their goods, and on whom will they ride? Being helpless from their being so far away, they will not be able to go after them, so they will sit down in silence. In this way the deliverance of the animals will be effected."

The King approved of this proposition, and asked them all for their opinion upon it. There was present a wise man of the descendants of LukmAn, and he saicl-" This proposition is not a t all a good one, and this course is very much opposed to sense. It is by no means possible, because many of the animals are fastened up in durance all night, the doors of their prisons are closed, and sentinels are placed on guard: how can they all run away?"

The'SLhi6-i'nzimat said, "Let the King give his commands for all the Jins to go this night to open the doors of the prison- houses, to untie the heel-ropes of the animals, to make prisoners of all the guards, and not to release them until all those (animals) are far away from their territory. There will be very great merit to the King in doing this. Feeling pity for the con- ditianof those(animals), I have offered myse~~timents byway of advice to his Majesty. If, with benevolent intentions, the King shall resolve upon this work of kindness, the Lord Almighty will render him aid and assistance. Gratitude for the favours

of God is shown in giving help and deliverance to the oppressed. People say that it is written in the books of several prophets that God Almighty says-' 0 king, I have not made thee ruler over the face of the earth in order that thou nlayest amass wealth anddevote thyself to the greed and lusts of this world, but rather that thou shouldst give redress to the op-

pressed, for I indeed arengc them, c v c ~ though rhey be in- We wancler and look about among thern fidels.' " sichout ceremony, but they cnntmt see us ; 50 what have we

The King again asked them all what thcy ]lad to say to ii. to fear ?" They all approved? 2nd said it was r-cry propel-. But a certain The ~ ~ i ~ k ~ i s a s ansmereZ him saying, "-Alas! thou K a i d n i sage was not sarisfcd with it, and after offering his not kilow anlqhing al,out it. ~ l thougl l n1crl are ea*I1y: =till blessings and reverences, he representecl that if was a very have in them sacls ancl angelic spirits, throxlgh difficult matter, and could not in any way be accomplkhed ; which they hold tile over us I and 12esicles,

must be attended with many evik and clangers whichafter. are arith many wiles and stratagems- In 'ges

warcl5 will in no way b- capalde of rectification. past there llavc l,ccn many battle^ between men andthe Jins, The King asked him \%-hat he had. to fcar in :he matter, md hearing of .,yhich jl,ould be a warning to us." The ICi1'x

told hiln to explain so that he himsclf also lnight know. He desired the sage to inform hiin of those matters, and how dlc

said, "Your h'f:ljcsly, he who proposed this \\-ay of deli\rwance ,

truth stood, so that he also might understand it. The sage for the animals made a great mistal~e. \I:hen rhc men rise replied thar a natural hatret! and a n innate animosit~ in the morning thcy will not find the beasts, ancl n-(-;ll become men and the jins come down from of old time, the nar-

apprised of their flight. They will then think for a certainty ration of t!,llich would be very prolix. Ijut the Ripg ordcrcd

that it is not the work of any man, and that it cannor: have hi:n to recoul,-t l i t t le of it from the beginning, so fat as Could

been effected by any scheme of the animals, but tuust rather l-~e recounted. be attributed t o the cufining and trickery of the Jins." The King said, "Tllat is Uue-there is no douht &o\rt it ; t h q will suspect US."

The sage continued, "Asylum of the rl-or]d ! \\.hen the ha1.e escaped from their hands, and the services

dered are interrupted, then the men will be vcrysorro\fil and anxious, 2nd will lXc0me enemies of the Jins. From of old,

been Our foes, but no-.v nlorethan everthey will show their nlalicc and animosity." ~h~ sages observed that he indeed must be a wise lnan \"h,,, making peace between enemies, urould preserve his Majesty from the.r

AU the Jills: when they heard this, said he spoke the truth.

After that another sage encluired, ':Why feartheir enmity, for it will not avail against us. our bodies are fiery, and are vcrv subtil and light, so that we fly up to the sky- but the bodies of men arc of dirt ; they remain belour, and

CHAPTER 1711.

N obedience to tbc orders of the King, rhe sage thus set I forth the facts of the (matter) :- In the earliest age, before God had created Adam, the Jins

were dwelling over the whole face of the earth-wood, field, and wnter were all under their rule. When many days had passed, prophecy and law, religion and dominion, and numerous blessings were received. But they began to exhibit disobedience and error-they heeded not the testaments and p~ecepts of the prophets, and set wickedness on foot over all the face of the earth. Through their tyranny, the earth, and all the dwellers on the earth, went complaining to the court of God, and began to make their plaints and lamentations.

When another age had passed, and their animosity and tyranny day by day increased, then God Almigllty sent an army of angels on to the earth. They accordingly came here, and having beaten the Jins, expelled them, making many of them prisoners and captives. They then began to liveupon the earth. It so happened that 'AziLzfi, the accursed devil by whom the patriarchs Adam and Eve .erere deceived, U-as among those captives. His age was but little, and he knew nothing- He was nurtured among those angels, and he adopted all their rules and customs. W11m he had acquired their science, and had come to maturity, he was made head and chief of the tribe, and used to issue his edicts of command and prohibition.

When yet another age after this had passed, God Almighty said to the angels xvho wcre dwelling on the earth-l' I will make one, who is not one of you, ruler of the earth, and I will caii you up to heaven." The angels, who had been living berc for a long period, through having to dzpart, deemed this a most disagreeal~le command, ancl thus replied to God- '' WilI our Lord create a person who will work evil and bloodshed upon the enrth; as the Jins were doing, xvl~iist we praise Thee, and considcr Thee ho;g."' God AIlnighty said, "That advantage which I know of, you know nothing about,' and I have sx~orn an oath to myself of not keeping any angel, Jin, or animal upon the earth after Adam nnci his offsprin~."

In tine, when God, having created Adarn, brearhed a soul into his body, and when from him he fornied Eve, he commanded all the angels 10 meet and pay him 11oma::c. In obedience to thc divine command, they paid hom~ge, and be- c a n e subject to Xdarn. Eut2.Az5zil did not boxvdow:~ ; through his obstimcy and enty he was ol~posed to the colnmands of God. He rc.Aected, saying, ' l Former!y I was chief and master ; shall I nonr become his subject ? " So, through envy and malice he became the enemy of Adam.

God Almighty then directed the angels to bring Adam into the ~ a r d e n of Eden. Whcn Adail1 came into paradise a com- - mand was given by :he divine Majcsry (Arabic verse, of ~vhich the meaning is)-" 0 Adam, do you dwell with your wife in this garden, and eat at your pleasure wl~atever your heart desires, only do not go ncar this trec, for lf l-ou do go near it, you will be a sinner."3 This pxadisc, which God _A.lmighty bestowed upon the patriarcl~ Adarn for a clxvclling-place, is a garden towards the Easr, on the Ruby mountain. No one has the stren$h to ascend it. The land of that place isgood, the air temperate, the days of spring are there perperuzl ;

1 K W , Slirat ii. v. 15. ibid. L Kurin, Sdm: i i . v. 53

C

many streams flow there ; the trees are v e n green, fruits in abundance ripen, and all kinds of flowers bloom. The animals there do not hurt any one, and beautiful birds of sweer song, and of all kinds, sit upon the branches, axd keep up a continual warbling.

Adam and Eve went there and began to lir c in comfort. The hair of their heads was very long, and hung down to their feet. The wholc of thcir bodies \\.as cove]-ed wit11 hair, and hence their beauty and loveliness werevery grcat. Among rhc flowel--beds upon thc banl;s of t l ~ c streams they used to stroll about at their plcnsure, eating ail kinds of fluits, and drinking water fro111 the streams. Everything \{:as attainable wi~liout toil or lahour. Plouglling, cultisrrting, grinding, baking, spinning, &:caving clothes, and washing, no: one of these troubles was knon,ii to them, in the way as at the present time their descendants arc involvcd in thcsc evils. Just as other animals were living therc, in tlln same way did these two pass their days in full security and comfori. There was no sorrow. Thc Lord Almighty made known to Adan1 tlte names of all the plants and animals which were there When the angels mere askecl thcir names, they did not kno~v, but .

bcing confounded, held their peace. Whet1 Adam was asked, he instantly told the namcs of all, ancl set forth the uses and defects of et-ery one. When the angels saw t h ~ s fact, they all became subject, and knew Adam to be better ~ h a n themselves.

When'AzLzil saw this dignitpof Adam, his malicc and envy still morc incrcascd, ancl hc meditated how he ~niglltin some way by fraud and tricker). ruin him. So one day pretending to be a fricndly counsellor, he went to them and said, :: God Almigkity has bestowed upon you the great distinction of eloquence and spcec1-1, a blessing which he has never yet given to any one. If you eat a little from this tree, then your knowledge and excellence will be greatly increased, and you will live here for ever in perfect ease and comfort ; death will

never cone, ancl you will always enjoy happiness." In that hour when that accursed one, having sworn an oath, said, " I advise you xvcI1:"l they fd l into his snare. With greecliuess thcy tl-ansgressed and ate of that trce of which God h!mighty had forbidclen thc1~1 to eat. The ce1esti:;l garments which thev were wearing inst?.nt!y fell off from thcir bodies. Taking leaves of trees, they began to cover their persons. The long hair upon their hcads a;so fell ofi, and they becarnc laked d. Through the heat of the sun their complexion changed and became black. In fine, they urcrc ruined.

When the anim.11~ saw them i n this plight, tlicy felt an aversion for thcir persons, ancl Fled in disgust. They f ~ l l into a mosr abject condition. The angeIs thcn receivecl an order to expel thcni from paradisc, and cast them do~vn from the mountain. Tile angcls placcd tkem in a spot \vhcrc therc wcre no fruits nor lcavcs at all. Somello~v or o t h ~ r t h q came upon the earth, and for a long time thcy wept inces- santly in grief and sorrow, and cwre greatly nsllnmed of their conduct. When a long period had been passed in rhis sorrow and remorsc, God -4lmighty took co~npassion on them, and, acccpting their repentance, forgave tl1c.i~ sin. He scnt an angel down to the ernr:li, who came hcrc and taught them to clig t i ~ c earth, to plough and sew, ta reap, grind, nlnlte 1eaver.l and bake brc:ld, to weave clothes, and to sew and n~alce garn?cnts.

When ihclr denccndants bccamc numerous the Jins also came and associated with :l?cn:, and they taught t11em to plant trees, buiid houses. and (to practise) many useful arts. Friendships sprung up between rhcnl, and for a 1011: time they thus pasjcd their lives. Gat w!iene%-cr mention was made of thc fraud and tl-czcltcry of thc zccurstd d ~ \ . i i , every Inan felt a misgiving of malice and envy on tllc pnrt of tlic Jins. When Cain murdcrcd Xbcl, a suspicio~l sprung u p

amon,o the cllil&-en of the h::er il12t the Jins h ~ d incited him. Eellcc dlei; canliry and n11imosir.y against the lins illcrcasecl still nlore, and in tlieir hatrcd they practised and Tvsrc always intent npo:1 magic, incantations; imprecntions, charms, shuttii~g up in bottles, ancl mnoy other lk lck 2.rts1 by which annoyance might cor?le to t l~c ]ins.

When Gorl Alnlighty sent the prophet Enoct: he came herc, ancl having made pcncc between men 2nd ji!ls, he sho~vecl to all of them the of p:,nce. Thc Jins came into the terri:ori-s of 111c mcn, and associating with them, tl~cy dwelr togcrhcr. Zn this wxy luatters \vent on well, up to ;lie second deluge, and even after ~ilat; until thc time of :he patriarch Abraliarn, thc friend of God. When Ximrod cast Al~raham into thc 6.x: then tile suspicion sprung up in :he minds of men tl-]at thc Jins had taught Nimrod to make the sling. And ~vr.hen Joseph's brethren put him into i5e pi^ they thonght thst this also was attributable to the :ui1e of the Jins. \i7hen the pl-op11et Yoses came into the world hc also caused peace to be made between them, and many Jins became followers bf his reliqon.

\\'hen Solomot~, son of David, was made kin: of the ~rllole world by Almighty God. and supericr~tp over all the kings of the ~3rt.11 was given to him, all the jiils and men became his subjects. Then the Jir.; in a boasting way said that Solonon had aainecl his anpire with thcir assisiancc, for if t i c Jins llad not helped him, he mould have beell just like othcr kinzs. They were dtvays making pretensions to a knorvledge of tlie mysteries (of fate), and were exciting appre- hensions among men. When his highness Solomon died, the J ins had no kno\i.ledge thereor, they were all in perplexity, asking X I - I L - ~ hxl become of Sol~mon. The men then felt sure that if :h- jias were seers, they would not llat~e been so bewildered.

!\'hen the intcllige~lce a?>out Cilkij (Queen of Slie!~a) reached Solomon, by ihc mouth of :he hocpoc: hc i!iclui:ild of evcry one if tberc :yere any such person as would bring the throne of Bilkis bciorc her arrival. A Jin, whose name vms Astlis, son of X i ~ i n , vauntingly soid tliat he would bring it so quickly that his M,?jesiy should not be :tble to rise from his place (behre it was clone). Solon~on .aid that Ile wanted it clone more c1uicl;ly. Lsaf, son of 13arl;hiyB, ivho knew thc name of pun8cr, said that he nould bring iL in one iilstanr. And vcri!y he brought it. \%*hen Solo~non saw the throne, he was amazed, and paid adoration to God. Ir now became mznifcs: to the Jins that men held ;he sclperioricy overtl~em. Ashxn~cd and downcast, they turned aV...;ay, and all tlie men fcllov-ed them hooting. Reing great!)- degraded, the Jins flcd, and became rebellious. Solomon sent an army after them to capture them. I-Ic taught many occt~lr arts formak- ing thein prisoners, and zave insti-uccions as to the way of shutting the Jins up in bottles. Indecd, he wrote a book on those mystic practices, which becainc public afrcr his death.

T%'hen the Lord Jesus cxnc into the TVOI':~, and offsred ro all thc Jins and mcn thc in~ira:ion to Isibm, 11e taught to c v c ~ one the way of salvation, and shoxved the way to hcarc-n ancl the mode of ol~taining association with the zngels. hlany Jins then camc into his religion, a!ld becoming devout and tc!npcrate, thcy began to go to heaven. Hearing tlie intelligence of hcavcn, they came clowt-11 here (to the earth), and made it known to thc m~gicians.

When the Airnighty created the last of h e prophets, the Jins were pret-ented from going to henveil. They said that (Brabic) they "did no: know ~vhetlicr that calamity had be- fallen them for the good of the dwellers on thc earth, or whether God desired to provide a nrap cf saIvation for those (terrestrial beings)."l Xany Jins approved the ?iluhaminadan

1 Kurdn, Sdrat lssii. v. ro.

religion, an6 becarne Rlusnlm5ns; so between t11c.n~ and the Musuimins peace continues up to the prcsent time.

TVhen the doctor had iifiished speai;~ng all this, he ag~in said, ': Oh Jins, d o no: annoy them, 2nd make no disturb- ancc among yourselves. In vain you cshibit youroid hatred ; the end of it will not he pleasant. This hxred is fire from a flint ; when it makcs its appearance it sets a world on fire. May Gocl keep (you) in his protection. When they showeE their eninity against us, ancl prevai!ed ovcr us, n.hat misery and ignominy foilowed "

Whcll they all had heard this ~~onderful s~ol-y, cnch one s t ~ t e bowed his head and bccan~e pcnsive. The King then asked this doctor, " \i?hat secms to you advisable ? All these h a ~ e come complaining to iny rcsidence, 2nd have taken refuge with me. I-IOW can I settle their quarrel? and send them away satisfied from my countly." The ~ o c t o r replied, "The proper course wiil be found out after (careful) consideration ; nothing can be done by rashness. It seems to me advisable that the King should sir to-morrow morning in public courr, and calling then1 all forn7a1-d, should hear their evidence and ~r_=uments. M c r that he must give his decree in accorda~~ce with what seems to him right and suitable for the occasion."

The SrZi6-i 'mi?mzi said, " The men are very fluent and eloquent, bu! the a~limals are dcficicnt in that respcct; they cannot say anything. If they we beaten by the pIausibility of the men, arid cannot answer, will you then surrellder them illto the charge of men, so that they may be kept for ever su!?jcct to annoyance and torture ? " The doctor replied, "They are in bondage, and must be resigned and cjuiet. : Time does not alnays pass in the same way. God will a t icngrh give them deliverance, as he granted deliverance from the tornlents of Pharaoh to the children af Israel, from the tyranny of Kebuchadnezzar to the children of David, to the tribe of Himyar from the torments of the tribe of TubbA, to

[he race the Sarsanims and the race of 'Adnin from the tyra,,ny of the C,recks and t l ~ c Bmily of hrdashh Fortune does nor in one nniform ~vay wit11 any One ; like

r,,o~u~ioll of the sphere; it turns perpct~~ally over illis world of sreaed i,cings in accordance with the divine commands- onct in a tllousand ye,> or in twelve thousand years, Or i" fiirry-sin thocsrnd years, or i n three hundred and sixty thourand yeas, or in one day, which maJ1 be equal to fifty- five thourand s~a'5, it changes once. True it is that the magic of this variable fortune never keeps anybody in one

CHAPTER VIII.

ConszcIZatio~z of tlzc Men.

H ERE the Kin; was consxlting in private with his \vazir, ministcn, and noblcs ; there also thc mcn, seventy

individuals, inhabitants of different cities, assemb!ed in their own house, and held deliberations together. Each one said what came into his mind. One of them said, "You have all heard the discussion which has passed to-day bctween us and our slaves, and the dispute is not yet settlccl. Have you found out at all what the King has dccided in our regard?" All said, '' J<ouv should we know? StiU, this mgch

has, that the ICmg is much perplexed abou~ the maitm, an6 probably will not come our to-morrow.'' Another said, " I have found out that he rill hold a consultatioo in with his ~vazir to-morrobv about our cast,! Anotllo said, '' H e n7ill assemble the doctors and learned mca; and take counsel."

One of them said, " Lb'e do not know what advice the dot- tors will give about our rights ; but this we ]- .nolv, that the Ring is inclined towards us, and has a s o d opinioll of u5.n Another said, The minirtn is to be feared. I hope he not turn agaibst us, and do injury to our rights," ~ ~ ~ c h ~ ~ said, " Tbis is an easy m a t t n Give the v a ~ i r SO,, presents, and bring him over to our side. Still there is one dangersn They all inquired what that was ; and he replied that lhere IVUS $reat fear about the opinion of the judges a d lauyers

They said, "This is also an easy mattcr. Give them like-

\rise some bribes, and satisfy tl~em. Then, in accordance

citb our desires, they wii! invent some lcgd quibble, and oive their opinion. But the S&%$-l ' n s i ~ ~ r n d is nise and honest. He will not sl~ow partiality to any one. In the

event of t l ~ c Ring consulting him, it is to be feared lest he should evert hinlself with the Ring on behali of our slaves, and dclivcr them out of o.ur hands."

Anothcr said, cCYon speak tile truth ; but if the Icing consults wirh tlie doctors, their opinions will differ. One wil!

spcalr in opposition to another. and nothing will be decided." Another observed, ': If the King consults the judges and lawyers, what will they s;y about our rights?" The other se- plied, 'LThe opinion of the learned cannot fail of falling ynder one ~f these three categories : either they will decide that we must set thc animals free, or tlmt vbre must sell them and accept a price for them, or that we must sllow some alle- viation and kindness to them. These are the only t h e e courses provided for in the law." One szid, I f the King

consults with the rvazir, x7e do not 1;now what advice he will girt" Anothcr repllcc), " I know. He will say, 'These

aninals have come and taken refuge in our countqr; they are oppressed, ancl it is incumbeni: on the King to assist tbem,bccauseliings are czllcd the vicegerents of God, and the Lord Almighty has give11 thc~n rulc over the earth, to dispense jostice and equity to their subjects, and to 6 v e assistance and succour to the weak ; to drive oppressors from their dorninioxs, a112 to cnforce the commands of the law among the people. Thcy will be esamined about these matters in the day of judgmcnt.'"

One said, If the King speaks to the jildge about deciding our case, then the juclge \will give onc of three decrees. Whar. must then be done?" They all snid, L'A judge is the

deputy of the prophet, and the guardian of religion. In no

Antioch Gate

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way can we disregard his decision." One said, " I i the judge decrees that we are to retease and set frec rhe animals, what will you do ? " Then another one said, "We will reply that we are their hereditary masters, and they have come down to us in blnd'qe from the times of our

ancestors. The choice is orll-S. If we Iike, x17e can relezse and set them free ; artd if WC lilcel we can refuse to release them."

Another observed, '' 1.Vhat if thc judge directs us to prove tliat they are our hcieditar). slaves by same legal document, or by witnesses l" One ansx~~cred him, saying L ' t V ~ will bring forward orrr friencls, who arc just, acid tender tllem as ~~itnesses!' He replied, '' Tbc judge may say that the lesri- many of nlell is not trustworthy, because they are ail enemies of he animals, and thc evidence of enemies is not attended to in the la~v. or he may ask where the detd of sale and contract is, and tell US to produce it if we art honest. What device can then be adouted 7 .

When they heard ~his, they were all sile~>t. and gave no reply. At Icnzth an .4rab said, We will reply thzt W had the legal documents, but that t ~ ~ e y were all lost in rile storm. And if the judge directs us to swear that they are our own slaves, then we will olsject that the oath ought to be taken

the defendants, but we are thep1aintifikY Then one said, "If the judge takes an oath from the animals, and they sn7ear that the). are not our slaves, what course mug lye then pursue ?" Another replied, ': We will say tllat the aninlals have sworn f:llsely, and that w e have many proofs ,\,h;hich substan- tiate our claim."

A prrson asked, '' If the jadge decrees that we are to sell them7 and accept the price, what MP YOLI then do ? l 9 Then those who were inhabitants of the sttded coulrtry said, ;"\lie will sell them, and take zhc money.' But those who i - e y

dudlers in the woods aad was:es, the Arabs, Twk5, the

like, said, Tlvi muit not IIC. If 1.; act cpon it we shall ccri5l1. no mu!~tiol~ ir." T3ose \v110 were dispcsed to

sell :ls:;id what harm theri' xr'as 111 !C.

l n anslvrr to tllis tllcy replicd, 'l If ".c sell the aninrals \VC

sinll srscy incOnrenimre. 1)riuking their nY.11~~ eating

t ~ c i r making gilrlccl;ts of their skin and hair, the ap- nljcation of thrm t~ od~er L I ~ C S ::esidcs--all these advantages hill loiI. Death is pyef;ral~le to s life like this. Similar iaconuenience will 2150 befall the inhabitanm of the settled

; for h e y have great need of these mimals-

sever entertain propoii;ioil of selling them. or settil '~

them free ; nay, do not even let the idea of it enter into Your minds, If you are conrent to give rhcm relief. and fo show kindness to thenl, there is no objec~ion to ?-Our doing sor for these animals are living bei~rgs ; they bare flesh 2nd sicin like

and 1.e have ; by troubling. th'm further, torture ill

fall upon them YOU have not xvurlcd so much righreous- ness aj that this reward should accrue to you ill consequence, and rha; ~ o d should hxve nlndc these animals your subjects. Nor bare they committed any such great crime as till God should llavc inflicted this punishnlent because of it, and that rl~cy should have been subjected to rhis ~ f f c r i n g . He is Master. Wharcver He wishes HC does, and no onc can

CEXPTER !X.

Co?/s?tltizt;o~~ n j At~?n/nlr.

HEN the King arosc from his council, and all n-ere W dirmirict, d e y wcnr to their several ho~~ies. The beasts having also assemblccl, began to advise and tzke counsel together. One of them said, '' You have 2lcard all the disputation which hns gone on to-day between u s and the men, and the contention i s not yet settled. KOW, what seems to you advisable ?" One of tlleln replied, "We rill go in the morning and weep before the King, a ~ c l complain of the tyranny of the men. Perhaps his Majesty may take compassion upon us, and release us from bondqe. To-day, indeed, he has been somewhat kind to us ; but it is not right i n a king to give a decree witbu~t hearing proof md =p- merit, and proof and arguments are made effec:i\~e by e!o- quence of statement and fluency of Iansage. Thus the

Prophet has said, (Arabic, which signifies) 'When quar- re1 and come to me, and one (man) is more clever wirh his proofs and arguments than the other, I decicle in his favour. Therefo~e, if unwittingly the right of one sllouid fall to other, he ought not to take it. If he doer talCe it I

rp- point hell-fire for him.' The men, indeed, pas&s grcltei

eloquence and fluency of language than WC 60, and we are afraid that 1r.e shall be discomfited in our evidence and arguments by their plaasibility, and that they will prevail over us. N711at in your opinion is the best plan

careful

must be given to this point. If \V? all as-

semble, and reflect and conside:., :lien some good pl" 'ill turn up!'

individual said, G In m y opitlion the best course is for

us send mcs;en$erj to ail anirxais to reprCSCnt Our position, and tell rlhcm (all), so :It, i. they may despatch their lCprcsentafiv~~ rod orators to L I ~ , who will then all come here; and act a ~ , our sul~portcrs. For in evcry species there is a talent, a wisdom, and a;? clnque~~ce u-hich no other pas- scsses, When mcny fric~lcls 'nd hclpcrs s!~all assemble, some nicnns of deliverance 1r.d snfcty will be found. Help 21S0 tome5 from &d. Hc aids ~vl~on~soevcr He mill." ,411 the animals said, " Enough ; this is the right course.'' -4~- cor&in"Jly six n:cssengers, very tru;tworth~, were chosen :O be sent in eve? direction : one of them f ~ r the wild beasts ; the for ~ h e birds ; the third for the birds of prey; the failfib for the insects: suclr as the easth~vorm, t l ~ c scxlet fly, kc. ; the fifth for tlx rcpt lks , snch as meggots, ants, snz?<rs, scorpions, &C.; the sixth for the acluatic animals. These having been a~poinrcd, were se2t in every directioc.

CHAPTER X.

Otz the i ~ r ~ z t t < ! r s (f ihr Fir.ct .lIcsscn~er.

W H E Y the iirst lncssenger went to rlie kill: or thc xiild beasts, Abji-L f l ff i . i i - ic . to the lion-he said, " A

dispute is going on between m m and beasts i l l tlie presence of the Ring ofthc Jins. The beasts hnvc sent messengers to all animals, calling upon theln to come and render t l~e~n assistance. Theyhave sent me also to ~vait upol; you. Deign to send a gcncral with your army aIo~,g wit11 nlc, that hc nay go there and bcco~ne CO-partner with his fc.llorvs ; an6 when his turn shall come, let !iim conrend wich the men." The king asked the messenger what claim the 111en xvel-c setting up against the beasts, and Ilc replied, " They ~naintain, L all beasts are our slaves and we are their jnasters?

The lion inquired, '' What thillg do the nien boas: of? i f they boast about vigour, strength, courage, \,alovr, 0 ~ , ~ l a ~ ~ 1 l t , leaping. jl~mping, clutching? fighting, close combat? or in faet any onc of these, then I will instantly despatch my army that it may g0 there, and in one 0nslaug)it scatter and disperse them." The messenger said, " They do indeed boast =bout many of tliesc qualities, and besides this they are with nuny praciicer ancl nts , fraudr and grabgems, they kno~v how La make shields and rxxrorcls, javelins, dagge-, and knives, arroivs and boiu., alld (other) weapons. Havin: rqard t o the claws and teeth of wild beasts, thcy corer their bodies uith armour m s l

, > 1 C/~at:~ul-aza'rt~Z- ' striking with claws."

double armour: felt and Ilel~ncts, so that tile claws and teeth the beasts mxy never take cfi-~cr upon tllcir bodics. They

practise many wiles and stratagems in craer to catch the savage and other wild animals. They make nets and ~nzri-S,

digging ditches: pits, niid holes, they C O ~ C ~ the 1igl:cly with dirt and grass ; when the aniill~ils un-

wittingly walk upon them, they fall in, and then it is impossible for them to get out. 13ut before rlle King of the J i n s there is no mcniiurl of rhese charactc.risrics ; therc the). bring forward proois and argumcrits for eloquence of statement, activity of tongue, ancl superiority of intellect and judgment, (in fine), for all thcse things."

When the Icing heard (thisj from the mouth ofthe messcngzr, after pondering for an ho~:r, h- gave his orders, saying, :' Yes, let all the wild beasts of my army come." I11 accordance with this command, many varieties of wild beasts-iions, ~volvcs, different sorts of monkcys, ~rcaseis, and, in finc, canlir,orocs and lacefi~iing l nniml.?.s of ever). sort and kind-came io wait upon him. 'l'he king related 10 t!lcn. evelything r:l~ich lie had hearcl from the tongue of the rncssenger, and said, '' Who ' is tlxere arnolxg you wlto wi!i go tilcrc and be the coacljutor of the aoimals? Whencver ally one procetds thither ancl prr- vails with evidence and rensoni!?g,thcn\\~harsoeverhe sl~sll clc- sire of rile I mill grant, ant! I wil! conFel- gi-eatntss upon hiin."

When the wild bcns~s I~earcl this iii~ymcditated i n thougl~t for an hour, as to \.:hether any one was fit for the business or not. The lcopard, wl~o was minisrer, then saicl to the kins, Thou art our king ancl chief, and we arc your depc~id- ants and subjects. It lic.11o:~cs t!lc l ing tbat in every marLcr be sbould consult carefully 2nd clclibcratcly with the -rvlsc, and thcn issue his orclcrs. And it behoves rhr: sul~jccts hilt they should listen to the orders of the king e i t h the ear of

1 Chni?;r/,i-~ri.;'nzi-h,irc-li!. " cl:,\v-strikers." ' Lit, .' U'lm is such a one? "

their hearts, and in evcry point should show obedience to him. Because the king srarlds in the exalted position of [he head and the subjects in [be places of the!imbs (oiihe animal frame). When the king and. the subjects each keep to their respective positions and courses, all &ai~s =C acljus:cd, and due order prevails in thc kingcorn."

The king asked the leopard what sort of qualities those are which are mcct for the king and for the subject, and told Km to derail them. The leopard said, 'I It behoves a icing to be just, brave, and wise ; in every transaction he si~ould cars- fully deliberate; lie should show liirldrless and affection ta his subjects, just 2.5 parents show aii'cction and 1;i~dness to their otispspring; (and) he should occupy himself in \vl>otever may be for the welfare ancl comfort of his subjects. And it is irLcumbent on the subject that in cvcry way he should be ready in obedience, service, and devotioil to the Icing ; and whatever ski1i and art he may possess he should make !<no~vn to the king, and infornl him of its defects and merics; the duties of his service he should discharge in a befiaing manner; and, making his wants known to the king, he should seck from him aicl and assistaiice."

The lion said, " You speak truly ; but now, wlla? zdvice do you give in this mactcrl" The leopard said, '' hlay the star of prosperity ever continue bright and respleildent, and

may the king be always victorious and triulnph~ni. If there be any nced there of strength and vigour, courage andam- bition, then Geign to give me permission that I slay 20 there and effectuaily provide for it." The king said, For tl>ese matters there is indeed no one there!' The ounce ~f there be any nced there of leaping, jumping, liceping and seizing ; then I am bail for it." The wolf said, " If there be any need thrre of attacking, plundering, and d e ~ : ~ s t a t i n ~ I will provide for it." The fox said, "If there be any need there of craft a3d trickery, I am the one for it." The weasel

said, l' If there be any use there for fel-rcting, stealinz. and keeping concealed, I am bail for ir" The monkey said, l' I i there be any need there of clancing, jumping, and n~imicr)., I am the one for it." The cat said, " If there be any need chere of flattery, fanning, and begging, 1 will pror7icle for it." Thc dog said, ;' If there bc any nced thcre of watching; barking, and tail-wagging, I am the one for it." The rat said, " l f

there be need therc of burning, kindling, and damaging, I am ready for it."

Thc king said, "Therc is no one there for these requirements.'' Afterwards turning tnwards the leopard, he said, '' All these clualificatio~~s \vhich thesc animals have mentioned are nccessmy for the armies of the kings and nables of m e n ; and they indeed are fit for these matters, because although in outward appearance their shapes and figures are like unto those of the angels, still their dispositiolls are like unto those of wild beasts and bru:es ; but cf such of thcln as src learned tl~eologians~ and discreet, the morals and virtues are like those of the angels. Who, then, is the one to send that hc may go there and contend on the side of the animals?"

The leopard said, It is true ; but now the learned and thc theologians among men, having cast off this course u.hich they call ' angelic morality,' ha\-e adopted devilish clisposi- tions. Night and day thcg continuc in strife and contention, and in slandering and maligning each other. In the same way rulers and kings also having turned aside fiom the practice of justice and equity, havc cl~oscn the way of tyranny and oppression." The king snid, " You speak ~ r u l y ; still it is necessary that the king's messenger should bc vir tuo~s and noble ; from his duty he shouid not deviate. Then who is the one whom me ought to send, in ml?om all the cl~~a!ificz- tions of a messenger may be iound ? I s thcrc any one in this assembly who may be worthy to go ?here ? "

CHAPTER XI.

Dclilt~mtio7r c f n a s s e r ~ p l :

T H E Yopard inquire2 of the lion what sort of qualifications arc in a rnesscngcr? Tilc Icing

said, " IL is neccssa~y that a messenger sl~ould be a wise

man' and a good spea1:cr. FIe should forget nothing that he hears, but retain i~ carefully in meinosy. Hc should not tell the secret of his hcart to any one. The duties of his tmst and covenant he should fulfil as they ought to be fulfilled. He should not be n grczt talker, nor npon a.iy rnatter should he go too far ior his own side. Whlrt has been told him, that alone should he speak He sho~~ld stritre a:~d exhibit devotion for whatever may turn to the uelfwe of his principal. If the opposite side sllould offer him m y bribq1 he should not he such a person that, from desire for it, he S I L O L I I ~ waver from the course of trustworthiness and fight- eousness, and fall headlong into the pit of treachery and perdition. If in a strange city he shoold in any way find gratification, he shoald not remain there for the sake of it, but be should return (home) quic!dy, and comnlunicate to his lord whatcvcr he may have seen or heard. He should rendcr to hii lnaster whatever the responsibilities of counsel-giving and tnistiness requlrc. He should not for fear of anythinc

1 Tf e %n?tcr here forgt:ts his xpolcg~e. ' I.it.-" seilder." This signification c{ k7nc an& tznzd dgsa is not in t13e Cic:ionmics.

fail a jot in the duties of a mcssc~;,-cr, becatis: it is incurn- bent upon a mcssenTer to dcliver all his mcssagc."

After this he said to the leopard, " 111 your opinion is therc any one in this asscmblagc xul~o may posicss ability for this business?" The leopard said, "There is no onc better fitted for this norl; than the brother of Raliln and Damna." l The lion said to the jackzl, "You have heard ~vllat thc leopard has declared in respect of you? what do you salr to it ? " The jackal said, "The leopnl-cl speaks the truth ; inay God give him a good rcwarci, and bring him to the object of his hopes." The king said, If you go :here and contend on the sick of your fel:ows, when you return you shall be

in dignity- and shd l rcceivc r e i ~ a r d . ~ The jackal

said, 6: J thi: obedient servant of rhe king, still there arc many foes or my spacies there-rrrhat plan can I devise against this?" The king i.nquired who they were. The jackal saicl, "Days have a11 invetcrate animosity azainst me. Is not tllc 1;in~ aware that thcy %re vcry fricnclly and fkmiliar wit11 men, and assist the111 in catching wild beasts?"

The king said, "What is the yeason that they have become so attached to men, and m ~ k e attacks upon wild heascs? \T%y, having left their ow:~ f~l l i j \~s , liave thcy become the CO. adju:ors of a diferent species ? " Xo one knew znyrhina al,out this nlattcr except the bear, and 11c said, " I ~ ! I O T V the reason of this." 'The king dircctcil hiin to state it. The

bear said, The dogs havc struck up n friendship with meil in co!lsecluence of a similarity of clisposition and asfinity o i taste, atld besides this, they get many nice thi~lgs to eat and &in]; tllere. And in their nnturcs here is greediness and avarice alzd iuclil:arions, like as in men-this is a strOnjiC7 reason for rbeir intimacy. And tile ivild beasrj abstiain from these vices. The reason of this is, rhat dogs eat flesh, raw and cooked, ]awful ancl nnla~vful, fre3h or dried, Salted or Ull--

I ~ ~ l i l ~ nn.~ D ~ ~ - , ~ ~ -,verc 1u.o crafty jrckab crlclmkd ill StOt?'.

salted, good or bacl, just as they get it, and besides they devour fruits, vegctablcs, bread, pulse, milk, ct~rds, sour or sweet butter, oil, lloney, s~ee:ments, parched $rail:, 'and a]]

the various sorts of human food-they lcave n ~ t h i n g . But the wild beasts do not eat these things, or rather, they do not even notice them. And the greeclir~ecss and av~r ice of dogs reach to such a pitch that it i5 irnpossiblc for than to allow any aninlal to enter a village, so that he may come and get something to eat. If ercr a fox or jackal enter a rillage silddenly a t night to steal a fowl, or I;?;, or cat, or a carcasc of carrion, or a mcrsel of bread, \!lit11 what violence do :he dogs b z r l ~ and attacking (the intruder), at length c1rir.e him atvay. Through this avidity and greed how abject and vile tl~cy are 1 If they see a piece of bread or anything eix to cat i n tilc band of any man, womzn, or child, \v.vith what avidity 20 they xvag their tails and s h a h their heads 1 If lie in pity thrcrvs doxn a little morsel before them, how quickly do they mn and pick it up, so that no other lnay get it! All these vices are found also in man, and in consequence of tllis affinity> the dogs have ~ u i t t e d their own fellows, and ham go:le a116 joilled themselves to men, and render then1 &lp and aid in catching wilc! anirnzls." ~.

The king said, * IS there any otl>a beasi bnider the dog M;ho has fcnned a connection and friendsllip with man?" The bear said, " The cat is also very iricndly nrjcll them." The king asked, " What is the reason of that connexion ? B

The bear said, "For this also there is this one re>.son, that the dispositions of theln and of men are co2formable. The cat also, like men, has a desire and lol1ging- for food of various sorts." The king asked, " Whzt is the caps position tvith men?" The bear said, "She is somewhat better ofi than the dog> because she goes into their houscr r l ~ d a!eeps upon carpets ; asd when the). dine she sits upon the dinner- clorb. \Vhatsoerer they eat themselvesthcy give unto her also;

and \vhenever she gets a chance she steals some of their food and drink. E L I ~ thcy do not allow the dogs to gct

an entrance into their houses ; consequently envy and malice prevail between the dog and cat. Whenever the dogs see her they spring from their place, and so artack her, that if thev catch her thcy tear her in pieces and eat her up. The cat also, whcnever she sees a dog, scratches his face and tears his tail and hair, and with great- rage and f u ~ y she swelIs ancl puffs herself out. This is the reason why she is their enemy."

The lion inqnirccl if there was any other animal besides these two vil~o was also familiar with men. The bear said, ;'Rats also go into their houses and sl~ops, but there is no intimacy1 between. them, on the contrary they are afraid of them and nin away." The kin5 asked what was the reason

of their going (to men's dwellings). The bear said, "They also go the,-e froln a lilcing of various k inds of food and drink" The king then askcd if there was yet ally other animal who thcrc, and the bcar said, " Weasds also sometimes go therc stedthiiy and secretly for the purpose of thieving and caWil;g off something." Again the king inquired, " Is there any other anill~al bcsidcs rhese who goes into their llauses 5" b c ~ r said, " NO other one goes ; but the men violently seize leopards and monke!.s and take them there, but these do not g0 there willingly-)'

The l ~ n g asked from what period cats and dogs had been frienay with men, and the benr replied, " Sincc the d q s *,hen the descendans of Gain prevailed over those of Abd." The icing said, fL did this matter happen? narrate it." The bear =aid, " A t the time mhen Cain murdcrecl his brother, \v]lose name was Ajei. the children of Ahel sought retaliation upon the children of Cain, and warred with them. 4t lenrrth rhe children of Cain proved victorious. Having

inflicted defeat (upon their opponents), they ldi~ndered ail their wealth, and carrying off all their cattle, bullocks, camels, asses, and mules, they became very rich. Thcy gave cntcr- tai12n:ents to each other, and had many kinds of food cooked. Slaughtering animals, thcy caused their hcacls and feet to be thrown everywhere raund about their ci:ies and ri:iaqa. When the cats and dogs saw this abundance of flesh, and this plenty of viciuals a~:cl drinli, hating abandcned their own species, thcy entered w i t h avidity iota their viliages and beca~ne their bclper~ and coacijutors. Up to the present time they continue in alliance."

When the lion heard this story he bcca~me very pensive, and said, '' There is 1x1 power ncr strength buz in God the great and glorious, from xhom we czme, and ro whom tvc.e

must return,:' and several times be reitcrated this formula. The bear asked the king, :'What ground of sorrow is thcrero your majesty (in the fact of] the alienation of the cats and dogs from their own species." The lion said, '' I !lave no sorrow for their departure, but I zm brooding over this ~vord which has been s p o h ~ l by th'e wise. There is no @eater mischief or detriment to kings in their govcrnme~~t sad administration than this, that the allies of their a m ~ y s h o ~ ~ l d secede and g. to join the enemy, because uphen they go they make him acquainted with times of negligence, wit11 all tI>jn~r good and bad,and with zll secrets. Infor~ninghin~ofalltl:in~~, they make known the secret ways, and all his various contrivances. All tbk is m exceedingly great evil for kings ;md armies. May God ncver grant a blessirg to those cats and dogs ! "

The bear raicl, L'i All that which the king has desired, God has already done to those dogs, and the p r a w of the king has been heard : having takeier. from their race his favour and hlesling, H e has bestowed it upon thc goats," The Kng zsked how this llappencd, and to!d him to relate it. Tile

bear said, " I n this way many dogs having consorted with one bitch, get her in pup, and when she brings forth, she riith great affliction and labour gives birth to eight, ten, and sometimes to even more young ones ; still no one has ever sec, in the town or in the forest a very large pack of dogs, notrithatandi~~g that no one ever slrughcers~ them. But the ~ o t s , notwithstanding that they bring forth only one or WO young onCS in a whole year, and arc always being slaugl1tered.

floci<s npon flocks of them are t o be secn in the towns: and forests, so that the computation thereof is impossible. The reson of it is this : very many evils come upon the wuDg of dogs and cats through their faod Through the mfimess of thtir food they are subject to dive= diseases from ,l1j& beasts are exempt, and tlvovgh their own vice and the crudty of nicn the lives of themsr~ves and of o ~ s p ~ g are short ; thys they are xbject andr"lched." After that lion said to the jackal, ' l NOW do YOU depart-go there d o the presence of the King of the Jins, and "CCom- plisb that matter for which you have been app0inteL7'

1 i(lnfih.-h,bfn~ ~!ai~ghter for sacrifice or food-

CHAPTER XTt.

171 rz"z~~~i$ion of the Seroxd A C e q e r :

W H E N the second messenger irei~t to the Shih-m;lrgh) the king of t i e birds, and stated the facts, he having

heard the posErion of the animals, gave orders that all birds should come and present themselves. Accordingly birds of every sort and kind: of rheforests, of the mountains, and of the waters, in colnpliance with his command, cnllle and assembled in such exceeding great abundallce that n o one but God could know their number. The Shih-n1ueb said; " l'he men have set up a pretension that all animals are slaves, and they are their masters ; on tllis account many anilnals are disputing with the men before the King of the lins." Arter this he said to the peacock, his minister, '' Who among the birds is most fluent m d doq~lent ; who is fit to be sent there, so that he may go and contend ~ i : h the men )" The peacock raid, " The whole society of bid. is Present ; Ict him go wham thou pleasest to command." Tile Shih-nurd l said, " Tell me the names of all of them, 30 that 1 may h l o ~ v fllem." The peacock said, '6 The hoopoe, pigeon, partridge, bulbul,&o6ak paprrdge . T U ~ & ~ & , J rralloxcr, croup, crane, sn7ic~-fihmcs'~a) sparrow, do- turtle-dove, \vag. tail' gms., heron, wild-duck, nightingale, ortricll, 2nd o&crs ; these ail are hcrc p r e ~ e n t . ~

The ShA-lllurg?. said to the peaeoclc, Show them to me One by o:w, that I may behold them, and asertain the

1 " Royal ?,ird." ' T:TCzr-o ~o t /~rx ix . . d n ~ j cazicrrcsr. 4 I S Stone-eater.:'

2nd qualities of each, ivhe~her any one is fit for this duty. Thc peacoclc said, " Tbelloopoe, tllc spy, cnlxpanion of Solomon, the son of Dmici, is 1112 who is sitting (here) wearing garments of Inany colonrs. When he speaks he bends in the same way as if he were ~ n a k i ~ g borvsl and pros- cratiolls ; lle inculcates virtue and prohibits vice. He brought the news of the city of Sabd to Solomon, the so11 of David, and said this, 'Thc wonders and miracles of the world \vbich I have seen, your Majcsty has not seen ; ancl so 1 have brouglli a piece of intelligence from tlie city of Sal); in which no falsehood at al l is minglcd. Therc is a l\ronlan there in

the description of whose dignity and splendour? the tongue is dehcient. The sovcrcignty of that country is in her power, and there is a very- large throne upon which she sits. In

fine, all the good things a l the world arc to bc found at her abode ; there is no \vant of anything. But she and the peoplc of her tribe are terrib!~ perrrcrts ; they do not ac1:nowlcdge God; they pay acloration4 to the sun. lnasmuch as Satan has prrvertcd- those people, they consider vice to be. the very essence of dcvotioi>. Havii~g cast off that beneficent Creator who made earth, sky, and heaven, and who knov-S everything, whetbcr open or concealecl, they aclnowIed~e as their god the sun, who is b ~ r t a particle of His lighr; wbcreas thcrc is no one worthy of n-orskip hesides that true and only God.

" The cock, the crier of the s:lmmons to pn~yer, is he who, with a crown placed upon his head, is stailiiing on the wall. His eyes are red, his wings outspread, his tail cocked up; he is exceedingly proud and generous, and is always engaged in rnagnifyinghnd praising God. He l i n o ~ s the time of prayer, and reminds ancl admonishes his neighbours. 111 the

1 R~.&,¶, bending the body fonvard, and resting a l~nnd an each knee. 1 Haslmnz-rerinue, suite. 3 Sijda-prostrztion, homage.

Takdfr-repeating the doxology, " God is great." fie.

mom, in his sumnlons to prayer, he scys this, ' 0 dwellers in my vicinity, remember God. Yoil have been sic-1 ling '

for a very long time ; you do not thir.k upon death slid destruc-

' tion ; you fee! no terror of the fire of hell ; you at? not dcsir- ous of paradise, and you show no gratkude for the favours of God Call to remembrance that person who will annihilate ail p1easurc.s. >lake provision for )-onr journey ta thC next world. If you desire to be preserved fi-on1 the fires of hell, then pr~ctisc dcvotion and temperance."

" And the parcriclgc, the i:ivieer to prayer, is he 1vho is standing on the hillock with a pale face and variegated 'vings. From the frequency of his bows and pmitrations, be is bent in form. At the time of invitntipn to prarrr he reminds the heedless and gives glad tidings -5; alld after that he says, ' B e tlwnkful for the mercies of Gad, so that his blessings may increase ; and show no mis~rust of God.' And frequently in his prayeTs he offers up this peti-

"0% '0 60" place mein safety from the ~ndignity of birds of prey, jackals, and men ; ancl preserve me also from php sicians, who declare that benefit arises to rick people from eating my flesh, for in this there is no saietyl for me. 1 am

alwa)l thinking upon GM : in the morning I the proper invitation t o prayeq that all men may hear and act upon the good counsel.'

"The pigcon, the guide oftheway, is he who, taxnp letten, t ~ v e l ~ to far distant cities, and ever xrhen he flier a,vay he says, wit11 great pathos, ' There is horror in separation from one's brethren, and longing for meeting with friends. 0 ~ ~ d , show m e the Wry to my native cotintry, that I lnay find happiness in reunion with m y friends.'

" And the &daL:l is he who is aliua).s walking gacefully about among the flowers and the trees in the garclen, and is engaged in singing with exceedingly sweet voice. With

1 Lit. "liie.:' A kind of partridge or quail.

p r e s q t and counrel be cries continurily. ' 0 dcstroycrs of liie and conslitution, plalltcl-s of trees in gardens, buiiders of houses in roxvns, sitters in high places, why are you regardless of the peri! or rhe rintc ? Be telnperate ; do not for an inutaot forget God ; tl~il?dc upon tint day when you will leave this Inxnv at borne, and will dcsce~ld illto rile grave 2nlo;lg mal;cj and scorpions. If fro111 this time foril*n!-d, before learing your native llome, you are mndf i~ l of this, then so mucl1 tbe bc~ter, for you will there co~llc into a pleasant &eliing-pL?ce ; if not, you will fall into perclition.'

"And this is :he srcrkh-n'b Libc as a preacher rnoutlts

into his pulpit, so does he also at noan rise in rhe rir, and z.lng '0 the 5t;lcb of cam, lie si11gs various strains m*.th exceedingly sweet voice. And in his discourse he says, Where are thoje lords of commerce and mcn of agricul-

tmc, who By the mercy of God derive very large profir from the of a single grair.. Oh, m y mr.stcrs, in the fear of God take warning ; thifiking upon your dying dag~,' Before y ~ u r deceare discharge the duty of worshipping him, and show kindness and bencvolcnce to his crcatLrres. Through stinginess do not take this idea into pour mind-" TO-day no poor or needy person will come to my house ;" for whoever now plants the tree of kindness will to-morroxv realise the fruit and relish of it. This norld is the hrtl-;est-field of

f ~ r u ~ i t y ; wl~osoever shall przcrise in it the cultivation of good ~vosks, shall find the benefit of it in the life to come. If any one shdl pursue an eui! course, he ~vill burn lilce dry litter in the fire of hell. Think upon that day when God, having separated the infidcls from the faithful, will cast these into hell-fire, but will bring the faithful into paradise. '

"The bulbui, the story-tel!er, is she who is sitting on a branch of a tTee. Hcr body is very small, in flight she is swift, her face is white, and she is constantly looking t o the

1 Ziril'uf-cultivation, ngricu!ture, crop. g Lir. " dcath."

right hand and to the left. With exceeding eloquence 2nd sweet voice she c o n l p o ~ s her srmiils, and s ~ l - 5 ill the gardenn in close intimacy with nlen-she even goes into their houses and talks with them When they, unmindful of tilought about God, engage in pleasure and dissipation, with admonition and co~~nse l she exclaims, 'Gracious God ! how hcedkss ye are : cliceit-ed by this existence of a feltr dayi' length, ye ~ 1 1 0 ~ negligence in thinking xpon God. \LTby are ve not ab sorbed in the ren~embrance of him ? Do ye not i;norl~ that Ye re re 111 born 10 die; nourishcc1 to n~ouldcr alt-ay, brought t ~ . ~ e t h e r to perish ? Ye are building this house that it may fa11 10 ruin. How long, deceired by the deligi1t.r of this world, unll Ye conti~~ue occupied in p1enso1-e a d &ssipltian ? In the end, to-morrow,' ye must die and be buried in the eafih. Be wise even now ; do ye not knorv xv~la t GO^ i\irnigI~ty d d to the "lord of the eiepbai~ts ?" Abrah, c.ho was cllief of

that band, sought, by stratagem and craft, to raze the house of God. -qounting many men upon eiephanti, he ad\-anced towards the temple of God. But in the end God made vain his cunning and craft; he sent\mmns upon iiivarml of birds against them. The birds, taking vp pebbles, podred down such a shower of stones that a11 of them, together &h their elephants, were riddled lile worm-ertcn leaves,' After that she exdaims, '0 God, preserve me from the hankering of boys, and against danger from all alin1a5 1 J

'L TIT' ' XIS 1s the crow7 the soothsayer, who reveals hidden mat-

ters. H e is black in cdour, and temperate. He giver information al~our everything which has not as yet tr-

-nspired. H e is at all rimes occupied in meditation upan GO^, and ever Passes his ( 1 1 ~ ~ in travel and wayfaring. Going into country, he gets inforlnation about ancient annals. He threat- ens the heedless with the evils of neglect, and with admonition and counsel he cries, Observe temperance, and betvare of

l Le., very soon. ' ~~f~~&Zi~z f -~ppo in : e~ , set orer: govtmor, ruler,

tbar day ahen you will rot in the grave, tvl~cn from the dis- rrrace of your dccdi your ,kin will be tornoff. Now through delusioll you givc the prefcrencc to the life in this world over ;hat of the nesr. Havir~g fled from thc conlmands of Cod, there is m resting-place or delivera~~ce for you. If you xish for s2Alvation, engage in s:~pplication and player ; perhaps Cod, tBGng com~passion, ~vill preserve you from llarm!

i s Herc ;S tllc s\lrallow, the rover in the air. In flight she is l i g t ; her Pet are small, and her rings layc. She dwells for Lhe mosl palt in rllc hmses of men, and thcrc inulp UP hL'

Always at jai~ii and at ere she utters prayeys and sJpplicarion~ for mere . 111 har journcys sbc proceeds to p a t dist~nca3. In d ~ y j of heat she C ~ O O S ~ S her abode in places, dufiirg the cold in warn1 pk tc~ i . In her

and p r a ~ f i she repeats this formula- ' H e is holy ,,rho the sea alld land, who established the mountains, and formed alrrcnts of the stre~t~ns-1~h0 according to onis dfiens sustenance and cleatb, from which rllerc is never any deviation. H e is the llelpcr of traveliers i n their journeys, an$, is Lord of all the face of the eaYtii and

of all creatures..' After this praise alld prayer says? L I

have travelled illto every country, have scen all the 5el-vautS (of ~ ~ a ) , ,, hav, COW hack to my own country. He is hob, llasing brought inale and female togcthcr, hrtoived

them abundant oifrpriti: ; and, having brou:1lt them out from the corner of nonentity, clothed ibem wirh gar-

mellts of esisicnce. Praise is due to Him W~:O is the crcaror of a l l creaturzs, 2nd the besrower of all blessings.'

The crane, the wa;chman? is he alio stnnds upan the fidd His nc& is long, 11i5 feet short, and in flight hc reaches half way to 1,eaven. Twice in the night hc keeps vinila, and in piaile of ~ o d offers his thanksgiving, and rays, ' Holy is that God who of his power crcated a pcir of erer). (s~ccics of) animal, so that, consorting togethcr, the~lnigllt proi;:!gat? a& beget ofiprinp, and mi:L ren~eml>cr their Crcnior.'

'cAnd this is the sang-lih~vira (stone-eater), the inhabitant of dry land. He always dwells in woods and deserts. &Tom ing and evening he repeats this forln (of puaycr)-C Holy is He urho created the SIT and the ea-th. He is thc Maker of thc heavens, of the constelhtions and of the stars, and these a11 revolve by His command. The falling of the rain, the movemenr of the air, the manifestation of the thunder and

lightning, all is His worlr. H e alone upraises from theearth the vapoul-S by means of which tllc economy of the world is (maintainc-cl). A xonderful Creator is He rvho af tu death gives iife (again) to old rotten bol~ts. Gracious God ! \vhat a Creator He is i The tocgueof 111an is incompetent for His praise and eulogy; how is it possible that the unc\e~-standing should arrive at (a Iaiowlcdge of) His nature ? '

"The nightingale of sweet voice is 11c that is scatcd on a branch of a tree. In body he is ~111211, in motion iivifr, and in voice sweet. After this fashion he meIodious!y poorsionh his strain in praise of God-' Praise be to that Crearor ~ h o is the Lord of pokvm and benrficance. He alol~e is (God), for He has no equal ; the bes:ower of boons, the give:- of all blessings, private and public. Lilia unto the sea, hc ullgmdg- ingly digllifies every man with the bo~~nties of His favour.' And sonlciimei with deep sorrow she speakn in li1is way- ' How happy was that rime when I roamed about along the

fl 0ll7ers 0-f the garden, x ~ d all the trees ladcn arith fruits of many kinds.' "

Hereupon tllc Shjh-murgh said to the pencocl;, ;L Of all these, 1~110 in your opinion is the most fitting person to scnd there, that he may go ?ad contend with the men, and be the ally of his own species." The peacock said, ':All tbesc have abilify for the duty, because they are poetical and eloqtlenf, but the i~ightingale is the most eloquent and melodious of them all." The Sh;h-n~urgl~ dimcted him (the nightihdngde) to take his depal?ure, md go there, p;~tting his trust in God, who is a help and support 1n evcry elnetxency.

T H E third mrranger -,vent to the king-bee, chief of di the fliest 2nd recounted to him n!l the affairs

:he

..i,n~lj. He, the kitlg ot all insects, as soon as hc heard it, gave orCera for a11 the insects to coias before him. In consequel~ceof t ;~c com~nnnd, flits, i n o ~ ~ ( ~ i t o ~ s , ~:.dflies,gnats: fieas, virsps, no:bs, ;ld, ;n Snc, all creatures r h o s n i l in body end fly ~ $ 1 1 wir.gs, 2nd do not live more O l X

,--me 2nd rtrcndcd The king set fOZl1 tO thml;ill the informetion he had heard from the t c n q c of the messenger: and *=id, " "jho i n thne nnxmg you \rho vi!l 0 there, ~ l d dispute with the men on. behalf of the ani~nalr." Tlle~ 211 inquired upon what point thc men were boasting Orer thelll. ~ h c 1Ile;senger said, ': They boast upon this poinl ar.d say, ive aTe larger in size ancl staiurr, r c hare greater strensh,

and in every point we are superior to the mimls. ' The chief of the x a q l said, L: 1 .-ill po tb r : m d diiputc ~ L i l l t h ~ men." The cllief of the flies said, I will go there, aud act as the deputy of my tribe.'' The chief of the moiyuitoes said, " I

go &re." The chid of the 1 0 ~ u a s said; " 1 r i l l So rherc, and, k i n g the ally of my own species, I i d 1 discuss (the nmt- rer) \Vith rhcnlen.'' In this wxy every one was rezdy tor the

business. brig said, 'c How is this that ye all, wirhout considcrz-

tion and thought, ~OITLI the project of going thn-r ? " T11c

csngregation of gmts said, 0 king, there is upon

the help of God, and certain it is that by His aid rvc shall gain the victory over them, because ia former times thew have been very tyznnical kings, but by the lic!p of God u7e

have always prevailed over then. Ofttimes thel-e has been proof of this." The king said, '' Statc the ci~.cumstances." The chief of the mosquitoes said, "Among men Ximod was a king of the highcst dignity." He was csceeding!? arrogant and perverse, and in his pomp ancl dignity and splendour took thought of no man. But a gnat of our racc, who was very sniai! ancl frril of body, destroyed this king so great. Not- withstanding his dignity and might, his power ciid not avail him anything." The king replied, "You speak tnrly."

The wasp said, "At thc tinie when a man Fully furnished with snns, with sword, jave:m, spear, knife, an-d arrow in hand, is accoutred (for bat~ie)-.if a t that time a wasp bclong- ing to us goes ancl srings him, and pierces him wirh a sting (only) ecpal t o the point of a needle, then how wrctched does

his state beeome. His body swells up, his hands and feet grow languid ; he cannot move, nor does he cver? rake any h ~ d of his shield and sword." The king said, ' l 1: is true."

The fly said, " lk'llen a king of men sits upon his throne in great polnp and splendour, and his doorlreepers allcl guards are standing all around him with the utmost devotion and l!-illingnesl., SO that no pain or a1mo)ranct may l-esch him--if zt thzt time a fly comes out of his bitchcn, or his necessary, and, with its body all covered wit11 filtIlh, goes alld sits upon his person or clothes and teases him, he can never Gnd the power to escape fro111 it." Thc king said, ': It ;; true."

The mosclr?ico said, "If any man is seated in society or (in private) behir:d his screen, or with the mosquito-curtains hung up, and one of our tribe goes and gets into his clothes and bites him, then how restless does he beconle, and lvhat a rage he gets into ! But he can do nothing to us ; he can only thump his onrn head, and gi-;e slaps to his own cheel;s."

The king said, 'l You all speak t n ~ l y ; hut in the presence the an$ of the Jins there is no mention of these things, .v and manners,

~k~~ the dispu:e is about jus;ice and equi', , snd di.scr~lion, and eloquencl and fluency. 1;

any one amollg you xvlx lhas ability in these n~atlers ? "

on heurillp of the king, they rere nil siicnt, and.

hCnging do\\-n their he&, said notllin:. ~f~~~

a sage zm~ong the flies ca1r.e out from the con-

gregation, and, standing before tlu king, raid, " the

liclp of ~ $ d , I u,ill upon this business, and there, actin:

as ally of tile ;mim&r, I will clisp~te with rhe n l e n x h e king 311 the ~ i r e rnb ly said, " May God aid you in the

have onJerfal:m, and make yotl victorious oi'cr the fincl haring given tohim nil proviliolls for :he journe)l, he dismissed him. This sage having d e ~ a m d fl,e,lcc, in the presence of the King of tllc !ins. ,vllere of sorts and kinds were present.

CHAPTER XIV.

On tlre rjzatfL.m ofthe Foul?il J h t g - e r .

\ V H P N the fourth messenger went into the prescnce of he phcenis, the king of the birds of prey, and made

known the circumstances, he also gave orclers for all the birds of his species to attend. In accordance with the order, vultures, phccnices, henlks, ~'Xcons, kites, owls, parrots, and, in hne, all carnivorous birds having claws and beaics instantly

presented themse!vea The phenix related to them the facts of the anin&' dispute -4f~er that he said to his waii, the shunkrir, (black-eyed falcon,) '' 1s there any one of these birds who is bt for this business, whom we may send there, that he may go and confront the men, and be m ally of his own race in this conff ict ?' The wz-fr said, (' Tl~ere is no One but the owl who has ability for this business." The king askedwl~at the reason was that no one besides him was fit for the business.

The said, " Because all birds of przy are akaid of men; and fly from them ; and bes~des, they do not understand their language. But the owl dweUs nearth&rvil[;igas, and often, indeed, in their old houses which have become ruinous. His continence and contclltment are such as Go other animal possesses. By day he fasts and weeps in fear of God, and at night also he is absorbed in devotion and in arousing the heedless. Hc laments over former kings are dead, and repezts this verse, appropriate to their =ondi- tion, (Arabic,) 'Ure have left behind the gardens and faun-

tains, the houses and cultivzted lands, and all the good things through which we lived in pleasure, and now other people have become the possessors of them.' " 1

The phcgnix said to the owl, " What do you say about this which the shunkiir has settled for you i" He replied, " The

shunldr speaks truth ; but still I cannot go thcre, because all men nourish a n i ~ ~ ~ o s i t y against me, and consider the sight of me unluclcy, and they cast abuse upon poor innocent me,

never did them any harm. If they shoulcl see me there

at the rime of rhe argument they will become still 111ore ill- jmicd, and through this animosity the day of battle will again arrive. It is better chat you should not send me there." The p h ~ n i x then asl;ecl the owl, who among the animals (prcsent) was best fittedfor the business ; and he replied, " Kings and al-nong men are very fond of ha~vlcs, falcons, and dJldTflt~,Z and with great fondness seat them on their hands. If the king should scnd one of them rhcre, it would be better?'

The king, iookinp towards the asseillblagc of hawks, said, "What is advisable in your opinion ?" The hawk said,

owl speaks truth. But men do not distinpish us h- cause we haveany asni ty with them, nor because thereis any great lImo\v!edge or gcorle mxnnners in u s throtrgh which they sl~ould have a-iicc~isn for us. They show a !!king for u s merely for their own benefit; for they tear away our prey from us, and apply it to their own use. Night and day they are engagecl in zrnusernent and pleasure. Those matters tvhich God has made incumbe~~t on them, such as to perfor111 their devotions, andto have a dread of the account and boolts of the day of judgment,--for these matters they never show any inclination"

The p h ~ n i s said to him, " In your opinion u,l~om is it advisable to send!" He said, '' My opinion is, that the par-

rot Gould be sent thcre, because among men, kin@ and I K ~ ~ & - , sitrsr s l ~ . v. 2;-27.

2 Chara&-.a bird of f ie hawk kind.

nobles, everybody, small or great, male or female, learned

or ignorant, is fond of him, and taI!cs with him. \Irhatever he says, they attend and listen to." Thc king aslced the parrot what he thought was 'advisable. He replica, ('1 am ready. I will go there, and, on the siclc of the animals, will contend with the men ; but I hope that the kiag, a rd all this

congregation, will unite and render mc assistance." The pllwnix inquired what he wished. He replied, " My object is that the king should pray to God r'or mc, that I may prevail over the enen~y." Thc king, in conlpliance wit11 his request, prayed to God for help, and all the congl-egation said, Amen.

The o~vl said, '' 0 king I if prayer is not accepted, then . trouble and labour are in vain, and unless prayer is attended with a11 the requisites, no rcsult foIJaws." Tire killg asiced what the conditions were for the acceptance of prayer, and told him to state them. The orvl said, " For thc acceptance of prayer, sincerity of purpose and p ~ r i t y of heart rue necessary. Like as a person prays to God w h e ~ l in the decpest distress, so should one fix the mind upon God at the time of prayer. And before offering our (special) prayers, the regular form o f prayer should be repeated, abstinence shoxld be observed: and we should show some bindnesi to the poor and needy: and then, whatever our state of gief and sol.row may be, WC should represent it to the Divine Majesty!' All said, " H e speaks the truth ; in prayer these things are requisite."

The king said to all the congregation, " Ye know that men

have so practised violence and oppression over animals that those poor wretches have at their hands bcen rendered ~sceedingiy miserable ; to such a degree, indeed, that, notwithstanding our being so far away, they havc come to seek refuge with us. And we ourselves, n~trvithstandin~ that we have greatcr strength and vigour than man, and soar to the skies, still we have f i ~ d from their tyranny, and have colne

t o hide ourselves in the hills and rivcrs. Our brother the

shunkir also having fled from their oppression, ha.s gone to dwell in the forests, giving up his abode in his own country. n u t with all this even, we cannot get deliverance from their tynnny. Having no remedy, the time for a struggle has arrived. ALthoug11 we arc so strong that any individual of

,;ght, if he liked, take up several men, and make spoil of them, still it is not befitting for the good to do such e5~il: or

to p y regard to their wicked conduct, We dciiber-

slew keep aloof and remit tLem to God, for in this world there is no good in fighting and contendil~g. They will 011- tain the fruit and results of it in the world to come."

)Zfter t1r:hai he said, ': How Inany ships are there which b v e been in distress through adverse winds, and we have helped them upon their course ? and how inany poor fello%'s are there whose ships have been broken by fierce winds, and w h a , when they begnn to sink and to drown, \VC have brought to the shore, so that God Almighty might be satisfied and fleasea with us, and that we migl~t in this way shorn Our orati:u& for Iqis mercies! For He has made US porverful

body, and bestowed upon us vigour and s t rengh md He, under every circmstmce, is our aider and helper."

I l,it. 8 , h:r'iing seen and known a!!."

W H E N the 6R11 lncssenger went into the pruence ofthe king of the acgaatic aniinals, and conveyed to him the

infelligence of the dispute, he also asse~nbled all his depend- el~ts a d adherents. Accordii)~ly, the fish, t l ~ e frog, the crocodile, the dolphiil, the turtle, BC., all aquatic animlr of eZ'Y variety, and of every for111 and shape, in accordancc vri& the command, coUected together. The king set forth, to them all that he had heard fiom the tongue of the messenger. After that he raid to the messenga, (c If d ~ e men consida themselves superior to us in strength u l d courage, 1 will immediately go, and in one instant I will spun out fire on t h e q and then dragging them down by the iorce of my breath, I will slvallow them." The messenger repiied, The). boast of no one of these things. but they consider themselves rtlperior in this respect, that they possas rhe greatest sense and wjr- dom, that they are icquai~ited with every science and a*, and know crafts Zmd plans, maintaining that these is no equal to them in sense and judgnlcnt.u

The king said, " Set forth in detail the facts of their science and art, that we also may know them.'' ~l~~ me.- senger said, * what ! does not the k n p b o w that by their science and wisdom they go down into the ocean1 m d bring up jewels froor its bed? By their stratagems m d mifiCes

lih?~h * l i l i l ? 1 1 . he Ocean, Or. i l a more i-esllrted sense, the ~~d

they climb up the mountains, and catcl~ing vultures and eagles, b r i n ~ them do!vil to the ground. In the same way, by their science and wisdom thcy construct a yake of poles, and placing it upon the shoulders of oxen, they lade heavy goods upon their backs, and conduct them from east to west, from west to east, traversinz every forest and desert. By thought

2nd wisdom they build ships, and embarking goods, convey them about from sea to sea. Going on to the mountains and hills, they dig and extract from the earth jewels of every kind, gold, silver, iron, copper, and a great variety of things. If a man goes to the bank of any rivulet, river, or stream, he can by the force of his kno~vledge bind such a charm that if a thousand crocodiles or dragons should afterwards go to t lut place, it would no: be possible for them to enter there. But before the King of the Jins the discussion is about justice and equity, argument and proof ; there is n o mention what- ex73 of power and strength, stratagem and artifice."

When the Icing heard all this from the mouth of the messenger, he looked intently all round upon those who were sitting around and befol-e him, and asked what in their opinion was the best course, and if there .was a n y one who

go and contend with the men. KO one gave any

answer except the dolphin, \v110 dwells in the salt sea, and is exceedingly friendly with men ; for when a person is drowning he drags him from the water and places him on the shore. He represented, ' l Among aquatic animals the fish is best fitted for this work, because she is l a c e in body and good in f i w e ; she has a fair face, white colour, and snaigllt body ;

is swift in motion, and in swimming surpasses eveq- thing ; in numbers she exceeds all aquatic creamus, and her off5pr,g is SO abundant that every river and stream, sea and lake are filled. And she holds a high position also in the opinion of men, because on one occasion she gave refuge in her belly to their prophet, and aftenvards brought h ~ m to his

Tlze Crocodile- home in safety. A11 men bold the belief that all the a r c h rests upon her back."

- .. Tile Ling asIxxi the fish what she Iiad to say about it, and

she replied, " I cannot in any uray go tilere, nor can I either contend with the men, because I have no feet wherewith to

ge t tllere, nor have I any tongue wherewith to talk to them, 1 Cannot endure thirst ; if for one instant I am pifed from the water, my statc becomes miserable. In my opinion the turtle is betier fitted for the business, because ile goer out of the 1vater stays also 011 dry land ; d~vdling i l l the sea 0, On the is all one t o him. And besides this-, his bady is s:rOfir and his back Lard ; he is exceedingly patient and enduring under trouble and pain."

The king asked the turtle what he thought advisable, 2nd he said, ''This work is impossible for me also. When 1 wall< 1nY feet become heavy, and the way is hr. I am also a poor ~ ~ I c w . and 10.. speeches are impossible for me. The dolphin is better suited for this, because he is very .nporous in his movements, and has great powers of speech."

The king asked the dolphin ~ v l ~ a t he thought advisable. He said, "The crab is best fitted for this business, because he has many feet, is swift in walking and runnin his talons are sharp, his claws hard, and his back nrong as if cove& with armour." The king spoke to the crab, and lie replied, 'L HOW can I go there ? my body is ugly, my back ~ r o o k d , mY f i ~ r e exceediugly bad. I should not like for tilere to be a against me." The king said, Wily should t!,ere h derision of you ? what fault is then in you ? " The crab ''When they See me they will ail say, who is this headless animal ? he has eyes ill his neck, a mouth in his breast, his cheelcs are split open on both sides, he has got cipIlt legs and they are crooked, and he goes alone face downwards as if made of lead. All when they see me will c r a c ~ joker upon me:" . The king said, " Who then is better fitted to go there

Tile crab raid, " In my opinion the crocodile is very well fited for this business, because his legs are strone

he has plenty of actian. He is swift in running his i s his t o n p c long, his teeth numerous, his body

hard, he is very patient, to gain his object he waits a long while, and rl,oiui no rashncsr l11 anything.'' The Icing asked the uocodile, and hc replied, " I am not at all fitted for this work, because tilere is great passion in me. Leapine, jump- illL "d running away with whatever 1 can ~et.--these are all derects of mine ; and, in fine, I am a thorougll cheat and impostor' When r6e messenger heard this he said, " For going on this business tllel-e is 110 need of strength, vigour, , trickev,but sense andgrarity, justice and equity, elaquence and fluency are the things required."

The said, There is no one of these qualities

2nd merits ill me ; b u t in my opinion the frog is the best person for this buiinei;, because he is mild and patient and devout ; right and lie utters praises in commen~omi0'J of cod, morn and ere be is engaged in praYer and fan- ing, He goer also into fbe houses of men. In tlie estimation of the children of l s rad his worth and honour are great, hecause once upon a time hc showed them this lundness that ,hen Nimrod Abraham, the friend of Gad, into the fire, he took water in 11is mouth and squined it on the fire, so that the fire was exringuiihcd, and took no i f i ~ t upon his body. Andat time, n hen there was a conflict between Moses and Pharaoh, he assistcd Moses. And he is eloquent also : he vtterp words, and is ever e n g ~ ~ e d in praising1 m%- nifying, and g-odiying ( ~ o d ) . HZ r o m s about b o ~ h on the land and in the water, moving on the land and swimming in the water ; this he knows. His nlenlbers atso are aPPr0-

pr, ; his head is round, his face go?d, his eyes bright, his hands and feet large, in movement he. is swift, a d he goes into the houses of men and show's no fear:'

T h e king said to the frog, ('What is the best in YOU' opinion ? " He said, " I am ready, heafi ai1d soul; ar6

am the king's subject ; whatever order he may is agreeable to me. If it is decided that 1 am to go there,

it quire agreeable to me. I having tllere tab the pn of my Own fellows, will contend w i d the me% 0.1 1 hope that king ivill Pray to God for aid and n s s i r ~ n c c to me, hansc the Prayers of on behalf of their $ubjec-s are In compliance with his request, the king pray& to

~ ~ d ; and alI Congregatioll said, Amen. Then the fmg too~c leave of the king,

procecding thither, he pres*nted himself before the King of the Jins. HEN the sixth mejsenger wcnt to the dragon, hil~g of W the reptiles-ic, chief of all theworrnsl andants-

and told him all the circu~nstances of the animals, he as soon as he heard it, directed that all the worms should attend. Instantly all snakes, scorpions, chameleons, lizards, green lizards, spiders, licc, small ants, earthworms, and, in fine, all worms which are produced in filth, and crawl upon the leaves of trees, all came and attended before the king. In such multitudes did they assemble that no one but God could have the power to c o u , ~ them. When the king beheld their wonderful and extraordinary forms and shapes, he was amazed, and remained silent for a moment. Afterwards, when having attentively considered and loo1:ed upon them, he perceived that there =ere very many creatures small and feeble in body, and deficient in instinct and intelligence. He became serious (and aslccd), "What can be done with these ?" He said to his minister, the scrpent, " I n Your opinion, is there any one among them suficicntlg clever to send there on the business of the dispute, so that he may confront the men ? for these creatures are for the most part dumb, deaf, and blind; they have no hands or feet at all, there is neither hair nor feather visible on their bodies, they have no beaks or claws, and for the most part they are weak and feeble."

1 Kira-a worm, p b , insect.

them, He bestowed strength upon some, but kepi others weak; to some He gave bulky forms and to others m bodies ; but in His generosity and beneficence He has kep them all eqval To every one of them he has given suinble means for securing zdvantage, and v!eapoos for-tl~c repl!ing of injury.

" In this blessing all are equal, no one has any s"priority over anofhex When H e gave to the elephant a bully forq and bestowed upon him enormous strength, He also made for him two long tusks, by means of which he is prrarved from the ferocity of rapacious beasts ; and by his trunlc he obtains benefit If R e gave to tile gnat a lirtle body, t l la as a substitute He granted ta him two wings, exceedingly fine and light, by means of which he flies and escapes from his enemies. All, small and great, are equal in that blessing by means of wl~ic11 they secure advantage and remain preserved from violence.

" In like manner, he has not deprived of this blessing men this species which out~vardly appear to have 170 hair or feathers. When God created them in this state He provided for them all the means by which they might secure knefit and remain safe from violence. If the king, having reflected, ivould look upon the facts respecting them, then it wolI1d be seen that those among them who are small in body and are feeble, are Iight and fearless in flight, so that they rcmain safe from every injury and are not disturbed about obtaining what is beneficial.

"Among animals in general those w110 are lays in body and have great strength, they by means of their strength and courage keep off injcry from themselves, like the &phant and l i o ~ , and other animals berider theur who have large bodies and great strength. Some by Reet mnninm and by Right remain secure from every danger, like the

the hare, the wild ass, &C. ; and some by means of flying nrnain

in security from all horrors, hike the birds ; and some b diving in the preserve themselves from peril, like the aquatic animals.

"And there are some which lie concealed in holes, like rats and ants. Thus God Almighty speaks in the story of the a t , ad says, ' Thc chicf of the ants said to all the ants,

Keep concealed in your ~ s p e c t + e dwellings, that S O ~ O ~ I O ~ llis army may not a s 1 1 YOU u n d u foot, for they do not

know (,here are)? And there are some who* skin and

hide God has made very hard, by means of which they are prerewrved from every evil, likc the turtle, fish, and those animals which are aquatic. And there are some who, by hiding their heads under their tails, reinaln safe from every injury, such as rhe porcupine.'

"And there are very many ways dso by which those szi& obtain their subsistence. Some by keenness of vision see, and by power of wing fly, and wherever they see anytl~inuog CO eat, thither they proceed, like the vulture and e@e. some by smelling seek their food, like the anti. When God created these animals which are very Small a d feeble, and did not give them the instinct and means for pining their daily food, He of His kindness relieved them from that labour and trouble.

Other animals are subject to t ! ~ labour and trouble of running away and biding ; but there (insect4 are w e d from thzt work, because they arc produced in sucll dweilinp and hidden places as are known to no one. Some are found in the g,,, some are hidden in grain, some are placed in the bellies of animals, and some in dirt and filth ; and for every one there is provided its food in that verJ place, without (rile necessity of) sense or motion, pain or toil. The power of suction has been given to them, by means of ~ v h i c h tl~ey, eu-

tracting the juices, make them the food of their bodies ; and through the effect of thosejuices strength remainsin theirbodies.

" Other animals wander abouc i n search of food and run away iron1 danger ; but these are saved from t h ~ : labour and pain, because God has not provided then1 with hands an6 feet to xvalk about ancl p i n their daily food, nor has He given them a mouth ox teerh to eat with, nor a throat through which to srvnllow; nor a stonznch in wllicll to digest, nor entrails and guts in which the ordure ntay be collecied, nor a liver to purify the blood, nor a spleen to suck up the gall of bIack n~clanchoIy: nor 1:idncys or bladder to dram off thc urine, nor veins for the bloocl to run in, nor folds in the brain

by which to give sou~~dness of insticct. They a1.e subject to 110 one of the chronic diseases, nor ha\-e they any need or ~hys ic . In short, they arc exempt from all thosc evils to which great and powerful animals are subject. Eoly is that God who, of His omnipotence, conveyed thcm to the object of their need, and preserved them from every annoyance and pain. Praise and thanks are due to Him who besto\ved such bIessings."

WIxn the locust closed this speech, the dragon said, " May God bestow a blessing on thy elocluencc and elocution ; thou are exceedingly eloquent anci flumt, learned and intelligent." After that he said, "Art thou able to go there and contend with the men ?" and he replied, " I am ready, heart and soul. At the colnlnand of the king I I V ~ U go there and be the helper of my brethren." The snalie said to him, "You must nor say there that you have been sent by the

dragon and the snake." The locust asked the reason of that, and he said, " Eecause there exists froln of old an unbounded animosity and enmity between men and snakes ; to such a degree indeed, tha t some men even cast censure upon God, saying, 'Why did He create them? there is no good at all in them : on the contrary, they are from besinning to end injurious and hurtful'"

TLc Suahc. 8 5

The locust said, ': kT'h4- do they say this ? " I ~ C rcplicd, rlBecause the). say that there is poison in our months, anti that use 2re of no use except (to cause) the desirr~ction and dedh of animals. Gut they babble thus stupidly through their ignorance and sillilless ; they know nothing about the true nature and valluc of a n y ~ l ~ i ~ l g ; consequently God has distressed them with tortures. In reality, ho\vcver, they all have need of these (snak?~), to such a rlegrce that kings and noblcs keep the poison of these animals in their r i n ~ s that i t

may be aseful on occasion. If they would carefully consider, and would ascertain the facts ancl the uses of thcsc animals, and would l exn what is the use of this p o i s o ~ ~ U-hich is in their mouths, then they mould never ask why God made them, aud say there is no good in them ; nor would they cast absurd censure upon God. Althougl~ God has made the

poison of these (snakes) the cause of the death of animals, He has, on the other band, made their flesh the mcans of counteracting that poison."

The locust said, " 0 sage ! set f o ~ t l ~ some other (of their) benefits." The snake said, "When God created those animals of which you have made mentio~l in your discourse, ancl gave to every species of animal the means and implements by the aid of which they might attain to what is beneficial and be secure from danget; to some He gave awarm stomach, that the food, after being masticated might be digeted and becon~e a part of their bodies. But the snake has no stamach in whiclx to digest, nor any teeth by whose strength he can chew, but instead rhere is formed in his mouth a hot venom by means of which snakes eat and digest. For when the snalie takes the flesh of any animal into its mouth, he casts upon it thishot venom; then the fleshinstal~tly dissolves, and he swallows it. So if God Almighty had not macle this

venom in their mouths, how would they have been able ro eat anything? Kourishn~ent would not have been F 111 an?.

wny procurable ; they \vou!d have perishcd from bunger, and no snake \voulcl be seen in the world."

- -. The locust said, " Explain this i What benefit reaches

aniinals from these (s~~akes), ancl w h a t good arises from their being upon the earth?" H e said, "Just as bellefit arises from the creation of other animals so there is ;ldvanoge gained from these also." Tile locrrst asked him to explain

thismatter fully, and he replied, God Almighty c rc~ ted all the rol-id, H e perfected evep individual thing

according to His own pleasure. Throughout the creation H e madc some creatures for the sake of others, and according to His wisdom H c furnished them with (necessary) instruments. H e did whate-r he kneiv to be for thc welfare of the world, but ever and anon, fro111 some cause or other,

mischief or injury happens to some. I t is not that God Almigl~ty involves them in this mischief, althougll to His wisdom the harm and evil of everything is manifest a1d open : but it is rather that it is not the habit a ~ l d custom of the Creator to refrain from making anything whic11 may tend to the colnfort and happiness of the generality of the world I3ecanse of its being injurious to a few. '' The explanation of it is this-When God Almigllty fonned

all the stars, among their number he made tlle sun to be a lamp for the world, and caused its warmth to be the cause of

the life of all creatures. In the wholeunivene the sun occu- pies a similar position to that of rhe heart in the body. Just a s the natural heat is produced in the heart, and, spreading through rile whole body, is the cause of its life, so from the

heat of the sun also there is benefit to (all) creation. If ever through the sun injury and damage in any may occur to a few beings, It is not right for the Creator to set aside the sun, and deprive the world in general of an universal blessing and consumm~te benefit.

"The same is the case of Saturn, Mars, and all the stars, throug-11 whom there comes prosperity and happiness to the

alrhough in a fe\v inauspicious hours, through an excess of heat or cold, injuly hlppens to some (beings). In the salne way God Alnlighty sends the clouds in every direction for the benefit of His creatures, althougll at divers times

falls npon animals in consequence qf them, or the houses of the poor are destroyed by excessive inunclations.

"The same is the case of all carnivorous and graminivororls animals-~f snakes, scorpions, fish, crocodiles, and insects. Some of these he has formcd in hlth and corruption, that the air mry remain pure from pollution. Oh, may it never happen that the air should be poisoned b y the exhalation of noxious vapours, and that cholera should come into the world, and that all creatures should perish at once. It is for this reason that all maggots and insects are generally produced in the shops of butchers and fishongers, and thar they live in filth. When these creatures are engendered in impurity, ,e their whatever was the essence of that impurity they mal- food ; the airbecomes pcre,and people arc saved from cholera. ~ ~ d ' ~ h ~ little maggots are the food of the big maggots, for these devour them.

In fine, God Almighty created nothing which is useless. Those who do not perceive the use (of a thing) cast reflections upon ~ o d , and say, L Why did He create it? there is no use in it.' ~ u t in truth this is all stupidity and ignorance, for those who throw unmerited aspersions on the works of God, know nothing of His art and power. I hiwe heard that same foolish people hold the opinion that the kindness of God is in accordance with the position of the moon.' If they wodd consider and reflect upon the circumstances of iiU existing things,they would learn that His favour andkindness is cornman to every one, small and great-for from His most boun- teous source gracious favours proceed for all creatures Every one, according tu his capacity, accepts His bounty."

1 Er. Does not ueviatC from the orbit of the moon."

CHAPTER XVIII.

1 N the morning, the reprcscntatives of a11 d e animls, having come from every country, asse1nbIed together, and

the King of the Jins came and sat in the public hal! to decide the quarrel. The attendants, in obedience to orders, made proclamation-" Let all the con~plainants and seekers of redress, upon whom tyranny has been exercised, comc forward and attend, for the King has talcen his seat to pass a decis,.on in the case, and the judges and lawyers al-e in attendzncc"

As soon as this notice was heard all the animals and men, who had assembled from eveq side, fell into rani- .S and stood before the King-making their obeisances and payii~g their respects, they began to offer their benedictions. The King regarded every side, and perceived that r multitude1 of every sort and kind, in great numbers, was in attendance Lost in astonishment, he remained silent for a nloment. ~ f t e r tint,

turning towards a sage of the Jins he %id, Q Do KC this wonderful and extraordmary assemblage of beings ? D

H e said, " 0 King, I see and behold them with the eye of my heart. The King, having seen them, is amared, hut I am wondering over the wisdom and power of that an-wise Creator who created tlie111, and formed for them shape of so many varieties and Idnds. He always nourishes them, and giras them sustenance. He preserves than fmm every danger ; moreover, they are (ever) present to His omnipresent know-

KhiIRaf-lit. ' a creation."

for God Almighty concealed Hiinself f r o i ~ the

of of discernment behind the veil of His splendour.

xvhere the imaginations of thought and fancy cannot reach, He made manifest those miracles that exW-y person of intelli- gm, might behold then1 ; and whatever there was behind hij veil of mystery he brought forth into the field of visibility: that men of perception, having sec11 it, might acknolvledgc His miraculous art, His incomparability, might, and unity: and should not be in want of pmofs and arguments. ': And the fornls which are visible in the corporeal world

are the similitudes and counterparts of those forms which exist in the xvorld of spirits. Eut the forms which are in that world are bright and transparent, and these are dark and dense. L I ~ as in pictures, there is a resemblance in every limb to the animals of which they are portraits, in the same way these fotms aIso bear a likeness to those forms which exist in the world of spirits ; but those forms are motive polvers, while these are set in motion.' Those creatures which are lower in degree than these are without instinct, motion, and tongue, whilst these have instincts. Those forms which are in the eternal world live eternally, but these are mortal and perisll- able."

-4fter that he stood up and delivered this speech-" Praise is due to that Creator who by His oinnipotence made all creatures manifest, and produced in this world s creation of so m n y varieties and kinds ; who having brought into existence aU those created things to (the comprehension of) which the intelligence of no created being can attain, H e displayed to the eye of every man of discernment the splendour of the light of His miraculous art. Havil~g hounded the expanse of thc world on six sides, He made time and lace for the comfort of (His) creatures. Having formed many degrees in the heavens, he appointed angels to each. On animals hc

- -

IiktJi-oneness. Active and passive.

bestowed forms and shapes of many varieties, and from the bountiful house of (His) munificence He granted them blesr ings of every sort and End. To those who pray and ~ ~ ~ p p l i - cate with tears H e has of His boundless favour granted the honour of near appro;lch (to Iiimself) ; but those who allow their finite intellects to pry into His nature he has h u l d amazed and stupified into the valley of perdition.

" Having, pliorto A d m , famed the ]ins from burning fire, H e gave them surprising and transparent form3 ; and brbg- ing forth all creatures from the hidden chambers of nonentity, Hebestawed upon them divers qualities and different ranks. T o some He gave a dwelling-place in the highest of the highest heavens, some H e cast down into the lowest depths, and some H e placed between these two degrees. And every one in this bed-chamba of the world H e has led by the lamp of prophecy into the royal r o d of saivation, Praise 2nd thank be to Him who dignified us with the grandeur of the me faith and Islam, and made 11s rulers on the face of the earth, and allotted to our kings the blessings of howledge and c1emencv.f'

- - J -

When the sage had finished the delivery of this discourse, the Icing loolced towards the congregation of the men. Seventy men were standing there, all different in person, and clothed in many sorts of garments. Among them there was visible a handsome person, erect in stature, whose whole body was qmmetrical. He (the King) asked the aadr avho this person was. and he replied, " He is an inhabitant of Ifin, and lives in the territory of 'I&" The King said, "Tell him to say something." The wadi- made a sign to him He, !raving paid his respects, delivered a speech, of which this is the epitome :-

" Praise be to God, who for our d ~ e l I i n g - ~ l ~ c ~ g~,, us those cities and villages whose dimate is ~ p a i o r to that of fhe whole world, and ~ 1 1 0 bestowed on us superiority over

of ~i~ rewants. Praise and laudation be to Him wllo g,e inicucct m d intelligence, thou~ht , wisdom, bnd P ~ L I - dcnce ; those \-ailous talents, under w~luhuse guihnce re esublisl~ed rare arts and wonderful sciences. He gave to us

and prophecy ; €iAm our race all these prophets were born, Noail, E,IOC~, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad the pure, (the peace of God be upon him, and rest !) In Our tf,be many kings of great dignity have been born, Farfa1CdJn, Darius, Ardashb, Bahdm, S n u i h ~ w ~ n , and several kings of rrdovn and govern- the Sassanian line, tvbo regulated the kin, nlent, army andpeople. We are the quintessence of all men, and men are the quintcsience of aIIimd5. Briefly, of the whole world we are the essence of the essence Praise is due to him F ~ O hestowed upon us the most perfect blessings?

gave US taletits surpassing a11 living When lllis man had ended tile delivery of his oration, the

King looked towards all the sages of the ]ins, and sxid, Have you m y afinvcr ;o give to this man ah0 h~ Set forth

his own ancl bar made his boast of them ?" They -id, He rp&q rhc truth." But the Skhibul ' t d -

who did not allow any one to speak before (lie had said) hir OV,FA say, mmed towards the man, and wanted to give an aaiwe,r to all those statements, and to detail the ignominy m d e r r o ~ of the ~ ~ e n . Addressing the sag% he said. " Ulis man has omitted many matters in his speech, and has nnde no mention of several great kings!' The Kin: told him to state them. He - a T1-h 'Ir&i has on~itted to Say in his s ~ e c h ,

thraugn the Deluge came upon the war14 and as mrnY m i n d s y were on the face of the earth were all drowned-- ,. of our race excited great discord, their intellects r e r e deranged, and all the wise men were bewildered. Among

Nimrod, the t ) - r a m i ~ l king, avas born, who cast *br.rhrm

the friend of God into the fire. From our race Yebuchad- nezzar appeared, who destroyed the Holy Tenlplc of ]emsa. lem, committed the OId Testament to the flames, iiaugh. tered the descendants of Solomon the son of David, and the children of Israel, and drove out the race of 'AdnSn fronl the banks of the E ~ p h ~ a t c s into the woods and nlourta(na H e was very tyrannical and bIoodthirsty, and lv2.s aluay3 engaged i n bloodshed."

The Icing said, " Urhg should this mail have steed matters? There was no benefit to him from

speak. ing ; rather it 6 ail a conclc~nnation or himself'. The ,y&i- h - 2 'fmi??~ai replied, " I t is far from justice and equity that at 'he time of 1 dispute one should set fonh all oness otvn cr. cdlefices and conceal one% faults, maliing neither ~penrance nor apology."

After this the King again looked towards th- assembly of men, and among them there appeared a person of wheat- coloured complexion, thin, slender, with a long &al-d, and a waist-~10th fastened by a red srring round hk Loin% asked the wazir who it was? and he replied, Tllji is a

Hindu, dwells in the island of Cevlon." The King said, '' Tefl him also to relate something about his affairs." Accordinglh in Compliance with the Kings command, he also spaLe :-

L'Thfinks are due to Him who for us granted an extensive and superior coulltry, where the nights ancl days are al\vays equal, where there is never excess of cold or heat, where the telnperahlre is agreeable, the trees fine and green, the

medicina1, the mines of jewek endless, the herbage edible vegetables, the wood sugar-cane, the pebbles rubies and topazes, the animals fat and sleek, such as the elepbanq which is fatter and bigger in body t h a ~ all beastr. A , - J ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ 0 draws his origin from thence. and in like manner mimds-for the source of all is under the equator In our

citieinlany and sages have appeared. Gocl Almighty

llas to lnm-ty wonderful and extraordinary arts : magic, and diril~arion-all these sciences he gave

us, f i e men of ollr country superior to all in art merit;. he So-~ibrr-Z'n~i>~zat said, " I f he bad introdticed

(these facts) also into his speech, ' We burnt our bodies, r.orshihippcd idols, children rere born (among US) froin the Pre- vl,eilce fornication ; and we have ail become depraved and dirpced: it tuould have been consanallt with equitfl

*(er mat fie King beheld a mm, tall in stature, v r a p ~ e d in a ,110~~ rhet,holdiug in his hand a written paper ; looking at it, md moving bacl;xards and forwards, he makes gestures. He asked the warir who the person was ? and he

This is a H ~ b r t ~ v of the tribe of the children of Israel, aninhabitant of Syt-iC-The Icing said, " TeN him to SAY

something? and the wazir gave him the sign (to speak:. He in ascordancc with the direction delivered a long speecll, the pith and essence ofu,hi& is this : - - " P ~ ~ S E is due to that Creator who bestowed on the cliildren of Ijraci adegree of excellence above ail the progeny of Adam. In their race &o he bestowed the propheticd o f h e upon Moses, the ipeilker with God? praise and thanks be to Him who made U, the foll~i~seri of such a prophet, and granted for us blessings of many sorts and ki;iddrl' The Sdiribu-Z 'azhzai said,

why does he not say this, L God in his anger having trans- fomnlea us, made us monlteys and bears, and on account of our idolatry =it US into ignominy and wretchedness ?"'

After t i~a t King again looked towards the asscmblagc

of men. There appeared a man in woollen g-ent.3 with ;I belt farrcned round his waist, and a censer in his hand, in which he kept burning incense, and making smoke. He spoke in modulated tones, and in a loud voice-' ~ l ~ e i(ing asked the warfr who he was? and he replied,

1 Who spoke with God." 5 Intoning.

Speech of the Greek- L' 7.h- ISIS . a Syrian, who is of the religion of the Lard Jesus."

The King directed that be should be told to say so1nething. The Syrian, in accordancewith the order, delivered a speech of which this is the si~bstmce : " Praise be to that Creator, who having produced the Lord Jesus froin the womb of Mary witl~out afather, gave to him the rniracuiour gifi of prophecy, and through him cleansed the children of Israe] from their sins, and made us his followers and adlp=-rnts. He produced in our race many sages and saints, and hu planted in our hearts mercy, kiadtless, and love of devotion. Praise be to Him who hzs given us such blessings. Besides these there are many other excellences in us of which I have made no mention." The SdhBwZ'mimat said, i c l t is tme, but he has forgotten to say this : " LITe havc not discharged the duty of serving Him; we *have become infidels ; rue pay worship to the cmcifix ; we eat the flesh of swine &er offering them in sacrifice; and we have used deceit and calumny against God! v

After him the King beheld a man, thin, slender, wheat- colo~red, wearing a waist-cloth, and wrapped in . sheet, standing before him. The King asked who it was and the ~ a z j r %id he Was a man of the tribe of Kumiih, and an inhabitant of Mecca. The King directed that he also should be told to con~municate some paniculvr of his aff~ii-5 ; a d in accordance with the order be said, 'l Praise is due to that God who sent for our sakes the delegated prophet Muhmmad the Pure, (may the peace of God be upon him, and rest !) and brought us into his religion. He ordained the reading of ~e K ~ r d n , the five-fold order of prayer, the fast of the Ram&,

the papimage (to Mecca and Medina), and d m * gave '0 US many excdiences and blessings, such as the night of power,' public prayer, and theologicai sciences ; and he gave

laiZat~~'Z-Xadr, r fsls! in c ~ E ~ R L ~ o ~ of the nirht *lIen the Xuri. began to descend.

to ,, the of bringing us into paradise. Praise b e to him rho bc"oYved upan us such blessings Besides these ihoe are many orher excellences in US, the detail of which

be vuy prolix." The Sdhib~-l 'm*xfit said. "U%Y don he not also ray, ' After the (time o f the) Prophet we .-do& religion, 1~eca.me hypocrites; and for love of this --- world slew the Imims ?' U

The King looked towards the assembkage of men? and he Fceived a man of fair complexion holding an arrdlbe and astronomical instruments in his hand. He asked the wadr who it was, and was told the Person a

Greek: inhabitant of t h e 1;nd of Ionia- The Kingdirected that he should be told to narrate some of his circumstances : and accordingly, in consequence of this cornman4 he said, cl Praise is due t o Him who gave US pe~fections beyond nlo* of Hi5 creatures; in our kixd He M produced fluifs and good ~ n g s all kinds and varieties. T h ~ o ~ p h His fayour

beneficence he has imparted to US v.~onderful sciences aeaoTdinaq arts. He h= taught us to discover the

v u e of e v e ~ h i n g , to make astronomical instruments, learn the economy of the leavens, the science of astronomy, arithmetic, astrology, geomancy, physic, logic, P~~~oW"'Y* and many other sciences besides these."

The Skharz Ifi&n~nt raid, I t is vain that YOU boast about these sciencs, because YOU did not found these sciences by your 0~ wisdom, but you learnt them from t h e learned men of the of l5rae1 in the days of Ptolemy, and you acquired several sciences from the learned men of Em in the days of . y d ~ ~ i ~ t ~ $ ~ After that, having given them currency in your countq, YOU now attribute them to yourselves." The king the G r ~ k rage, What is this which he says ?l'

and he replied, " It is true we have acquired many sciences

from ancient sages, just as many peoplc now learn from us. The course of operation in this world' is that benefit accrues to one person from another. Thus the learned of Persia acquired the sciences of astrolo,~ and astronomy from the sages of India, and in thc same way the chilciren of Israel got the sciences of magic and enchantment from Solomon, the son of David."

After that a person appeared in the last rank, robust in form, wearing a long beard, and looking with earnest faith totv;?~-ds the sun. Tlxe King a s h d ii~lio he was ; and the wazir said he was a Rhurrisinf. The King dirccted that he should be told to nlention some few facts about himself. Accordingly, in obcdience to the command, he said, ' l Praise be to God, who has given us many kinds of blessings and distinctions. KC has made our country to excel all countries in the extent of its prosperity, and by the mouth of His prophet He has introduced our praise into the 1)ivine L ~ o r d . Thus there are many verses of the ICurin which bear testimony to our eminence and virtues. Verily, praise is due to Him who has given to us a faculty of religion greater than to any other men. I3ecanse among us there are many ~vho read the Bible and Gospel, althoogh they do not understand the meaning of them, and besides, they consider the prophetic power of the Lords Moses and Jesus to be a verity. And some read the K u r b although they do not understand its import; but still they acknowledge in their h e ~ r t s the religion of the prophet of the latter days. We pnt on mourning garments in sorrow for Im5m Husain, and we exacted the requital of blood from those who caused him to be slain; and from His grace we are hopeful that the appearance of the Im&n of the latter daj~s%ilI be in our country.'>

The King looked towards the sages and said, "What reply have you to make to this man, who has vaunted

1 Ki~-Kfidna-Iit., workshop. The ImBm JI&d(.

said, If t h q h d not his glov and dignici ?" adu~iel-ers, and C Y U ~ inell, and had not been fornicators, ,,d mmn, the11 t h c r e matters

the 511" a have been a gmllnd of boa*-"

XVhen all the men

,l, h,yhea tlleir respectivc &!Pities and cried Gentlemen, the evening

the court attendants ,,_ come ; you are dismissed ; again in ..- morning-"

CHAPTER XIX.

N the third day, a s all the men and allimals were stand- 0 ing in ranks before the Kink he looked towards them all, and the jackal appeared in the front. He asked, " Who art thou ?" and he replied, I am the representative of the animals." The king said, " Who sent thee?" and he said, a The Lion Al~li'l Haris sent me." He said, "U7hat country does he dwell in ? and who are his subjects ?" The jackal said, He dwells in the woods and wilds. and a11 beasts and cattIe are his subjects." He asked. "Who are his allies?" The jackal said, "The hunting leopard, the hogdeer, the stag, the hare, the fox, and the wolf, ali are his fl-iends and allies." The king said, l' Describe his figure and character." The jackal said, " He is bigger in form than all animals, and superior in strength; in awe and dignity he surpasses all; his bosom is broad, his waist fine, his head large, his fetlocks strong, his teeth and claws hard, his voiceloud, and his form terrific. No man or animal is able, through fear, to go in front of him. He is upright in every matter, and has no want of friends and allies for any business. He is so zenerous that when he has taken prey he divides it among all animals, and he himself eats according to his necessity. When he sees a light from a distance he goes and stands near it, and then his rage abates. He rends neither woman nor child. H e has a great liking and love of music. He is afraid of nothing except the ant, for this insect prevails over him and

o~spring, like as the gnat prevails over e ~ h a n t s and and fie fly

man." The King said, "What Son of

maimennt does he exhi\,it towards his subjects l'' He said, ,c ibo,vs great hnd,less and attcntian to his S L ~ ~ ~ C C ~ S i i '

,d this he Said, 1 will set forth at lenSh his PecU-

F T E R that tllc King cast his regards on the riglit hand 1% and an the M, u-hen sudclcnly a voice Bii upon his ear. H e perceived the locust imparting motion to his tneo wings, and singing with an exceedingly soft voice. He asked him who he was, and he tepiied, '' I am the represcmative of all the wonns and ants, and tlleir king sent me hither." He asked him who he (the king) was, and where hc dwelt, and he answered, " His name is Dragon ; he dwells upon high hius andmountains near the region of cold; where there are no clouds or rain, and no vegetation at all. Animals perish there from the severity of the cold." The King aslted xvho were his arm). and subjects and lie said, All m a t e h scorpions, &C., are his army and ru!iects, and they live in every place upon the face of the earth." The King asked why he had sepal-ated from his anny 2nd subjects, and had gone to live upon sucll an acclivity. He answered, 'l Because there is a poison in Ifis mouth, from the heat of which ail his body burns. Through the coldness of the icy region he dr\.clls there in c0111fort." The King told him to describe his appearance and character. He answered, IIHis appearance and character are exactly like those of the ~ea-re-pent!~

The King said, " Does any one h o w the qualities of the

sea-serpent so as to describe them ?'l The locust said, The frog, who is the ambassador of the aq~latic animals, is in attendance in the presence ; deign to inquire of him." The

giq looked towads him. H e was swnding on a llilllock by the *ide of the sea, and was engagcd in praycr and praise. The King asked him ~ 1 0 he rvas, and he said, " I am the

of the king of the aquatic animals." The King

then commanded him to colnnlunicatc his Eame and abode.1 Tile frog said, His name is ' Sea-Serpent ;' hedwells in the salt sea ; a11 the aquatic animals, turtles, fish, frogs, and crocodiles, are his subjects."

The King told hrnl to describe his form and appearance, and he said, In bulk he is bigger than all aquatic animals.

His appenrance is txtraordinal-y, and his figure terrific ; his body2 is long ; a11 the animals of the sea are afraid of him ; his head is large, bis eyes bright, his mouth broad, and his teeth numerous. All the water animals he catches he swallows in countless numbers. When, from over-feeding, he

gets indigestion, 11e bends his body like a bow, and supports himself by the strength of his head and tail, and thus pro- truding the middle of his body from the \vater, he elevates it in the air. Then, by the heat of the sun, the food in his belly becomes digested. But often, when in that state, he faints, and then the clouds which rise from the sea rake him up, and cast him 011 the d ~ y land. H e then dies, and becomes the food of wild beasts. But sometimes being raised aloft with the clouds, he falls tvithin the confines of Gog and Magop, and s e m them as food for several days. In sl~ort, all the animals of the sca are afraid of him, and flee from him ; but he is afraid of no. one, except a small animal, about the size of a gnat, of which he is greatly in dread. For when this creacure bites him, its poison affects the whole of his body, and at length he dies, and all the aquatic animals assemble, and feed upon his Aesl~ for a long time. Just as

he devours other animals that are small, so do they all con-

Nishdx-mark, sign : seat, address, A7dm o nishdn-name and address. 9 Kadd-lit. s!ature. C.

gregate and eat him. The same is the practice of birds prey and other birds. Sparrorvs and others eat gnats and ants, and sparrow-hawks and falcons make prey of them. Then the great hawks and eagles and vulturcs prey upon

the sparrow-hawks and falcoi>s, and devour them. And finally, when they die, all the worms and ants and small creatures devour them.

" The same is the case with men, for they all eat the flesh of deer, hog-deer, goats, sheep, and birds ; and when they die

little worms devour their bodies in the grave- I t is the same case with the whole world. Sometimes the big animals eat the liztle ones, and sometimes the little ones use their teeth upon them. Hence the wise have said, L The death of one is the p i n of another.' And so God Almighty has said, (Arabic, i.e.) ' We make the times to change from vicissi- rude to vicissitude among men, and no one knows this fact but the wise.' "

After that he said, "I have heard that a11 thc men suppose that they are the masters, and that all the animals are their slaves. How is it that they do not perceive, after the account which I have given of the state of the animals, that all animals

are equal?-there is no difference between them. Sonletimes they fecd, and sometimes they become the food of others. I cannot understand what the men have to boast about over the animals, for their position is just the same as ours, the good and evil will become manifest after death, all will mingle in the dust, and in the end they will return to God"

After that he said to the King, ' L When the men advance their claim to be the masters, and to have all the animals as their slaves, this trickery and false assertion of theirs give rise to great astonishment. They are exceedingly stupid to utter a statement so contrary to sense. I am surprised I~ow they can {venture to) declare that A1 rapacious, grazing, and hunt-

1 KrOn, Siirat iii. v. 134.

ing animals, dragons, crocodiles, serpents, and scorpions, are their slaves. Do they not know that if the wild beasts were to come from the forest, the birds of prey from the mounta~ns, or the crocodiles from the sea, and were to n ~ a k c an attack upon them, not one man yould be left remaining? (These creatures) would come into their countly 2nd destroy them all-not one man mould cscape with life. Do they not d e a n

it a mercy, and do they not render tha11ks that God has placed all these animals far away from thcir country ? But those wretched aninwls whom they keep at their abodes in captivity they subject to torture night and day. Hence (these men) are filled with conceit, and vithout proof or argument advance such a senseless claim.

After that the King looked to the fi-ont. The parrot, seated 0 to the words of every upon a branch of a tree, was listenin,

one. The King asked him, ' L Who art thou?" and hereplied, " I am the representative of the birds of prey-their ling the phenix ('Ankd) has sent me." The King asked him where the pilenix lived, and he replied, ' l He resides upon the loft): mountains in the islands of the salt sea. No man can pass

to that place, nor can any ship even ~roceed so far as tllat." He said, Tell me the particulars of that isla~d." He replied, "The land of that place is v e q good, the climate temperate, the fountains sweet-tasted ; there ate many sons of fruit-bearing trees, and animals of all sorts innumerable." The Ring told him to describe the form and appearance of the p h e n i , and he replied, " In size he is bigger than all birds, in flight he is strong, his claws and be& are hard, his wings are exceedingly broad, and when he moves them in the air they seem like the sails of a ship ; his tail is long, 2nd when he flies the mountains are moved by the force of i t5

motion. He takes up and carries off elephants, rhinoceroses, and 0th- large animals from the earth." The King directed him to describe his character, and he said, " His character is

104 V~zr'iEtics of l T ! l .

excellent, and at some time or other I wiII espatiatc upan it."

After that the King Iooked towards the congregation 0:

men. These, seventy persons of every variety of fonn, and wearing garments of divers kinds, were standing there. said to them, " Reflect and ponder over your answer ro all this that the animals have spoken.'' The11 he asked them,

Who is your king? " and they replied, "We have man)- kings, and each one dweUs in his own k i~~gdom HIB his a m y and people."

The King asl~ccl, !\hat is the reason of this ? There is only one king among the animals, notwithstanding d~e i r great numbers, while among you, notwithstanding your paucity, are there many kings ? " A11 'Tdki (Arab) beIanging to the party of men answered, 'l Men have many wants ; their positions are diverse ; coilsequentlg many kings are required for them. But this is not the case among animals ; and among them he is king who is biggest in form. Among men the reverse of this often happens, for their kings arc freqllently weak, delicate, and thin; because what is required from kings is that they should be just, equitable, and benignant. Tbey o u ~ h t to have consideration and kindness for the lot of ever). mnii

"Among mankind there are great diversities also in the royal servants. Some are soldiers bearing arms, aho repeI every enemy of the king. Tlueves, knaves, romes, and cut- purses are unable, in consequence of these (soldiers), to create uproar and disturbances in the cities. Some are ministers, financiers, and secretaries, by whose means the administration of the country is careec? on, and the funds are colIected for the amy. Others are they who produce grain by cultivation and husbandv. Some are judges and l a ~ + ~ e r s , who enforce the mzndates of the law among mankind ; for religion and law are necessary evcn far kings, that their subjects may

gga astray. Some are merchants and tradesmen, %rho ,-my on i, business of buying a ~ i d selling in every country, and some are destined for service only, like slaves and dome~tics. In l i b manner there are many other classes who

necessary for liins, without whom business lt~ould be interrupted. For the same reason men require my chiefs, so that these in every city may applytllemselves to the Pvernment and regulation of their respective peoples, and that no kind of mischief may spring up.

1L And it is not possible tlmt one king should carry on the govement of all mankind. For in the whole world there

many countries, and in each co~~nt ry there are thousands of cities, in which lms of people live-each one's Language different, and fie various. I t is impossibie for One

man to government of ail countries, consequentl~

ad Almighty has set up nmny kings over them. All these monarchs call themselves the vicegerents of God, for God has made them the possessors of their countries and the m.sters of their slaves, so that they may bus!' themselves &out the of their kingdom, 2nd provide effectually far protection of his servants. Th" they should have compa~ioo and show kindness for the condition of evely

mankind, and one, enforce the mandates of the law amon, restrain them from everything which God has prohibited. Verilv, is the guardian of every one. He creates and , . gives food to ail."

The BLX.

CHAPTER X X I .

fie dfai~~ qf&e Il'fitg qfZ/lr

W H E N the man ceased speaking, tile King fllrned hir thoughts to the animals. Presently a gentle voice fell

YPOn his ear. H e perceived the king-bee,' tile monarch of the flies, flying before him, and engaged in singing be praise and of God. H e asked who he was, and the mrtver Was, '' I am the king of the insecn." The Icing then inquired why he had a m e , and why he had not, like the ot 11th animAs, Sent some one of his subjem or of his army as his messenger and representative." He replied that he felt soIicituda and com~assion fortheir state, so that no tmuble migllt reach any M e of them. +he King observed, "This virtue is nor (found) in any other animal ; why then have you got it ? X

He said, "God Almighty, of His great favour and ,,,c,,, bestowed this ~ i n u e upon me, a d besides this he has piven to me many ather distinctions and e ~ ~ e ~ l e n c e r . ~ * r h e directed him to detail some little of his exccllca,-es that he also might know them.

He said, " God Almigl~ty ha5 gi, to me and to my ancestors many blessings, and has "t ay to participate in them Thus He has bestowed upon us the honour of sovereignty and the prophetic o&ce, and llas ca-nied down this inheritance to n)y ancestors from generation to generation. H e has not given these two blessing. other animal. Besides this, God Almighty has taught us the ' "yd$d6,'' supposed to he a male, not a qurcn-bcc

have ir

gimce of geolnctry and many arts, so that we constrnct our habitations with great excellence. He has made the fruits and flowers of the whole earth lmful for us, so that we eat ficm without a~xiety. From our saliva he har made honey, and from that comes healing to all ~rrankind There are texts ,f the KurAn which arc explicit upon this our exaltation.

Our appearance and character arc proofs to the heedless ,$ the skill and power of the hlmigl~ty-for Our forms are very delicate, 2nd our appearance is exceedingly wonderful. The Lord has placed in our bodies three joints. The n~iddic joint he has made square, the louver part of the body long, and the l~ead round. H e has also made for us four hands and feet resembling the ribs of L s e ~ n g u l a r f i ~ r e , with W b a u y , 2nd suitable to onr size, by means of which we alight and rise UP. We construct out houses Upon such an ex- uuent plan that the wind can never enter them, do any

mischief to ourselves or our young ones- " the of our hands and feet we collect the fmit,

ad f l o t , ~ ~ of trees, and whatever else we find, a d store than in our dweJlings. On our slioulders He has made favr %6ngs, by means of which we Ay, and in our stings H e h= placed some poison, through which we are raved from the wrongs of our ene~aies. He has made our neck5 slende"

that 0, heads with ease to the right and to the left.

on both sides of our head He has given us two bright eyes, the lighr of which we see everythmng. He has also made

mouth by which we know the plearuns of eat% and lips also he has given us, by ihe aid of which we collect

g. materials of auifood. On our stomach H e has besto~ved .U,+ powers of digestioi~ that it makes the juices into honey. which honey is food for oorse~ves and 0- Young ones, in same as H e has given to the teats of quadrupeds such p m , that by them the blood is transnluted, and becomes ,a %&g then that tli. .41mi~hty has bestowed all these

TAe Bee. blessings upon us, to what extent shall we ahoxv our gratitude? It is for this that, having consideration and kindness for my subjects, I bare taken all this trouble upon myre& and have not sent any one of than."

When the bee ceased from speaking thc King cried, Bravo ! a hundred times bravo ! You are very ffuuet md

eloquent. True it is that God has bestowed these bIeningi on no animal besides you." After this he asked, (' Where are your people and your troops ? " He repIied, " Upon the hills and mountains, and upon the trees ; u~herevcr they find convenience there they dwell. Solne hax?e g m e into fie countries of the men, and have selected their hauses far their abodes.;' The ICm: inquired how they found secufiry from the hands of men, and he saicl, " M a y hi& themselves from them, ancl so escape ; but u~lenever the men get an opportunity they annoy them, often even they breait their bonep combs, destroy their young ones, and take away the honey and eat it among them."

The King asied why they submitted patiently to man's tyranny. He said, "We beu all tYs tyranny; but same- times we are SO distressed that r e depart iron, his terntow Then men, to make peace with us, bring forward mrny devices. They rend us all kinds of presents, it)- of rases, per

&c- : they beat dntms and tan~baurincn, and, in fine, they satisfy us giuiag to 11s all sorts of presents and rarities, h our nature there is no mallgnity or evil ; we make peace with them and rctum to their abodes. But for all this they are not satisfied ; without pmof or reason they assce that they are masters, we are slaves."

CHAPTER XXII.

tllai the king-bce asked the King how the jins s~,owcd their roverein and chiefs, a d

beg& him to sate particulars. The King said. "They show their obedience and S U ~ I ~ ~ S S ~ O ~ to t h i r chief,

and whatever commaad he issues they obc~.'' The X%-bee =ked him to enter into details The King said, "In the fmily of Jinr there are good and bad, believers and U*- b e h v e r ~ , just as there are amollg men. Those who are P o d &orr o b e ~ c n c e and sybmirsion to their chiefs in.a degree t t is impossible for mall. For the obedie~~ce a d s u b s - viency of Jins is like ~ d a t of the stars. Among these the sun lloldl the dignity of kinq, and all the stars stand in the position soldiers and subjectS. T b ~ d h l r S is comma11de- iechief, Jupiter in judge, Saturn is treastlrer, M ~ C U ~ Y is minister, Vellus is consort, the moon is heir-appareni and

like solldicsi and subjects, because they are sub-

to the sun, and move according to his motion i when he S,,,, all aire~red, and they ne ro transgress 'heir as- - . . to,, znd limits."

~h~ ing-bee inquired where the s taa had acquired this pefiecti~n of obedience and regulality The King raid, ulhis d e n c c has becn obtained by them from the

~vho are all the heoldierr of the Almilht~, render

obedience to Him.. he king-bee said, Of what cllaracte~

is the obedience shown by the angels l '' H e said, such obedience as the five senses pay to tbe reasonable soul ; they require no regulating or directing." The bee said, PIeasC to describe this fully.'' The King said, " T h e five sensfi need no command or prohibition in bringing to the notice and Imowiedge of the reason such things as are perceptible by them. When the mind directs its attention to the inverti. gation of anything, they, witlioul hesitation or delay, corn- Pare this with some ather thing, and communicrre (the to the mind. In this same way tbe ang& shoi7 Uieir obedience and subjection to God-tvharevcr order js gi.en they instantly execute.

Among tjK Jins there are villains and infidels, and although in they pay no obedience to their king; still bey a n better than villainous men; for many Jinr, nofrvitbstanding their infidelity and error, m a h no failure in their obcrJjence fO King Solomon. Although he, by the forcc of his occult 2% brought many suffcrings and hardships upon them, still they stood 6rm in their obediom. Whenever a man, in any

or jungle, repcats a prayer or formula through fear of the b s , they inflict no kind? of injury upon him so long as he remains in that place. If perchance a Jin obtains the mar- t e r i aver 2 W o w or a man, and an exorciser performs incantations and exorcisms to the chief of the Jinn, for his deliverance, they instantly fiee. And berid%, there is this proof of the excelfence of their obedience. Tile hophet (may the peace of God znd rest be with him !) was onceread- ing the Kurdn in a certain piace where some Jins passed by. AS Soon as they heard it, all of them became Musulman5, and going back to their tribe, they called many to the Mullammadan 1-cligion, and caused them to share in the blessings of the true faith. There are severzl texts of the Kur5.n n'hi~ll speak upon this subject.

' I Men are the VeV reverse of this. Their disposirions

hjl of inhddity and ~vickedners ; the)' are a1to:dha puffed

ap Oft" to gain some advantase they

side from path of righLeousness and become infidels

apostptes ; they a n always cnsaged in murder and strife on the face d the eartl~. Fu~ther , they Pay no obcdience

m their own prophets, and noturithstandi~lg miracles and wonders they are became rank heretics. If they in qpearance sho\v obedience, still their hearts are not fire horn infidel if^ and wickednesg and inasmuch as they are ,,*id and erring they do not mderstand an@ina. But for d1 this thur pretension is, t h a they are masters, We are s lavec mn tile men that the King continued talking with

~i~ chief .ftEe flier, they said, "It i s V U Y extraordinary that t,he chief of the insects shauld hold a position near the which no &er animal has attained." A rage of the Jins raid, G oar be at this, for the king-bee in chief ofthe flies. m o u g h he is sma8 and thin in body, he is still ve1-y intelligent and wise ; and be is the chief and Orator of au the insects. He tezches t@ all animals rules

qowament and sovereignty. And it is the rule among kings to converse with such persons of their own race a s share with them in royalty and rule, although they may differ in form and appearam. Do not take the idea into Ymr head that the 6 n g , (or any object or desire, will show partiality or indulgence to them. m fine, the King, looking toivzrds t11e men, sai4 ''%*bat-

erer the min~a ls have made of Your tYrmny has been au heard by gm, 2nd they have a150 Sven their answer to the which you have made. NOW then c0m1unimte all that tllere remains for you to say." Thereeresenrative of the men said, There are m y ercellencu and talents in us uhich iestify to the honesty of our chin>: The directed him to a t e them. i h e man of R h ' said, " we

1 l' The Grzek."

Sfiill of the Atat, &C.

=e acquainted with many sciences and arts, and we excel all animals in wisdom and counsel; the affairs of this world and of the next ~ e f u l l y provide for. From tllis it is obvious that we arc the masters and the aninlals are our slaves.n

The King said to the animals, W h a have to say about t120~e merits which he has described ?

~h~ COngre. gation of animals having heard these words, l o v d their heads, and no one gave any answer ; but &er an hour the repre~cntativc of the dies said, This man opines that men arc Wjuainted with many sciences and afijfices , i n virtue of which ihey masters and the animals their slaves ; bur if these men ivauld think alld consider, they ivould ].-am after what fashion We order and settle our

and that in dam and counsel we are s~~pel-ior to them LVe haue sucll

proficiency in the science of geometv that without or compass we draw circles of a11 sorts, and tri;mgular md 4Uadranp~lar $ures : in our dwellings we connmct nu rafis of angles. Men have learned the ruler of sovereignty and government from US; for we station porters and guards at

Our abode$ 50 that no one can approach our king 7v;thout letmission- We extract honey from the leaves of tree% and when we have coIlected it, nve sit down mfo; tab ly in houses and eat i f with our young o n e . What&ver remains Our leaving., all these men pick out and tdce for their oJvn use " "0 one has taught US these arts, but they are

to US from the Almighty, SO that without the and aid of fmchers we are versed in so many a r t s If the men have

the conceit to think that they are masters a d tile animalr are their slaves, then why do they eat our leavings. 1t is nOf the practice for kings to eat the arts of slaves. There are many matters in which men have need of us, but there is not one in which we have m y necessity for tl1un. Therefore, this claim without proof cannot be gain& by them. '' If this man would only look upon the doings of the mt ;

hblv7 n o ~ p i t h r ~ ~ n d i n ~ his tiny form, he conStn~ct5 all t_uous dIvellingr under the ground, SO that how great Soei'er m2t, be the inundation, no water can ever enter therein i how he Lollect5 and stores grain for his food, and hoiv, if any of it

ever let5 rakes it out and dries it in the sun i

tao the s d breaks in two pieces a11 the grains iihich arc 1iILeIy to germinate. In the hot season lnMY ants ulemb~E in large carayanr and go about 0. evers side in

of food. ~f m alt discovers anything which horn its reizhr he is ~~1abl .e to lift, he takes a little of it 2nd goes to , i s , . Then the ono ivho marches at their head t h s 2 slnail portion it as r sjin~ple by which tlu r ecog~se C and goes to the place ; afterrardr they 211 conF%Tate, and ~ t h great foil labour carry it OK If any one ant is l a w

his u~rl; they beat bin, and drive him off Thus, if this ivavld he would find out ~11;ir s e a t science and intelligence the ant possesses.

m the same \MY, the lomrt, eating and drinking d ~ i n g the spring harvest, when she gets fat, goes and digs a hole in some ~ f t ~ o u n d and lays her eggs. She then Covers thern ,th ea,-th flies a\my. %'hen the time of her death a rves . the birds ear her up, or she perisi~es from excess of heat or , , l In the fo~~o-,ving year, when the spang reason returns, and weather becomes mild, a little young one is produced horn the egg like maggot, which creeps on the ground and feeds upon the grass, W-hen its wing, are developed, it eats and denks till it gm~v..I big, and then in the Wular it

lays ifi and hider them in the ground. 1" this way gear gear the young ones are produced,

'g ~ i ~ , i l ~ ~ l ~ , sik-\vorm., which for the most Part live nPon the eees of the hills, but more e s p e c i ~ ~ ~ y 0" the mulberry- fie, wllen they grow fat h the days of S P ~ ~ L S P ~ thcir muas on rhc trees, and sleep therein in

ease.

up they lay their eggs in that same ~ o ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,

and then they depart. The birds then devour them, or they die of themselves from heat or cold. The cocoons remdn in safety all the year, and in the next year the young oner are produced from them, and these crawl about upan the t ress When they become plump m d strong, they in the s a c wry lay eggs and produce youl~g ones.

IQ-~sPs forrn their colnbs upon walls and trees, and deposit therein their eggs and young ones. But &y do nor amus any food ; day by d r y they seek their sustenance, and in rb time of winter they hide in holes and crewces and die. TIleir skins relnain there all the winter, and do not decay or melt away- In the spring season, by the power of tod , life again Comes into them, and they, in their usual manner, build their drvellings, and produce their young ones.

''Thus 211 insects, having brougl~r forth their young, nourish

them entirely out of tenderness a d kindness, not the expectation of services to be rendered by them ; different indeal from men who always entertain the hope of kindness and benefit from their children. Gcnemsity and liberdity, which are characteristics of the great> are never m be found in them ; thentvhat thing have they to boast about over US? Again, flies~ gnats7 mosqujtoes, and other insects which Iay eggsJ feed their young ones, and build houses, do not do so merely for their benefit, but that after their death other insects may come and find comfort. Because evev one of them h% a full assurrnce of his own death, and when the days of mar.

are complete, with resignation and cheerfulness it paser away in the following y a r , God in His power reproduce. them. verz~ these do not under any ~ i r c u m s t a n ~ ~ ~ deny Him, as many men deny that there is a resurrenion and day of jud€Pent. If man could but understad these facts about the animals, and how greatly they excel him in &e.r plans for this life and the next, he would not boast of being master, and having the animals for slaves."

when the ieprerntativc of the fie5 closed his speech the King of the j i aa was nluch pleased, and P raised him. Then ~ " m i n ~ to the asse~nblap of men, he said, "you h?-ve heard all that he hu ; h a w YOU any m r r e r l e t ?" Then one penon of'them, m A d , said-u There arc man7 virtues and

god in us, b y which our claim is established.' The

king directed bilrxto mention them. i ie said-'' Our life parsCS by viril Feat pleasure. Good things, of e\lery kind and Sort, ae promrable for cmr food and. drink, which are not even

by animals. \Ve eat thc pulp and kernel of the fruit ; ,hey s,-aIlor dnd and stone. Besides this, eat $Weet- meat,, cakes, and confectionst in VCat variety- For the "-

of our can5riiution~ WC Call h ~ e dal~cil% and music, lupbrer and merriment, tales and stories. we wear beautiful garments and jewel. of all kinds, md Tve lai. down (for our US.) felt, t.a.pestly, drugges, cloth, and many different so* of carpets- where can r11e animals all these artides?

They cat the grass of the forest, and bein% quite naked brr night and by day, they are sub~ect like siaves toil and labour. All these things are proofs that we are masters, they are slaves."

~h~ nighonpl+ the representative of the birGs, Was sitting in front a branch of a tree, and thus addressed the ~i~~ :-a T G ~ man, V ~ O is boasting about thevarieties of his food and drink does not that all these are in red it^ woubler and torments him." The King asked how that *S, and told him to exphinin. He said, " In this

dat

endurc many hardships m d troubles for the sake these

comforts- Digging the ground, -ploughing, cOns@Ucling reapbg, weighing and bridges, irrigating with water ; Sowln-, g-inding ; kindling fires in Ovens, c0oki47 wL"g- ling rith bufchers about moat, keeping accounts with shop-

1 7bclixt gives t j ) ~ ~~~~S of S Y ~ , but are "' tmnsLubic

into English.

keepers; cndurirlg toil for the salic of gctiin: moncyj rtudriol science and art, giving pain to their bodies, travelling into distant countries, and for two farthings standing n-ith t h r r hands clasped in the presence of noblemerl. In fine, lvith all this iaholv and effort they amass tvealth and property, vhicll after their death Llls to the lot of others. 1f it has been gained in a lawiul u7a>7, a aa t i s iac to~ account can be given of it, but if it has not, it is torture and tcmcnt.

I' m'e arc sealred from 7111 thcie priss and torturer, because Our food is merely regctablcr ; xihatever springs from the earth, ire, without b l ~ o n r or troublq mrlie use of. We eat the various fruits rllich God Almighty, of His power, bar crated for us, and to Hiin we nl~vays pay our thallk. Care al,d scareh for meat and drink never enters into oar n1ind.j ; wherever 1.e go, by the grace of God, everything (we need) is pmcurable ; but tlleie (men) are ever writhing in anxiety about their food. h d as they consume many different kindr of food, So do they- surer many pains and torlnella, and are subject to chronic dirmses, vapours, headache, cholera, palsy, fic-doiOreux, ague, cough, jaundice, fever, hectic [ever,, boils, P ~ ~ P ~ C S , itch, nngl~orm, scrofula, gripes, diarrhea Wnonhaa , e l e ~ l l a n t j a ~ i ~ , p~lypus-in fire, they are subjecf '0 discascs of all Sons. For medicine and physic they run and r=on to [he ~ O L I S E S of docto~s; but for

this they ,~ifi impudence declare, 'We are masters ; h e y arc our ~ l ~ ~ : r r ~ f The man repiied, ' Sicl~ness is not a t ail p e r u l i ~ to us ;

beasts d s o are subject to most d i ~ a s e s . ~ ' He re(orted, saying, "When animals fall sicl;, it is entireh through asrociation and intimacy with you. Dogs, cats, pigeons, ~ O W I ~ , ~ o d animals who are in bondage to you, do not obtain their na-

tural food and drink ; consequently tI:ey fall sick. ~ h ~ s e animals r h o roam about at r i l l in the jungles pl-eserved from every disease, because their times of eating and drinking are fired, and there is no deficiency or excess in thegum-

tits. But those animals who are captives to you cannot P I S S

thor &ay. in their natural manner ; they eat food a t UnSea- sonaa~e ~IOUTS, through hunger they eat t~ excess i they no not keep their bodies under control, and consequently from - - time to time they fall sick.

There is also this reason for your children being diseased. p n p a n t women and nurses, through greediness, eat that uns$trble food of which YOU boast, from which foul humours a0 prodLlced ; a le milk is vitiated, and tllrougb its effects cKldren are born ugly and always liable to diseases. Tllroroui??' there diseases they ire rubject to sudden death, to the agonies

diaolution, and to sorrow and anger in fine, YOU are in\rolved in these evils from the effect of Your own works, but we are preserved from the111

i r o f all the kinds of food to be found in )lour houses, honey h &c choicest and best. You eat it and emplog it in your medicines ; but i t is the nwxS of ~ ~ S ~ C I S ; it does not arise from any art of yours ; then what have YOU to boast about ?

and you equal (partners) in eating the remaining

f&is and grains, and frorn of Old Our anCeStOr5 and your mce,, ha", mntinued to be on an equality On this matter). In those dry$ when your great ancestors, Adam a d Eve¶ \vcredWelling in parsdisc, eating t l ~ e fruits of that place without foil i a b m , and feeling no kind of anxiety (0' need 00 mrkion. our ancestors d s o there shared with them those comforts and blessings.

'When ancestors, being deluded by their e n e m ~ , ~ ~ ~ g ~ ~ the munsel .f GO^, and showed theu greed for a certain g_,, they were expelled from thence. The angels, having a where there were brau& them down, cast them into a plac- neither leaves nor fruit : what mention can there be then of (deed) fruits ? Fol- a long period they kept weeping "their gjef. .At l e q t h God accepted their repentance, and P ~ T ~ O P - ~ ~

their sin. He sent an m g d to them, who Calne and t au~h t H

them how to till the ground, to SOW, grind, COO?<, and to make garments. In fine, day and night they were subject to these troubles and labours. When many children were born to them, and these began to live in every place, whether wood or field, then evil doings began against the (animals) dwelling on the earth. Their abodes were seized, some were made prisoners, and some fled. Making all solis of snares and nets, they pursued them in order to capture and confine them. At length, matters have arrived a t such a pitch that now you stand there boasting, expatiating on your dignity, and rmdy for contending and quarrclIing

'<And when you say that you have parties of pleasure, that you are occupied in music and dancing, and pass your days in luxury and enjoyment ; that you wear fine clothes and jewels of all sorts, and that you have many things besides these which we cannot get-this is aU true; but ycu havefor every one of these things its opposite of pain 2nd toEnent, from which we are exempt. Thus, instead of parties of pleasure, you sit in the house of mourning ; instead of happiness, you endure grief; instead of music and laughter, you weep and feel pain ; instead of fine houses, you sleep in the dark grave ; instead of jewels, you wear a collar on your neck, fetters on your hands, and chains upon your legs ; and instead of praise, you are subjected to derision. In fine, for every joy you feel a corresponding sorrow. But we are exempt from all these evils, because these are the troubles and pains which befit slaves and miserable creatures.

"Instead of your cities and houses, we have this boundless plain for our use. From earth to sky, wherever our hearts desire, we fly. We pick and eat the green verd~~re on the banks of the rivers without let or hindrance ; free from toil and labour, we eat our suitable food and drink pure water ; there is no one to forbid us ; we have no need of ropes or buclic-ts, bottles or pitchers-all these th ing are required for

p, rhat you may take t l~em on your shoulders, c m y thcm &out from place to place, and sell (the water). You are ever liable to labour and trouble ; these are all distinctive marks of slaves : how then is it proved that you are the masters, \ve the slaves ? "

The King then asked the representative of the men if he had any other answer left. He replied, " W e have many er- ce11ences and distinctions which testify to our ddlrn!' The

told hihim to state them. A Persi;ml runong them said, <.God Airnighty h= bestowed upon us distinctions of many bds-religioh prophecy, and the revealed Word,-dl these biersings He has given to us. Having made known to us what is lawful and unlawful, good and evil, he liar restricted this (kno\vledge) to us, in order to bring US into paradise. . . Ablution, purification, prayer, fasting, sacrifice, a b s g l m Z , sxying prayers in the mosques, preaching i n pulpiu, and many other acts of devotion H e has taught us. these

distinctions afford evidence to this, that we are masters, they the slaves?

The representative of the birds then said, " If you Were to and conrider, then it would be found that these things

are troubles and hardships to you.'' The King inquired. what k n d of trouble.'7 He said, " Gad Airnighty has

established all there modes of worship in order that their sins maybe forgiven, and that they may not be able to go asway. bus He rays in the KurPn, ' Good deeds prevent evil ones:' ~f they do not act upon the rules of the gu, b e n they a n disgraced in the estimation of God. In this fear they continue occupied in devotion. We are Pure from

and have no need of the devotion of which they boast. And God m i g h t y has sent prophets to those people, althaugl'

1 m, pfi,ed ~t has . f iydd, ~ e b r m , but it is obdo= that the q&er is a Muhammadan. probably an l n f x i Or P e ~ i m .

2 K&", SJrat xi. v. 116.

they are infidels, idolaters, and sianem, who do not per(orm worship to Him, but are occupied nigl~t and day in debauch- ery and wickedness. We are free f ran~ that idolatry and sin ; we know God to be one and vithotlt putner; and

2, engaged in His worship. The prophets and messengers God) are like the physicians and astrologers. These people find the need of physicians when they are sick and ill, and they entreat the astiolo~err (to tell them) d things inauspicious and 111-fatcd.

UAblution and pnrification have been made duties for you, because you are always snciean. Night and day you pass year time in adultery and . . . . . and your bodies are of foul odour; hence Uie command of purification for you. \lTr abstain from these things; during the whole year we apprrn& each other only once, and that not for lust and gratification; for the sole object of the perpetuation of our species we do ' the deed. Prayer and fasting are duties with you an this accocnt, that thl.ough them your sins may he pardoned. We do not comnit sin; then ~ h y should these be duties for us l Sacrifices and duxgiving are incumbent upon you, because YOU mulate late great wealth by lawful and unlawlul means, and do not bestow it upon deserving people. If J-ou expended it On the poor and needy, then why would alm.-giving be made a duty for You ? We take compassion and pity upon our fellows, and never accumukte anything through avarice.

"When you say that God Almighty has revealed to texts of t h e Kurfin relating to things la$dul and

to penal laws and the laws of retaliation, all thin for your instruction, bcacse your hearts are dut Tbmllgh smpidiry

and ignorance you do not know what is bene&iai, what in. jurious ; consequentIy you require teachers and masters. But God Aln~ighty makes all things h o w n h us ,vithouf the intervention of prophets, as He himself says in the K ~ ~ L ~ ,

: ~~d slid to ay, build your house upon the hills.' -4nd

in one place he says, 'Ever)- animal kno~vs its PnYer

praise.' And in another place he says,' ' God NmightY rent a crow to go and dig the ground, and show Cain that he also, in the same way, might dig the c a d , and b u y

of his brother." When Cain saw ir he said, ' What a pity it is that 1 have not got as much sense as the crow, that I mi&t similarly inter my brother's bier.' Indeed he felt ., great regret on this matter.

V~&nd f l~a~ YOU talk about YOLK going into the mosques religious houses for the purpoK of ~ u b l i c pra>-er ; but for this we have no necessity at all ; to us every place i s a mosque m d temple;' wherever we c ~ s t our eyes we perceive the divine presence. Neither have we any need of prayers on Sabbaths and festivals, for we are always engaged night and

in prayer and fasting. In fine, all those things you boast ~. -

about we do not aU require." When the messenger of the birds had thus finished speak-

ing, the IGng looked to the men and said, " If you have anything &p left to say, then speak." An li&f out of the assemblage of men answered, There are still many superior qualities 2nd excellences in us by which it is establisl1d that we are the masters and the a n i ~ n d s are our slaves. Thus we have various garments to adorn and beautify us-shawls, goid embroidery, silks, brocader, fun, mixed fabrics of silk and colton, prz-badan, muslini, fine Mahmbdi rnus~in. s f l h satin, flowered muslin, lace, chequered ~ 1 0 t h ~ ; v ~ i o * kinds of carpets, dnggets, and felts ; and besides all these, get many other fine things. Hence it is a s c e ~ i n e d fhat we are the masters, they the slaves, for where can the animals net all these things ? They wander about stark naked in the

1 Ku&. SSlrat xri. v. 70. a K&", Sfirat xxic. V. 41.

3 Rurin, Sli-at V. v. ++ A 11 altars are the mountains and the bil~s ."~&'~*n-

jungles like slaves. All taese gifts and blessing. of God are proofs of our domination; it is right that we should E,,,,

lordly authority over tbem, and do with the~n as we they,are all our slaves."

The King asked the aninzls if they had any answer to give '0 this. The jacW, the ambassador of the rapacious beast$ said to the man, "As you are boasting SO lnuch about your fine and soft dress, tell me this, Where Were ail &ere d$- fcrel~t guments in the first age? perl lap~ you to& them by tyranny and riolei~ce fram the animals." he m m asked wht.time he was spcaking about ? He raid, Of all the garments that you possess; the finest and the softest are the bra- cades and silks, these are made of raw silk, and that comes from the mucus of a worn ; and this rvorm does nor bdong f O the race of Adam, but is a species of insect, whicll for its 0% Protection spins (aweb) with its mucus on &trees, so that it may be sheltered from the evils of cold and heat. ' np forre md t w ~ y YOU have torn it from these insects; conrcqucoily God made you subject to this punishment, that you have to it, with labour spin and weave it, and then to get it sewed by tailors, and washed by rashermen. Indeed you suffer SO much trouble and kbour about it, fiat you carefully keep it and sell it--you are always writhing in aniietynbaut it

" So there arc other garmenu which you weave fmm the fur 2nd hair of many animals, and your finest garments are gene- r n l l ~ made fron1 the wool of animals; with force aad.yjo]e.ce You tear them from the animals, and then appropriate t h m to Y O ~ ~ S ~ I V ~ S . 3'0 make such boar of this is improper. ~f we were to boast thereof, it would become us, because God Allnighty

produced it on our bodies, that we might malce it ,-over. ing a d dress. He, of His compassion and kindness, be. stowed this dress upon us, that we might be protected from cold and heat. God Almighty brings forth this dress upon Our bodies at the time afben we are born, and of His kindness

it ail withiil our power, without any labour or tmuble of ours. ~ u t you aixvays, till your dying breath, x e involved in trouble about it. your ancefors l'cbelled againn ~ o d , and in requital thereof YOU arc subjected to

t<is trouble." The King said to the jacl;ll Relate to US the facts about

11, beginning of the race rf Adam." H e replied, '' when God created dam and Eve 11e provided food and covering for the,ll like as he did far the animals. Accordingly, the= two

li* in the East upon the Ruby mount*l~% under the equator. ~t the time He created thon they Were quite d e d , but &ir emire bodies re re covered with the hair of their heads, and by means of this same hair they u7ere protected from the cold and heat. They used to stroll about in the

and eat the fruit of all the trees ; h e y underwent kind of toil or labour like as these people

now forced

undeqro he divine command Was, that the7 were to eat the fruit of the garden, with the exception of one tree \"hiCh they not to approach Thmudl the hg~il". of satao they &isregarded the direction of Cod- Then the)r lost their superiority ; the hair of their heads fell off, and

became quite naked. The angel+ by divine expelled thm from thence, i n the W3Y that the doctor

of fins the circvmrtances length in a fOnner chapter!'

when the of the rapacious beasts had thus

a man said, Y 0 M~U, it is not fit and right for

, before us; it is better for YOU to be silent:' The

jackd asked for orhat reason ? He said, " BernSe the hmab there is no one more wicked and vieious than you; no more hard-heam& pnd none '0 greedy to devour cadon you

good for nothing but to wO*N ani-

mals, .nure ih- bmt upon their death and destruc-

tion." arked, HOW i-) fiis And the man replied.

Because ;11I rapacious beasts prey upon a11d devour animals; they crush their bones and drink tl~eir blood, md never take any compassion upon their condition."

The representatire of the carnivorous beasts raid, 6. ~f

do inflict this treatment on the animals, it is all through you, instruction, for without that we knew nothing rv]1aterer about it* Becore the time of Adam no rapacious b e s t preyed upon aninmib; when any animal died in the woods and d d s , they used to ezt its flesh, but they did no injury to living beasts. SO long as in i n y place they found flesh lying on rhe groulld, they did not tearauy animal; but in the time ofwant and extremity they were compeUed to do

j!:hm 'Vere created, and you began to catch and confine g o a ~ , sheep, COWS, own, camels, and a r m , you did not allow any animal remain in the jungle ; then h o l ~ u;rs their flesh to be obtained in the jungle? Having no rcsouxe, we tool; to

preying upon living animals ; and this is lawful for just as it is alloaable for you to cat carrion in time of earerne necessity.

' When You say that the hearts of rapacious beash aye bard and mercilas, we do not find any animal complaining of us lilce as they complain of you And you my dro, that .-ami-

vorous beasts ear open the bellies of animals, their blood, and eat their flesll; but you do just the fbiEg. You cut them with hives, slaughter them, flay thenl, rip open their bellies, ~ u r h their bones, roast them, and eat t b m -all these practices oure their origin to you. WC do not do W- If you ~ ~ 0 ~ l d consider and reflect, then you would un. deTstand that the tyranny of the rapacious beasts is not equal t o your o m , the representativeof the cattle has stated t h e first chapter YOU also pursue such a course t o b ~ a r d ~ =,-h other, and towards your kindreed, as the animdr h o w nothing about. " when you 611 us that no goad comas to any one from

us, this is dear, that benint comes to all of ).Qu from Our sw and hr. The birds of prey XISO v110 are in bonds with p u , hunt tl~eir prey and feed you with it. But t d l US what ad,~anta, the animals derive from you. The injury is a p parent, for you slaugi~ter them, and eat their flesh. But p, sti.gj11e~~ towards US. is rucll that YOU buP/ Your dead in the earth, so that are cannot get to eat them-

" you ray, that tile rapacious beasts kill a d ravage 2"- ; but the rapacious beasts having seen YOU

SO, have

the usage. From the days of Gain and Abel ta the present time, continues to h. seen

3'0'' "ie d1'w5

engaged in war Thus, Rustam, Isfnndiyhr. Jam-

ihfd, z u ~ k ~ ~ f i d h , Afr&jiyib, \liodchihr, Dbr& Islcandar, and were d,vay-i occupied i n massacre and slaughter, and in it passed amy. Even now YOU are in dis-

turbance and ; but far 111 this YOU boast

a b u e the rapacious beasts, and unfh fraud and fake pmenrions to YOU' authority orer them Have you ever the engaged in War and *rife, and

to i n j w other like as YOU 60 ? if YOU

inquire into the of the wild animals wit11 considera-

tion and c a q you would learn that they are far better yourselves"

~h~ d r r s a d o r of the men inquired if there was any poofof this, and he replied, " Those of you who are devout your dominions, and 90 Out into the mOuntGns md jungle., where the wild beasts have their abode, and

kep up A warn, acquJnfance night and day, nor do the wild beasts te-?T them. Tbexfore~ if the wild be=u were not better than YOU, then t'h~

your

holy ma devout men resort to them ? Far pious perate pmple do not resort to the wicked, rather do

flee

t_ horn them. This is a proof that the wad beasts better

than you.

"Anotller proof is this : when ).our t y r a ~ ~ n i c d kings haire any doubt about the probity a11d purity of zi)y man, &ov drive him out into the jungle. If tlie wiid beasts do not tear him to pieces, they understand fmm that fact that he is righteous devout ; because every species recognises its otvn fellowJ and the wild beasts knor i i~g him to be righteous do not molut h i m True it is ' One u i n t hors anofier* VeiilY there are bad a!~d vicious ones among the wild beasts, but is tbjs ? nlE there not good acd bad in ever)- spedn' Even the beasts which ere bad do not tear to i w e s rile good ancl riCteous, but tlleyclevour the evil men. Thus cod AI- mighty declares, ' 1 make tyrants to prevail over tjr'm~s, that they m y obtain the recompense oftheir rills:JJI

ivhen the anbassador of the rapacious b e a t s finished this speech, a philono~her belonging to the company ofIins said,

He the truth ; those people who are good d u n the bad associate l*itIl the good, although these belong to a diffmnt species ; and those who are bad flee from fie good

to go and associate with the ~vicked if were nor evil and V ~ C ~ O U Y S why sllould heir devout and holy nun go and dwell in the wiids and mountains, and there conceive affection for the wild beasts, n o ~ ~ t b r t a n d i n ~ that they belong to a distinct species Get~vcen these and those there is no appveot dmi- Lrity ; still in good qualities they surely mu* be ~ ~ f i ~ ~ r J J All the congegation of Jins said, "He $pc& the h t h - there no doubt Or ~i'I~ertai&y about iL" The nlen on every side, mrhcl~ they heard this condemnation 1.d censure, Were greatly ashamed, and hung down their heads. Mean. while evening came on, the sovn rose, and all taking leave, went to thek own dwellings.

Kudn, SJrat. vi. v. rag.

L he all the men and animals attended the

IY of justice. King told the men that if had

any proof of their ciaims to adduce, they we" to state

it A Persian raid, fi There are many laudable qualities in us 4 \\.hich our claim is established."

The King directed

him to set tlhem forth, yid he 5.14 In 011' race there are fings, ministersl not,les, ~crretmcs, financiers, revenue Offl-

mgyate, arsiaa~\u, mace-barerg ~en~allt', cers, mab and many other dasser besides these i

humane men, scientific me" holy devotees,

abstinent people, preachers, poets, learned rnell, virtuous

m,, judges, lawye" &a, grammarians, logicims1 physicians, geometricians, a s ~ ~ i o g e r s , SO0

thsayers, interpreters of

dreams, dchemir~~, and magiu- ; men of trade, buildus~

weavers, cottansar~ei~ ~ h o e r n a k ~ s , tailors, and other m- merouE chssri. Of all thew classes each one has i t s dis- tinn mords laudable q"Liitie5, and its distinct and apppprovrd instimtes and arts An these "e'lences and qudiues are peculiar to ; the animals do not share m t h e c m rqnm this it is evident that W e are the manerr,

and the ani-

. - -..- mals our slaves."

When the ha& ended his statement, the parrot said

to the E(mg, 6' This man is boasting about hi. m w 11 he would

the varieties of the birds, he

undastrnd that, as opposed tO these, the varieties of men

'30 Thc SoztL!

and kind. All this is a proof of His kindness and mercy."

Tile King asked who \%as the chief of ti~ore angels r h o had been appointed for the protection of m n . The %ge replied, '' The reasonable SOU] ; for since the tinle of Adamps creation this ha5 been the partner of man's body. Those who, a the divine command, paid homage to ~ d ~ ~ , they are 'Animd Life,' and they are subject to the reasonable soul. Tlley who did not pay bomzge are the pasdon of

and the sensual lusts. They caU this also rblfs (devil). reasoll2ble Soul StiU remains among the descendants of

Adam, in the same Way aS the Corporeal form of Adam rtifi survives. are born, and they continue in that form, and in the day of judgment the sons of ~ d m will fire jn that form, and enter into paradise."

The King asked how it was that Le angels m d the senses were not visible. The sap replied, It is because fiey are erhered and &ansparent, and are not perceptible by the nlO*al senses. The prophets and saints, h o w i , thmugh purity of heart, behold them, because their s e a r s a e free

the gloom of folly, they are watchful against the slum- ber of h e e ~ e ~ ~ n e s s , and their senses are similar those of the angels Hence they see them ; and hearing fheir words, they communicate them to their felious.J7

The King having heard these detlilr, s ~ i d , $hy ~~d reward Then he looked towards the p m t , and told hill1 to finish his qeech. He said, This man mainwins that there are many worlcmcn and mechanics jn his race ; but this is no proof of his superiority, because among us also are many animals who share with them in those

~h~~ fly (bee) possesses greater ability in building and repairing than their architecrs and engineen,' for it buildr itr house without eaRh or bricks, or lime or mortar. 1. (he drawing

L Lit. " geometr;c.ans."

dlineP circles it ha, no need of r u k or cOn~P~"Cs ;

it,ese (men) marciialr and t o o k So JSO tilere is the

is the wvcakcrt of all insects, but V'hich, in %,,irninlag and ,vca,.iog, bs grexter &iil than all their wealrers-

fint place, he draws act a thread from his sdix-a i aftc' wardn, having formed it into a kind of ladder, he firmly at- tWba it ' 0 al~ove, and keep5 Open a smdl IPaCe in fie centye, for the p~rporeof capturing %er. in this of he has no need of materials ; vhereas their reavers cannot weave anything without stuff-

:< So .gain there are silk-WOrmS, whiih 7.t-e verl feble, but which pmsess g"*et- s & n e and skill than fit+' i ror laen- when have and are satisfied, they come to their dwclling-p~ace. Then, i n the first place, they ?in some fine kind of lines from their saliva ; these they afiewards at16LCh

(0 Overhend, and make it firm and suong, so that *.ither nor water can get iioo it, and h 4 accordin?

their cllstom, thg.simp. i ~ 1 this ski11 they have acquired (he ted?ng of parents or mastern ; neither do they

or thread ; but t h e i ~ irrriiors and damers can b nothins "thout them. The s w a ~ ~ o a r also build their

hanging in tile air under the cave+ and require neitha ladders nor al1fihing of the kind to get up to them

h e white constructs her house i t h o u t mud Or watm,

requiring nothing for the work Y ln fiLle,

beas= and bird5 make houses and neds,

and supPO* their offspring. They have greater intelligence and skill mm. For instance, there is the ostrich,

is allled both to bird and beast, with what care does

.hE1 for the ~ w i s b m e n t of her Young When the

em_ oa to or thirty, she divides them into three lots : she SeCUres in the &h, some she exposes the beat of the run, and some she keeps under her ""3- w h ~

I ~h~ ter( rqrnscnts tke male 3s doing thisis.

agood many Young ones are hatched, in o d e r to sustain them she digs up the ground, pick out tile ivorlns, and feedr her !oua,a ones. But among mankind no roman nowjshcS her children in this nay. Nurses and midvviucn attend m them. soon as they are taken from the womb and are

born, they bathe and mash them, \\-et nurses feed and 1~11 d1.m in cndlcs-they do everything ; the motIler of the child takes no heed of it. '' Their children also are excessively stnpid ; they h o i v

"0th'"' at .l11 of what is beneficial, what injurious. After the). arrive a t fifteen or twenty years of age they get to years of discretion. Still they require mast,, and teachers ; they Pass their d r r s in reading and writing, d e r they 'main the biggest fools in existence 6u t \!,hen our W n g Ones are born they are from the first instant aware of what is good and what is bad. Thus the young of fowk, paeedges, and quails, as soon as they come out of the egg, run peckiing ab*uq and if any one tries to catch them, they run away from him- This knowledge and inteliigence has hem corn- municated to them on the part of Grd Alnlight); fiat their may knowwllat good and what is bad. The reason of this is, that among those birds the n1a1e and female do not assist other in feeding then% as pigeons and orher birdr do ; for DOnng there latter the cocl; and hen unite in feeding their Young It is for this that God has bestowed on young fowls such int~uigence that they do not depend upon their Parents for support, but of t1lernselves peck and feed. They do not need to be supplied d t h milk, or fed with grain, like

the Young of other animals and birds. Then, is the hishest in the estimation of God Almigilty? Bight and

are employed in prayer and praise to Him, and consequa~tly he h s taken a11 this compassion upon our state.

'' You say that in your race you hare poets and preachers,

51udrnts and rmenlI>ranccr~ ; 1 bxt if you undentood the language of birds, the praises of the reptiles. CXP~CSS~Q"

d faith of tile insects, the laudations of 111~ ~ C ~ S S , the re- citds d the IOCLIS~., the pra~crs of :he frog, the s:llnonJ of fie ~ f ~ f b i r ( , the lecturer of the sait~-.Elirvd?r, the Sumlnons to of the cock, the cooing of he pigeon, the predic- urn, of the C ~ O \ ~ ~ , the eulogies of the sraiiow, or fhc iarl1ing to fear by the owl-if, besides these, you knew the Far- licularr of the devotion paid by the anti, flies, &c-, the11 P* ,iroo~d l;notv that amens them also there are fluent and eh- qnenf poets preachers, studeots and rnemori&sts. Thus God Almighty says, C Everything pays its devotion in praise of G ~ J , lIut gall do nor L ~ O N it:l ~ o d has, tl~erefore, given

you inclination towards ignorance-that is to SzY. you do not underr&their praises ; but to Us He has given a turn far k~~oxxledpe, and has said, ' Every animal knows ifs form of pRise.l -0 then, as the ignorant and the learned are l,ot anequ$ity, we hare the superiority over Ym. ~h~~ .hat maltcr have you to boast about, and with frmd and ulvmny to say, We are the masters, t l l e ~ the slaves ?'

~~d then have made a Statement about astrologers,

but asvology is practised only among ignorant people- women and ,-hadren believe in it, but it is held in no eslecnl

wise. Some a~trol~gers , in 0d" '0 delude fo01s7

declare t b t ionx prrtict~lu incident will happen in such such a in ten or twenty yead t ine; whereas they

kn, nothing about their own affairs, what will happen to them, or xvill be the condition of their chiMr- f he7

nremenrn about some distant countli some time -beforehad, so that people may think they speak tmlj', and mxy haire faith in them. The only people who place reliance on the of astrologeri are those who have erred and are

I L&+, remembm, w110 f ek gratitude. ~ r e s s c s ii 3 I(urjn, Shrat d i . 49.

3 d. %)L+. 41. I

rebels (against God) ; such as the tyrannical and violent kings anlong men, who deny. there is any future state, and ~vho do not believe in destiny-Nimrod and Pharaoh. for instance. These kings;upon the statements of the astrologers, had hundreds, even thousands of children put to death. They usedto believe that the regulation of the world rested upon the seven planets and the twelve signs of the zodiac, They did not know that nothing happens without the command of the Lord, who made the constellations and the planets. True it is that

' 'Gninst fa:@ no plans prevaiL' After all, what God willed came to pass.

The l%istory of this matter is, that the astrologers had informed Ni~nrod that a child would be born in iiir reign, ivl~o, after being brought up, would attain r hi$> pontion, and overthrow the religion of the idolaters. When he asked them at what place and in what family the child rould be born, and where he would be brought up, they could not tell Xiin; so they said to the king, 'Give orders that all children born during this year rh l l be slain ;' tbeir idea being, that ilre child would be killed among them At length God Almighty created Abraham, the friend of God, and preserved him from the malevolence of the infidels. This u n l e kind of treatment Pharaoh dealt out KO the children of Israel; but here also God Aln~igl~ty kept tile patriarch Moses safe from his malice In fine, the predie. tionl of astrologers are all fables ; fate is never to b. ended, and yet you boast and say that you have astrologers and Eager in your race. These men are only fit to delude sil~ners, m d those who put their hurt in God pay no heed to tlieir words,

Whell the parnot had reached this point of his speech, tile King asked him, " If the prevention of evil through the itus is impossible, then why do astrologers study them and establish (the fact: wit11 proofs Z and why do they fear them i:' He said, " The prevention of the evil influencer of the rtu.

is certainly possible, but not in the way the astrologers maintain. I t is (to be effected) b y secking the help of God, who is the Creator of the stars." The Kingaslced how the help far this was to be sougilt of God. H e replied, "B); acting on the commlnds of the law, by weepil~g and lamentation, by prayer, b y fasting, by making offerings and giving alms, and by worshipping with sincerity of heart-this is (tl~e way of) setin. help of God. 14henrver any one implores God to prevent (the inampiciour influences of the stars), assuredlr God does preserve him. The astrologers and soothsayers givf information before the occurrence of events, and SaJr Gob Almigllty will Mng this event to pass; but is it not better in matter to pray to the Lord to prevent Oc-

cu~rcnce, rather t11a11 to act upon the rules of a~trolo?ZY(' The King said, If by acting on the com~nands of the law

evil is averted, it follo~vs of necessity that what is predestined by ~d is set aside," He raid, " The divine predestination does not change, but whcn people make their supplications to ~ o d for its pevention, He preserves them from the event so the astrobgcrs informed Nimrod that a child ~ o ~ l d be who ,~ould be the opponent of the religion of idols- , and ,110 ivauld throiv all his subjects and m y into co~~fu5ion, it .uri Allraham~% the friend of God, who was thus indiclted ; and Gad Almighty having created him, brought low rind dcstmved Nimrod al,d his army by His hands. But if at that time 2;imrod had prayed to God for safety, then the m h t y in f i r mercy would have brought hinl into the relidon of Abrah;lm, m d he and his anny would have been raved from dishonovr and destruct io~ SO d s o when the astrologers ~ I I O U D ~ ~ ~ to Pharaoh the. birth af Moss, if he llad his supplications to Cod for safety, Gad would hatre brought him also into his religion, and have pruerved him from di=hallour ; in the ssiine manner as the *ilnight5' gave to his !vice, and bestowed upon her blessing

of the true faith. The tdbe of Jonas zlso, when they were beset with troubles, prayed to the Lord, and He gave thcm a refuge from their ills."

The King said, " I t is true-the study of the stars, the prediction of events before they happen, and prayer to God fur prevention of thase evils-these all are things of which the adwntagc has been understood. For this reason hloses gave this admonition to the children of Isracl, saying, ' When you are in dread of any calamity, then pray to God with earnest supplicatio~l and mourning because He, through the sincerity of your przyers, will preserve you from that occurrence.' Begincing from Adanl, and (coming down) to the time of Muhammad the Pure, (may the blcssing and peace of God be on him !) this practice has always prevailed, for them to give this direction to their follorvers ~ v l ~ e n any accident befell them. Tlterefore it is proper for us to act in this way as regards rhe behests of the stars, and not as astrologers in these days delude people to forsake God, and fly (for direction) to the revoiutions of the skies.

"For restoration to health of the sick also, one should first turn to God, for a perfect recovergmay be obtained from His grace and kindness. It is not right that we should turn away from the court of the true Healer, and resort to physicians. S o a e men, ar the beginning of their illness, apply to physicians, but receiving no benefit from their remedies, they in

thcir despair bctake themselves to God. Frequently even, with great importunity and lamentation, hey write out statements of their cases in petitions, and hang these up on the malls or pillars of the mosques, and God grants them a cure.

"So it behoves us to resort to God against the influences of the stars, and not to act upon the delusions of astrologers. Thus, there was a certain Icing to whom the astrolagers had given information that an event rvould liappen to his city, full of danger to the inhabitants. The kixg inquired how, but

they could give no explanatlon ; still they acre able to tcll this much, that the event rvould befall on such and such a date of such and such amonttl. The king inquired of his people what ccurse ought to be pursued to avelt this calamity, and they who were Ieari~ed in the law replied, that the best thing was that on that day the king and all the dwellers in the city, small and great, should go out of the town into the fields, and there make supplication-and weeping before God, for the averting of the evil ; then, perhaps, God might save them from that calamity. In conformity with thcir declaration, on that day the king left the city, and many people also went forth with him. Then they began to pray to God to preserve them from the evil, and kept watching all night.

Sundry men felt no alarm at the predictions of the astrolo- ,,S, m d stayed in the city. During the night it rained with great violence, and the t o m being situated on low grom& the waters drew towards it from all sides, and filled it. All the men who remained in the city perished, but those who were engaged in prayer and lamentation outside the city were saved, just as Koah and those people who had faith were preienred from tile deluge, while nil the rest were drowned. God says, [ 'We gave deliverance to Noah and to those people who embarked in tbc ark with him ; but We over- wllelmcd those ~110 deemed My words false, because were a perverse eeneration." l

<'The philosophers and logicians whom you make your boast of, do you no but rather lead you astray" V-ben the m m inquired how, and asked him t0 explain, he replied, "Because they divert men from the xay of the lax, and through the many- inconsistencies (occurdng in the holy book) they set aside the commmclments of religion. The opinions and religions of them all are antaaonistic ; some of +em maintain that the world ir prirno~d,~ some maintain the

I K&, SJnr vii. v. 42. ? ICadint-ancient-

pte-existence1 of matter, same adduce proofs of the priorityl of form So~ne of them say that there ale txo pnme causes, some maintain that there are three, others are co~~vinced that there are four, while some say that thew are five, and others increase them to six or even seven. Somc are satisfied o i the CO-existence of the Creator and the creature. S o ~ n e say that the world is infinite, and others adduce evidence of its being finite. Some acknotvledpe a resumcction, others L n y it. Soine believe in prophecy and inspiration, but others object. Somc arc bewlclsrid and dizzy with doubf others reject all reason and evidence, and others are convinced that all is deli~sion. Besides these also there nre many ather diverse beliefs to which they are all fettered.

"But our religion and way is one (only). We acknowledge God to be One, and without equd. Xight and day we arc engaged in His worship and praise. We do n o t make our boasts over any creature of His ; whatever is ordained in our lot we are thankful for. We do not reject His authority, nor do we ask the why or wherefore of anything, as men (do whm tl~ey) carp at His behests, His will, and His skilI.

"Then as to the mathematicians and geometricians w11om you boast abaut, they puzzle themselves night and day in thinking about demonstrations. They make pretensions to those things which are beyond conceptioli or imagination, though rhey do not h o w it. They show no inclination for those sciences which are suitabIe for the- and pursve those vain trifles which are quite unnecessary. Some dircct their attention to the me2surement of bodies and of distances; some are distracted in ascertaining the heights of mountains and of clouds ; some go abaut surveying rivers and farests, and some ponder and study to find out the system of the heavens and the centre of the earth. They take no heed about the physiology or measurement of rheir oun bodies.

Physicians.

They do not know how many cntrails and intestines they have; what space there is in the cavity of the chest; what the state of the heart and brain is: what the natureof the stomach is ; what the shape of the bones, nor what the fashion of the joints. They never know anything about those things which are easy to understand, and right to investigate. But it is from these things that the art and power of the Almighty are discovered, for, as the prophet says, " He who L C O ~ himself, knows God." And, with all this st~~pidi$ and ipor- awe, they rarely read the Divine Word, and do not heed the dccreos of the Divine law, or tbeordinancer of the Prophet.

"The phyjicians whom you boast about are not required by until you fall sick through eating unsuitabk food in

greed ;md gluttony ; then you go and wait at their doors with your uriile botrles. The man who goes to the door of the physician or druggist is sick, just as the crowd rvho wait ypon artrologcrr are ill-starred and unfortunatr after

d, thdr resorting thitl~er only makes them more unfortunate, because the astrologers have no power in anticipating or delaying favourable or unfavourable momenti B" notxvith- standing this, many aitrologers and necromancers, fake Paper and write rubbish upon ir, in order to delude their dupes. The same is the case with the physicians, for S ~ C ~ S S is only aggnvated by resorting to them with your complaints, and they recommend abstinence from those things by which sick people are frequently cured. if people would leave it all to nature, then the sick man would soon well. So, boasting

about your astrologers and physicians is sheer f0W We bavs no need of them, because our diet is of one sort, and because of this (simplicity of our diet) we do not fa11 sick, re do not go to the hauses of physicians with our complaints, nor hav-e any need of draughu and electuaiesi. The course of the free is to have no need of any One, but the of slaves is to run about to the houses of eve~bod>'.

'< The mr.rihants, architects, and f m e r s whom you boast abour, are worse than slaves, ancl are more wretched even than the poor and needy. Night and day thry are inx~oloed in toil and labour, and cannot take a moment's rest. They are always building houses although they themselves do not dwell in thein. They dig the ground and plant trees, but t h y do not eat the fruit of them. There are no p a t e r fools than these, for they ~ccumulate wealth and propeny, which they leave to their heirs, while they themselves always lead a life aT stan-ation. The merchants also are always intent u p n alnassing dishonest wealth. They buy grain, and keep it, in the hope of its becoming dear. and in the days of famine they sell it for a high price ; they give notl~ing to the pmr and needy. IZll at once the wealth which they have amassed during a long period is destroyed ; it s i n b in the sea, or thieves cm-ry it off, or some tyrannical king seixs it. Then, being wretched and abject, they go begging from door to door, and all the remnanr of their lives is lost in vagrmcy. They think that they have gained some advalrrage, and do not perceive that they have thrown away for nothing that valuable weaIth, their precious life ; that they have sold the next world for this, and have not even got what they purchrred; that they have thrown religion to the minds; rhat they are divided by doubts, and have found del~don, but no rest. If you maie your boast about this seeming advantage, then we curse it.

"YOU say that you have kind-hearted people in your race, but this is a n~istalce. For the friends, relations, and neighbours of these people go about poor and needy, naked and hungry, begging from street to street, and these take no heed of their condition. Do they call this humanity, that they should sit a t home h1 ease and take their pleasure, ,while their friends, relations, and neighbours pursue a life of mendicancy? YOU say also that you have writers and revenue accountants among your people, but stilt it is v e v ill-judged of you to

boast about them, for in the \vl~oIe world there are no men more villaillous and rascaU~~. They are constalxtly enga* in thc endeavour to supplant their rivals by cunning, craft,

and pbau5ibilify. Openly they write friendly letters in a vcry florid, ornate stylc, but in their hearts tlrey are ever i ,~tcni upon their designs of digging up the root and basis of (their competitors). Day ancl night they are bent upon their schemes of dismissing onc man from his office, and of securing a dovrricr for the appoilltment of another; and so by fraud and deception they get him dismissed. ': As to the devotees and worshippers whom in your corn-

pla-cy you consider righteous, and whose prayers and in- terccssions YOU think to be acccp:able in the right of God : these have deceived YOU by (outwardly) exhibiting their e V n a pity. For this public ioorship of the*, their cultivation of their beards, their removing the hair round their lips, Uleir wearing of the recluse's gument, iheir satisfaction with coarse clothes, their laying patch upon patch, tlleir remaining silent and speaking to no one, their instructing men in morals and teaching them the mandates of the inn; their making of long prayers so that their foreheads become in- dented (fm prostration on the ground), their eating but little food so that their lips hang (flaccid), their dried-up brain$ their emaciated bodies, their faded CompleGonsr all this, from begi~~ning to end, is fraud and falsity. Their hearts are m full of malice and rancour that they do not recognise the existence of any one (but thmselva). *hey are always censuring God, and saying, Why did He create the devil and Satan ? why were i~horemongers and adulterers brought into exi&ncc? and why does H e give them Suste- nance Such talk is improper, and their hearts are filled "fh sin~iiar Satanic notions. To your eyes they Seem good, but in, the right of God there are none worse. Why do YOU

boast about them? they are a disgrace and shame to You-

'' Thcn as to youl- doctors and iatvyers : they also, for the sake of mammon, make the unlawful to be IacvfuI, and t11c iaw-ful, unlawful. They put senseless interpretations on the word of God, .and for the sake of gaill pervert its original meaning; what possibility is there of devotion and piety (in them) ? Hell (is prepared) for ihese very people whom you boast about. And your jurists and lawyers, before they get i3to office they g~ morning ancl evening to the mosques, say their praycrs and preach to md admo:lish the people ; but when they becolllc mngistratcs and law-oficers, they take away the p:operty of the poor and of orphans, m d collvey it will1 flattery to tyrannical Itings. They ukc bril~es and pervert the right, and if any (suitor) is dissatisfied, they silence hiin with threatening and broiv-beatil~g. In brr , these people are terrible rascals ; thsy make the wrong right? ancl the right wrong, and have not the least fear of God. Tortures and punishments are in reserve for them.

Your khalifas and kings you have mentioned as being heirs of the Prophet, but their blamewol-thy qualities are manifest. Abandoning the coursc of the Prophet, they have slain the children of the prophets. They constantly drink wine. They exact service from the people of God, and con-

sider theinselves better than aIl d e n . They prefer this world to the next. When any one of them becomes ruler, the first thing he does is to imprison the lnan who from of old has served his ancestors. The claims of his service are antirely banished from the mind. In their greed of this worldy they their frie~lds and brothers. These are not the characteristics of great men. To boast about those kings and lords is injurious to yourselves, and to assert a claim of lordship over us without evidence or reason, is from end to end trickery and deceit."

CHAPTER XXIV.

Whjtd tL' A,! t.

HER the parrot had iiished his speech, the King looked towards the congregation of Jins and men, and

How is ir that the white a1lty altllough he has no hands or feet, nlies up e<arth and builck his vaulted habitation

hb body? Erplain the facts of this t o me." A person out of the Hebrew party said-" The Jins raise the ealth for this inred, bemuse tbcse (insects) did for them the ser-

vice of eating up the staff of Solomon. He fell darn, and fien , e jes perceiving he was dead, fled from thence, and obtained release from their troubles and hardships."'

~h~ King inquired of the jin sages whether h e y knew anything a b o a the mattn which this person had spoken of,

mey replied, a How can we say thi t the Jins tale UP the esth md ~ ~ ~ t e r , a d give them to this insect? For wen if &is insect did s h ~ i r the Jins that kindness which this person

1 Rllwres exPLrmtion. Solomon, by his supemat& POxver. ford ee jjns 10 labour in the c o ~ s t ~ c t i o n of the TempL Ad\"er1 of his n p T m & i n ~ dissolution, and aware th3.t the Jins wmld. afrer his deslll, eau m labour. he p n y d that his decese might be Con- eald horn them. A staff uu miramlousb p r~%idrd for k=. Inning upon \,,hich, prayingin his private ceil in the Temple, he died. The

rnpp.*ed him, and the Jins u m t on working. * white me=-

\>.hi\e, kept devouring the staff ; but a5 the wood m" Veq and

,,,,, it for a When it rr( =ten through. S ~ i o m o n ' ~ hod, fell do\,.n, and hir dab was discn~ered : but the Jins had accom- pli5i,ed meiy lvo&, the Ternpie was finished.-&rdn, x u v - ; TabarL, chap. scvii.

T ~ E Ant. ,

has stated, they are still liable to that work and labour, alld have not been delivered from i t ; for Solornon used to make them raise earth and water and buSd houses, and did not trouble them in any other way."

A Grcek sage said to the Kin5 "One reason for this is known to inc." The Ring told him to eqlain, and he said- " The structure of the white ant is wonderful and marvellou~ ; its temperament is very cold, the articulations and pores of its w!~olc body arz constantly open. The air which enters into its body is condensed by the great degree of cold, and becomes itrater ; this exudes on the surface of its body, and the dirt which falls on its body being formed into mud, coagu- lates. lial-ing coilected tl~is, it builds t l ~ e house over its body for its protection, so that it may be safe from every danger. Its two lips are very sharp, with which it bites fruit, leaves, a d wood, and bo1-es holes into bricks and stones."

The King said to the 10curt--~~ The white ant belongs to the insects, and you are the representative of the insects ; explain then what this Greek doctor has said." The locust replied-" He has spoken the truth, but he has not given a complete description o f the ant ; there is something yet left.' The King desired him to explain it fully, and he then said- " When God Almighty made all His creatures, and bestobved His Wcssinp upon each one of them, in His wisdom and justice H e kept them all equal To some He gave a body and figure large and heavy, but He made their spirit v c ~ y mean and despicable. To others H e gave forms small and ha, but He made their intelligence acureand wise; thus the excess and deficiency of one side or the other was rectided. For instance, there is the elephant, who, in spite of his huge form, is 30 mean-spirited that he is obedient to a child, who mounts upon his shoulders and drives him whither he will. And there is the camel, who, althougb his neck and f ig re arc

l r q 7 long, is yet such a fool that he follows the lead of W ~ C -

s o e m seizes his Gse-cord ; even a rnoase n~ight drive him if it liked. Then there is the scorpion, who is small in size, bLlt gill \\-hen he stings the elephant, he kills hiin In the

,V&, this which they call the ivhiic ant, although

it is very diminutive in size and very feeble, still it is VeQ' sil-ong-ivi]\ed. In fine, all those insects which are small are acute and wise.

The King asked the reason why all the large-bodied ani- nmls were stupid, and the little creatures sharp. Where:' said he, "is the divine wisdom in this?" The locust re?lied - lL The Creator, by Ris omniscience, perceived that animals of large body were capable of (inflicting) pain nnd uouble, and so if a high spirit bzd been given to them, they would never have submitted to any one ; and if the little creatures had not been acute and wise, they nrould always have been in trollble and difficulry. Therefore H e gave to the f ~ r m e r an abject spirit, and m thee a sagacious illtdligence." The King directed him to explain this more full}', 2nd he replied -Lc The (chiefl excellence of every art is th& that the art of the artist and his mode of procedun should not be known to

my Thus, tliere is the bee: r h o in her house constructs all kin& of angles and circles without luler or compasses, and LIOWS how she does it, or from %+hence she brings the war and honey. If her body had been large, this art of hers must have been disclosed.

Tbm, again, there is the silk-worm, whose rnetllod of

spinning and no one has discovered. 1' is the Same

C S e with the white ant, for the exact Way in which she builds her house has never been disclosed, nor is it even known how a. lifts the dirt and works. Doctors ofp11ilosoph~ deny that the =irtence of tile world is posiil~le oitlaut matter. God Alncghty has made the art of the bee a proof (in refutation)

1 Lit. "l¶}'."

of this, because she, without matter, builds her house of wax and collects her food froln honey. If it is their opinion that she gathers it from the flowers and leaves, then why do not they also collect some, and make something? If slle gathers it from the midst of rhe water or the air, rhen if they are sharp-sighted, uehy do they not find out how she collects it, and build d\~ellings for tIlcnlselves ?

" In the sane way God has made creatures of little bodies, to serve as proofs of his power and skill to tyrannical kingS who haw relxlled and turned ax~ay from H i n ~ For instance, a gnat kilIed Ximrod, although thc gnat is the smallest of all insects. When Pharaoh chose a wickcd course, and rebcUed against the patriarch Moses, God Allnighty sent an army of locusts, whicll went (to his) country, and brought great clis- tress on him So wl~ell God bestowcc1 on SoIomon the royal and the PI-ophetic office, and made all the Jins and all mankind subject to him, there were solne cvil persons who doubted his prophetic dignity, and declared that 1le had obtained his sovereiguty by fraud and artifice. Although Solomon told them that God, in His grace and bounty, had co~lferred on him this distinction, still the doubt was not banished from thcir hearts. At length God sellt the white ant, who went and ate up the staff of Solomon ; he the11 fell down in his cell, but neithcr Inan nor Jin had the hardil~ood to face him. This (exercise of the) divine power was exhibited as a warning :o thosc persons xho glory in their size alld dignity. For dthough they see ail His arts and all I-Iis powers, still they take no warning from them, and boast about those kings rvho are powerless against the smallest of our xvot.ms. '' The shell (pearl-oyster) in which pearls are produced is

smaller in bull: and more feeble than any aquatic creature, bul in wisdom and kno~1ecIge she is wiser and more sensible than they all. Obtaining her food and sustenance in the depths of the sea, slie dtr,ells t11e1-e ; but on rainy days she

comes up fro111 the bottom, ancl places ilelself upon the surfacc of the water. Shc has two large ears which she opens out, and 5vhm a drop of rain Fails into one; she instantly C~OSES

it, so that the salt waier may not mix with the rain-drop. Afterwarc'~~ she goes back to the bottom of the sea, and for a period lcecps the two drops of rain shut up until the water is decomposed: and becomes a peal% Well, where is 5~ch

science to be found in inan ? Gad has inlplanted in the hearts of man1:ind a love for

brocades and silks? and these are produced from the ~ n U c u s of those litile worms. They considcr honey a most delicious food, and that is produced by bees. In their assemblies they illuminate with wax candles ; for tllcse also they are indebted to the bEEI. ~ 1 1 e most exquisite of all their decorations is the pearl, atid this is prodnced by the skill of that little Creature of \vhom a descripti~n has just beell given. God has produced from those creatures such excellent things illat men might see then1 and acknowled:e His art and poiver. But although they behold all His powers md all His a*, they

still r&garc~ic~r ; they waste their days in rickedness and inhdelity, and they show no grati~ude for His biessinp, but

violence and opp~nsion toward; his poor and helpless servants!'

T\?en the locust bad finislxed this speech, the King asked the men i( they llad anything else left i0 Say. Tl1ey replied,

The= are wt m;lm; excellent qualities in us by which it is proved that \ware the masters and tlleyour slaves:' The King dlrecled thun to rf them forth, and a certain maa said, 4; Our forms are identical, their forms and shapes are diverse, and thin proves us to he masters and tlienl to h slaves ; be- caua (identity of figure) a proper for rule and master/, and diversity is indicative of &~vcry.'' The King asked the ani-

i<7haf answer they could give to this? and tlie). all re- maLned for an hour pensibe and downcast.

1 it. "cooked."

Aftera little ~vh-hile the nightingale, the rrpresentative ofthe birds, said-" The man speaks truly, but although the f i ~ i r e s of anilnals are various, still the instincts of all are alike ; and althougl~ the forms of men ate identical, their minds are very different." The King asked for the proof of this, and he said-" The variety of reljgions and crecds substantiates this statement, for among men thcrc are thousands of sects -Jews, Christians, Magians, polytheists, infidcIs, idolaters, fire-worshippers, star-worshippers. Ijcsicles this, in each religion thcre arc many sects,just as in oldcn times the opinions of the philosophers were diverse. Anlong the Jews there are the Samaritans, the 'Ab2li and the J;!dti ; among C h r i s t i ~ n ~ there are Nc-storians, Eutychians, and folIo\vcrs of hIalk5; among the Magians are ZarBdushtis, Zal-wPnis, Hannis, Llazakfs, Gahrdmis, and h l i n m i s ; ainocg the hlusulmhs there are Shias, Sunnis, Khdrijis, Rifizis, Nbsibis, Murjis, Kadaris, Jahamis, MGtazilis, Ash'aris, and others. What a

great variety of sects there are ! All their rclipions a l ~ d creeds differ, (those of) one religion thinking the others infidels, and cursing them. We are free Iron1 dl diversity ; our creed and fzith is one. I n fine, the anirnals are all uniform in their belief, and faithfuL They kno\v nothing of idohtry

or wickedness, fornication or adulter): They have not the leas: doubt or scepticism about the porvcr and unity of God ; they know Him to be the true Creator and Provider, and night and day they devote themselves to meditation, prayer, and praise. But these men are not zcquaintcd with our prayers."

An inhabitant of Persia said, "We also bdieve God to be the Creator, Provider, one and without equal." Upon which the King asked hiin how it was that there was such s e a t diversity in the religion and creeds of man. He said, " Reli$on and belief are the way and means by wllicl~ the ol~jects of lifemay be obtained The aim and ol~ject of all is one and the same,

Rcl;,dion nszd Politics. 1 49

by wliatevcr road they reach it. Whatever direction we go, we proceed only towards God" The King asked, "If the sole object of all is to reach God, then why does one (party) kill the other ? " He replied, "This is not for the sake of rc- ligion, for there is no hatred in that ; it is rzther for rule, which is an institution of religion."

The King directed hinl to explain this fully, and he replied, Rule and religion are twins ; one cannot exist without €he

other, but religion is First, and rule is secondary. Religion is necessary for rulc, that (through its influence) all men may be honest ; and religion requires a kins who, with authority, can enforce the commandments of religion mlong the people. For this reason some ministers of religion liill other persons for the ends of rule and government. Every minister of religion desires only this, that ail men may adopt his creed and and the oldinances of his law. If tilt Kingwill attend to me, and listen, I will adduce a clcar proof upon this point." The King directed him to proceed.

Hc said, "The mortification of the passions is an ordin- ance in all religions and creeds, and mortification of the

aion should sacri- recpircs that the aspirant for reli, iice llilnsclf. 50 in rule, it is the practice to slay ally other

f 1 . ' The I<inq said, " T11e killing of Linz5 in g, pursuir of &minion is obvious ; but uhr. do professon of ,ligon Stae their own passions?-ten me this." He $=id, In of Islam this is certainly the clearer conllnand, for says, ' God ALnighty has purcllased

pas"ons properties of true believers, md h= provided for them, that in the service of Gad they may slay,

and be slain themsdvcs? There are many other texts of the

i K ~ ~ L ~ ~ , Shyat ix. r n , Sa~es' translation is-" Verily God hafh pur- chased of true believers their souls and their substance, p ~ o m i s i n f ~ h t . ~ ~ h. jo!mont of pamdir m ~andi f io~z fhat ay fight for 111. ~~ of God, whether they slay or be shin.'' K

KurCln besides this which are explicit upon the point, a d in one place, according to the comma~~ds of the Old Testament, God says, ' If ye will turn unto God, mortify yourselves, for this is best for you in the sight of God.'l

"And when the Lord Jesus said, 'Who will be m). assist- a ~ l t s in the service of God ?' a11 His friends repIied, 'We ri l l be your helpers in God's service' Then the Lard 1 ~ ~ 6

~eplied, If you will !E my assistants, then be ready for death and the scaffold, SO that you may go to heaven with me, and live with yoar brethren. And if you will not be my asistanis, then you are not of my flock.' Finally, they were all slain in the seiwice of God, and did not forsake the religion of Jesus 1" t h ~ same way,the people of lndia,the B n h m n s adorhers, kill themselves, and in pursuit of their religion burn themselves dive. It is their belief that the 11ighest of ail in the sight of God is that repentant shners should denroy themselves, and burn their bodies, so that their sins may be forgiven. '' Thus men l a m e d in theology reskain their pasdon% ap-

petites, and lusts, and take upon themselves tlie burden of devotion, until their passions are subdued, and not the least desirc or lust of this world is left. I n fine, ail religious men i~nmolatc their passions, looting upon this as the highs t a a of devotion, through which they find deliverance from the fires of hell, and attain unto heaven. But there are good md bad to bc faund in ail religions and creeds ; but of all t11e wickd, that man is by far the worst who denies that there is a day of resurrection, who has no hope of the reward of virtue, no f e z of the punishment of sin, and svho does not acknorvledge the unity of God, althougl~ all men retun to Him."

When the Persian stopped, after making this statement, a Hindu spok , and said, " The children of Manl, in the =urn-

be? of their species, and varieties, and individualities, greatly exceed the beasts, because in all the habitable quarters of the world there are nineteen thousand countries in which a great variety of races dwcll. Thus there arc COina, India, Sind, Hijjk~, Yemen, Abyssinia, Xajd! Egypt, Alexandria, Cyrene, ibddusia , Constantinople, 'Azarbaijdn, Armenia, Syria, Greece, 'IrAk, Badalihshbn, Jurjbn, Jilin, Naishapur, Kar- m&n, Rbbul, Multan, KiiurAsbn, Miwar Au-n Nabr, I<hw+r- irm, FrrgliAna, and others, rhausandn of citin and countries wllich il: is impossible to enumerate. Besides these cities, thousands of men live and make their abodes in forests, mountains, and islands, all differiop in language, colour, manners, consritution, creeds, and arts. God Almighty sup- plies them all with food, and keeps them under his protection. This vastness of number, variety of circunlstames, and differmce of pursuits and objects, prove that the humall race jn better than any other species. Besides this, ~batevcl- other ,,- of allimalr a i s t , ihzy hold superiority over it. Fmm this if is clear that men are the masters, and all the animals are their jlavcr. There are still fu-rther exceliences in US; the detail of xvhicl~ would be very tedious."

~h~ Frog to the King, This man has adduced the

great nunlbei of men (as an argument), and about it ;

but if he \"ere to see the aquatic animals, a d behold their mulfifarm sl~rper and figures, then in comparison with them men would seem very few. he cities and countries also which he has mmcioned would also look still less. Because in the habitable quarter of the arorld there are fifteen la%e seaS : the &lediterranean, the Caspian, the Lake of Giian, Red

sea, the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Hind, the Sea of Sind, sea of china, the Sea d Ydjuj, the Indian ocean, Weltern S a , the Northcm Sea, the SS. of Ab~ssini" .$,oufl-&rn Sea, aod the Eastern Sea And there are five lluo&ed small rivers, and two hurdred lxge ones, such as

I j Z Knsi L ' V ~ I ~ D Z ~ C ; ~ - S of A 71i71zL71s.

the Oxus, the Tigris, the Euphrates, tllc Kile,&c., the lengiil of cacli of 11111ich is from a hulldrcd to a thousand kos. And in addition to these there are the small and larger streams :und rivers, lakes, pools, &C.: which are to be found in the woods and wilds, and which it is impossible to enumerate. In these there are fishcs, turtles, crocodiles, porpoises, alligators, and other aquatic aninlals of thousands o: kinds, which no one but God knows of, and no one can estimate,

" Sonle say that there arc seven handrecl species of aquatic animals, without reckoning the varieties and specialities ; and of anirnals which dive11 on dry ],and, beasts of prey, cattle, &C., there arc fivc hundred spccies, without reclconing x~arie-

t i es an(! specialities. All these are the sermrlts and slaves of God, whom by His power he has crentccl, whom I-Ie suppons and continually protects from evcrp ill. There is nothing which is hidden from Him. If the men would consider this, and could comprehend the (nunhers of the) swarms of ani- ~nals, then it m,ould be clcar that the number and concourse of men afford no proof of their being [he masters and we the sIzves."

CHAPTER XXV.

On the World of S$irif5.

HEN the frog ceased from spealting, a sage from aman5 the Jios said, " 011 ye partier of men and

bcasts, ye are cjrcurnscribed in your knowledge of the great variety of creatures. You do not know those beings which are spiritual and ethereal, and have no affinity with corporeal forms. They are incorporeal souls and elerne~ltary spirits, which dwell in the regions of the sky. Some of them tvl~ich

belong to the angelic class are placed in the highest zone of the heavens, aud those who dwell in the broxd espansc of the cold sphere are the Jins and thc tribe of devils.

" So if you could bnt conceive the full amplitude of creatcd beings, you ~vould knolv that, as opposed to them, men and beasts hare no (appreciable) esistence. Because the extent of thc cold sphere is ten times greater than h e (terrestrial) sea

and land 1 and in the same way the lunar sphere is ten times larger than both these spheres ; and each superior sphere bears the same relation in its extent to the one beneath it. All rhcse spheres are filled with spiritual beings-not one span of space is left. All the incorporeal souls dwell there, as the Prophet (may t l ~ c peace of God and rest be upon hiin 1) has declared : In the seven heavens not one span is empty in which the angcls are not either standing, bend;%, or lying prostrate in the worship of God.' Therefore, ye men, if ye could but see their hosts, ye would know that your race, as compared with them, is of no account, and that your num-

1 5 4 God's PI-omisiscs t o :PTLZZ.

ber and aggregate affol-d no proof of your being the master;

and all others your slaves. -U1 the servants of God are his soldiers and subjects, but some are subject and suborclinate to others. In fine, he has issued the orders for their regulation among them according as he in his supreme wisdonl deemed right. Praise and glory are due to him under all circumstances."

When the ]in sage finished his specch, the King turned towards the men and said, "The animals have given an answer to the thing you were boasting about : if you have anything left to say, speak." An orator of Hijjdz then said, " There are yet many esccllei~ces in us by ivhich i t is proved that we are masters, they slavcs." Tile King directed him to speak, and he said, " God Almighty has pro~nised us many blessings : resurrection from the grave ; spl-eadjng over the whole face of ~ h c earth ; the reclconing in the day of judgment ; the passage over the bridge of Sirht ; entrance into paradise ; heaven ; the garden of delights ; the garden of eternity; the garden of Eden; the garden of refuge; the mansion of peace; the mansion of permanence; the home of rest; the glorious abode; the Tu'ba tree; the fountain of Salsabil; streams running with wine, milk, honey, and water; elevated dwellings ; the society of the 11Grfs ; nearness to God. These and many other bIessings, which are mentioned in the KurPn, God has prepared for us. Can the animals anywhere attain to these things? This is a proof that we are the masters, they our slavcs. Besides these blessings- and excellences there are many othcr great qualities in us which I have not mentioned."

The nightingale, the representative of the birds, said, '' In the same way as God has made you many excellent promises, so has he passed upon you many denunciations cnf punishment. Thus, there is the suffering of the gravc, the interro- gations of the two recordi~ig angels, the dread of the day of

judgment, the terrors of the account, the going into hell, the,

tortures of helI, the hdls called Yalrinz, Sakar, L a x , Sa'ir, N Z L ~ ~ I Z ~ , and Hri?uzya, wearing the gaiments of liquid pitch, the drinking of foul matter, eating of the snkklisn: tree (the fruit of which is the heads of devils), dwelling near the ruler of hell, lixbility to tortures in d ~ e companionship of devils ; these are all prepared for you. And, besides these, there are many more punish~nents and tortures mentioned in the Iiurkn, from which we are exempt. God has made us no pron~ise of reward, and so he has madeus no threat of punishment. We are satisfied with and are ,%tehl for the commands of God. No benefit or injury accrues to us from any of our works or actions. Thus we are equal to you in evidence, and you have no superiority over us."

The Hijjhzl replied, ':Ho\v are you equal to us ? For \ve at all events shall exist for ever. If we show obe-

dience to God, we shall dwell with the prophets and saint% and sl~all be associated with the great, and learned, and pious, and just, and eminent, and pure, and dcvout, and good, and holy. These beings are like unto the angelic chembims, for they take the lead in good works, they long for the Divine presence, they devote their lives and wealth to God, and put their trust in him ; they address their prayers to him ; their hopes are in him, and they fear his wrath. If we are sinners and do nor obey him,still our salvation will be effected tl~rough the intercession of the prophets ; more especially will our sins be forgiven through the mediation of the true prophet, the chief of messengers and seal of the prophets, Muhammad the Pure, on whom be the blessing and peace of God ! After that we shall all dwell in paradise in the society of the nymphs and youths, and the angels will say to us, 'Blessing on you, be happy, and enter into paradise, there to durel1 for ever.' But all ye tribes of beasts are deba~~ecl from these blessings, for after your departure from this world

ye wiII cntircly pcrish, and no name or trace mill remail1 ot you."

On hearing these words all the representatives of the animals, and all the Jiu sages said, " Now you have advanced an effective argument, and have adduced a conclusive proof. Boastcrs inay boast of such things. But now tell us what is the nature of the attributes, and excellences, and virtues, of those beings who have been the objects of your praise and eulogy ; if you know, tell us fully. " The men all reflected for 2 while, and kept silence ; no one could tell.

After a little while a holy person said, " 0 just King! the truth of the men's clairn has been established in the royal presence ; and it has also appeared that there is among them a class who are near to God, whose graces are laudable, whose virtaes arz estimable, whose characteristics are pleasing, .\vhose tempers are angelic, whose habits are holy, and whose nature is wonderful and miraculouj~ so that no tongue can describe them. The mind fails to understand the nature of their qualities, and all the preachers and orators are engaged during their whole lives in follorving out the description of their excellences, and yet do not in reality arrive at a true Icnowledge. Now, just Icing, what order do you give in the matter of these foreign men whose slaves the animals are I" The Icing said, " Let all animals be submissive and obedient to man, and let none depart fro111 their allegiance." .l- &he animals consented, and being satisfied, they all rc- iurnzd in security and peace CO their honlcs.

TIIE E m .

J Q S E P H W A L L ,

P R E F A C E ,

TRE patronage with which the first edition of

the " Translation of Ikhwan-us-S~xffa'' was received by the public, during . the author's life-time, en-

couraged the pubIiwher to take u p the second edition

of this popular story of the Controversy between

Mau and the Beasts. The original with t,he trans-

lation had become rare, as all 'the copies printed

ior the first time had been exhausted. Jl'itfi a

view t,o preserve the memory of the departed, Mr. Joseph Wall, and to allow to the public an opportunity of enjoying the fruits of his valuable labour,

the publisher begs to present this edition to them.

The corresponding original pagea in the Nastalik

character" have been omit,ted, in order to make

the book moi8e handy and chea,per.

LUCKNOW :

Z7!ie 5th. June 1880.

PRAISE Beyond iin,aginat,ioa to that God is du, \v110 to existing bodies, notwithstanding their bein; of one origin, has given various shapes, and wh, has colnposed Man of body and spirit and to ever. individ an1 has given different talents.

13oiindless praise is due to the Creator who, having bro right ma~llriild from hidden non-existenct into the ~vorld of existence, gave hitn a position, above all creatures, and adorned him with the gift of speech and clothed him with the robe of lcnow- ledge. What power has frail Inan to give thanks for His blessings ; and mhat power has 1r.y poor pen* to pcrfornl the salnc duty. Couplets :-

Well, how shall I fillfil His. praise when the efforts of prophets fail ?

--

+ Ehikastn rnknu, liiwcilhj, broken writing. A

In Him, holy men say nought but tbis,

We do not understand Him."

Again, when shall this poor creature attain to such wisdom ns to gain access to the Creator ?

What power has man to express His praise ?

Roulldless praise is due to the highest, the Inrt pmphet, Mnhomed Diustnfa, who havillg taken sin- neri out of the crooked paths of rrickedncss put t,heln in the right m7ay ; through him we have obtained superiority to all other races. As i t says

in tbe sacred text, Ilh~intum khairn zinlufin-" Your race is superior to Jl." conpletms :-

Ynhomed is the I , o d of the world arid of every p1 ace.

I~Iiiirhoined is the guide of tnnn and of genii.

'Shrongh him sinners are pardoned

I'raisc and blessings be to his race ail4 to his oompaoions, throog5 who~n the faith was confirmed

and who showed us the light way. After this, I I k r h Ali, who am n sinner, [yes] a1 together sinful, now write. When I came to Calcutta at the kind suggestion of Mr. Abraham Lockett the renowned, honori~ble, the greatest of this world's philosophers, higher than the highest among the wise,* the giver of blessings, may he ever be fo r t~~na te ; and at. the invitation of my brother and tutor, my respected brother, the worthy Moulvi T ~ l r a b Ali Sahib (may his shadow never grow less,) by means of my good fortune, after the honor of visiting him [Yr. Lockett] I became t,he receiver of lrindness from him. Since the said gentleman desired to do me some good, he got ille employment under the Honorable (':ompa.ny, and secured my service under him. After a few days, at the suggestion of Captain John Willinm Taylor Saliib Rahadur, (whose rnnk is high. tbe essence of the learned men of his a g e ., the cbief of the highest of the wise; Professqr of Hindi) he ordered me to translate the book fi~bzru?z-ru-,6Sn : oy The Controversy betwee,r, Nnn nnd Animals, in a very easy style, without any difficult ~ o r d s ; and

* Hadi asbr, literally, the eleventh,

to leave out the scientific terms aud prayers that are put in for ornment . 'He only rvisbed to have the substance and meaning of the cont,roversy. In accordance witlu this wish I only a ro te the substance in Urdu, leaving out t*he pryers , and

' sometimes the scientific words t,htit mere not ncces- snry to the narrative Biit certain texts, and Bindi 1 expressions, I hnoe that vere closely con- j nected with the story. In fact, if you look illto 1 the figures and elegallce of the texts,-every one is i I a inille of eloq~~ence, sad every sentence :L treasury

'

of beautiful co~nposition. Though common pe,ople: from what a,ppenrs to be vritten, ~vi l l see only the narrative of the controversy ; subt,le-~ninded, wise Inell, froin understanding it,s drift will ge+ a tzste :

of the mysteries and lieowledge of God. Ahls

Salnznn, Abul Husan, .kbu Ahmed, &C.. t,en rnt:n joined together il-i Uoasorah and wrote this work. They J ~ v a y s spent their time in the investigation of' science and religion, and have colnpilecl fifty -one books. They fisequently mrote on ~ o n d e r f u l and excellent subjects in them. This hook, which is m e of thrm,js about the coutroversy between Yall

.md A2~~imals . E:ttional and traditional arguments 311 both sides are nicely narrated, and at last after

~iluch discussion nian is declared sictor. Their object in t h ~ s work is silllply to describe the perfections of man. d s i t is myitten in thc end of this. book, " Those qnalitieh by which Inall overcame the :ulimxis mere [sinq?ly] a Xnozctedye o j the Cveiltor, rvhicb we have described in 5 volumes," and the ,,bject of this volume is to describe the pttrti- ulars and give a brief account of the faith of the Luimals and their l< i io~r le~~ge of God: that the wise

from seeing this inay bc inclined to acquire simi1:lr $ood hrtbits.

The translation of this work. was completed in the timc of (the cssellce of the highest standard of nobility, the best of the best co~nlnnnders of tell thousand, the gellcrous Ilatiln of that age, t h e h r n e d 1'l;lto of his time, the chief of chiefs, f11e bravest of the brave,) His Excellency the Governor Clellera1 Lord Minto, d. H. 1225, 9. I). 1810.

CHAPTER 1.

Of the bgbwiny of the Crrntion of .bfaan and o f their pt,nrrels with the Animals and a their d ~ m a n d i n ~ justice br the presencr! of Bezuai.asb, Hakeon, ICi?,,q of tL Genii, and of the JUCLJC sum?)zo?~i?zg tlzenb.

Historial~s h8ve written of the probable state of

Ynn in the begiimi:~g. While they mere yet fen?;.,

t,hcy $rv;iys )lid the]-nselves ia car7es from fear or the animals ; nild took shelter in the hilts ,m o ~ l d nuountilinr from dread of rnvenoos bans te. i here

was not secndty enough for two or t'hrea to join :ogether to cnltivate. the earth for their support : weaving cloths to cover their bodies was out of the question. In short, whatever fruits and herbs of the forest they could get, t h g lived upon, and covered t]lcir bodies with the lewes of trees. In

cold meat,her they chose rrasm spots to live in, and in the slrmrner cool p1:iccs. When tbis stnte of things had lasted some time, the family of man i~~creafied j then the fear of wild bensta which

had filled every oone's heart, entirely disappeared. Further they built Inally forts, cities, towns and villages, and began t o live comfoortably.

Having made agricultural implements each engaged himself in his own work, and having taken nnirnais captive in snares, began to use them for riding, bearing burdens, a.nd for a,gricultural purposes. The e l epha~~ t , horse, camel, ass and many other anilllals that had always wandered unrestrained' in the forests and wilils mheresoever tliey wished, feeding on freslr pnstnres wherever t.hey found them-no one ~lioleating them-had. their

sho~~ldcrs skinned tbcir backs g:illed by incea- snnt labor. Xotnit.hstnnding they sl1011ted and cried ant esceedingly, noble mail rever gave ear to them. l o s t of the wild animals from fear of being captured fled illto the 6a.r jungle. The birds also !eft their homes, and taking their voung with them flecl from .

j the dwellings of man. Every maii had the idea i that all animals were llis slaves. With much ; . cunning they made snares and neta and pnrsued

. .. - Literally, c 'as a calnel without a nose string.'

them. In this conflict Eome time passed until the Great God sent Ifahoinecl Mustaftt the prophet o f latter clays (on whom be peacej to guide God's

r 7 creatures aright. ].he good prophet pointed out. the riglit way to those who had go^:^: :~strnj-. Several o f the Genii 3150 obtxii;ed the blessil~gs of the faith arid the ho~;ors of Islam. JThen soli^:.

time had elapsed l3emar:~sb, the &eat Genius snr. na~ned Shah Murdan, becnrne Icing of tile Genii. race. He was SO just that throughout his dominiona the goat and the lion dmnk at the same stream. Iiow could tI~z.igs, thieves, a n d snrindlers fir:tl n

place in his dominiolls I The islnnd of Balnsagon: situated lieas the Equator, n-as the capit.21 of this just SSonsrch. I t happen.ed t,hat a ship f1.111 of pco- ple, through coa t~ary \rinds, was mreclied off the coa.st of this isla.nd. All the merchants and wise men that were in t,he ship landed a i d began to mallc about the place. They snw that it was woadu~- f ~ ~ l l g beautiful ; fruits and flowers of every kind on all the trees, water-co~zrses flowing in all direc- t.ions ; the nni.mals fe,ediilg in green pnstures, very fat and pl~ulzp, were ga~:~bolling vith. each other.

The clinlate was very pleasant asd thc land es - txemely fertile. No one wished in his heart to leave the place.

Fiaall y , they Luilt .honscs of differcilt kinds, took al> their abode in the island, and ha\-ing taken the animals captive in snwes engaged thern- sclves in their different ernploynlents according to custom. ?Then the ~ i l d beasts saw that there was 110 rest there also, they took the road to,the desert. Men had the idea thzt these r e r e all his slaves. They mn(2e all kinds of s;lnr<s. nild engagecl themselves in the captnre of mirnds as before. TYIze11 the animals perceived tliesc bad ii~tentions they collected their elders, nnd assembled in the jnstice hall, and ill the presence of Eewarasb Halrim: gave a detail of the vhole tyranilical treatment they had rcccived at their (man's) hand. Directly the ! < i ~ > ~ heard the whole of the staten~elit of the animnlq, he there and then said, '. Yes. .let messengers be quickly sent and nlan be brought illto my presence." Therefore 70 mcn from aniongst them, rwidents of differe~zt cities, eloque~lt men n11d fluent, attended

in accordance r i t h the Icing's summons. A nice house was set apart for thcrn to live in. After two or three days rn1.1en the fatigue of the journey had gone off, he c:tlled them before him. They saw the ICi11g on hia throne, and asked blessings, then paying their respects took places accordii~g to their rank. This Iiing m2s very j ~ ~ s t and upright. He had taken a ~ ~ ~ a y the p2lm for courage and generosity from his conteinpo~aries. The poor of that age came to hiin and foonrl support. Throughout his dominiollv no despotic tpranr; wzs able to tyrm- njze ove:. the poor a i d helpless. Those things which ape ibrbi6den in t?ie 13~\*, altogether disap- pea~:.cd jiz his reign. Esc2yting the mill and pler.surc of God: no rct wcs tbvught of. He very kindly s ~ k e d thew. " '?;Ly did you come into my eountry ? Thcre has never been any correspondence be tmen us. For what hwe you encro:lched so fi~s ? " One man arnongst them, who was experienced and eloqnent. made obeisance and began to wy, '' ?FTc heal~cl of the justice and rxprightness of your nlqjcsty a d have come into

your prcscnce, Aud i o this day no petitioner haa

gone ltmsy from this blessed threshold without obtaining mercy, and me hope that your n~nje~sty mill give us justice." He said, What is your petition ? " IIe replied, " 0 j 11st King, these animals arc our slaves. Amongst them some are an

abhorrence, and others though forced to serve us, dispute our right of posses~ion." The Ring asked, '' Is there any support to this case ? For a case without evidence ifi not heard ia the justice hall." He replied, " 0 Icing, in this case there arc many prooSs both rational and tni,ditioaa.l." fIc ordered him to reiate ihetn. One of them, who was of thc race of H ~ r z r ~ l t Abbas (may God be pleased with him) ascended the pulpit 2nd began eloquently and clearly to deliver this sermon, " Praise is due .: :) the God*: of truth, nrho for tbe support of His creat,ures has prepared all things on the surface of the e n r t l ~ and made eveyy convenicnco, and created all kinds of anitnnls for the nse of frail man. Happy is the coildition of those wbo by walking in His ~vays sec.ure sa?.vntio~-L in the' last day. What &hall me say of t1:ose r h o disobey G.od and rebe%. -- -.

* MahLakd, l i te~ully> tbc adored God, -.

sga,inst Hirn ~'itho'ilt a ca,xse ? And boundless blessings are due to the true prophet. Mahomec! Must&, whom the Great God sent last of all t . l e proiihet,s to show the right vay to His creatures ;-~ncl made him Lord of all. He i s the Icing of a1i genii and men, aild will be the salvntion of %Ill in the last day. Blessings be upoil his holy de- ~cendant~s by whoill the worlci aa1c3 rhe far tll were

arranged [or diuposed] and Islamism sp~.c;ttl. And thanks be ever to the our unrivalled Creator who made A d m from a drop of water and by His perfect Omnipotence made hi111 fiather of children, and from him, having made Eve: penpled the fcce of the earth with thonsands of men, mzlrinp; them s:lpcrior to all creatures giving thew ci~rilinion over land and sen.. IIe gave Eiiln good food of vari- otls sorts as he himself says in the I<orni~ : JYala-. 1-1 Ama I; hnlnlcaha laic i11n fiL& ciifnn IT a munafeo r a rninh& taku!ill~a lnlci~rn fiha jan~$,lun hina, tar;

r ' hfinn we h im tasrah6na. 1 he meailins L-. of n~hicll is this : " All ailin~:ils were creatsd fey you, use them, eat t,hem, mnlie Karm clothes fkom their skivs and hair. Sending tLcma out iato the pas.-

tures in the mornilzg and bringing them again to their homes in the evening, shall be evidence of your grandeur." And in another place he says,

FVst ala,ih& wn alalfulke yohmhlun,' i. e., Ride upoll. camels and boats by land and sea. And in another place he says, ' Jn'alkhda wabigdla walhanlirn letarkab~ihii,' which means, The horse, the nlule and the ass were created for you to ride upon. -4nd in another place he says, ' Litastau ala zuhfi- rehi surnm:t tnzkurh ilelnats rabek6m izas taweth alaihe,' which is, Ride upon their backs and be mindful of the blessings of God. A l ~ d besides -

these there are many texts of the Iiorail in support of this case, and in the Old and New Testan~ellts this fact is understood, ' l Animals were created for us, me are in every sense their masters and they ;Ire our servants." The11 th.e King turning to- wnrds the animals said-"'rhis man has brought iorwnrd texts of the Iiorail to. support his case ; you call now reply as you think fit." On hearing this the Mule began" to say, "Praise be t o the. - - * Zabaa-i-hnl, literally, spenking by signs. Zibm-i-lral, l i t t ~ r r l 4 ,

speaking with the ruoulh.

holy Being Eternal, who =ants for nothing, who existed before the creation of the world, Infinite and Omnipresent, who with a word brought forth the universe from His secret treasury. Having naade the Heavens from fire and water and raised them to their position ; He with a drop of water created the family of man and sent them into the world generation after generation to inhabit it, not to ab~lse it, 2nd to protect the animals as n ~ u c h as they could, and benefit by them, not to oppress nor hurt them." After this he resumed, ii 0 King, it is not shown from the texts this man has repeated that we are their slasres and they our masters, for the subject of these sentences i s ' the blessings which the Grcat God has given them, which is supported by the following texts of the Koran : " Salthkharahd l a l i h n kama sal;hkharast~ shan~samal kamara rwry&h wassa216ba ; i. e . , God has made the uniinals subject t.o you the same as He has the sun, moon, wind, and clouds. ; from this i t is not uilderstood that they arc our owners and we:

their slaves, bu: the Great God made all things in heaven and earth, one dependent on the other, that

they may benefit by one another and save one another fi-oin harm. Hence the Great God has made us dependents on them, only on this account, that they Inay benefit by us and save us from 11mm ; not as they imagine, alld. deceitfully and calumniously say, that they are masters and we slaves. Previous to this when man was not created, we and our parents lived on the earth unmolested, grazing every where, wandering wherever we wished, and every one was employed seek- ing his own livelihood. In fact, we lived socially together in the jungles, hills, and wilds, and sup- posted our young ones. l\rhatever God ordained we were thankful for ; spendink day and night in His praise, we thozrght of nought but Him. Each lived comfortnbly in his own dwelling-place, no one l~lolcsted us. When n period had thus passed, the Grcat God cre:it,ed hdain out of earth and made him sovereign of the world. \'hen lnen increased, t.hey begm to epyead over the eart,h and outsbretch- ed the ha.nd of tyranny over us weak ones. They seized the horse, ass, nlulc and camel, m d began to make t;hern serve ; and those troubles which our

ancestors had never seen- mere brought to pass bv force and oppression. What could me do ? We were obliged to Ay into the jungles and deserts. Further, these men desisted not from pursuing us. With many artifices they made snares and nets and pursued us. If they laid hands on t v o or three tired and weary ones, do not enquire their fate, how they were bound and taken and in every way ill-used ? bloi~cover their [consta~~t] employment is cutting our throats, skinning us, breaking our bones, taking out our sinews. ripping up our bellies, plucking our feathers, spitting us, cooking us in the fire, roosting and eating us, and more than ail this they are not satisfied, they claim that they are our masters-me their slaves, and that those that escape from then1

commit a crime. There is no proof nor evidence in this case, it is a1toget:etLer tyranny alld oppression.

CHAPTER XI. This Chapter gives tin account qf th.e King o j the

Genii Eistewilag t o the qzccc~..~-cl befzoeen Jdilen ci7zd A?zii?zal,s in 01 'd~~ to decide bbetzaec,iz thenb.

\Then the King heard t.hese statements, having given his mind to do justice to this dispute, he said, "Let the judges, priests, and a11 the nobles of t.be Genii be present." They immediately, in

accordance with the order, presented themsel~~as before the King, Re then sa.id to Man, " The znimals have given me a full account and complaiat of your t p n n y , what reply dn you now ms,ke ? '' One of them made obeisance and began to say, " 0 shel~er of the world, these are our slaves and rt.e their rnnsters ; we sl10~1ld have a ~liaster's authority over them, and nza,lce them do whatever we miah. 'Those anlong t.hem who have su!)mitted to 1:s :we acceptal~le with G,od, a i d those who have turned qa ins t us have as it were turned against God." 'I'he King said, " -4 claitn wirhout proof is not heard in a court of justice ; give us some documents or p~oofs." He sniil, ;' There are manj7 proofs tra- clitioqal and ratiofial to establish oar claim.'; Be

B

said, :6\TThat are the proofs ? " The Man then re. plied, '' The Great G,od has mncte us of a comely farm ; every limb is proportionabie, given to as as they ought to be. Our bodies are graceful, [zceli ~ o ~ ~ ~ n e d ] our stat.~~re upright, our sense such as can distinguish betwecn good and evil, and nndersta~~c? all about the heavens and describe the same. 1 ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ besides us has these adva~~rages ? From t , h i ~ it follows : v c are their n~asters, they ere our slaver." The King asked the Animals: '' TTrh:lt. do you say

a o m ? '' They ~ e s p e c t f ~ d l ~ replied: :' The cl aim is not est.ablishecl by these proofs." He said, ':L)c; y011 not lmow t,hat. good breeding is the characte:-- istic of a superior! and ill shape and c~*ookedliess

the stiglna of slaves T " One of them replied, The fact is! (may the Great God bestow good intentions upon your Sfajesty, and protect yo.,: f ron~ tlip c~l~l l i i t ies of the morld,) the C'reat.or dicl not. nlaks Ifan c:^ :his for111 and ststnre t.o be called our mas-

tcr. create us with these ways and habits to be their slaves. He is Omniscient. There is no morl; ~f His tha t does not show His wisdom. JThatever s!lnpes He considered best? He ha^ given to nll.'l

CHAPTER TTI.

Ckqpfer is about t 6 2 d<fes-e,~cu i l i st.;lirr~~ u ~ d shape.

Ic. is as follows :--

When the Great God made Man, be was dto- gether naked ; there was nothing on his body to protect him from t,he heat and cold. He a.te the

;. -fruits of the forest: and covered his body v i th the ieares of trees. On tbis account he was mnclc- erect and tall, that he may easily pluck the fruits to eat and tlie leayes to use. O L Z ~ food is grass ; for This reason our sliape is bent that me mna-

graze ensilr and experience eo kind of imnoynnc~." b e I said, ': TYbnt do ?or1 ex\- t o this rrhicii the Great God 11a::l said, L;~k ( .zd kh~zlE~a?mi.l in.3iin ,f; ohsalLe f ~ k t ~ i n ~ ; %. e., I bnve given L\1:111 a n esce l le~~t ,Lap ? l' Be replied, 'l 0 shelter of tbc world : I :esides the litera,l nmea,niags of Go cl's ~01 .d theri. . - nre many i~ t e r~ rc t a t ions [or hidden n1ea:llnp.j ~ h i c h are kllornn ollly to leamecl u:en : ' yn i :

sb0uld a& rrise men to point them ov.t." T ~ C S C -

fore 2 wise sage, in accordance wi th an oscle~ of the espounded the drift of the tests thus:

JYhe~l God created Adain: i~ ~ 3 s a propitious Inmncnt : the stars shone forth in their most favor- aI)le posiiions, and the cl~aos of elements was x,lr,st ready sild xilling to assume definizc forlns ; rhe~efo~e blan received erect sts2~1re ancl vel' J f onn- ed limbs! and ' the propitions moment ' also has ;~not,her meaning. ' Fa ccda7nka .fi cniys szu.izbin ~ i / , . i

sh/ilr& ~akkccbaku,' that is, the Great (Cod created 3Ian proportionable, neither too small r,or :c0 large." The King said, i ' This proportion of tbcir . > limbs is enongb to show their superiority.;' l Lie nuimala said, This is the case ~ ~ i t h us also. Ci-ori

has given every limb proportinnable t o us. lu rllis l ) a r t i ~ ~ l l a ~ we are equal." Mall replied, '' Flom ;:re yonr linlbs in propordon ? Yonr fcmms nl-c. odious, stature not suitable, linlbs ugly,-since one nf SOLI, the camel, is great in stature, long necked, siiort tailed ; and the elephant, r h o is of a greg; heavy slln.pe, has two long teeth sticking ont of his :lmut,h; his ears are large and spread oi~t ; his eyes

X.O ...l) . 7 smdl. The tail of iJle ox and of the b ~ f f . 1 ~

is large, t.hr horns thick? a ~ l d they have I>O upper The fat-tailed sheep has heavy horns wit.h

fit buttocks ; and there is the goat with a !ong P\ . lrenrd no I:l:ttsclis. l l i e rl;:re is fi:<i:i!l. e:?d has

iara:,e a e;:.l.s, 111 mpaner these are mauy wild aiid domestic nnilnnls <:.ncl Birds: whose fonns :tre ~ ~ o t proportio~~rtble.v ;-In hearing this! one of the

ztl;im:~Js begal to arty, 'i It is a pity that you think ~,:~thilig of the slrill of tLc C'wntor. We are 11;s c.;eatus..es. The correctness ancl bear~ty of OUT - limbs are 5oxn I-Iim, therefol-c onr fi:!~lt~ are of a hnrcty- His f ~ ~ u l t s ; do you not krron- ~ i i a t God ui' His wisdom created every thing for some g o d pxrpose. ?;G one besides Himself sztl ~ i a e me:;

a kr;o.cc IIis secre~s." 'I'he Man said. '' If you tu.e

:,ue of the philosophers of the animals, then os-

pln:in ~ ~ ! i a t is the advantage of the cnmel's neck I.~: , ,,,nog so long." He replied, Fo:. this reason, his

legs are long thei-eforc if his neck had been shor:, i t mould have been difficult for hi:;-, t o graze. His necl; was made long that he may graze in comfort. alld by the strength of his heck get ~ 1 . 0 f r ~ x x tLe yro~lnd, and that h2 m?- reach ,hi: ~vh~ll.: c.f his

body with hi3 lips and scratch l i i~i l~cl i ' . i i l L'LI~

same way the elephant's trunl; is made long in the Place of a long neck, and his ears Inrge that I:e Inay dtive away,the flies and moscluitoes. t.hat rile y Inay not get illto his eyes and mouth. For ]:is :no~zt,h always remains open on account of his tneks, and cannot be closed. His tusks are lone that he lnxy protect hili~seif from the attack. of vild beasts. The ears of tile hare m e iar*, !'or Lis b ~ d y i~ delicate 2nd his skill t!liz>; t I l n t in r!te winter he may cover himself? and in rlle s ~ u u u l ~ r

i:;xead them (to lie upon). 111 short, the Great God has given every being such limbs as I-le thil:$s suitable- for him. S s he has said ill the n-ords of 31oses the prophet, ' Ratbanal lctzi dtd k~i!l!z ,j.li(;,iiz i~bnl1;alr~i srinznla Badci,' rrhich means, God gave every creature existence and afterwards gave the% his gc;d- :rice. OP more fully, He has given evely olle limbs fjt-

ii:.o L for himself and shown him the right W%),. You Ecnst of things which you think superior,!and in yonr own opinion you are masters and we slaves, which is wrong. Beauty every aaimal is that in adaired bj, its own species, through which they

ijecolne attached to one a-i~other. This is the sourc,e

r : f continued population. For the elegance of one

is riot appreciated by any other ; every anima! is attached GO the female of its kiad. They uerer

lore the females of aliother race, eve11 shoald they I,e lllucll superior. hlan also in this may is indined rowards his own species. 'fhose persons that are ],lack do not wish for those vho are white, nor ;hose that are vhite love black people. And cer-

ta in men who cohabit with boys have no desire for the most beautiful women ; ancl those that live -.~ith Tomen c10 not thinlc of boys. Therefore yo:ir

beauty is no proof of superiori~y, tbni g o ~ i sho?ild rhillk you~selves better t.11an us. +%nd this vhieL

oou sny, that your undtrataniliilg is superior, is ;\is0 a mistate. Certain animals har-c n3ore accie sense than you. For instance, there is the camel, with its large feet and Iong neck, whose head talks with the vin1.3, (i.9 tall,,) and get is able to see places for his feet in dark nights, and to travel roads ~ h i c h are difficult to pass, where you reqnire torches a.nd lamps. Then there is the horse also,

who from afar hears the somd of any one coming,

C)ftentimes it has happened that on hearing th2 slpprosch of an enemy, he has awi~l;eaed his lnaster nl:d saved bin1 fl.om his enemy. If ally one take ail 3 5 3 or a ~uUOCI; a10113v a strungc roncl md let hi12 ,,'.' ,". he $7;;; withot~ t ~ l i f i ; ~ ~ i ! t y rct!:l'u ic Jiis o v : ~

h,;me, he does liot in axy n-ny fb:.c.t.,t. If \.U!: go L,

:,!one a road se;~era\ ti~iles :~ud I1a~>~)2li 10 L:~ve to

p.3 ngfiin. >-on are perplesed tu:d forget. Slieep iuld goats r h o byir:g fcrth liundrec!s oi' rolIng in one ,. A:,,LL : ?.I go UN; to the past~~ree in the ifil>rlli~g. m d in

.-

t he ereaii~? vhcn the;,- return, t h e you~1g ones i-noiv hei r lnotllern a id the)- their young uller.

jf r n y une of ~ L J . r e m ~ i n array for :L short t i m p mc!, ccilrre home, yon fo~get ~xother, sister, fat.hrr ::A brother. Then n h e e is your &scerllment :W:; CLCLIE sense of d i c h ~ O L I boast SO ? T " -- -. :,~a had any sense a t all, yon would ~.lot boast oE tliase t h i ~ ~ g s , which wi tho~t l a l ~ ~ ~ ~ or Cxer-

*.I. ~1.2~:. .. the Great God has giwn you. For vise rind cJaser a r n boast only of those things they

by their W !cbor, or of :he religious knorr- lzclge a d good h ~ b i t s they l-arn by their onn e::er~ioioas. This L ro i she case with you 2 3 -

D;$ in n-hich yon dornlneer - . o ~ e ? 11s ; l,b.ia is merely - case airhoot eir;oenee--oZd, strife ri-itIiout a cause."

The l<jEo. hrgia,o ioirr,rds IIen snid, ' l Poa *. , .,

have heard their v-o?,lr.*' ! fie\- a i i ~ ~ ~ e d ~ '' There, kLr - - . zre yet mall? proofs i-crno?n!.lg h:: w?lich oor claim c m be er;tsbli~hed--thcse . . WC some of' them, ' Buying i\lem- them, glrmg them food find drink, ciothing the=, i h e ~ ~ from coid 2nd heal.

shutting our eyes t o their faults: pmtccting thcm horn the a.ttacks of wild aaimn!.st mhen sick treating tEexIl kindly and cruring them.' This our treat- 1:lcnt of then, arises from kindness and mercy. I t is the custonz of a11 masters to watch over their s!s.ves vith mercy 2nd kindness (at all times ncd:) ill The Ring henring this, said to tlle animals, "Give a reply." They ~eplied, "If

;his Afau says that they buy aliinlals a i d ~ d i rhen~, this custom a,lso prevails among !nen ; for instaace. when the inlaliiai~ts of l'ersir ecn,loer TurkeJ-, they sell the Turks ; md nhen the Turks coirquer

Persia, they trea.t the 1'er.sians the salilc. The in- haI~itant,s of India ~ i t h those of Sindh mid the people of Siildh with the Hindoos, the Turks with the Arabs and the Arabs nitb the Tnrls brirlg the same into practice. lu short, +hen one overc.omeg

inother a.nd gets a ~ i c t w y , he considers the race his slaves a d sells them. Who tell, q~]lo

-are in tri1t.h slaves nnd \vllo masters ? These are t he vicisssitudes of life, which me11 are

I according to t,he laws of astrology. As God has

written, W; tillcat aiydnz izuduuilohd bai~zannds ; ' &at is, I give every one prosperity and dverd ty in his turn. This fact' is well knolrn to the wiae among men. And that which they say, that they feed us and do other things for us is not from kindness, bat from fear that if we died they would lose Their prosperity and be inconvenienced fop dding, transporting burdens and many other thinga. After

.t.hb, each animal in the presence of the King, made

s~pwatc eolnplaint of &I:LII's tyranny. TLi ii~s ;; the moo;ent I a n s taken by Jlan, they

loaded me vith bricks and stones, iron, wood w d fi:a,lly other burdens. In their hands are sticks and ;rbips, with which they belabour my bnck. If ~ .o i~ r )l\ldcsty could see me a t t.hat h e , you woldd have

on me. Yqi'Lere is the fondness xi~d kindness in them, which this 31.1;m 62s. yieillrcd ? " T&n the bullocl: said, G Since I became rnbjeci is >liul, 1 have yoked to the p i o r ~ ~ h , or f ~ t bou!ld

ZnJ! or the ~ ; . l - ~ r e s a ; the i l l ~ ~ z z l e in ZNY 5 . , , 7 :

ill our^: my erer $&llc!.Toided, the whip and e n 2 a .n i,Ileir hands beating me 011 the face nnd bnck .'' A ~ X Y &is the rut- t&J sheep said, " From the honr X lvas take11 by &Iali, 1 D2i.e borne much nfiiction. In older t o drink the milk of my children, they separate my little p o u ~ ~ g orlea fls01Il their liloike~-, and binding their lands and feet t;ikr t h t ; : ~ ic ;he slaughter-konse-xiever I . listening ro their crier 2nd. !,mt,tions. i here. mittloni food or drink they slaughter us-tear off our skins, rip up onr belllei,

open our skulls, tear out our livers, take i l s

;Q Ela;?g.&r-hc~se, nsd art w nith b n i ~ ~ ,

titcn as on the spit, roast 11s in rile ovens. arld ne r,adergoixg these aflict,jons seluaj:~ r!iiie t anil say r~thing." The camel soiil. '.Prom the honr I w:s

. . .taken captive by then!, this as l >c.cl: I=. :: I- C ~ : I (l rtloll,

123pcs are p ~ ~ t through our noses: the cni~:e!-driver .. l i d i s them, hemy loads a1.e pu:, on our. L:~i:!,s :)!it!

.we are taken over hil!s nnd nlol!tit:~i~!s dnrlng r!!i 1 . . dml; night; our bncks rire galled h\- the s ~ l u ~ ; l r

c f tLe saddie ; the soles of n:ir &et 2r.e ~vonnclcd 1 2 ~

.the stones, and hungry ant1 thirsty they tnlie :I>

r;h:;ut rherever they wish. \;E-e ljoor tl~lrlgs aye ,, :.s!igec-! to serve them:" ' L be eIe!,hrtni scid. .'D;-

:.zr:tiy we becnme subject to t112112, tlley p n t ro1,es ;,.-#r;nd oisr necks 2 .3d chn.i.ns ronnt-l onr feet: ::d t::iiirlg the driver's iron sp'lke in ihe lia~lds, tht.:

i.:?ui US rigfit and left i\ll('f 011. the hen;." ..+ . , :i,:jrse 5 5 4 .-l;rnm tlla t.i\ae Tre Lccallic slil~ject :S

+ ,.,; -,. cn.1: . t,hep hare fastetled brjdlcs in otlr mouths. s:rddlcs on our bxk?. . bel!y-hnr:d on our m:aiets:-.- ::::cl ride io T:lr n-rRring e l~nia nrmocr md pull:.

1ct.s. 'iT<e go into battle field hunzuv a:ld thirsta-. ..- .. ., $ , our cpes filled tvirb c] , : i~ t ~1ii1 d i ~ t - ~ ~ - ~ ~ d . :;;.:ite :is .c)n f;2C.c. ::lid s p e ~ y ~ ~ y ~ ~ ~ S C,LL

( 2 9 j

. * m . 1 - 7 , ,v., the breast,., an.d \VC s m i ~ n rn xve1.a or i~ i~cc ,~ ; . 1 iiF:

!nule mid, L;F1-om the time F e were take:: c n . p t j ~ by them mc have snfTered monclriius troubles 3 on c?:!.

feet they have bouilcl ropes? in ourmout,hs bridles llllii hard bit,s ; they leave us not. one inoluent that we r n a y r o to our ~lltltes a11J remove the longings I\-kich . , ;ire in onr he:~rt,s. 'l'he grooms and others p11~ saddles on anr bncl;s and ritle 11s: and takins st icks a d whips in their hanrls beat u s before and bebincl; and all tLat comes inro their. ~iloutbs is abuse and obscenity. 'l'hcg attain to S ~ I C ~ X degree of st-upidity that at tirrles they give obscel~e abuse t o their o w n ~ e l v e s ~ their sisters, and i1:tnghters. -k id they say, :. y o ~ ~ r onmess' snc! b:lyersl n ~ ~ i l sellers7 ~ i v e s , " &c, ::+ Q * *. *? -411 t'his: abuse is of them, and ;:f their mnsters. True i t ist thcy are clesel-ving cf

I f y o ~ r J[a+iestp mill only t.hink of t.heir igl~s- r:mce, stupidi t.g a n d obscenitv, you will ~ulderstaxrl rhat they are fill1 of the whole of this world's T F i ~ f i - liness and ignorance. lyal.t,her, thcy are unconsci-

I '

nxs of these evil tendencies. l hey never give ear

to the ins t r~~c t ion of the Crea to~ or the last, advice of the prophets. Noteoi~hstnndir?g they thernseives

wad t&se texts : ' f a iagdfil rrb 1ayasfaLli di; iohilbhna anyagfira dllaho lnk6m.' The meaning GP mhicl~ is,-If you wish forgiveness from God, let the crimes of others pass-' Kcl liilazinah rnallfi

yngfini lilazina layarjims rij im allihe.' That is. Order the believers, 0 Mahoomrned I to look over

the crimes of the unbelievem. V7a m;i lmin dbbba- tin Rlarze nald taerin yutiro bijanAyati1 omam am- s&lnkum'; ' that is, All cattle' vild beasts, and birds. tbai wander on the faee of the earth or fly m iLr -

&,'are sociable like yourselves. ' Iditas tau nlh zl:hlt1-

rehi siimma, aslihrri nemata rabet Gm, iznstnn-ehini alaih ; wa t ak i l6 subhdnnaliazi sak hk hnrn lans h4,zL ; wa ID& kunna lahii mGkrebna ; wa. inr?Q i l i

rabena larnhkalebimna ; ' rrhich means, At the time you mount [your] camels: think of tile ?~lcssing, [ o r he?U$t8] God has given you and en.y, G-od is

pure r h o ha8 put such tin anillin1 nndey ns. m-e rhouid never have been able to subdue him. Mye

211 depend upon God ." Then the n~lile had finish rd this speech, the eanlel said to the boar. XfiUSt tell of the tyranny yoor race has reeeiv - "d the handof RI&, and detail :Le s.ame before

this very ,jr:st. King, and he of his kindness a.nd mercy wilI probably release those of us who sre slaves, from their. hands. Fcr your race are also beasts of the field ( g m z e ~ ) , " A learned one .remarked, "Pigs are not gmzers, brit. they are beasts of prey; do yon not Bnow that their teeth are pro- jectilig, and that they eat carrion ? " Another said, L i r 7 lhey are grazi~g animals, for they are cioven- footed and eat grass also." A third said, " They are a compound of n mild beast, a grazing aniplal a i~d a brnte, in the same way as the camel-leopard is t,he cor:~pnund of the ox: camel, and leopard and the oa~rich, ~cllich Las the shape of a bird and a camel combiaed.!' The boar said to the camel. "1 1;now nothiilg (about- it), what can I say ? and against. m-llom shall I complain? There is great flit-ersity of opinion amongst nien concerning 11s. -. 'l hose x~ho are bIussul~nans t,hink us metamoryhos- ed2 and accursed, they t.hini; our fbrni disgusting and ollr flesh unclean ; and they abstain from mentioning us. IYhile in Turliev t,hey eat our flesh

- *. There isda t~.adition among the kIussulrnans that mon-

krrs allcl swine were origi~lallp ulel), \vr.l~o for offending sorrie p q h e t , probably Lot, merc changed into those shapes.

m:& relish alld think it a Biesseti :~~lorsd: nzJ us 2 very eirectaal sacrifice. The Jevs (ifs-

pise ELTld hate -us, they give. us a$i i~e when innocel..t, curse us, because tlicg a,re at enmity mitl i the

Nczarenes and T~uyks. The A::1.1:i?ni;ii1~ col~sider ts the sa,me as oxex and goats, they t,hink better cf us on account of our fitttness, extra flesl-1, 3 ~ i G

prolificness. The Grecian physicians . . often use o::r fat for lnedicj~les ; further, they preserve tlieir 01~11

~nedicinea in it. Herdsinen and grooms keep s s - in the pastures and stables with the ca~ t l e and horses. 13ecause their cattle and horses! fi.0111 orlr

lising there, a.re protected horn many evils. 3lzgi- cians and exorcists keep our skin in their boo1;s and charms. Boot and shoe-mafiers very e a p l y pluck and preserve the l~ristles of our r m k a!;d

face ; for they are of great use to them. I an] per- ~lexed ; I am not able to speak, whom shall I p k s e

or whom shall I blame ? " V'he.n t,he boar bed Snished all this, the ass looked towards the hare, ~ 1 1 0 was standing aeay the canleI, alld said to him, " Relate all t,he oppreasio~~ that yacr species has ~iiffered from 3Im, in the presence of the I<ing, ;uld

perhaps the Ring nil1 bc kin:] enoi~g-11 to I 1 e 1' re^

rhose of us who are prisoners, from their hands." The hare sxid; '. We live far from them, having left the country where they live. ltTe choose ti:, live in ~ I ~ Y P O T S and jr~ngles, therefore we escs.pc . . 111s r;j:~~aat~ y , but we aTe extrenlel y harassed !ly

(logs a115 beasts of prey who as-jist. m3n lsy leading him towards oa to take us, and my brethren the deer. ox, camel, goat and other animals: who have taken shelter in the hills, causing 11s all to fail into the Lnncls of man." The hare again said, - ' The bounds itre excus:~bie 111 this athir, for t'hey ~ n u s t assist mar!, :is they also have a longing ro eat our flesh. They :ire not of OLIP speci.es: they are of t!le beasts of prey. But the horsc r h o is of our species, a i d who does not ear our flesh, why does Le assist man ? So, it

is altogether. his igool-ailcc aucl st.~:l>i(.Iif~.''

CWX]'TE!: I-.

C / L C L ~ ~ L ~ * is i i ~ p r c ~ i y z o/' the Uiir.~~.

\Then mail heard all t h e ~vorr.i,s of the h:.rc. he said :-'' Enougl1, be silent ; vo:;. h a r e 11111r:h s1andei:ed the horse. IF you bad !izoc-n thar the

C

horse is the best of animals, and subject to man, you would not have (given) so much absurd chatter." The King said to man, '' What is t,here superior in him ? " I-Ie said, " Sire, the noble horse has many good! excellent qndities ; he has a good ap?earance, every limb is correct, (or proportionable),-in form and shape pleasing, his senses acute, his color clear, superior in intelligence, fleet of foot. obedient to his rider ; wherever he is guided, right or left, front or rear, he quickly turns, and never turns his back* on nrort : he is so respectful that when his rider is on his back he never attends to either call of nature. If his tail gets wet in the mud or water he never shakes it, that a drop map not fall ou his rider. With t,he strength of a,n elephant he takes his master: with his helmet, armour (or cuirass,) his coat of mail, and his own saddle, bridle and armour, f and with rhis load of 40:001)

lbs. Ile goes along. He is so ptlt,iellt and forbenrillg that in battle he receives wounds from spears and - --

pp

* h1unll morna ; iitet.ally, t o t u r n away the facc. t P ikor ; t h e ci~aili arluonr won1 on the hind quarters of

the Ilorse.

arrows in his breast and heart and remains silent. He is so (swift,) when galloping that the wind cannot keep up with the dust, (he raises) he is as stately as the holy bull, he is like the Chetah in bounding (~.unnin*q). If his rider make a bet he wallops fast, and taking his own rider in front, O

quickly arrives (at the goal) ; are nny of a1.l these q~ialities in any one besides t,he horse 3" The hare replied, With these good qualities, there is also :I

areat defect, and all his good points are hidden in L3

this." The King asked, "TTThat is that defect. describe it.." He replied, "He is altogether foolish and ignorant,, he never knoms his friends from his enemies. I f he get beneat,h the stride of his enemy, lle t,hen becomes subject. to him. And in war, at the directioil of his enemy, he rushes and attacks those of the house where he was born and supported all his life. This chnr,zctt?ristic of the horse is like that of the s ~ o r d nrhich lies lifeless and cannot distii~guish between friends 2nd foes. Like as it wonucls irs enemies. so tloes it un11esitatingl~- separate the head from the body of his n1asi;cr or maker, if it falls upon their necks. It k n o ~ s no

riifference bcimeen its friends nnil stl.augerr. This is also a ~Larwtoristic of rnan ; he is ar e~irr.i tp si6 . . ills filther, mother, brothel.. sister: illld r1eii.r rela- ?ions. ar.d causes (them) to &!l into many snares

;md allurements. TT, the mnnuer the)- slloald treat, I their enemies, tlrey treat iileir acijanirLiallces. To

their infancy! they receive milk f;om t,hcir parents ""-.l are nourished iu their arms, and in the tilne of

youth they hecoine their ( p r r e ~ ~ t s ' ) cilemies. h m n r way they get milk from tile n:iim:tl,~; id .

'mefi: tl~emseiues by maki~ , 7 o' clothes of their sl~ia, and fur, and in the end cot Qe throats of there

anilnds, skin them. and rip up their bellies. rijast them nit, givi?2.g them the f l ~ z ~ : o lli. q;r$i.~,i a ~ i j

u'liiindlp, unmercifuily forget entinlir the oljligz- and benefits rhey receiy-ed from

X . - v

the hare had finished r ~ ~ i ~ n i n g ilono rnel: k1ll-l the horse, the ass said to him. :: E~jor:~h! you C [ i < : - ~ ~ l d , not S" ~nilcll to tbeir diaparag-e~ncl~t. 1s there such a person to whom God hhs given slli~erior tnlent,s and biessings, and has not reteru-

some pa~t iculnr r72c rrhicb Be has not ~ e s t a ~ 2 ~ .

"i)ou him ; 2nd nllo is he LG rrhom He hag denied

ril"me. 2nd to mhorn tIe ~ I R S not given smile

pwe1iay benefit vhicb He 112s nor bestoned on an;. ' silcli one does not p r i j i ill file r~c r ld God bus g i r m ~ eiai ,y ~ u i a r i o r . . . riodily

nlid beuc&t. blessjiiirr of ibe (1is:fit~rebtd . .

- 1

,rivell ri-ie s ~ m an!! mooil \.cry high P O S ~ ti0i7 (r2r.k ); C

hrifitnpss, U .. benut!-. e;ni?iilrcc: sill,iril>riip ; 211 ~Lcit - :

perfcctiolls s:d r i r r ues Iic 52s givcli . . d ~ e r n . sfi

mllch g o that certai:~ fi~tiaiis in L ~ ~ C I P ?~P,O?:~I:CC

tllelxi t o be tileis God ; yet $rill tliev nrc uc>-i. pl;einpt. from one defect_ t1;e edilisc--that the wiac mav .z ayrise at illis {:kit: : if thev are (;oils r i a j lvoulij nerer 1,- ( thns) d::rl;ened (or the IIKXI:

increase) or dccrexse : ('tl)i,+ . to the p,kxsea ?is

ilie nlooll. j In this ~ 2 9 God has giren light and brightness to all the stnre! but with this (provi- ,ion) also. they disapper.~ in tbe Mghrness of t h i ,,, alnl thep d g a:;4 night, that ic r.:a7:

be evident they were created, (and not creato~s. )

r n lhis is the case with genii, man rtlld angels. Jf olle has many superior qualities, he has also sorne little defect. Perfection is God's done, and no at}iers." \?Then the ass had finished this speech the OS said, "He to whom God has given many talents that to others He has not given, should be thankful in this manner,-share those blessings vith otbera-thus as God has given brightness to the sun, and he with his splendour sends blessings to all creation, and considers no one u~tder oblig-a- :inn, end in the same ma.nner the mocn and stars, each according to his ability, gives light to netare thinking no one under ohligatiol~ :-in t,he same 'in?-, 3fan to whom God has given so many bless-

ings, should bestow them on the animals not . :hi!& them indebted to him." \Then the o r had

fiirislied saying this: dl the animals weeping and clm:tshing their teerh hegm to say : "Just Kin$ .- hive mercy upon us and deliver us from the xgrsnny of this oppressor, man. The Icing having heard this, looked torards as many of the Philoso- ijhera and learned Genii as were present and

::Have you heard the tyranny: cruelty and oppres- &on of man, which the anilnals have described? They replied, ':We bave beard, and it is a11 correct. \Ve see i t day and night ; their tyrnlzily is not hidden fl-on1 any wise, ii~telligent person. On this

account the Genii also left t.heir country and fled illto jungles and wilds, and entering the hills, mountains and rivers hid themselves. They al-

together left off p i n g to populous places through man's bad ways, and their ill-usage (of the Genii.) Yet they (the Genii) are not free from their sus- picions. They are so far suspicious and without faith in us, that should any child, ~voinaa. or man, whether ignorant or insane, becorne sick. they say this, :.This is the influence or shadow of the Genii. 'They Jmaj-s suspect us. and seek shelter frotn the niischief of the Genii. Yet no one ever saw that any Genius ever killed a man, wounded one. snatcl- ed awajr his clothes, or stole any thiag, broke

into any one's house, picked any one's pocket, or tore my one's sleeves, broke the lock of any one's shop, beat any traveller, rebelled ,against the king.* p

" Euruj ;-saily, egress, irruption.

?.*nbhed any O I I ~ , or ~ o i ~ f i l ~ ~ d ~ U C oile, 1 these

are all practices of theirs, TLer- are day and night piotiing against each other. TheJ- ilrrcr repcfit

T T nr tdie wztmillg-'' LPII t l i i ~ filiishsd, the lliacc boiirrr cried ont :,ad sabl -. Get) kl?lilell: it is :%na erening : the Coi;l*t illilsr cloic; taiie iesve. go

., t o ;-o:lr OLI-n home_ and Go liclse in tllc li i jnl ln. ; .

-- <.!E A p ' ~ ~ ~ ; r7i.

Directly the Court nmse. ti:e ging sni(j hi; . .

niinlster Bedar, in prhate : "EnPe yoil llenrd ~ : ~ S ~ ~ O I I S and answers of these me3 2uld

? 7:f-j t -'at do p i g now advise ?

this bp (i-ci<?ed 7 What course do YOU thhl1; the best 7'' ; he l!idstell was ?L ve?y nrise and intelligent ,,,all

nfz:cr paying h i s respect.;. mid asking blersinss; be 3 w i i ; 'l I think it is hest t o stuntnon and fake couli-

sei in this ease wit11 tlio jtidrres: priests nlld W

scphers of the Genii! for this is a reig-htY nqmnect : ~ > d it i s :lot knosrn n-!lnse ,side is in the rigl,t,

. . iig ~ g c . 5 aEiiIr%, coullsel 1s nii.cess8l-i-. 111 the C o i i n

se] of t ,h~ee or foxr a tbirlg 1)econzes clear. v iae

;LnJ nlen o~rght not to enter into s ~ c h

importiLl1~ aEtiu.s mi:llouL co~msol and deiil~emtion." ln compiianec with iyhat be soid. xhc 1 G ~ g . . ordered tllnP : 4: let. tile ministers c):' the Genll he p ~ - seilr,'' (rliosc Nile cklna yen:) ?LS Fo~I.o\Ts : Th? ,i!lljFs "f lace ei;:j,,'.?, the I;LI~~~ETS @f the r8L.t. ,.I - ~ , . ~ ] , - ; : j . lnen of the tribz of B n i d ~ , philoso- i,:Eyfi" tl.;c sclloo! of ;!<.,,;;y_ t,ho e ~ ~ ~ c r i c n c e d sons

jTcrji)!z,:, . . fro ienrr-~cd cbi!(lmil of l h i i c n n ~ and ~ ! L C

eilrerlxlg1ag men of Brhmii~. ?.'hp. Icing s ~ i d to

theln: "'l'hcse ilnd nr-;i:;~n!s hn.ve come C C ~ -

i~!:tinillg to us; and entcrcd oi:r cooniry and tclicn s21elte~. All the auimds complain of the tyranny

o p p ~ s s i ~ ~ of mm. Advise 113 rrhat sLon!ri

be do.ie them: ancl I.lolV their c 152 shoilld h+: decided ." X !c?nrnccl m n l ? of the Tsce of ?tTnhid 1msent : he said? L : In my opinion it ~ o u l d be best f01.

l,he animalls to (a detail of) the e i r cums t~~ces nlld of oppressio~~ theyhave receix-c-ed at thi. handa of man. and rake :.he opinion' of the Lenrned

f ~ ~ r i l i ~ t .

If an jr thing be decided for their release; the J u d g m and the Bench $hall order h e m to be sold, or freed, or to have their sufferings lessened and to be treat,. ed kindly. If man obey not thc orclel* of the judgesv and the animals fly from their oppression, i t shall he no crime or sin of theirs." Hearing this, the King asked all of rliern what they said in t>his (matter.)

They all said i t was excellellt and befitting the occasion. But one of the men of Behram did not npprove of the advice, and said, " if rhese rnen aye

n i l l i q to sell the aaimda, who will give the money for them? " The religious man replied: L ( Tbe King," The other said, " W heere will thc Tiing get such n

sum of money at. once ? " He answered, From the p~tblie Treasury." Again the other replied, C: There is them such a sum in the public Treasury that

vi!! aaffice for their purchase ? Some lnen will never sell them. Animals are very essentid to

them, while lnoney is not cared for. For instance, liings, minis ters, and many gentlemen who cnnn ot n o r e about without a conveyance, would never agree to their being sold : they would dlject t.0 the

decision." The Killg sairi, "What do YOU then thil& best ? " He replied, 'C h my opinioo, it. Is -

ndvisable that t.he King order the animals to agree together, and on some .light escape from confine- ment and retire to a distance from man's abode.

. - In this way the deer, the bufialo, and many animals have left man's abode aiid fled. In t,he morning

when man does not find them, on what will he load his goods or mo1111t ? He will not be able by

U

reason of the great distance to go in pursuit of them, hut will remain q ~ i e t . Tllus the release of these animals will be eEecter3." The Icing was pleased with this proposal, and ci~quired Cram all if they thought what he had said was best. A philo-

sopher of the descendants of Xsop was thei-e, n ~ r l he said, " This is not at all advisable? and this p1811 is verv co11trnr.y to reason ; i t c211 in no V C L ~ ~ be:

J

because a t night many animals are in close con- finement and their stable doors closed, a.nd watchmen placed on goard ; how then ill they be able t o escape ? " He of the men of l i eham said, The King may give order to the whole of the Genii to go there on that night and open the doors ~f the

rk&lrs, and untie the heel-ropes of !hc nlrinrnls ;llJij

I-t iheln out, and seize all the x~atei lnrei~? sr<I lror let :.hem gc until the miilnals had esr:~peii t n R i;i,

:::ice fr0111, the abode of' m:i?l. Tile i i i t - l o l r j i l rh;lr .:> ' a rcry great nc;. I pit,y t!icir cnnilirioit. rnil

~ic?eforehovethosnilvi;zdrhc l i i n r . ,s!lorl]d th.: -7 . n -?:ls U mnke m attempr to ; . S g act; the I :.:. .. .S. ~ n t 3 Cod wili r.srin: bin1 : , . Ili]p aiid reiicnt

L:;' h'.. opp~csszd are oar best t j ~ z ! : ! ~ ~ God for liis - , . blessings. People say that in solnc tile l)ooj;s (,f

t i l ~ prophets, God has s ~ i d : I' 0 l;i~:gs ! I hare no;

;clit you 011 earth tlint p i 1 2zay :LccnmllILi~e iTeal:b -

Jr i~lvoire youweiver in rl?r arn!$rio~ aud arfirici: SE t'uc =orid ; but fcr this; tBa; the oliprcjsc-J m a r

c.; he:ird as I rnysc:lC give t o tllem, P~ThOllgi: i:rey lniv be heathen." T1:e E:in% agaill :'lerr, all, What do yen ray this ? D ~h~~ -,- ,:L:F: . all picxsed r::.i mid, i' TJlis is tile cS1.rcEt i g l E:it 0::: of t h phi!osol>hers of did xct ngree rnirh ii. Aftcl. blessing nlld the i h S " This is n very difieolt flbffa,ifair : any .t.;sy this cannot be, i t is fi.?-.u~gl~t with mllch sbj&

:!'! danger which it will be il~l)ossitJ!e to aroip~

T h King said, ': 11-1 part of this (propoeiiior:)

have yoo no confidence 7 Tell ns, that Fe may . . also know.'' He replied, Si1.c; he who has devlseri

this plan for thz xiease of r.bn nni~nnls hns mnde 2 g-refit mistake. Tfhec lilari gets up in t.hc morn- i n r and doe3 n ~ t 6.nd tlrz cattie tind l~ecomes awarBt: - -

c7

of their flight, he ~ i 1 1 know t i i ;rt it is nor man‘^ work; % ~ l . n d it wss impossible fix minxils t o

i~ccomplish the same tirc~uielres, , . but that this rrick

of the Genii.'' I he King said, '' Trne i t is; . - . . .- -

theye is no doubt that t,iley will sns;ject ns 01kl.p.'' 'The philosopher said, " 0 shelter of rEe univcrse !

When rhese snimds escape from t,hcir hands, cnJ ther, are deprived of the henelts (derived froiii . . J

tllem) t-he y vill grieve and lament excessively, s)i:i become the ellemy of thc G$nii. They were ar;

vi&nce bchre, no\r t I~ey viil e n t c r t ~ n extm hnt,rcd. and m21icc." The learned have sr,i;i, :' Jrle alone is W j l e that mrires pexe bct:ireen foes, and keeps himself clenr of their quarrels." Iiearing this all the Genii s;iid, :: IIe speaks the t,rutl~." After this a

philosopher remnrked. Why shoulrl we be afraid of their erulity ? Their enrnixy cannot d e c t us. Onr

bodies are (made) of fire, and are subtle md airy : we fly.up to heaven, vhile man's body is of earth,

and he lives below : he cannot ascend on Mgh. M7e go them unrestrained and see tbem, they are not able to see us ; then what is zhere to fear?" The sage of Kaiirran gave answer to the above :

L ; Kt is a pity you understand nothing at all. 31rn i a?.tlxough of earth, has heavenly breath, and a!; 1 a.ngelic spirit, 'nd is superior to us? and iinoi~x many stratagems and arts. I11 former times bet~veeli men and the Genii there vns much contention, from

the rdation of which every one trembles." The Billg said, " Tell us the particulars also ; what was it. all about 1 let us know it." The philosopher said. ': Innate and natural bntred have existed between m m and Genii for ages, the na~ration of hi eh vould he very tedious " Tbe King said, Give us a little

the commel~cement so far as you are

The Co~~tention detueen ,Wan and the Genii

The philosopher in compliance with the Ring's order, thus related the particulars : "In a1leient

timer when God had not creat,ed Adurn, the Genii i~lbabited the whole of the face of the earth ; all forests, inhabited places, and rivers were under their way. Aft.er a long time had passed. and they received prophecy, lam; and the faith mcl many other blessings. they then began to be disobedient and to go astray, and not to heed the teacbing of the Iwophets, and raised strife throughout the vhole enrth. On account of their oppression, the earth and its inbabitauts complained at the throne of God, groaning and lamenting. When some rime more had elapsed, and their dissensioll and oppression day by day increased, God sent an army of ansels on the earth. They came, aud h:tving beaten the

Cienii turned them out, nnd confined many of them ; und thcy themselves took up their abode on earth. And hraail, Qe nccussed Satan, who deceived Adaln and Eve, was among those ahn were contined. Be ~ 2 s vary young and line^ nothing ; he was b r o ~ ~ ~ l r ~ up among l u e angds, and he adopted an their habits ar~d costoms. When he had learnt a11 t,heir ways and had grown up, he W ~ S made the hhend md chief of that race (nngdsj. He continually

issued hvs (to obey) and proLibitio11s (to ohservc]. 2nd mhen another age had passed, the Great Go< $aid to these angels. who were living on the earth; dzni Jdihn $l nrnt i;hul<Jirtira ?,i i i i,i.rrir-t?k:7r,' m . f i k ~ i ? ~ &S snmcir;' that is, I n-i!! rnnke !rim ai' the earth, who is nor Loin ntnong yell, and

wcail YOU t o heeven. The a11ge1s that had iirefl here so long, a t the idea of being aepar~ted il-orn the earth, thinking rills oniel. disno.rce:tblc,

b ihis answer to God : dtojri2o -filin yi~,~il/+#ii(.Lin. ,fih~a -

loft ymfe fsknildiiisihd, ?m norm,? ,izt~,gaM~ho &/:n,j~&!

""h~%k~ kzkka: '. Thoil wilt crcntr a persoil nllo ill bring war and bioods!leti on the earth like ;:S the Genii did ; while me adore Thee, find think Thsp holy.'' The Great God eommnnded---;. h2rj, j <i!ct,,i;; '?~cild fdl6nz!ln, i. e., y o u he,ve no idea o f what 1

consider best, a ~ l d 1 smear hy myself, that .,!dam and his race? I mill place neither dlls-p;, (;enina, nor beast upon the earth." In short, rile hour the Great Creator forined ACTuln and byeatbed into his body a soni; anri otlt of hilli nlade j:ve, he ~ommanded n i l rhe :\ngels.

Gnther , - :,her all Fe; and borr do-ix-n to AdalU,'. ~ ~ c c o r d i n g

ta the Divine order, they boved doen and became subject to Adam. Bnt dzazil did not how dovn.

Through obstinacy and envy, he refused the order of the Lord. Re thought; I n r s formerly lord and master, and shall I now become subject to them ? ' Therefore through hatred and malice, he became Adam's enemy. Then God commanded the .h~gels to put Addam into Paradise ; and mhen he was in Paradise, this order came from the Divine Being : Y& ddhi~6skLin nsta toa Zn~+~kn2 jna~,.ntcb n a kuhi minhd rugad~xn h ~ i s o Shetdmb, zm Zdtcik.~~tbc~ hlileish hnjaratu fatakzina rninot strlimk. The purport

of tbis text is this : " 0 Adam, lire in this Paradise with Your wife, and eat with joy whatever your heart desires, but go not near that tree ; if you go near it, you mill become a sinner." This Farm-

, "

disc which the Great God gave nnto .idam' to live in is a in rhe East, on mounPains of

rubies ; no man has power to go and gain access M tbi~i. place. The lai~d there is fertile. the climate

healthy, the season of spring continually abides. many vater-conrses flow there? the various kinds of

* Eazt.ut, D noble.

fruit trees are extremely prolific, bearing all sorts of flowers and fruits. The animals there molest no one, beautiful sweet-singing birds of all color3 sit marbling or, the branches. Xdam and Eve went there and lived happily. Very long hair hung from the Head of both of them d o m ~ ~ to their fect. The vhole of their bodies was covered bv [their] hair ; this added greatly t o their grace and elegance. On the banks of %he stl-ean~lets and amor.g the parterres they wandered fi-eely, eatin? 2.11 kinds of fruit, and drinking of the water of the "reams. For them, emry thing wirhout labour and exertion, was provided. Ploughing. tilling. grinding, cooking. spinning, weaving cloth: wash-

ing-not one even of these taslis Lad they. In this age their descendants are subject to these cares :

Lilie as other animals lived there, so these two ill perfect safety and t rni~qoi l l i t~ pass their time. They had no care ; a11d all the names of the trees and animals wldch mere there the Great Gocl told to Adam ; and when he asked tlle h1,oels their names they knew them not, and b e i q pel-- plesed remained silent. ]Then he oslced Adanl,

be zt once told their names ond described the ad- rantages and disadvantages derived from each. TJ7hen the Angels saw this they all became subject to him, and thought Adaln superior to themselves. Azazil, when he saw Xdam's position, his malice and envy increasing, began to consider how he could in any Tay by finud a d deceit effect his diaorace. Therefore olie any assuming the disguise

of an adviser, hement to him ancl said, " TheGreilt God who has given you the ucco~n~ilishnlentr of

eloquence and reason, to this day has given soch advantages to n o one else. If yon eat of this t ~ e e ;

you will obtain knodedge a,nd gifts supedor to

these, 2nd you vill live here conticudly in I I C ~ -

fect happiness and peace ; death mill never come, you miI,l always eu,jo>7 yonrself. llTl!en the nccors-

ed one svore and said, Inr~i Z U ~ Z L I ~ L$ ~t i inn j i ~lcLsehi)lct ,

'I give you good advice,' he fell into the snare ; t,hro.ougl kb covetousness he went beyond all bounds and ate of that tree. of wbich the Great God

forbidden him to eat. The hearellly robes in

~ O i c h they were clotlled inulledi.ate?y fell from off their bodies. They tocl; leaves of trees and begas

to cover their bodies. The very long hair that was on their heads a110 fell off. They became naked. and from the heat of the sun their complexion changed and became black, and they became disgraced. When the a~linials saw them in this state their appearance became hatef~zl to them, and they Bed with disOaust. Man became very much degmd- ed. The Angels were ordered to cast them out of P aradire and throw them out at the foot of the n~ount,ain. The Angels threro them into a. lace where there was neither fruit nor leaf- Than on the earth for a long time in grief and sorrom thev

- - made lamentation, and became extremely ashamed of vhat they had done. When some tilne bad been spent in this grief and sorrom, the Great God of His mercy accepted their repentance alld forgave fieir

k h d t , and sent an angel to the earth. tie ba\~ing nrrived here [ ta~~ght them] to dig the ground, to ~ l o ~ ~ g h , to SOW, to reap, to grind. t o brev, to bake b r e d , to weave cloth, to sew, to make clothe& ; al l these he taught them. When their race had iiucrens- ed, the Genii came and mixed with them, and t-ogbi them how to plant trees, and build houses

and rnany other arts. Friendships arose betveen

them, and for a long time in this way they passed their time.

Gnt \vlxenever mention of the treachery of the accursed Satan was made, through a-ery inads -- -

lnind passed 3. suspicion of the malice and envy ot the Genii. When Cain slew ' Abel, Abel's fimily - . ~

had the idea that the Genii prompted him. From

this their v ~ i a n c e with the Genii was increased, . -

alld they begm to devise stratagelns to get rid of them. Through hatred they nsed magic, spells, curses, charms, confineme~lt in vessels, and many ----

other means to annoy the G-enii, and xere alrrays fuil of this speculation. When God sent the pmphet Enoch, he calxe, and made peace between I t a n a116 - - - . th Genii, and shemed them the mays of relipon and piety. The Genii also came into the king- doms of iilan. and they lived together on good terms. In this way until the second deluge, and even afterwards up to the time of Abraham, the friend of God, they lived happily. When Kinlrod

cart Abraham into the fire, man again rras of the opinion that ttL Genii had Ximrcd

rc innLe the sling. lZlld J T ~ ~ I I the brethren of Joseph put him into the mell, they thought tBia also x ~ a s a trick of the Genii. This g w e fur- ;her rise to differences [between ihem]. T C h e ~ ~ the great prophet Xoses came into the n-orld, lie also reconciled them to one another, aild mnnv

Genii embraced the religion of Moses. IYiTIjcn ( h t . 1

:nzile Solomon, the son of David, sovereign of t L 2

ahole world. putting all the kings of the eartll ~mder him, 311 Genii and m m bzceme his ubjecii . ..nen said the Genii to IIlan, with presi:nlptionl . r r", ihese do~nil~io~ls came to che hnnd of Solon:ori 197 our help ; if the Genii had not given h;ln assist- a c e he vould be like other kings are ;" nnll they -ere a l r rgs speaking of their pre-science, [or* knozlccZge qi m y r t e ~ i e s ] throwing man into a perplexed state of mind. When Solorno11 departed 5c-nce, and the Genii got no news of it: all of them 5 e c m e puzzled to know where Solornon was. Thell rnen beczme positive tha,t, if these had been omni- sc ie~t , they would not have been thus at fault. And when the news of the (coming of the) Queen af Shba W ~ B given by the Hoopoe to King Solo.

( 5 5

m,, he aslred all, l : TTTho is strong enongh to bring her throne before she C O U ~ ~ arrive ? " A Genius,

whose name mas Bastooz, son of Hainan, bonstingly ~ : i id , " I will bring it SO q ~ ~ i c k l y that your %Iajesty mill not have time to rise from ?cur senx." King

Solornon &aid, " I ~ i s h it to be brought more quickly than that." Asif Unrhhya: the possessor of n powerful charm, said; ': I brisg it ill a second," and he did so. 'iThe~~ the Ring sa-iv the throne he was stunned, and borred to God. Thel:

h c \ i - the Genii that Xan was superior to thetx. Thcy redmd abashed m r i vith drooping herds, Every man follomed thern clapping Lia hands, [ridicule,] and the Genii being very n3uc.h dcgrad- ed fled thence, and became rebels. Icing Sololnori

sent an army after them to seize them, teaching his men many arts by vhich they could confiilz them, sqing, " The Genii can in &is way be confined in glass vessels." h d Le compiled a book of t,hese arts, and this book after &is death was published. When Christ came into the world and invited all Genii and men to the t r ~ ~ e faith, and showed every one the right vay, telling them how

ro go to Heaven m d gain access to the Angels,

several Genii embraced the of Christ and hecame devout and temperate, and got the pl*ivi1ege of visiting Heaven. Being told of the thillgs of Iiearen. they continually corn~nunicated them t o

the inspired vritcrs. When God created clie lair Prophet [hIohamed], 2nd their (the Genii's) goilig t n Heaven was stopped, they mid, Asha~run tij.icZa

limnn2 jliarze am ariidri 6ihi)?z ra(iboBsan ~~asdafiJo, i. r., " I t is not evrdent whether this is to the dis. advantage of the dwellers upon earth, or whether God himself wishes to be their guide." Some of tLe Genii accepted the true faith and became IfKs- sulmans. And harmony has existed betrreen theln and 31ussulmans to this dav.

*I When the philosopher 11ad finished this narre- tyon, he [turned and] said, " Gentlemen, do not

Yan, and do not raise strife arnollg yourselves ; you are reviving old enmity for no purpose, :he consequences will be ill. This hatred is Eke the spark of the flint, which when struck sets fire to a whole world. May God defend us ! Jnen they oppose and eonclaer us, hat Ioss and

mill be ours ! " Wheli all heard this mollderfd

story, each held domn his head and was absorbed in thought. The King asked the philosopher, "In your opinon what i s advisable ? How shall I settle the disputes of those who have come to me to complain and aslied protection from me, and let them leave my country sstisfied ? The philosopher said, ;:Good advice is obtained ayter deliberation ; nothing is accomplished in a hurry. In my opinon it is

for fhe King to sit in ine public Court in h morning7 and calling ihenl all, hear the pr*os and cons of every one's ease. After this whatever

SOU adrisable ~ n d befitting the occasion,

so do. Iie of the sons of Eehra~n remul<ed, "11an has much eloquence and fluency, and the animals in &se are deficient ; they cannot t a l k If they

are defeated by the glibness of Non and unable to reply to him; rrill you consig~l them to the111 that ther may keep them in pain and torment ?" The philosopher said, " They should be patient and quiet (when) in subjection to them. Times are always changing ; God will in the end release them ; Eke as He gave the children of Israel freedom fro111

the oppression of Pharao11,-the children of D a ~ i d release from the tyranny of Nebuchaclnezzar-alld .gsre relief to the race of Ba~neer fi.om the cruelties of the tribe of Tubah ; ancl freed the Lonscs of Sasnn and Adnarn from the tyranny of the Greeks and of

the King Artaxerxes. Fate nel-er treats any one [ a l ~ a y s ] in thc some way. but like the circle of the heavens continunlIy revolves round t.b' :S vorld in aeeorda~~ce =it6 the orders of the Creator. In n t'ucosaad years one revolution, or in 12,000 years or in 36,000 years, or hi 336,000 yye~~s, or in one day, which is equal to 50,000 years, one revolution is made. It is true that the revolutian of change- %Me fate never keeps any one in one condition. -

CHAPTER ~ 1 1 1 .

" 137hile the Iiing mns consultii~g with his minia-

ie:a in private, the men also in their residence (the 70 men, inhabitants of different cities) were col. iected together, and consulting arcon,. themselves, expressing whatever passed r h r o ~ ~ g h their minds.

One snid, :' Ton have all heard the ~~~~gurnen t b e t r e e n us and our slaves t.o-da:~, and the disagree- rneut has not yet been arranged. time you any

idea what the King will decide in our behalf ? " They all said, HOIV shoold r e know ? Hovever

rre bnav this, thxt rbe Icing i n rnr~cch puzzled iil i s aifair ; perhaps he may not come out to-mor- rnrp." Another said, " T lino" this, that he r i l l

the riaier in private t0-mor;olV P ~ O L I ~ O l l Y

Some one else s~icl, IIe is going to collcci

the plliloaophers rind learned men to--morro to i T T

eonsl.llt thelp.." Arother szid, c l i n ~ m not who% the l"nilosophers i$dl adrise on our nccount, b z '

knom that the 1<iog is fa.vornble iorrar6s XIS, 8x3 that he has implicit trost in us." One remar.ri;ed,

There is a. fear of the vizier. May it not' be that

be turn against ns; and be severe in our cnre." L$nother observed, " That is an easy nffnb ; did x-e give him samet,hiog valusble, v-e should bring him

t o ollr But there is another danger."

~h~~ all what it, wns. He said, " There is

great cause t o fear the decision of the jodges and C

lawyers," They all " TMs is ~ I S C an e r . y

xntter ; give them too a hrihe, and they mill lean torards us, and finally they also will make some iegal pretence in our favor and give a decision. B L I ~ Azilnat [of the sons of Behram] is a vise and EonorJle man, and will not be partial to nny one. Should the King collsult him, there is fear lest he colxlnand our slaves to the Icing and release then1 from our hands." One aairl, Yoa spe-6- truly, hilt if the King consult the philosophers, they dieer i~ ophion among themselves, one will contradict

the other : nothing mill be decided." Ailother asked, " l f the King take counsel with the jitdeer z:ld Iawyers, what will they say in our favor ? ' * One of them replied, " The decision of the learned vill be in one of these three shapes, either they

order the animals to be liberated, or they wiii ' Sell them and take their value' ; oc tell us

z o t to give them unnecessary annoy'urce, but lcaeeE

t';e same and be kind to them. In law also there nre three rays, [only of deciding.] Then id one,

If the King take the ad~ ice of the minister, will he say? " A second said, I know he s l y that the animals have coiue in to the

,&,try and claimed pmtection n:ld they 3 ~ c oppressed,-to assist them is incr~~nbent on tbe Icing, for k i q s are called God's lieut,enants. The

Great God for this reason, gnve then1 authority in the earth, that they r11ay do jnsiice, assist tbc . .

aged, expel che oppressors from their doulinions, and uphold the l a v amonp the people ; for in the last day, kings will be a r ~ s ~ e r a b l e for all these things." One of them said, " If tlie Icing ask the iudae as to a dicision [in our case] the d U

judge will decide in one of the three [above] aal-s, and then what should be done? " They all said,

" The Judge is the propher's representative, and the Kinrr the defender of the faith ; we cannot in sly vny deviate from their orders." One asked, '. If the Jltdoe order the animals to he let go and left alone, what shall me then do?" Another

replied, 7Ye will ansver, \Tc are their original masters ; from the time of our ancestors they ha-ce alvays lived in slavery ; me have the option t o release them and let them go, or if me rrish, not to let them go." Then snid another, " If the JJuge say, l'rove by legal doc~lments or vitncsses that

they are your origind slsves." One interrupted, J17e will fetch our friends who are honest, and make

them witnesses." He replied, " If t.he Judge sag that the testimony of mankind is not reliable for that they are all enemies of the ailin~als, and the evidence of enemy is not taken in lav ; or say: Where are your deeds of sale and agreements ; if you are in t,he rigbt, bring them and present them. !%'bat will the11 be deoised ? " On hearing this they all remained silent, not one of them gave anamer, till an Arabian observed, ' l We will t l ~ s reply : We had legn! documents, but they were all lost in the flood. Allcl if the Judge wishes us to swenr that they arc our slaves, 'hen we mill say, that an oath should Be required of those that deny the claim, and that. rre are claimants." One sdd, '' If the Judge put ihe animals on their oath. and they swear nlld s:.r, they are not our slaves, then what &ha11 be done? '' Another replied, " TVe will say they have taken fike oa,ths, me have many proofs that strengthen this claim." Another said. '' If the Judge should order us to sell them and take the price of thei:?. hat should we then do ? " The inhabitnnis of

said, Thev vould sell thein and receive tlieir value." Gut those who were the denizens of the viids and jungles, the h m b ~ , TLV~E, &C., said, c * This cannot be ; if we act tl~os we shall be ruined. do not mention it." Those ~ h o nere milling to sell tjlem said, " T17hnt harm is there in this ? " They replied, " If me sell the animds, we shall incrlr great inconvenience. Drinking m*, eating flesh, making clothes of their hide and far, and besides these puxring the= to other uses, all these

mill be lost. Death ~ o ~ l l d be better

than such an existence. Tlie same inconvenience upon the dwellers in cities also. They

derive many f~-ori~ the anii1:nls. x e ~ - e r

beget the intention of selling them and letting them fiee ; further, do no' entertain the thought in )-our minds. If they ilre rvilfin~ th;lt we should lessen their labour a d be kind to them, it does not matter. For these brutes hare life, and are of the senle flesh 2nd blood as ourselves, and feel pdn from excessive labour. YOU IleT-er Jld SO good act, for which you received such n reward as God's giving you dominion orer the animals. E\'or did

they (ever) commit a crime for which God gave them such a punishment as their lieiug cast into this misery. He is Lord of all; and doeth rbnterer He chooseth. No one ca.n evade His orders."

CHAPTER IX.

On the Consti?tc~tion apilony dz A4r;ijl,.&.

When the Icing got up from the Court, and all had taken leave and gone to their respective homes, ihe brutes also collected together and began t o take counsel among themselves. One said, " Yo~on have heard the controversy between us and our enemies to-day, and the quarrel has not ended yet. Sow what is your advice ? " Another said, 'c To-morrom morning a e will go in front of the I i k and make lamentations, and complain of their tyranny ; perhaps the King will be merciful and release us f r o n ~ bondage. To-day he did shew us some kindness, but the Icing should not decide without hearing the arguments and proofs. Proofs and argun~ents are strengthened by ~loqueuae and fluency. For the prophet says, h2~oLzZrn hlhtaaen2lino ilaiyk K. lanNn

b&z~lkdm alA0n.o lihij j . r t p ? ~ ( niin hizi71 $t dhbfia

bhli fa.inan kiliaito b 6 d bishuiyin n i i hakke c~khihe yd,&c-tnnn rfiinho shainri fainn: i ~ ~ n i h d aktct.0

iahll ,kilntar2 rnin,c,.n nh~*e ; that is; ' Of y o ~ l r*ho are at variance nnmng yoursekes nlld come to me, the

0.e in argunlent is more proficient than for him will I deci,de. Therefore, should one

~~nkl io~ino ly obtain that which is the right of allother, he should not tnlre it ; if h does, I will, for that, (act) east him into hell fire.' mom eloquelloe, and ingenuity of speech than we f

1 fear that through Illis glibness of tongue Vf shall lore in the arsurne~~t. ancl they xi11 be victors ~ ~ h ~ t in your cpil~ion should then be done ? JTe shollld delibcy;ite well in th.s affair. If Be meet nlt,oact.bey and deliberate alld think, then solne one aood idea *ill certsinl~: come out." S& he a thonghi this advisable : (: Send messengers M all tile animals, and let them our condition, ;ind tell them to selCi represent.ntsiires and orators to ns,

-L us. For in that thev may all come hcre and assi: -l

,,,q species thcrc is some excellence, some iiitdil-

oence, some gift of eloquence E irhieh is not in

a4-il LLe:'~, When a ni?l-nl>er of friends and a s s i s t p ~ ~ i ~ are collected, thcre mii1 certainly be some means 1- lu.ind. , for our liberation and improl-ement. Rely

is of the Lord only vl:o assistcth those vholn he c?iooxtl-." All the whnals said. " Euoogh ; this is the (best) ndilice." i t iras arroligecl to selld i:: a11

directions six very tri~stxrorthy messenmra. One .+ of them to tlie mvenons animals: a second to ille : - r ~ t ~ d s . a third to the Leasta of prey, the fo~lrtli ro A, ~ n e ierrnccous animals, t h a t is norms, beetles. &C.!

ihe fifth to the poisonous reptiles: tile sua1<el lizard, b e . : the sixth to the inhabitants of the ~ a t e r s , rpeyc

q'poiilted and desimiched in ereyJ: )-direction.

ISorr .-Ti~e d i r i s ~ u ~ ~ s in tile i<ingdam of Barllrs: an, il,ri

i t g r e i t . Tljens ;l;e so;ne of tll,,ir t:.r:ns apl.)licd to qnadropecis:-

!%ahaem ; brutes, or t i ~ o s c thet Ilnri: no reason.

lyiien the f rst ~ ~ ~ ~ p s ~ n p ~ r ci;ule t o the kiE~g of l-pyenoua allin;s!s: t h n ~ is: 81,iil F!Z.Y~S. the lion;

he rolJ. hiin t,hat hbettrccfi mzn 2nd ncilrinls there r a s a colltl.olrersy goillg on before t.he I<.i~ig C I ~ the

that the animals had sinc merse:lgera in directions to the other n n i r u d i . tbht t h c ~ ill^^ .. -

collie a:ld hip them. '' 1 ::m n!.o Sent i!ito your

mGeslg's presence. I$e plen~cd to scnd one of the eener,& of your army mith me, he )?lay go L.

thal.e snd joill liis op.1 spccics, and ichell his turn eolae., ilisllllte lrith ~ 8 9 . ' ' TIIC Icing ~.d<i;d i!:c

l?lejaellger, njlet lilnn cl:~ilneri of the animals ? He , 6 : TIicy thil: i l l l i lx~d~ ;re their s'tzlres.

r.nd tllcy om.1nnsrersA7? Tlie j:oll Z S I < C ~ , '' 0:' n-hit

(par;icl:,.lilr) tliiilg do men boest l If of I>OTT(:~,

s;mngth; brilrer)-, c o n r a o . of daili, of holmcling. leai,ino, n ljOCU~i~:! fipiltili" o ~ ~ ~ ; o s ~ ~ I ; ' - - ~ I I ~ of thew they Lonst, I Tyi l l start my :irmr i!keC!ri>- th:ii 1 a i r Inn: go t,herf, slid in 9:;e ~ i i i i ~ k . ecparnm n r i d ills-

, , ,. prre them." messenger anid, '' ~ L P Y L0iisI 0 '

6s 1 EFlne of hose qualities even. In addition to these, they hare mueh practice and skill. cllnning and device, and are versed in the manufacture of shields, swords! spears, lances, dagprs , knives, b w s ancl :urows, a d many other weapons. They cover themselves mith mail nrnioLw, with its lining, voollen clothes and helmets, against the claws and teeth of the beasts, that their teeth and c l z t~s may not h a m their bodies. They are very wary and cuilnillg in catching the rapacious and mild animals ; they m&e nets and traps : they dig pits, wells and calves,

and cover the mouths with earthand grass, so that whe3 the animals unxittingly go and fall into them it is impossible for them to get out again. But they do not mdie any mention of these practices before the King of the Genii. There they bring Forward argnments and proofs i n favour of rllelr eloquence, clearness of style, s~~periority, vis-

doin 2nd prudence." Directly the king heard the mosds of the messenger, he remained in thought for half an hour and ordered (saying), " Yes, let r~ll the beasts in my 21-1117 come !" I n accordance with she orcler, different kinds of beasts, lions and

-- and rensels ; iri WOIPCS, vlrious kinds of monkeq 3 . ,-,f that eats flesh or pounc,es short e\TC1> (upon its prey), Y

itself before l i ' ~ ~ The the king bad heard? OE the messen,

asked t h e m [; Is there any be told to them i

vi\l 80 there nnd liccome One one a.mong YOU 3 ChrlYillg on t,Lis case) of the (that are

he bar been there and ore-conle ill

lvbntteT.~er ha nskr of llle I will g<vc u p m e u t ? the11

and I bestow (upon him) rallk-" him, ;, o- tGs ix thought AU the mimals on heall-la

T h e w was 3ny one fit for for some time, The ~ h o Vns the vizier, this task or not-

~b~~ art king and head, to the lion,

and ~rtkjects ; it behoves allcl mc are order j after colln~el, the king ill every act, to a

t,alGng the adrice of wise loen- -a ~~n it baoT.-es the subject to obey the ';l1.a

,;IT, to him in every hi6 heart, be sum1su

for the kslg is like the head (of the body), thin:: ; ,d the n&ject like the limbs i and so long as

king m~ iu~,,, do his o m duty. eyer) tiin:

l,'

,ill ren-dll in the hmg- go "Id order

( TO j

del-a." The king aslied t,lle chee'nh, '' What, the quaLificntions req~~ired in a king and in a

m+ject ? Detail them." The cheetah raid, The king should be just, have and wise, deliberate in every t L i ~ q ? and act with such lcindlless a,nd love towards his subjects as parents do t,oiranla ;heir oFslwing ; he sbo~~lcl always be el~gagcri in nililr- ever may tend to thc tranquillity nlld 1,rosperjq of :he subject. And the subject should in every way consider hiinself the iiing'b illferior, his scrvilnt m:d devoted slave ; and explain t o the !<ing lrlint ~ l i i l l or art hc lnny know hilnself; tell li:m of his ikolrs and of his good actions,; d n l ~ r pm'ibnn Iiis service to the fullest ; tnalie Icnovn his n-;,l;ts to the king m ~ d ask assistance of hinl." Tile ]ion said, '' YOU speak the truth, now nhat sd\rice do J-o:: give in t h i s case ? " The cheetah said, c: Yay the s tm of your lxospcrit,~ be always bright ni:d lmiinous, and your majesty ever be successful 1-ictorions. If there be strength, masteyy: bravery. or ainbition required there; I am the one, let your majesty give me leave to go there, and effectoa]ly p e ~ f o r m all these." The king said, ( ( O f there

there is not even one [ ~ I I I O ~ ~ men:. The said, '[If jtlmping, leaping ~d seizing . .

of I:se there. I a m the one tb.zt will msver." The 7 -

,,if Silid! if zttncjci~i~i pl~ulcieni~g, destroy- ., a , 3 ,

in?; nre rretlilired ti ie~e, I c211 nccompllsh 1". The t;,z rajd. If' there be : l l l ~ use of tricks OF deceit

t,berc, 1 a;" for it." 'She weasel mid, " If

these be mar.ted searc!ring, stealing, or hidifig, I 5~la~l zlny,qmey for it.." 'I. Le monkey said. " SbonId dancing, &ipping, mimicing be of use: I Nn Cie o n 1 'Ihe cat said, " i f there be rranied flattery, nttschl12ellt or h&lity, 1 call perform t l ~ ~ ~ e . l ' The dog said, If ~ a t c h f i ~ l n e s s ~ barking; or "r~eging of the tail be of any use? 1 irn tile one." The moose

said, G If setting (things) on 6re: b lo~ ing , 1 The

dnlnaging be of any us?, I am the oae. king ~ j , d , l. C)f these acco~xplishnr~nts: there is lrot

eve11 one reqrlired there." After t.his he tnrned towards tile and said, " M1 these pniir ies

the aninnls have mentioned are necesnfly for the kings of and the armies of the nobless These qualificacons are j n s t suitable for tl:zm, far although in appearance their form and sh??e are

( 73 j

like that of nngels, yet i - 1 their nature they aR

similar to the beasts and brutes. But those who are learned, versed in religion and l'mdent, have manners and aceom~)lishmenits, are like the angels. Who is there fit to be sellt there to go and plead on behalf of the animals ?" The cheetah raid, '' True b ~ t the learned and versed in rsligion anlong mei., have left the ways thnt are called the ways of -4tlgels, and have now taken to the m q s of Satzl. They live night and day in contention and fighting,

ili slandering aud i~~jur ing one another. 111 this way the governors and kings have forsaken the paths of justice and equity, and taken to t ~ ~ a n r and oppre~siol~." The king said, " You peak the truth, but the king's representative should he a

man of parts and of rank ; he should not deviate from the truth. Then who is there that me send who has all the qualifications ofall ambassador ? In this multitude there is no one colnpetent to go there."

CHAPTER XI.

Of the Quol~ficnfions d mi B~L~s.~cLY~.

The cheetsk asked the l'on, ''I'fbat are the oo&6eationa necessary in an amnborsado~ ? Detail them'' The king said, :' An ambassador should be a wise man, an elenant speaker, one thnt forgets llot but well remembers anything he hems ; not.

tolling tlie secrets of his heart to ally one ; preserv- ing confidence, aild keeping hihis word to the utmost ; he s ~ o ~ l l ~ not be 8 great t~ lker ; he shodd 110t add

to mything of h's o r n X C O Y ~ ; he should say 110 more than be is told. In whatever the sood of the persol1 who sends him appears, he shot~ld strive and exert himself. If his opponents should ten@ him; he not break out of the paxhs of fide- lity and integrity for the rake of siding with thein,

fall badlong into t l~c veil of bad fait11 pall

illfidelity In the city [to which he is sent], if by any means he find ease, he should not 011 that account remain there, bat come arsay unhlesitatiilg- ly, W11ateye.r he bears or sees. he shot~ld go a n d tell to hip master. Re should, to the extent of his

ability. carry out the vis'fies and ine t r~~z t io l~a of his master. He should not onlit any item of the dn&.. of an emissary tEror;gh fear of anyrhing. For it is the duty of an emissary to conrep his messnges iil their entirety." a f t e r this he said to the cheetah. -' 111 your opinion, who is there in this nsaembly like tlxis, that hns the ability for this ro r f i ? " ':he clieetah said. m * Besides the brothers of I<alela/~

and Da~inz(rh, no one is fit for this tasli." The lion said to the jackn!, "What do you say to the proposition the cheetah has made on your B C C O E ~ I ~ ? " The jackal said, ': The cheetah speaks thc truth ; mny the Lord recompense him well, and grant

him his desires ! " The lring said, " If 3-ou go there m d plead on behnlf of your fellow creatures, when you retux-n you shall be promoted anrl re-

warded." The jzckal sdd, ': l am your majesty's .;abject, but there are many of my species there n.ho are my worst ciicniies ; how shall I monsge ? "

The bi11g aslted, f ho they were ? The jaclral replied, " The dog Sears bitter enmity againat me. Does the king not know tthat he has love arid aflEection for i-uan, n3d helps him to catch r i id

beasis ? .' The Iiillg ~sl<rd h e rerson, w:ly ht so femiliar with ~ n a n cs t o attack beasts,

and leave h i s species to join different one ? X. m e but the h s r ine er^ anything abont it, so he : L 1 the rroaon." The lring s ~ i d , L. Detail it,'' The bear said, " On aecoant of sin?!- IXriry of disposition mid mt i i rd i~ttachmcnt; the dog llas secured the frien6ship of man. Bebides this,

tllem they obtain an nb~mrlmce of delicacies to eat 311a drink. And ill their dis~:ositioi~ are covetous-

ness, and bad ifialmess like ss in il:alis.

These are the princitrd rcasolls for their friendship and t,Le beasts keep a t a distance from their vices. . - The renjon is this : dogs eat f ic~h , ~ Z L K OS c~o~iec-l, lnrrfd or hbidden, sodden or dry, salt OS fresh;

or bad, as they get it. Desides these, fruits, t5

hrestl, pnlse, milk, curds, acids, and Saeetmests, ,q/>ee' sficl oil, honey nncL l i z~ l t c : r~~ ~ u ~ ~ c J G ~ ,

alld every Lilld of food tizken by m:tn;--they eat all and refuse none. Other beasts eat none of these C____

..-p-

* Ghee, clarified buttcr. t &t&oa, a swectxrleat reseutLlillg to re . f Suttoo, parched grain groan&

khings, they do not even k n o r of them. 1l11d in the dog are covetousness and parsimony to ~ u e h a degree that they v111 not by ally mc,ans a1lo-r auother animal to enter man's habitation lest he sl:ou!d get something to ent. If erer I)y any chance a fox or jackal goes ilzto a village a t night, to steal array a fowl or a moose, or anything dead, or a

3:inrsel of bread, how fi~rioasly they harIi, and attncking them they eventaally turn them oat.. ,i\ I hrough this stil~~giness sud coretcusness, bow

cbnte~ptible and degrzded are they ? If they see tread or anything else eatable in the hmcl of man, woliiail or child, horn they shake their t,niis and

heads through greediness ! If through modestv n morsel or so is thrown before them, Low fast they do run and pick i t up tllat another may not be to g e t it. r4U these bad qudities are in men also ; ascl on aceoul~t of this simil~rititp the dog has Iek his owl1 species and gone and m i ~ e d vith them ;

- and they assist men to catch the other animals." The king said, " Are there any other animals besides the dog thnt are familiar or friendly wit!: m m ? " The bear said, " The cat also is very mueh

p.ttached to him." He asked the reason of her

sociableness. The bear said, " This d s o is for the same reason, her disposition and man's are the same. The cat is also greedy, and has B fondness for different kinds of food, like as man has." The

king said, " On what footing is she Kith them? " The bear answered, " She is a little better than the dog, because she goes into their house, sleeps upon the carpets, goes to the dining table at dinner time: and they give her of ~ h s t they cat themselves, and vhenever she gets an o p ~ c ~ t u n i t y she pul*loins their eatables. Rut the dog never likes her to gs

into the house, therefom there is envy and hatred between tbe cat and the dog. When the dog sees

her, he jumps up from his place and rushes at her in a way that if he could catch her Le would make mincemoat of her and devour her. The cat also,

when she sees the dog, swells out her face, and sets up her tai l and fur , end in furious anger puffs herself out as large as she con. The reason for this is, she is his enemy." The lring asked, if there

were my more besides these t n o who rrere familiar [ ~ i t h nm]. The bear said, " The mouse a150

goes into their houses and shops, but he has no coz:fidence in man ; f~lrther Be fears him and flees fro111 him." The king aslced, the cause of his going there e? He said; '' He also goes through fondness for di.fferent kinds of food." The king asked, if there were 2.ny more still who fi.equentec1 his abode ? The bear said, " The weasel also someti~nes goer i!we, irxrkiug about to step1 or r u n away with anything." The king aslied agnin! " Are &ere ally n c r e besides these mho frequent their houses ? " The bear said, " There are no others, bnt man forcibly seizes ancl takes a . v q the cheetah and monlreyj though they do not colirent to their going there." The king asked, " Since what time llave t h ~ dog 2nd the cat been familiar wit,h 111a11 ? " r" l ice bear said, " From the time the chilclren of

Gain pre~niled over the children of dbel." The king said, " How does the story go ? Tell it." 0- i ae v bear said, " \Then Cain murdered his brotBer, who mas named Abel, the children of AbeI desired to be revenged oo the children of C,ain, ond foughr wish them. In the end the family of Cain was Vie- torious, giving them a defear ; they plundered the

of their property, and taking dl their cattle, oxen, enntds, asses, and mules, becnme very meal- thy. They feasted among themselves, and prepared kinds of food ; they slaughtered the animals and scattered the hands and feet all round their cities and villages. When the dog and cat s a v

illis abunclnllce of flesh a ~ i d so much' eating and .- ~

dfinking, they left their orrn species, and thr0~1gh [for these things] re11 t into their habitations

Rlid became their fyiendi and aasista~lts. TO this

day they hsve lived mined vith them."

JT-hell the ]inn lenrd this story be was grieved, and said, 6 : Ld JLilqJa ua Id bivnta illit billaiiil aiul

I ) * aihLe iJ1nn /il[a]ie urr inea ilctihee r~tjetina, 7 and repented this many timcs. The b e n mid to

tllc lcinp, w h y shauld you regret that the cat and dog h:ivc kept aloof From their fellow species ?" Tile lion said, I do not regret their going, but it is a source of ~ p r e t that the rvise have said; ' For - --

* IG~lsal , capscity. space. t \JTc cannot avoidsin 001 11~1.c we pover t o do mytbing

but 4 the as~istance of God, r b o ir great punerful. \'P

a r e God's crc'atl~rcs, and we expect t o retorn t o (iod."

kings there is not a more serious disar~m?ngement or cnIamity ill their administration and governnlennt &an for the supporters of their army to desert and go and join the enemy. For they mill go and ac- cjxaint thein with [the king's] ungnarded moments, n u his good snd bad points, and his erery secret, and informing them of every thing, will tell rhe~n of secret entrances and of many stratagems. -411 this will throw the king ancl his nrlny into great confusion ?' %fay God never prosper these cats and dogs." The bear said, " As your majesty has wished so has God dealt roith the dogs, and accepted the prayers of the king. Ne has taken away the advantages and blessings from their race end

bestowed them upon the goat." The king said: " How is this P Tell me all about it,." The bear said, =3 S + e S

With great pain and laboor at, the time of delivery, eight or ten young ones, and sometimes more! she

brings forth. But no olle ever saw, either in civi- lized places orjungles, alnrge herd of dogs, although

no one ever kills them. -4nd the goat, notwithstanding that in t,he whole year it only brings forth

cne or two yonng ones, nnd is nlsays being killed, yet flocks upon flocks are seen in towns and in jmgles that cannot be nnmbeucd. The 'eason of this is, that the young of the cat and the dog are subject to mnch suffering on account of their food. Different diseases that other animals are not snbject to they are s~~bject to, and throogh their had rvays and man's persecution their lives and those of their offspring ase shortened. Therefore they are despised and depded." After tbis the lion said to i ' i~k ln ,

you go now. Go there into the presence of

&he King of the Genii, and that rh ieh you are np- pointed to do, do it effeetudly ."

c--

CHXPTElE SII.

The ddue~atui .~~ of the recoltd 2i')iii.irnl.y.

When the second messenger went to S h a h n ~ ~ g h , the king of birds? and macle linonn the state of things, the liilig listened to the story of the animals, and or&red, "Let a11 the birds be present." There- fore all the different kinds of birds, of the jrmglee, of the hilit, of rhe rivers, in pea t abund~nce, vhoie

"amber no one but God could know in accordance with the order, came and collected together. The king said to them, "Men claim that all animals are their slaves, and they their masters ; therefore many of the animals are disputing with man in the

pmence of the King of the Genii." bfter this be said to his ministe~, the peacock, " Among the b ids , who is the best speaker and the most eloquent, fit to be sent there to go and dispute mith man ? "

The pefieoclr said, " Here is the whole assembly of birds, ~homsoever your majesty orders vill go there." The king said, " TcP me all their naruer, that I may know them." The peacock said, There are the hoopoe, the cock, the pigeon, the partridge. the nightingale, the kabk*" the inrfi, the snallor, the eron, the crane, the aangkii.a~a,f the spnrrorv, the dove, the ri-ngdove, the wagtsil, the duck, the pad- ' 1 ~ bird, the wild dock, the Persian nightingale, the ostrich, &C., all are present. Shahrnurgh said to the peacock, " Show each of them to me that I "ay see them, and understand the characteristics

* Kabk ; a small kind of partridge. 7 sangkhara ; probably t h e ima.

qualifications of each, and r ~ h o is fit for this task 1" The peacock said, ;L That is the spy hoopoe, the cowtier of Solomon, the son of David, who is sitting there, wearing n variegated suit. At the tlme he should speak be warbles in gueh a way, that it appears like praying md bowing" dawn. He exhorts [all] to do good, and protests against an that is bad. He it is ~ h o conveyed to Solomon the son of David, informtion respecting the city of Sheba, and said, 'The wonders and curiosities of nature that I saw there, even your majesty never S To show this Z have brought facts connected ~ i t h the city of Sheba for your majesty, in whicl~ there is not the sligbte s t particle of fdsehood 7. There is a lady there, in deseribiug d o s e splendour and magnificence the tongue is at fault. The oovernment of that country is in her hands, and a

the throne is extremely large on vhich she sits. In short, all the good things of the world are to be had there, notling is wanted. But the people of

t i l le bowing dovn of the &11l~s1llmfills in pl-g?pr3

Jso the form of wol-ds they ropea.t. t ~ i l ~ ~ ~ i i ~ , iu aliich falaeliood never has adniirsion.

her nation are thorough infidels ;they echomledge

not God, they bov down t o the sun. As Satan has led those- people as t.my; they consider idolai,ry to be the true worship. They have left the Benea volent Creator who creaked earth, heaven and sky, 2nd r h o is acq~lab~ted ~ 4 t h a11 that is visible and invisible, and have imagined the sun who is olllg n particle of His splendour to be God, notwithstanding that no one but the true God is worthy of doration. That is, the crowing cock who has n croirn on his head, and is standing on tbe ~ 2 1 1 . His eyes are red, his r ings spread, his tail raised ; extremely high-spirited and generous, he is n l snys

repeating God's praise and name. He knorrs the time of prayer and reminds his neiglrboors find admonishes them. I t morning-time when Le cmms, he Jays, 0 YOU that liw in this ,neighbourhood, :]link of God ! you have slept long enough ; you think not of death and destruction ; you fear not the fire of hex, ~ O L I have no desire for heaven ; you t.llmlc not God for His blessings ; thillk of the Be- ing who can deprive you of all (your) luxuries.

Aiafie preparation for the road eternity ; if you

lvisL to be &red from the fire of hell, be p~nver- ful circum~pect.' And Le who is aitung 011

that lilllocl; is the pertridge ; her c o ~ i ~ t e l ~ ; m c ~ is 1' cr and 130 W-

fair ; her wings piebald, by much b e n ~ l n , ing her form llas become croolied. yv'heil she cries she arouses the careless; and pleases th111- After- llrnrds she says, ' Thnnlc God for l3is giit.e, that they mny increase ; and think llot ill of God.' h1ld often she mel;es her petitioll to God h her hyillui (thus) ; : 0 God, defend me from the bexsts of p ~ ? j -

auld from jack&, anc l from the depravity of man ; and from the doctors who tell the heHicted the bene-

firl be derived from eatillg my flesh, snve

I earnot exist under all these ; I ever tlG~ik of the Creator, and at morning time 1 i i l~ i te 81: God, that ail men may benr and practise good pre- ,-.-.prs.' ~ h ~ t is, lyi~e011 R-110 3cts as a guide, vho t&es letters and goes to the lfiost distant

; alld dosometinles \vliile flying, with great regret ,& s;l!. S, ( l have a horror of separation from my Kindred, have a strong desire to mix with mJ7 friends. C) God, direcr nlc to my n a t i ~ e pi:lcc tlat 1 hay obtain comfort by visiting ray friends !

-4nd the small partridge (ka8k) is be who in always moves gracefully over Aowers and txes ; a.nd with a very melodious voice continually siogr

sweet songs-' He ever says, wbile preaching and teaching? 0 thou who art t,he destroyer of life and

-- 7 rank, thou who m-t the planter of trees in gardens, the builder of houses in cities, that sittest in hi oh

p. C - places, why art thou indifferent to the tyranny of

the age ? . Res tr'ain thyself ! forget not thy Creator a moment ! Think of the day when thou wilt lose rhis pleasure and this dkelling place: and fall irm the midst of snilkes and lizards in the grave. If before you leave this world you now become esre- ful, it will be better for you ; that you may find I cornfortnble home there [ in iaear.. +P?* j and not fail in- to perdition ? ' This ia the lark-likc'as the priest ascends the pulpit, she also at midday mounts . high in the air, and alighting on the corn heaps mirh n sweet voice warbles all kinds of songs. And in her song she says, Where are those rnereha,nts or farmer who, from the sowing of one grain, by the blessing of God, gained many benefits ? 0 man, have a fear of the vengeance of God. Think of your

latter end ; and up to the time of your derth render t o Km the worship that is IIis due, n31d do good to

oblige his slaves. Do not through onkindness, a

let this wish into your minds,--' Let no poor beggm ,me to my home to-day ! For be who plants the

of ri~hteousness to-day, vili gain the fruit and sali&ction thereof to-mor~-ow~ [he)-eajfer] . This ~ o r l i l is the [hanest] field of the last day. He who sows good works therein, will reap the benefit in the end. If any one practises wickedness, he

burn in hell fire like grass and veeds. Think of the day ~ h p n God will aeyarate the ~~nbelierers from the fsithfd and cast them into hell, and convey the fuithful to heaven.' The nightingale, the story - telles, is sitting upon the branch of that tree; snlnll in foirn, in %ghz, fair iu appeal-ante, always on the lool;-out right and lcft, with excessive eloquence she warbles exquisite melody. And in the groves she intimately associates vith man, in fd she enters his dwelling and converses with ~ l n . when he to remember his Crestor

and gives his mind to pleasures, she says by of precept and exhortation, ' 0 Great God, what

tlioughtless~less to be enamoured of these fen dgs of existence and neglect to thinlr of God ! Why not enter into cont,emplntion of Ninl ! Do you not

k i lo i~ that you mere all made to die ? You are nourished that 9011 may decay, you are collected together to LE dispersed, you make this a home that it might be destroyed ; l o w long -rill j-oil

engage yourselves in t.hese plei~sures and be attraet-

ed by t,he luxuries of t 6 i ~ world ? You are liable to die on the morrow; and be buried in the dust- be warned now at once. Do yoo not know vbai the Great God did with Ashab-fil. -$haha, vhi i ans the head of their tribe, ipislled by some pTe-

or excuse to demolish the temple of God, putting a maltitr~de of men on elephants tunled toirards Mecca ; ancl God in the end rendered theil* stratagems futile, and sent flocks and flocks of birds who took stones and rained them down h such a m y that they were all kiiled, elephants in- cluded, and made like worm-eaten 1eax,ves ? ' After this she says, ' 0 God, keep me from the eagerness

o f lads and from the cruelty of all ,inim$s.' That the soothsayer t.he E ~ O I V , -LO lei:ea!S Ldden

He is of sable hrel and is abstemius ; be makes us amare of eveq~fhing rvhich has not yet been I3e is honrig mindful of his Oreator,

aIld continonlly passes his time wandering about trax:elling. He goes into every couutry, bfing-

ing illf0lformrii~n of the remains of antiqlliv. He, ,,.;,h the c$amities of t h e ungodly st~ikes terror illto the cnye.le;s, and vitL addmonisbing voice

L Reetrdn yonneIres, and be afraid of that daj- \vhell you will ba rotien ill the grave. For your acts your sliiil vill be torn off. Now throngh yOar b:indness ~ O L I prefer existence in this world to that which is t,o come. If you evade the Divine yan ~ i l i have neither place nor delircmce ally'here. If YOU desire C O ~ B ~ O ~ , en- ,,, wurselves in praise and prayer ; possib1ly the a = v

ereat -gill be mcvciful and save you from &siructioil !' And there is the troreller in the air, file sivallOw, swift of flight, snldl of foot, h a ~ i n ~ large lvinas, often 1irir.g in the houses of man, alld.

U

there nouri8hing her young. Ewr, m o l d g and cvcning slle is prqing and ,hg for,ire:wsh. She goes a great distance in

her travels ; takes up her abode in cool places, anij in the winter in warm places. This is ever the ~ubject of her rosary and prayers : 'Be is pure who created sea and laud, estnblished the bills, and gives motion to the streams. He determines life and death as is most f i ~ ; and nothing ever differs from His will. And He is the help in his journeys. He is Lord of the hole earth

end creatures.' After this formulary and prayer, she says, ' I have been into every region, and seen every creature, and come back to my oxrn llatiye place. He is holy who brought male and female together and gave them numerous progeny, took man out of the hidden recess of non-esjstence and clothed him with the robe of life. Praise be to Him only who is the Author of all creatures and the Giver of blessings.'

U

And the watchful crane is standing in the plain. His neck is long, his feet small, and when he flies he gets way to heaven. During the night he keeps watch at two [different] times, and counts a rosary in . ~r!&e . .. of God, saying, 'Pure is that God who of Hi. might, made a mate for every creature, that

ihmugh rheir meeting each other they nmay be fruitful and multiply, aud be mindful of their Creator.'

Ancl this is sungkhava (stone-eater ), who lives 0. the earth. He always resides in the jungles and deserts. 91orn and night this is his task, Holy is He who m ~ d e heaven and earth, Ele is

Creator of the heaven's constellations and stars. They all revolve at His command. The raining of the waters, the bloning of the wind, the bringing forth of thunder and lightning, are His work alone. Re uplifts the vapours from the earth, through =hich the world is ordered. W L t a ~ i s e

is He who after death $ves life to decayed and rotten bones. Great God ! what a Creator, LO prai~e, and magnify whom the tongue of man is a t a fault. H o w is it possible for wisdom to penetrete His hidden mysteries.'

And the melodious hazardastan' is sitting OE

the branch of tht tree ; she has a small body, is swift in motion, and of pleasant voice ; and she

* Hazardastan ; literally, possessing D tbou~aud songs OI ta les : the Persian Nightingde.

( 9-3 )

.c5Laarbles forth tlie praise of the bmnipotcnt : the Beneficent ! He is naequalled, and has 110 rival. the Benevolent ! the Giver of' all see11 and unseen

G!zssings ! Like nlito a river? He freely nlld boun- tifilllp ~howers blessings on tdl mankind. And at times with great regret she speaks in this '' IYhat happy days were those 1~11en the gnrdefis: were full of fiomers, every tree 1o:irIetl with rnrio1:a

ki~lds of fruit.!' On this the k i q said to tht:

peacock, "Among these iu yol-~r opinion who is the best qualified to be sent there to dispute with man, and join his fellon. s1:eci.e~ ? " The pel~cock etid-, All these are competent fbr the wo~l;, fdr they are all poet and eloquent, but the hazarclil.s.ttrr is the most eloquent and ~neloclious.'' The king ordered him to take leave and go there, rind to

C have confidence in God, for Re is in every may tthe 3ssistmce and support [of nil.)

C,I-Z;IPTEI: SII!. Tice Bdventures of the tIli7.d ii;Zssse7zge?..

. When the third messenger arrived before the

chkf of the insects, Yssub, he gave a f~tl l descrip-

tion of the an\tnd~. qns the king of all insects-

jyhen he hna heard all, he gave an oyder? Y CS,

let all the insects be p"sent-7' In co~npliance with c Llitoes grass-bo~~-

the the flies, gl13t5, *"--'l in fact all the an imal p r s , fleens~, ~ 2 3 ~ ~ 7 lnot113,

ill body fly wizb nin:r and do not

can* pesented thenem- longer than one year.

~elves. ~h~ king ret&&d he h e ~ e m q he heard

( 4 \vho srnollg 90" from the messenger, and 5aic1? & t&iling the side of is there that can SO there,

OX, with man ? 7 y They all said,

the anirntls ))

does man boast biinrelf s n p ~ r i o ~ to us ?

'rhe messenger said, :: 11~ boas i~ of this,--that his ,t*Lll.e

form are large: his strength greater,

and that he is supeyio~ m the anjlual~ ill every-

The chief of 'Xai\w Let as g0

D

there and dispute mall." The elders of the

fies said, :L n:e will so there and represent L; $ T ~ the insects. 7 9 ~h~ head of the m o s q ~ i t 0 e ~ mid 3

go there. ~h~ of the pass-hoppers

:L \$re go there md join our fellon?-cres- said. t ~ ~ r e s and dispute

with In this va'j every

was l.eady to -mde~-taIce the he'f~rlc- T be king

Gne

said, f! What is this, that every one decides to go there without reflecting or thinking ? " The armp of gnats said, " 0 king, we depend upon the help of God, and i t is certain that with His help we shall get the victory, for in ancient days there wen many kings who were great tyi-ants, and with the assistance of God we always prevailed against them ; this we have often experienced." The king said, " Tell us all about it." The chief of the gnats went on, (' Among men rras King Nimrod, a very magnificent, extremely proud: and rricked king. I n his pomp and splendour and rank, he never regarded man. One of our tribe, s gnat, who was extremely small and insignificant, tormented this p ea t king so, that notwithstanding his rank and power his strength was of no avail." The king mid, " YOU are right." The wasp said, " mThen- ever any man has completely armed himself, with a spear in his band, and furnished [himself] with swords, daggers, and arrows, if one of us wasps go and bite him and insert his sting which is only like the point of a needle, what a state he get into !-his flesh swells, his limbs become languid,

be is nnable to move, and further he foygets about his shield and sword." The king said,

(' True." he fly said, L' When the king of mankind in all his pomp and glory sits npon the throne, 2nd his doorkeepers and watchmen a i t h devoted- ness and loyalty are standing around him, that no annoyance or pain may in my vny reach himi should a fly then come but of his kitchen or closet, covered with impurity and alight upon h* body or clothes and tenze him, they (the Cotart) have no power to free him f l - o n ~ the$p)." The king asid, l' This is correct." The mosquito then said, " If a

man in any company behind a curtain, or covered with B veil, be sitting, and any one of our race go and get into his clothes and bite him, how he is annoyed and made angry, but he cannot contend wit11 us ; he strikes his own head, and gives his oan face blows." The king said, " What you say is true. Rut in the presence of the King of the Genii there is no occasion for all this.

" There the clebate will be mith regard to justice, impartiality, etiquette, morals, discrimation, eloquence and rhetoric. Is there any one of yob that

Antioch Gate

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bna an insight into these things ?" When 'hep heard these words of the king they all beca.rn,rnp silent, and held down their h e a d , not having a

word to say. After this n philosopher from among the ffy tribe came forward in fmct of the king, 2nd said, "By the help of Gad I am going on thii errand. There I will mix rritll the animals and contend with men." The king and all that were collected then said, " Xay God help you in the undert,a!iing you are upon, and give you victory

over your enemies." In short, they gave him all necessaries for the journey-: itnd let him go. This Disc By vent thence into the presence of $he King of the Genii, where all the other nnimds of diffemt kinds mere and presented himself.

C__

CHAPTER XIV. The Tale of the f b u ~ t h i I f e , ~ ~ e n ~ ~ ~ .

When the fourth messenger K e n t to the king of the birds of prey, the Roe, 2nd made his statement, he also ordered, '(Let ail the animals of my

"h be present." In accordnilce with the orcler the v~l l t i~re , the roc, the hawk, the white falcon:

( 97 j

the kite, the owl; the parrot, in short all flesh-eating birds that have talons and hooked bills, immediately came and presented themselves. The roc told tl.1e.m the story of the controversy with man, and after this he said to the falcon the prime minister, '' Who amongst these birds is competent for this task, to be sent there that he may go and confront man and join in the defence of his species ? " The minister said, "No one besides the owl has the ability for this undertak-ins." The king asked, "What is the reason that no one besides the owl is . fitted for the worl; ? " The minister said, ' T o r this reason : all birds of prey are afraid of Inan and flee from him, . neither understand they his lan- g u y e ; but the owl lives near his habitation, in fact in old dwellings that have gone to ruin- He has devotion and contentntment such as not other agimal has ; he fasts by day anlid weeps from fear of God at night ; also be is engaged in prayer, and arouses the negligent. He remembers ancient kings have died, andlaments [over them] and appropriately repeats the folloaing text : K i ~ n turakii minjannd-

tyas waoyd,,~~un zuadiiiyun G woindkclntia kdri777. yt~a

aailch~ at-ti?z khnd $ Jld fcikehina 2uzrileka wa a u ~ ~ p .

~ d 6 r i kawinnn akhnrin. The meaning of which is, Their gardens, fountains, and palaces, their

snd every blessing through rhich they lived hapl,i- ly, t-hey hare lost. Others have nom become the possessors therecf." The ,ac said to the o d . '' What do 3.011 sajT to the proposition the fiilcon lias made regarding you ? " He said, " The f ~ l c o i ~ speaks the t,ruth; hut I am unable to go there. for inen are at enmity wit11 me, and think it ominous to see me, and they abuse me v h o am faultless,

and have never offended them. If they see me there at the time of discussion, they mill become lzore opposed [to us] and from their ill-felli~g

quarrellitlg will come rouud again. It is better not to send me there." The . ~ o c further nslrecl the owl, " d ~ n o n g these animals, mho is best for this nndertaking 1 " He said, ':The kings alld no'J1es of man have great nfFecrimi for the h a ~ l i , the falcon and the chc~,+gh,* alld with great fondness carry them 011 their haads ; if the king would seild

U

olie of these it woald he better." The kinq looked .L.

" Cha?y;nlr, a kiud of b n ~ ~ l i ,

( 99 )

torrards h i s audience and sdd, " In your opinion. what is advisable ? " The h a d said, " The owl

speaks the truth, but man does no t respect 11s for the remon that we hare any collnection rrith therr,, or that u e have extra forbearance and manners filch them consider us their faroritea. It is ollly for t,hcir o v n ndvaliltage they cherish 11s.

They rob us of our lxey and use it tbe~~~se l res . and night they indulge irr pleasures. They

,,eves give their attention to tl~ose ti lbgs vhich God has required of tliein-to pm17 and live in few of the eonscclilencss of the day of judg- ,,,at.'' The roc said to tllc h s ~ f i , " Then ~bo111 do you tbinl; it advisable to send ? " He said,

( ' In my opinion, the parrot should be sent. For tlfi-: ronsou,-the liings of mankind, ~ l d the noMes; and every one, s m J l and great; n-onlm and man: foolish and wise; haye a fondness for him. and taU: vitb him. Whaterer he says, they at,ten-

tirely listen to.'' The king s:Gd to &c pasrot, "'111 your opinion, xvhat is ndvisnbie 5 " He ""4 ':' I n m yeaay, 1 will go there, ~ . n d on liehalf of the sn imn!~ contend ~it.11 clan. Eot I trust that ~ L c I~illa ?.ld

dl his company assembled, mill give me assist an^.^ The roc said, " What do you desire ? " He said, " I should like the king to ask God this fnvor,-that I may overcome the enemy." The king, agreeing with what was said, offered a prayer for God's as.

sistance, and the whole assembly said, 'Amen: The owl said, " If your prayers are not heard: your trouble and exertion are in vain. For if prayer be not in conjunction with every nlldert n 1. -mg, no good result will appear." The king said, " Ry what

means are blesaiugs obtained, tell us ? " The o\vl "id, " To obtain blessings, implicit trust and sincerity of mind are required. Like as a io bouble implore God's help, so s h o ~ ~ l d be give his mind to God when he offers his usual prayers. dnd before asking a favor you s h o ~ l d give praise to God, and fast; and do good to the poor and destitute, md then petition God regarding your grief and sorroa." They all said that was correct, that in prayer these things were necessary, The king said to the whole assembly, "Do YOU know that men have eserciaed tyranny and oppression over the animals ? These afflicted ones hare be-

come so extremely he:pless through them! that notairhst.anding their being so fir renloved from

us, they have sought relief here. ru~d al.tliough we possess greater power and strengLb than man, a n d

mount up to heaven, yet on cccoout of their I > e r a e u t i ~ l ~ we havl Red: and hid in tile rivers and

And our bro:her the falcon has fled fwm them and gone and lived in the jungles, and IcEr off living in their neigi~bo~~rhood, and still r e ,re not exempt from their atinclis. At. this crisis n discussion is inevitable. Altbongh . r e are so

~owerful that? if one of us wished be could seize 1 ..: of them, and annihilate them, yet tbe $9013

r h o ~ ~ l d not do such viclcedness, or bear in mind their ill-treatment. We knowingly allow them to

escape us; and leave them to God in tliis world. because from fighting and quurelling nothing is

zained. The fruit and result they get at the

lapt day." After this he saicl, " How many are

the ships that by contrary winds b a ~ e becn nearly .that F e have led aright ; and bow m5ny

mm m t h r e t11nt have had their boats wreclced throllg.b bad winds that have golie donn and nearly

been drowned, and we have b l 'ou~~i t t h e n to the shore ? For the Great God is satisfied and please(; wit8h us, and in this way we r e t~wn thanks for His blessings, for that I-Ie has given us a strong const,itution, ancl give11 =S power 02~1 strengtl~ : t-jt:

irj onr assistanr,e and help in every why.''

P

CEIAPTEIi S V .

\Then the iifih messenger went and prescnred 1:imselE to the king of the inhnbirnnts of the SF.:)?

mid told 6i1n the news of the dispnte with %an, he also collected the whole of his subjects slid adherents. Therefore the fish, the frog, the crcso- diie, the dolphin, the turtle, &c,, all the anilnnlp of the sea, of various forms and shapes, i~nmecliatcly

upon the order attended. The king told t-heln what he had learnt at the ~llouth of the rncssenpr.

After this he said to the messenger, If me11 consider themselves superior to us in st,rength and courage, I will go directly and in n molllent consume them. I rrill drav them in by the pover

uf my breath md devour -hem." The luessenger

sdd, "They do not boast of any of these things, but consider thel~~selvcs superior in these part.iculars, that, they have great wisdom and knowledge, that they are acquainted with every science ruld art, and know many invenrions and contrivances, t.har. ~vieijorn and prodence iilie theirs is not in any one." The king stlid, ': Give us a detzilcd account of their knomledge ancl skill that we nia,y also knolv of .t;hcin." The messenger said, " %:hat 1 does not the king know that by their skill they descend into the Red Sea and take out jerels from the bot.tolxl, and by different strat,nge~ns ascend mountains a ~ d seize the v~lltnre and the eagle, and take t!:esn

below ? Tn the same may, by means of tLe;r knomledge they lnalre n wooden yoke and put it on the shoulders of the bullock: and loading heavy goods upon his back take him from east to mesi and from west to east, and they cross all deserts and jungles. By invention and skill they make boats and put goods thereon, md hake them over seas and rivers. They go over mountains and hills, and dig out of the earth all 11;inds of jewels and

old, silver, iron and copper. and many orhey 6

things. If one man, iu any river or sea, o~ desert, ,noes to the edge and by neans of his great. &;]l bnild talisman (of art), then if a thousand el-oco. diles and dragons go t o v u d s that place, the)- xi11 not be able to approach it. But before the King of the Genii it is n question about justice md equity, co~ltentiou and argument:-power, s t r e ~ ~ g h , or stlmatngem will have 110 weight." Mhea the kinl heard these words of the messoilger, he turned towasds thoae who were s i t t i ~ ~ g round him. and said, "In your opinion, what pian should Le adopted ? What person will go t h e e and disp~,ute with man ?" ?;ot one g a w an answer, except the dolphin who lives in the salt sea, and has p-'eat

affection for manur. A h y person that is drovning be talres out of the water and thmrrs on the shore, He said, " Of the creatures of the vaters the fish is fit for this work, for his body is large, his appear- ~~~c~ canle1j7, his face pretty, his color clear, his bo* proportionable, swift in motion, in swimming "0" than perfect, in number more than all the creatures of the vater, so very prolific that ek-,n--y

( l05 )

stream, m-ater-course, river and pond is filled [with them]. In man's estiruation also his rank is high, because he at one time gave shelter to their prophet in his belly, and aftervmds conveyed him in safety to his own place. Eves? lman believes thnt -the whole earth xsts on his (a ~irlr's) back." The

tir.g asked the fi&. ~ L 5 t he said to this ? He said, I cannot in allp way go there. neither can I eo~xtend with man, for I have no feet thnt I may p0 there, neither bare T s~eceh that 1 may conyerse U

,iih hinl. Thirst to me is unbearable. If I remain

away from the vater a moment, my condition is Ildpless. In my opiaio~i the tortoise is better for this business, for he lenves the voter and h e s 011 the land. To him living in sea or land is the same. Besides this his body is strong and back hard ; he is very forhearing, and can enduye pain sld grief." The Icing asked tile tortoise, "what do you think advisable ?" We said, " This task

c m never be done by ine. Vhen I rralk my feet become heavy, and the vey is long ; I am also one of a few words, ~ n d much talking cannot be done by me. For this the doilrhin is best, for he is a

good malkfl', mid h36 more of the power of Bas~n . ing-" The king then aslied the doil,hin, 1 ; \vhnt

in your opinion is ~dviszbie 8 " i-Ie :r re, this affair the crab is most fir, ?3eenuse his fea

a y m a n y . In jmlking and r~ml ing he is sFift ; his cla~vs ~ h i ~ r p ~ his naila Lard, hin back Strong; YOLl 111aj- SZY 6r; nears :rrmonr." ~ b , king mentioned this to the IIe 5 . How

slldl I go tht1.e ? My fornl is 1n;- bacIr h ~ l m ~ e d ~ DJ' shape w r y eoilterupiiblc ; p e ~ l ~ a ~ s I '"9 be 13ogLed at tlitre." l.11~ king said,

l- "OLI!~ yell laughed a t ? l:?hnt, debcts arc tllcre in you ? " The cl-ab

i 6 011 seeing mo they This animal is Lea&ess, ],is eyes eye

his necic) his lnouth in Lio chest, telnples al.e

Open On either side, he has eight feet, md they also are cro'Jiced, be goes headlong on his face ; be is; so

as if m d e of lead. of them on seeing me make me n laughing stoc],-." The Ling

said> " The11 Whom it ~ i u be best to send there ? " The crab $aid, "h my opinion, the crocodile is most 'or t,his task. PO, hi, feet are strong, olld b e hye'g much. In r w L l g g is swifl, hk

liirae his tongue long, his teeth nuner- I ~ o L I ~ : ~ ? ia , , ,,Ll,: his body firm, he can bear a great deal; nnil lie is 17e.ery persevering iil striving to gain his ends ; he is hasty over nothing." Ti" king ciuestioned the crocodile He replied, '' I am in no %ay fir ror

this ulldert&iag, for I nrn very pnssionnte, sl~ipping, jumping; r u n n i n ~ with any thing &at

I canget, me my defects. Tn short, I m 3lt0ge- L-er a &stiirber and all io~postor." The messenger

heailup &is said, o go there, strength: ponyer, adstratagem are 1102 required, but wisdc:~, ,I,igity, jnst,ice, equity, ~1,jCi~~Ilce; f i ~ e n ~ y S E 111

,equired there." ' ihe crocodile said; ': 111

nolle of these qualities and acquirement S arc ; yet, in my opinioll, f01- this business the frog is t!:e bent, for be is 3 physicia: is patient, ~ n d is &h- stewious. s igh t day thinking of God he coonrs his rosary, and morni~lg a ~ l d evening Ell-

$ages hintself ill prayer and fustiag. He also f r e q l l ~ ~ s men's ho~ises. 1" the eyes of the cbil- dxn of Isrze1 his noyih and esteem are gred ; because on One oecnsion he served them thus :- ll-heu xinlrod oast Abnhm, the friend of God,

110 > asked his minister the dragon, ('In your oPinioii, is theye any one of these fit to be sent the, and dispute with man, and confront him ? For most of theee a , ~ ~ i n ~ a l s are dumb, deaf, and blind, They have neither hands nor feet. There are no "igns of hair or feathers on t i ~ r i r bodies. Beaki and talons also they have none. and they are geu- erally- infirm and weak. I n short, the bing became mueh grieved and sorro~vfiil over their cm. ditiw, and feeling regret in his heart lie began an- res t ra inedl~ to cry irith sol*ronr, and loolcing io- x~ards heaven he offeyed this paye r : " 0 Thou the Creator and Benefactor, Thou alone takest con;-

passion on the condition of the weak. Look dovu 0fThy goodness and favor on their cimomrtauces. Tho~i art most merciful." And tLrougL the king'r

pmjer all the anin~als who were collected thsrc b~ga11 to converse mith great eloquence and fluency.

C___

CHAPTER XVII. " The Sellnzotz qf the Locust.

When the locllst saw that the king *as inclined to he kind and considerate towards his subjects

troops, he staod np by the wall: and having cleared his voice began to sing melodiously in the

of God, and to repeat this sermon with eloquence and duency : " Praise and thanks are due to that true Benefactor who has provided so many blessings in this rrorid ; and of His perfect p o ~ c r having bcongl~t auilnels out of the depths of non-existence into the field of life, has givcn rbem rvtrious shapes. He existed before time and

place-earth and Len~~en. He shines forth with unec4~~alled glory, ~111alloyed mith anythillg created. He produced the first eascneeii in pure briglltness vi thout convection with matteT 01-

shape. Further, by the ~periiing of' one word he brought them from bellind the veil of non- esistencc into the x o ~ l d of bemg." After this hc

slirl, " Do not grieve over the frailty and in- al~ilitv of this assembly, for the Creator who

d

made them and supports tl,em is ever mindful of --

W Aic\-i-fil~, L \ ~ ~ S W ~ e s e n c e or principle of action, vhich God cre:rted before Ise fiid world. Ac..ording to %III~su~- lllans tllerc r e r e ten of these essences or pritleiples S U C C C S S ~ ~ ~ ~ Y

ji~odueed ent of the l n t . Tl lq nr also perio~libcd, t h e first is represented by the angel Gabriel.

them. For when God created the animals, made their forms and shapes of different kinds, Be gave one strength: and anot,her weakness. Some he gave large foi-ms, and to some he small bodies, but in His blessings He is impartial to all. He has bestowed means to acquire cornforte. and weapons of defence suitable to every one. In these advantages a11 are equal ; no one has inore than the other. \&'hen He gave the elephant a tremen- dous body and excessive strength, He also made his two tusks long that through them be may be saved from the attacks of ~ i l d beasts and use his trunk. If he has given the gnat n small body, he has ou the other band given him two wings, delicate and light, by which he flies and is saved from his enemies. In the means by which they enjoy their (particular) privileges, and are protected from harm, they are all alike, sn~all and great. In this "ay this assembly also, that apparently haye neither hair nor plumes, are not exceptions to the rule. n7hen God placed them in this condition, ererg means bp which they could enjoy their gifts, or be caved from harm, Be gwe them. If your majesty

wait a little and loolc into their condition, yon see &at tbose mhose bodies are small and frxil,

21-e swift and fearless in flying, that they may be safe from all harm, and not be disturbed in the enjoyment of their privileges. All the animals that are large in stature, and have extraordinay Strength, save tkemselvss from harm by means of t,heir strength 8nd intrepidity ; like as the elephant and lion, as also other animals vhose bodies are large, and strength great. And some, by swift ~ U I - ning and flightht, are saved from every harm ; for instance, the deer, the hare, the wild ass, &. Some live free from care through their ability t o fly, like as the birds ; and Illany by diving into the rivers save themaelvea from danger, like as the animals of the waters. And r n q there are who hide in holes, like 3s the mouse and the mt. And the Great God says in the story of the ant :-

1<dlat namlafujz ya ayohan namlcldhdld arasdlrin- aklr* lnynetemanakun~ Suleima?to wa 2ca-

hum ici yas1tau.l-tin. That is, the chief of the ant,s said unto all the

tints, Let each one hide himself K in his ovn honse:

:ost Solomon nad his army trainpie yoa under foot, for a,hey are unannre of (yooip~rsei2ee). And there are severni vhose skin and hides God bns made jlBY,j

'Y lnenns of nhich they me safe fimn ewey inj 61

2' 2"' instmce, the tortoise, the fish, aq~latic animals. And there nye lnnnp hide b e d s llnder their tails, ncd are safe from danger:

3s the porcupine. d u d the nleons of obt,ajninu. 3 food these animals have: are vgriaos. Solxe of

them that see with piercing sight, by etl-ength wing 8)- and ?&&h the spots hi lrhich they diseoVel' food: like as the ~ ~ i l t ~ i r e rind the eagle. ~~~d some seek their food by scent, like ss the ant. \JTben God has given mute sense and means of obtain. i:2g fo3d to those anirnnlr that are extyem2ely sludl ""{l feeble, Re of His liindness has lessened their

i'bgr~ ancl t~onble . For justallce, onimnh :'"depgo trouble of Beeinrt. ruld biding them.

a ~ ~ l i ' e p ; those are exempt froin this labor. "LY br0~1,~ht forth in such. places and llidden

that no one is amare [of them]. Some are broilgLt forth in grassl some

hidden in n m i n . J ~ " ~ ~ in the bellies of animnIs; and m;llly ere found

in mLici -and fil~h. And God sends the food of one to tL& rsrp place, without t h o ~ ~ g l l t

or exertion, trouble or toil. They have the power of absorllti~n g-ivcn to them, by vhich they draw in moistore and support their bodies, alld his moistllre bodies %ye srrengthencd. 0 t h ,,limj,s have to "rander about; to fly at the np- proacb danger: f o ~ t h e i r food, nud these are esemlted fiaom toil and t ~ ~ u b l e . Therefore

~~d &J. not make them hands and feet, to D - O ~

fol. their d;r.:iy Food ; neirher give 'them rnou.th teeth by nhieb ta eat augthicg ) nor a llalate

by rrhich to sm.llom ; no' a somacL with which t o digest ; nor intestines or entriiils which ER-

digested n;arter may collect ; nor liver to purify the blood ; nor spleen to absorb ill-humours ; killc~lllneys, nor b],lrddrrs to h131 the urine ; tlor

in vlJicb bloocl o~ay ROW ; nor nerves

thmugh v"h& the senses in the brain are .kept in order. Of chronic diaenses they never get one. They r ~ l i t 110 medicine. 1" short, the)y exempt from the calamities that l f l~ ""'1

ihollg ;nlimdh are subject to. Pi""$ tllkt

who of His omnipotence has provided them a11 they want, and has kept them free from every grief and torment. To Him be praise and thanks who has given such blessings." ?Vhw the locust had finished his sermon, Saln?z add, Jiny ~~d bless thy eloquence and fluency, thou art er. cessive?v eloquent mcl fl oent, nod extremely learn. ed and wise,'' and added, "Aw you able to go

there 60 dispute with man: " He said, ,m every may at your service: At the order of the king, I will go there and mix with my brethren,!' The snake said to him, Do not sap there thst yoli "re come sent by dragons and snakes." The locust a,sked why He said, " For this reason betwen snakes and men excessive enmity and opposiiioll I1"e been for ages, SO much so that certain men have blamed God for creating them. Saying, , , ..

They are of no use, but altogether hurtfr~i md injurious." The locust said, why do they say so?" He replied, '' Because there ia poison jn

their mouths- Excepting the ru i~ l and death of mu, no benefit is [derived] from them. But it is throu% their ignorance and stupidity thqv hlk

the. rudely. They know nothing of the nature and use of anything. For this reason God has ,,bieCted them to afiictioo. y e t they all Csnskesl ,,, of use to them, so much so that kings and nol>iea the poison of these animels in their rings, to when required. If they a 3 tbink e

,bile understand the condition aud U ~ S of these animals, and perceive the use of this ppoision

is in their mouths, the37 will not say, ' JT~~J - did God creat,e these? tbey are of 1'10 use,' M C ~

sill not impertincnti~ blan~e God. Although God has tk i r l'oison for the purpose of kiKiug animslr, yet Be has made their fiesh XI antidote for the The locust said, " O DOC~OP l describe me other advantage." The snake said.

%Then God created those animnls you mentionecl ill your sernlon, t o every clcss of aninlals

md means by which they gniu comforts and are from annoyance, to some He gave poner- fill stomachs (or co?vlitutio?v) tbat after mastication their food may be digested and strengthen the body. For the snake there is no stomach, that it may digest, nor teeth with vhose strength to mns-

ticate, but instead of these in Lis liio~lth a ~t~, , , poison is pmdoccd, by ~ L i c h he eats and digerr; . XTlien the snake t,akes the flesh of ally animal inh,

his 1nour.h and puts thereon stro~rg poi8oLi; j i jn,.

mediately dissolves. and E T T B ~ ~ O W S it. Then if *he k e a t God had not created this polmii iTl his looolb lionr wnauld be be Ale to ear f i~~y tb ino ? His fo,,i

'7 r;culd never be pi-oenrtble ; he r c a i d i i ~ b i~np r . n ~ i l d i e ~vould h: scrn i l l the s ~ ~ ~ 4 d , ~

r.7

I lie 10ccst said, '' Describe to us ~rllft nGvmtcges man gets from them, N ~ C I 011 L?)? ~ n ~ i ! l q-liet belle- Bis h::ve come froin their exisrelice ? '' ~1~ sct;cjj '' In the same may 3s benefits arise hill t ]2e existence of other ailimals, so from t]jpln also solne good is gained." The iocrirt szid7 cij)egCyit,e this c k a r l ~ . ' ' He said? :; IThen the AllllightJF created the W ~ ! S \ r ~ l d , and nn:lilgcd eme,ything ~ ~ ~ ~ p d i l l y to $'ill: of the ofiimn]a He created "me for the Llse of others: lnnking thein rIieir ~ l ' o P e r t ~ . dcccrdiu~g t o thir wisdolll, that ahst He thought best for the wor.Id 13e did. Rl,t sO1netines from certain causes this ]jeeolnes ecfi. ft'sion and hurt t o s3rne. It is nor that the Great

~~d throws them into tl-eshca1amit.i~~ AlthougL ;, His rr-isdm the Lnd resuite and mischief that lilny aceroe fro111 i~ l~y~ i l i l~g are open and C ~ C S to

Him, not to crente anything in which the alefirer p u t of t,Jle rrol-ld mny tilld ber:~fit or ad~3.11- D

rfi,ge, thOogh R few m27 be i n c o n ~ ~ ~ e n c e d thereby: is R~~ belo\r the Creator. Tbc f;icts are these :

God created all the stnre, out of then1 HC blade the sun the light of the rrod2, slid made MS heat the supporr. of the esistnlce of %S cse-

nturea. To the vhole world the suil is like thii henrt the body. as in the heart nstturnl lieat is l-l*oduced and spread t h ~ * o u g ? l ~ ~ ~ t the bodg

is the cause of life, in h e same r i r & j ~ fro1ri he b a t of the sun ereatic,~~ is benefited If therefore no y oue should bp any means ercr irclsr miy hwin or igjuyy from this beat, i~ would not be correct for tile C,reat~i. to stop it on their account ;ind depriye tile nol:lC\ of this nniversd blessing and coamon ndoantzp T h i ~ is the case with Saturn, $Iasr, miJ all the stars. By them the vol'lrld gains llealtb and p~Osye~ i ig : yet 3i cert'ain u i l l~ro~~t ious

times from h a t or cold mnug sll$er. 111

( 1.0 j ( 1 2 1 )

the same God sends forth clonas in and stupid, they uncalled-for objection to direction for the good of K-

1s creatures. yet works ; they are no way acquainted with His at times the animals are inconlTenienced skill pow,ar. I have heard that certain ignorant

them ; or from excessive floods the houses Iprsons of opinion that the goodness Of the Poor are destroyed, This is the case doM not beyond the region of the

''l of Prey, grazers, snakes, ~ c o ~ ~ i ~ ~ ~ , fish. IT and think of the condition of ''le

eroendiJes insectp. Of them some whole of nature, they mill v n d e r s t ~ n . ~ that His and stench, that the air may be goodlless mercy estend to every one srnail

its and t h t from the rieillg of bad pOr the Jolldancc of His grace 'l mpODys the air may uot Be offensive; l,lague tion ia e a c e s s i r ~ ~ ~ blessed. Every one according come upon the earth, and all the aJlimals sud- to hi3 desert receives of Ifis bounty.

perish. Therefore 311 these aorrus and are generally produced jn butchersv and ~ 1 ~ ~ I " J " l t XT7III.

houses, and live in 61th- jt\-hen all Thi,5 chaptel. a descy i~ t io? i of the gatheriflg togethe'. these are produced from this inlpuritp, they make the ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ n t ~ t ? k e ~ of the Aniinals.

the eshalations of the filth their food, and the the morning when all the representatives air

Pme, and people are saved from dis- the animlls from exrerp country had Come and ease. And these small worms .re also food for leoted together, and T ~ C ! Icing of the Genii had the larger for they are their food. l. f&,

himself in the P L I ~ ~ C Court for the PurPoSe Great has made nothing uaeleJs. rho of deciding the& dispute, the macembearer as he

is not aware OF this utility criticises the almighty ; ordered shouted and saidaid, " Au ye com~lainnnts and

these were made, [saying, J C L they of justice who are 0 ~ ~ r e 9 s e d y 'Ome

are no use." Although they are dso ignorant formaTd and present yourse~ve~. The Iiing

seated in order to decide disputes, end the j udgei and l a w ~ e r s are present.'' Hen~i:ip this the sniillals and men tLnt had come from ever). rjnArtcr nud coilected together, si-~:ingeed tilell~selves md stood hfore the Icing, aud having piid their l*espeefr

begm to Mess [Llm]. The King tool; nolice d all monnd; 2nd snr t h t rnrious killda of c;za,tilr(<r b d

presented themselrea in great nmnbors. Be irss fov a l ~ ~ o m e u t astonished and remained motionless. After this be turlletl towards a pl;iiosopl!cr of the Genii ~ i l d snid, " Do you see these n~oilderfiil a d excellcat, creatoms ? " He replied, :' 0 hiiig: I am '

looking at theem enmestly," and observing them.

Toor majesty is arnazed looking at ~lrela. I a111 nstonisiled at the sliill iind power of the s i r e Authoi mho 111ade t11.m and gave them different kinds of shapes, who nlnnpn supports the111 mid gives then). hod, who protects them from every harm. Further, they ore [ever] within [the panel.

of] his ornnisehnce. For when the Great C40d became Bidden from the view of man br the curtitlll of brightness: here fa] ncy and t.hougl-~t could nesrcr

-- - ,h tile eyes of my heart.'

wlcb, Be nlxnifested EIir skill [h His vwksj Q a i every sensible man may perceive it. And

~vhatsoever was in His hiddeo treasury He made in the vorld of mture, that men of obser-

.atiofi may see, 2nd adiiioriledge His skill! supl.e- ,nzc;7: power and matchlcssncsa, ancl not be in nant

l~mofs and 21-glunent. And these for~ni ?bat

G ; > ~ N . iil the visible vorld r.re copies and sbxies of forills that arc fcn;ld i : ~ the spiritunl vorld. Those fopllls tllnt 2i.e ill that ricrld are 1~1:llinonk And subtle, and these aye ; i~ l i l !~mha t~d Z X I ~ d211se. Like 2s in i>ictures oT?cry limb ia in prcportion T C J

;,he anilnnls which they 2 . 7 ~ pictures, i u the snr:?.? rg tkese forms clso cre h prol>ort.ion t o t h f o l>

Ernlns that found in t l ~ e spiritual ITO; .~~ . ~ n t tk-oje forms given vitality io others while these receive vitality fpom tl;s::~. 411d those who cre b ; i c ~ [mm j nl.2 .o-it,hout belizg, or motious, or speech. They are perc&yed by us. Those i > . t c ~ + i ~ t]l3t in t:le world of eternity live for ever, 224 these 8 ~ 2 lllortnl and i~a~isha.ble.7' Aftcr t5is 1-C - . .

up repente;i this address : '' 12r:fise 13

h e t,o that adcreil oile xho of Bit; 13OJVE1' 226 pci'- -

fection b ~ o q h t forth all creaiilres. And 011 the fttce of the e a ~ t h ot-ested a11 the various binds of

and having provided every thing mhi& is created far beyond the understanding of a~lp created beiqg, placed the ssme within the view of

" 1 c.i-eiay rational creature to s l i o ~ i rcrc;r! t,,'::i., G ~ i ~ E . , t i ; ~ g ~ ~f His- glorious haadivorli. F-ie has bounded tile eu th i11 six directions, a:~d for the eol~renience of

Hie creatu~es has created time and place. He h : ~ made many storeys of the lieavenn and ~ppointed the angels in every place. He has given the animals different kiuds of shapes and forms. From His treasury of benevolence He hns given every kind of comfort. Upon those who pray and lilmeni, of' His infinite goodness He has bestowed places round about Himself. Ancl those who use their OWE imperfect abilities in judging of His mysteries He has placed in a plain of ddnrkuess, perplexity and uzlcertdi~ty, He made the Genii before the time of Adam out of the burning fire and gave them

wonderful forms and very subtle bodies. And having brought forth the rrhole of the creatures frm His hidden treasury, gwe them different na-

tures and made them different in rank. To Bone He has given a, resting place in the first Heaven, others He has cast into the bottomless pit of the lokest Hell. Many He has placed between these two positions. Bud He has set every one in this world by ths light of His prophets on the highway of salvation. Praise and thanks be to Him, who has exalted us by means of the true faith and worship, and made rulers on earth, ar,d haa give3 our kings a share of the blessings, TPisdom md forbearance." When the philosopher had finished this sermon, the King looked towards the multitude of men. Those seventy men of different forms mea4r-. ing different kinds of a,pparel mere standing there. One person from amongst them, good looking, upright, well pyopor tioned in every part of his body, was noticed. The King aslied the minister, " %There does t.hstt person live ? " He said, "He is an inhs- bitant of Persia. I-Ie lives in the . region of Irak." The Icing said, " Speak to him that he may say something." The minister beckoned to him, and he made obeisance and began to repeat a sermon, of which this is an extract: :' Thanks be to that

&;-oil -rho fos our dmellillg place has given those cities and villages whose climate is the best in the whole world, and has given up superiority over most creatares. Praise and hoi~or be unto E-Iim r h o has bestowed upon 11s a11 these gifts-wisdom, pr~rdicace, reason, knowledge: perceptioiz, and by whose assiatxnce ve have made excellei~t inven- tions, nild [learnt] ~ o n d e r f ~ : l sciences. It is Hc rrho has given us authority ailcl the g i f~ of prophecy. From our race %onhi Knoch, ,%brallamy Xoses: Jesns, 3Iahoined, the chosen one, 03 rvhom b p

blessings and peace-,211 these prophets have de- .scended. From our tribe many noble l;il?gs have descended : Fa,raidoon: Dmius, Brtaxel-ses, EL&rarn, Kourshirman, and many sultans of the race of the Snssanides, who me11 nlannged ihe government, the provinces, the army and 1,he subjects.

lTTe are the esseuce of mankind, as man is superior to animals. In fact,, we are the crenln of t l ~ c whole w0~1.d. " To Him be than l i~ -rho Lns gir7u1 u s the most perfect Isleesinge, 2nd given ns s~q~er i - ority over all nature." When the man had finished this sernion, the King said to all the philoso-

( 127 )

pbers ofthe Genii : '' TO this man who has detailed his privileges and boasted of t<hem, nhat reply can yonmnlre ? " They all said, '' FIe speaks the irnt,h." Rnt Azimst allowed no one to p ~ t ir. s wcrd before his, ancl t,arni~ig to;va.rrIs thc man he desirccl to reply to the ~rhole of his speech, ancl describe the vices and bad cond:lct of man. Ad-

dressing tlie philosophers Ile said, " 0 philosophers, t.he rnaa in his speech omitted 11ia11:v' f::ct,s, and did not 111cntion many great kings." The king said,

Describe you them." He procecdcd : '! The Per- Ir accou~ t sitin in his address did not say that on the'

the fiood came upon t,Lc earth, that all thc enimnis that, mere on the earth mere all c1rorl:cd: that in ' his tribe mnn has done much xvrnilg, that their reason hnd deteriorated, all their wise lnen mere

-7.

in error, t ha t among them 1113% simrod, the tyrant was born, who threw Abrt~ham, t-he friend of God, into the fire, that in their 1-2ce spl~.eared Nebnchacla nezzay who destroyed the Temple, burnt the Old Teat.nment, and killed Solomon, the son of David, md all the children of Israel, and clrove out the mce of Sdam from the l ~ l l l i ~ of the Euphrates

into the wilds and mountains ; he nas a great tyrant, and one who continually deIighted in blood.!' The King said, "How could the man relate these things ; no benefits would accrue to him from mentioning them. Further, this is all to his disparage- ment." Azima replied, " It is far from justice and equity to describe adl ad~antages at t.he time of dispute, and to hide a11 faults, not repenting of or apolo gizing for them." After this the Kingloolred towards the crowd of men, and he saw one of them, olive colored, slightly made, with n Iong beard, his holy thread round his body, and bound with a red a&dIe, and he asked the minister, ?That person is that ?l'

He said, "This is a Hindoo of the island of Ceylon.'! The King said, " Speak to him, that he also may re-

late something about himself." Accordingly he also, in compliance with the King's order said, " Thanks be to Him who has given us an extensive

and good country. Day and night there are equal. There is never excessive cold or heat. The climate is temperate, the trees flourishing, the green grass- es of that place are all medicines, the jewel mines w e innumerablej tthe herbs are eatable, the reeds

fire sngarcane, the stones of that place are r ~ ~ b j ~ s and emeralds, the animals fat and plump ; for instance, the elephant, who is the largest of animals, having an enormous body. The creation of niaa- kind also took place these, as also of the whole of the animals, for every thing originated on the other side of the equiiloctial line. From our cities many prophets and wise men have sprung. The Great God has endued us with many wonderful and excellent gifts. Astrology, magic, divination-a11 these sciences has He given us. He has made the

people of our country most proficient in every art and accomplishment." Azirnat said, " If you had

. given dmiseion to this also in your speech, that you burn bodies, worship idols, and in adultery bring forth n numelons race, thzt y011 are r~~inecl and disgraced, i t would have been in accordance with justice." After this the lG11g saw a man; tsll of stature, covered with a yellow shawl, lookhg at a written paper in his hand, swaying baek- w a d s and forwards, arid moving about ; and he asked the ministel. xhat person tha t was. IIe

add, " This person is a Hcbrem of the tribe of 1

the cLiidren of Irmcl, a dseller in Syria." B, (irclered him to tell him to speak. The mhisieP l jcckol~d to him. He according t o the order pented a lo~ lg nddress, of rrbiefi this is the sub-

. , : : ' :XI" :---'. Thanks be to the Creator who orer t,Le " I : & race of';ldarn to the children of Israel gave +:[pcriority, and fi-om among whose race gave MO~eb, wllo tallied with God, the rank of prophet. Prise nlld gratitude be to Him who made us subject to E I ? " ~ a pl>opbet and gave such a variety of blessings

11:) [:S.** Azimat said, M;hy do you not say that God his w~ath changed you and made you into

and monkeys, and on account of idolatrg disgraced and ruined you." Bfter this the Ring %ail1 loolted towards the assembly of men, and noticed 8 1~3 .n wearing woollell clothes : round his loins was bound a lenthern strap, in his hand was a censer full of b u n t incense which he was aaring. Wit11 8 lollcl voice he a s s repeating something in a dironting tone. He asked the minister what persol1 that aas. IIe said, 'L He is a Syrian, a follower of Christ." He ordered him to tdl him to speak. The sylian, in compliance with the order, repeated

an address of which this is the substance : '' T b n ~ k s be to that Crestor who brought forth the 91essiah illcar.maa from the rrolub of hlary and gave Him

prophet's miraculous power, and through Eh prified the children of Israel from sin, and made us His dqendents and children. Pron~ our race He hna brought forth many wise and pio~xs men. He has put into our heart,s compassion, kindness, and a desire to worship Him. Thanks be to 13im

has given us such blessings. Besides these ae have many more privileges which I have not nlentioned." Azimat said, ': Tme ; have you for- wtten that you have not fulfilled your dtities a towards Him as you o ~ ~ g h t ; you have become ill- fidels, you have adored t he crucifix, and having sawificed swine, have eaten of their flesh, deceived and mronged God." -4fteter this the King s s ~ r man who was slight, olive colored, wea~ing a' nar- row slip of cloth, covered wirb s sheet, standilig there: and asked who he Was. The minister said,

He is of I<oreish, a resident of %fecca." King- said, Tell him to state his case also."

Accordingly he commenced: ' l Trdse be to the

~ilmighty who sem the prophet m ~ d apostle Nabo. x e d the chosen one, on whom be blessLiga and peace, for us, md entered us into [the list of] his hilowers, and com~uanded LIS to rea.d the I(oran; i,

observe the five times ofsprayer, the dsvs ~ f f ~ ~ t , i ~ m Z) i 11 Ramazau, making piigdmacges aid crivino

b b prilrilcges and blessillgs He given us, for instance, the night of Iiad).; ' pra57er asselnblier pld

lcnomledge of the faith. Also He has prolnised us elltl.ac@ into heaven. Thanks he to Him who ha? b e s t o ~ @ a such favors upon us. Illany moye ad-

vantages we, the detailillg of which would be long. and tedious." d z i ~ n a t remarked, (:Sq also that you renounced the faith after [ Q e

of] the prophet, and disngreed, and for worldly ~ ' j j e c t s Pllt to death the patriarch." The King looked tomards the assembly of men, and he saw a mall of f2ir colnplelion wirh an

and astl~ouom ical apparatus in his ban d. He asked who it was. The minister said, This 'nan is of Rome; a dweller in 'he p r o ~ c e - * P r ~ ~ i t i ~ u ~ night,% i n tho month of EarnaZan when God zever refuses a request.

{iTeece." The King said, " Tell him t o descC!c

1Ga case also." Therefore in compliance wi th the ,,q~est he also began:-(' Praise is due to FIim who has give11 us superiority over most creatures.

our country various kinds of fruits and zood things are produced. Of His favor and gooclnes. ITe has revealed to us the ohtnlse sciences and bemtiful arts, made 11s to understand the use of e p e y thing, to make obsesrations a.nd learn the p8rticulars of the heavens. AS~ . I -O~O~IP , 3Iathe- rnatics, Astrology, Geomaney , &feclicine, Lo$c, PLJosophy; rnd besides these many other sciences, has He to "S." Arimat said; '' YOU are

vain boasting of these sciences, for ~ 0 1 ;

.,ver them of your onill ability. But in

the t,ime of ptolemy you learned them from the Israel, and certain arts in the days of

psmmeticbus you took from the wise men of Egypt. Afterwards you introduced them into your ovn country, and now you take the credit to your. relL.es." The King asked the Grecian philosopher, :L t\.hst does he say? " He said, " It is trite, we

many sciences from the ancient sages, ia

t';le same may as at, present other people learn fro111

S . This is the way of the world ; one derives benefits from another: the wise men of Persia took the sciences of astrology and astronomy from the s a p s of India. In this way magic and the talis- manic art went to the children of Israel throzgll Solomon, the son of David." dfter this a man appeared from tlie last row, stout in body, with a

largish bead, looking towards heaven with great confidence. The Icing asked who that was. The

~r~inister said, '' This man is of Rhorasan." He . , said, -. Tell him also to relate his own circumstances." And he in complirsce n i t h the order v e n t on : " Thanks be to God who has given us

-rarioas blessings and privileges. In the number of population he Has made our country to exceed ail countries ; and by the mouths of His prophets

4as inserted our praise in the UTord of God. Pany texts of the Koran prove our superiority and rank. In short, thanks be Xis, who has given us stronger

fsith than the rest of mankind. For some of us read the Old and New Testaments, though they do not understand its meaiog, but of the prophecy o f

>$o~es and Jesils they aclcnowledge the tmi?l, Sollle read the Koran ; and although they know not its meaning, yet they acknorrledge in their hearts the religion of the last prophet [ H a l o m e d ] We through grief for Ilnnm Hoosain wear moor::- ing appasel, and have revenged his blood on his murderers. Ke hope that of his grace, the ! s i t Jmam will first appear in our country." The King

looked towards the sages and said, '' To this man who has described his pretensions and pos i t io~~ what mply do you malre? '' *!L philosopher said,

': If they were not adulterers, fornicators, and cruel, and worshipped not the sun and moon, then certainly these things would be worth boasting of."

Wheu every man had finished relating his pod- tion and superiority7 the macebearer shouted and said, '' Gentlemen, it is nonr evening, depart and be present again in the mol~ing."

CHAYTEM XIX. Description of the Lion.

On the third day, vhen dl the animals and men in the presence of the King w r e stand-

( 136 j

; i n a runr_ the King t~rned towards :Lem and looked [at tben1.j The jackal was aec:l i n the front. He asked, " Who art thou ? " He replied, 1 am the representative of the beasts." The King said, " Who sent thee ? " Be said, Haris, the king of the beast6 of prey, sent B e enquired in what colintry he lived, end who rvel-e his subjects. Tlre other said, He lives in the forests and wilds, and ail the mild anjmnls

2nd br~ltes are his sobjects." He asked irho rrere his officers. Re replied, '' The chetah, the bog- deer, the st,ag. the hr~re, the fox, the wolf-all are ]:is friends and ofieera." The King said, " Describe h i s appearance and chzrac h i s ties." The jackal said; " In size he is greater than all anima!~, il: strength beyond them, most terrible, and mosi dignified, his chest broad, his loins slight, hi8 bead Inrge. MS limbs strong, his teeth and claws hcrd, his voice lond, his appearance terrible, no man or aniniimal is able to approach him through fear ; he is correct in everything, and is not dependent upoil my fiend or assistant in anything. He is so generous that when be has taken his prey he divides it with

?Le other animals, aid Le himself eats j u d what is neoessar?. When from e distance be sees a light. he goes nesr md stands, and then MS anger iri

tppeased. He does not molest any womnu or child. IIe has n great desire and fondness for i . He fears no one but the ant , for he can o\-ercome him ancl his sce. as the n~orquito over- . . corns the elephant and ox, and the gy, inan. The I<ing sJd, :- 1Io- i~ dues he treat his subjects i'" IIe replied, ': treats them vith nlac'u hindneaj aild regard, ~t +some ti~:!a L xi11 give n detniied apcoant of the same."

C8BAPTER XX.

Aa account of the Seipe?~t and D~sagon.

Afteter this as the King vas looking right and left; suddenly a noise reached his ear. He saw that rbe locust was shaking both its wings and in a very t o v mice singing a. song. EIe asked, " V%o art thou ?" He said, " I am the representative of 211 the norms, their king has sent me." He esked;

': Who is he, and nLere dues he lire ? " He repkd,

Aia name is Salan, on high hills and nlounrains he lives, near the region of iniense cold, where clouds

and rain and vegetation are not. Animals die there from the intense cold." The King asked who a ere his arluy and subjects. He said. 'L -411 snakes, rcor- pions, &c. are his soldiers and subjects, and they lire

in every place on the face of the earth.'' He asked, '(7Vhy has he separated himself from his army md gone to live at such a height ? " He said, " Becnuse in his mouth is a poison, and from its heat the whole of his body bums, thus in the regions of cold he lives comfortably." The King said, " Give an rc-

count of his appearance nzld qua1ificstio:ls." He said, " His shape and qualities are like those of the sea dragon." He snid, " ITho 1;noros the nature of

the sea dragon and can describe the same ? .' The locust snid, " The representative of the inhabitants of the waters-the frog-, is present in front of your ~najeaty, ask him." The King looked towards him. be was on the bsnlis of a river standine on a hillock

U . - - engaged in repeating his rosary. The King aaslceil who Le was. He said, ' I am the representdre of the king of the ceeatixres of the sea." He said.

Describe his name and residence." He said, " His

is Tanin, he l ines in the salt sea ; all the in- h y t s n t s of the waters, the ti~rtle, the fish, the frog, the crocodile are his subjects." The King said, " Des- cribe his form and shape." IIe add, " In size hc

is greater than all the inhabitants of the mate~a; his form is wonderful, his appearance is terrible, his length great ; all the creatures of the sea a r e nfrnid of b, in his head am his bright. eyes, his face is large, he has Inany t.eeth. Of the inhabitants of the sea he devours ns man' as he cm, beyond all calculation. When he beco~nes gorged through excessive eating, he then bends himself like a bon-,. and, by the strength of his head and tail, erects him-.

and thmwing the middle of his body out of tka vatey raises it in the air, and by the heat oftthe suil the food in his stomach is digested. Often times in this &ate he becomes seosaless. At that time the

clouda which rise from the ocean, take him up a d cast him on the land, then L dies and becomes the food of the beasts of pey . And sometimes he rises

the clouds, and goes into the regioll of God and Yagq, and for some days he i s food for ibn.

Tl1 sl:ort: all the creatures of the sea are a,fraid 2:;d flee frolu him. He fears no oae, but a small clyature like a rt~osquito of which he is very much R&aid. For when this animd bites him, the effect c-,f t11e poison penetrates the mLc!e of his body, 2nd i n the end be dies. Then all the inhabitants of the seas collect together and for a long time feast on his iiedl. Like as he devours ather snlall animals, they f ~ t the same way collect and erit him. This is the cxse with beasts and birds of prep. The spn.l.rows? &C., feed on gnats and ants: alld tlze sparrom, h a n ] ~

falcon hunt them 3 q a i a the hawk. enpIe 2nd mlture chase the SPIL~'WFF hank, and falco:~ de\-anp t.hem. At last when tbey di2 all the volms and sn~stll animnlg eat them. This is the case vith man-. kind,-they ail eat the flesh of the deer, hog-deer, goat; sheep birds, and when they die very small -ii-orms dei7ou-r their bodies. This is the case witIL the mhole of the ~~orl'ld, sometimes large animals eat small ones, and sometimes small ones put their teet-h into large animals. Therefore philosophers have said, " From the death of oiie comes the befie. 5.t of,another." - .

pot the Great God has said TiZa2 c i ~ a m o fi.&dh ailohn barnandse zculegdalnzulE6 hzZI lnzinn ci,nay2c 2MYILttd~~o n~lnkunz shohdddd raalaho Zrcytolribbiiz z,j!e71z"n ; that is, God regulai-ly circulates fortuni: amidst mankind, that He may know those people whotrust in Him, and take ~vitnesses from amongst: , God is c o t friend wi th a tyrant." -4ftec this he said, "I have heard that :l11 men are of opinion that they are mneters a ~ i d all animals their slaves. I have described the co~~dit ion of a11 the anitnds, and mhy do they not perceive -therefrom that a!; aninds are equal-di s tlinction tbere is none. Some- times they devour [others] and sometimes they beconle the food of others. I cannot understaxk! in what instance inan thinks himself superior to the animals. For the fate that is ours is his dso. For after death oidy are the good and evil to be distinguished. All will be 11Gxed in the dust, .md turn towards God in the end." After this he said to the king, That Inan should make this aesertiox that be is master and all animals his slaves--t-he ~vesumption and aspersion is very astonishing. He is very stupid to say such an nnreaaonable thing.

1 am why he should imagine that all beasts of prey, cattle, hmting animals, serpents, cl_.ocodiles, snalces mzd scorpions are his slaves. They do not consider that if the mild beast froln tire forest, the beast of prey from the hills, and the crocodiles from the waters were to come forth and attack them, not s man mould be left ; t'hat they could go into their country and annihilate t,hem, and a single man mould not be saved alive. C.nu they not see the ad~antnge and be thankful that God has kept a11 these animals at a distance from their dwellings. No, they persecute tllose helpless animals that are in subjection to then1 day and night, and for this reason they have become inflated and ~ i t h o u t proof or argument have made such an unreasonable complaint." After this the King saw before him a parrot sitting on the branch of a tree, who was listening to every word ; he asked, " Who art thou ? " He said, ''I am the representative of the birds of prey, the Roc their king bas sent me." The King said, "Where does he live ? " He replied, '' In the islands of the salt sea, on high mountains he lives. No one can enter there: neither

,,, ;wy h i p go so far." He said, " Give partic~ilars

1 of &at island." He replied, " The land there is

I ,.,,y good, the climate temperate, the fountains pleleaaing, the various kinds of trees h i t fu l , different kill& of ai~irnrtls n u m e r o ~ s . ~ The King snid, L'Des- tribe the appearance and form of the Eioc." I-Te said. Re is in size larger than all birds, strong in flight.

his tdons and bill are strong, llis n - i~~gs very broad and thick. When he gircs nlotion to them in the wind, they are like the sails of' :I ship. His tail is long, and when he flies t l ~ e hills tremble a t his strength as he moves. Ile takes uy~ the elephant, rhinoceros, &C., and other lnrse ... animals from the earth." The King snid, " Describe his qualifications." Re said, ': His abilities are very many, I mill detail them some otlzer time." After this the King looked tovrards the assembly of men. Those seventy men, of different forms wearing various kinLsJ of clothes vere standing [there]. I-le said to them, " Think and reflect on an answer to what the animals have advanced." Again he asked, " Who is your king ? " They replied, " \Ire have many kings, and every one in his own country has his own army and sub-

iects, and there lives." The King asked, " What Is the reason of this, that among animals, dthough

: they are so numerous there is one king, and mith

you you are few there are many kings." From amongst the assembly of men the h k i gave answer, Men have many wants, their conditions ,zre various, therefore they require many kings. This is not the way or castom with the animals: among them bc is king that is greatest in size. l7rrith man it is &ell the coat.ra~y, for often with hei in the 1ri.n.g is thin, slight: and weak. For kings zre oilly required to be j ~ s t , i~npartid, and protectors of the subjects, to have mercy and compassi.on on every one's condition. Among men the servants of the Iring are of all Iiinds, some soldiers rrho mrry ams, who keep those who are Icing's enemies at a distance. By them thieves, swindlers, honse- breakers, and pick-pockets are prerented raising strife or disturbance in the city. Some are im- nisters, secretaries and clerks, by whom the kingdom is managed, and tribute collected for an army. Sonle there are who by a g r i c u l t ~ ~ ~ e ar;d husbandry produce corn. Some are judges and lawyers, mho among

men enforce the commc~nds of the iav. For religion and the laws are necessary t,o kings, that the subject luight not err. 3fany ape lxerchants and men basiness, who carry on buying and selling in every country. 3nd certain ones are only for service like as slaves and attendants. In this way there 2ye many more classes thst are very necessary 1.0 kings, vithout whom their affairs would be at. a stand-still. Therefore me11 require rulers, th2-t in every city t.hey may remain engaged in the government and management of his own race, that in no way may disorder be admitted. And it is not possible for one 1;iag to govern the mliole of mankind. For in the whole worlds are

:nnny countries. In every country thousaiids of cities are built in vhich rnillioils of people live. Every one's language is di%creut 2nd religion distinct. It is not possible for one man to manage

* Hnft Akliln ; the serc,n climes, or t h e seyen divisicns i!,to w11icJ the vcrld i a divitlad accordiug to eastern Geogrnphy. YLeg nlnp be defirred as 7 zones of about 12 degrees each from the Equator to t h e Xorth Pole, hut eastern ideas of Geography are so iinlited the moat absurd coi~fusion occnrs a t limes sit11 regard to the position cf pinccs. -

all Therefore the Great God has for

:hem appointed many kings. And all these kings or! the earth are called God's lieutenants for God has made them r~xlers of the count,rg, t'he governor of His slaves~ that they may employ themselves in colonizing countries and dr11y protect His ject,s, have compassion a.nd mercy in every one's condition, and enforce just laws amoilg the people ; that they nlny restrain the creatures from those things God has forbidden. In truth, 13e is the Protector of a11 : He creates all and gives theill sxpport.

CHAPTER S S I . A descriptio~a qf the Chief of r l ~ d R i e s .

X'lzen man obtained relief from his speech, t.he King inclined towa.rds the animals. S ~ t d d e n l ~ a

l o v sound met. his ear, 2nd he saw the chief 01 the f ies E.~.szr6 flying in front, and siilging the praises of God na he counts his rosary and repeats His name. Ke nslced, " Who art t h o ~ l ? " He said, I am the king of the insects." He enqnired, 'l T h y hast t,hou come thyself ? As other slnimsls haw

sent their messengers and representatives, why didst thou not send some one of thy subjects er soldiers ? " He said, " I took compassion upon their condition, that trouble might n o t be given to

of them." The King said, This cluality is in no other animal, how is it that it is in tbce?" He said, ': The Great God of His kindliess and mercy has bestowed [upon us] this quality. *411d

reore than this, He has given ns many privileges and comforts.'' The King said, Describe thy privileges that 1 may also kl:om them." IIe replied, -. The Great God has given nle and 1ny fathers an4 grand-fatathers many a blessing. f1e has innde no uuimal a, participator in these. For instance. has given us the privileges of roydty a ~ d prophecy. hid from our forefzihcr's ge~~erutioa after genes,?- tion this iiiheritx~lce has descendecl. Thcse t ~ o

lririleges He has not given to any other creature Besides these. the Great God has tnugllt us thc science of BCnthemntics aild many arts, for ire make our dmelli~~gs in a very excellent btyle. The f r ~ ~ i t b sud flowers of the hole world arc concecird to U>. m(i r e eat them unmolested. From oilr e a l i ~ ::

lcney is produced by which all men are Le&& Ailld this position of onrs is supported by texts of the Koran. And our form and qualities are proofs of the slcill znd polver of G.od to the ignorant. Our strncture is extremely delicate, OIIT shape wonder.- ful, For God has dividecl our bodies into thi~ee pa~ts . The centre part IIe has made square [ni ,

ct~bical] , the hinder rnernbw long,-the head roucd. Tour hands and feet like the sides of n heaagol~, nrlth great taste in proportion to orzr ~ i z e has Ile made, by whose help we sit or rise. Our honscs n-e build vith such exactlless that the ~ i a d czn

?lever enter then1 to disturb us or our yonng. Ey ihe strength of our limbs the fruits of the twcs, leases and flowers, that we may happen to get, RP

collect and store in our houses. Upon our shoulders He has made four -rings, by which r e fly. And in our sting is a poison produced, through which we remain safe from the mischief of oni.

enemies. Our neck Iie has made thin tha t we n~ay easily turn our heads to the right or Ieft.

And on both sides thereof He has giren t w o bright eyes, by rrhose vision vre see every thing.

He has a,lso made a, moutll by wiiich nre perceixpc the flavor of our food. Two iips has H e also given?

rrLicL a e collect things t.o eat. And in ozr

sroll?nchs ZTe has given such p u r c r ~ of digestion that it tnvlls the juices [of o:tr bodies] into homy. dlld this honey is fooJ tbr 1:s and our cLilc1ren.

the same may that in t,he Lrensi.; af c luad r~~~~e i i s l i e given t1:e poicer 1.1)~ v'i~ich the blood is

ehaiiged allcl be con:^; :nil!<. In short. the Grezt (;od has ns 111nl:~: blcssiilg~. TIi:m E~uc'LI CHli

we thanl; E-Iil~l ! 11, \ r :~s thro:igh this I took eolnpnsjioll upon the contlition of the sul~ject, azd took the ti-onble rrpo:l ~n;-seif nncl did i10t send one

them." \$-hen J'usub rras relieved from his sl,eech, the Icing sr,id, '' D:~Yo ! :i ii~urdred hurrahs ! Th01-r art extremely fluent imd eio:iuent. True,

besides thee, the Grent God has not given these

odrantnge~ to any anilunl ? AEcer tkls he asked, TVhere are thy subjects 311d soldiers? " i-Te said,

o n Iirlls, mou~ltains and trees, v h e r e ~ ~ e r they fir,d rest they live ; some go i i~ to the liirgdoms of mm, and take up their residerce in their dweli- ;,,o-q The King asked. " I!or is ii t h y are -?

tolerated at their hands? " E e said, .' They . save themselves by hiding from ; but when - ever they get opportunity they [nlen] annoy them. F~rrther, they often break up their hives and kill the young ones, then taltirig out the honey ear ir themselves." The King aslted, " Then rrhy (;.,

you pstient,ly bezr this oppression?" He eai,l. " IT)Tc cndu1.e all this ty~anny, yet sciile t,imec sr nre so persecuted that ~e !ome theii- d \ ~ e l ! i ~ ~ , ~ ~

:I.'hen, for the sake of peace? they esen:iio . '-""S' iirctagems, they sead us many rarities, oir(x,. rc-3fi,

C . , ihey bent dri::ns and cyrnl~ais: sii-l at i:lsL all

o;lr seeing these difTem:it kinds of food a c d tjiiilea

i r e nre reconciled. In or:r dirposIt,ion tllem i , inischief or strife, we even lilake pec.c.3 vi tb t,bclli. we g o baci to them, and eveli the11 they arz ilot satisfied ~ i t h us, they c o m p l ~ a agoinst ep ri.iici,;

- ~ - - reason or canse-that they 3re masters a~ll:? we: slnves."

~ i l ,4ccount of the Obedience qf the G'etiii to tliei~n fCiqrg ancb Rule,.s.

-1fter this 3 ' ~ , ~ 2 ~ b said to the King, L' How (10 the -Genii obey their king and governor ? Be

to giv. an account of the same." The

Iiiug said, '' These pei.Vorm their duties to their to perfectioii. Whatever the Icing orders

they carry out." l'ci.su.b said: ': Re pleased t o give L ~ S the details." I'hz king ssid, ' L In the race of the Genii are good an3 bad, hithful and infidels: like as tliere are amcng nlen. Those that are good, olwy and rcspect their chiefs in such a way that eveu nlnu could not. For tlre obedience and respect of the Genii is like that of the stars. For she San ij Icing nli~oi?g them, an:l all the stars are . - :L) his sol,!el-s :uld s~~ijjeccs. Thus Mars is the general, 2 upit-ec is the ,judge, Saturn is the tseasur- er, J,Ierc;~ry is the prime minister, JTe;=us is queen, the Ezooil is the heiy-impweut, and the st:.vs like subjects il:d soldiers. For they are all dependenta of the Sun, an6 move according t o his niovenlents. If' he stays, they all stay also, they never exceed

the routine or 1imit.s [laid out f ~ r them 1.'' asked, JTThere dic3_ the stars ahtnin these acquire-

m ment,q, obedience and order' " I he Iring said, c : These graces they obtained from thc angels ; they are all the army of the Al.mighty and oher. Him." Y a s z ~ . said, " What is t,he n n t n ~ e of the oBedie~~ce of the angels? '' The Icing saicl, Like that of the sccses obeying the spirit: not requiring e. lllstruction or correction.!' I'i:.v~tb snicl, ': G-iye 11s

- ...,. the details." The king s d : - - l he fice s e 3 . ~ ~ ~

ascertai~~ for the spirit ideas of ol?jects: reyniriq 1;ot orders or prohibitions. S:!r:~~l.d the spirit notice a thing and wish t~ ~?i:ricr~tand it: they (;he sensts) without rzflection or hesitation comijnre it with some other thing and give the spirit the Tdea.. In this vay the angels live engagecl in obeyil7: i i ~ i i l serving God. Whatever order is giveii: they E mrnediately ful61. Ai~d among the Genii those who are ill-disposed and unbelies7ers, alcllough. theJ? do not. implicitly obey the king, >?et t h e j ~ arc bet.tcr t.han the \vicI<rd amoug men. For rnally of the Genii, notwithstanding their infidelity and erro? in their allegiallce t o Solomon, never committed

themselves. A!thongh he by the ;lower of hi6 spells gave them much grief a.nd trouble, ye t the,-- iz his ses-vice remained staan.ch. And if evzr any jl13n i11 any desert or jungle from f e z ~ of the Genii repeats a prayer or text they give him no trouljle while he remains in that place. If it hap- p911 that any Geni'c?~ has any influelice over malz or. woman! and ail? n?ngician sunmlons or invokes one of the elders of' the G-cnii they immediately depart. 13esides this: lze1-e is a proof of this pei-fect sub l i : i s s i~e~~es~ . -4 t ORF: time the last pi-ophet L Jfuhonlcd] or! whom l a blessings and peace, mas

the Kori~n i11 s c,ertain place and the Genii ectered there. and ox listening they a11 becZlni? liussnli~~aas ; and going to their own tribe, invited lllelly to Talanlism and gave them the privileges and blessillp of the faitb. And many texts of the IIorr7r1 wive evidence of these facts. Mankind are the re- C

\Terse of th.is. Their dispositiol~s are full of infidel it:,. and hypocrisy : they are altogether haughty ant1 proud. Ofteildrnes for the sake ofgetting audsainicg they break out of the road of honesty and becorn- insde'is md apostates. They live on the face of %Le

aaTth slaying allcl quarrellizig c~lItir~nally, nloreover they respect llot their own prophets : not,~~ithstanci- ing their mirnclea and wonders, they are open

: if they do at any time appear to respect them in their hearts, they are never free from unbelief s:irl mistrust, Th011gh they are i g n o r a ~ ~ t nud in errsor and understand nothing. mrith this there is this clainl, &at they are masters 2nd all at-e their slaves." When the men saw that the King remained talking vith the chief of the flies, tlley begun to say, '' ! t is v c ~ y strange that tl;c chief of the iiisects should hst-e this p r i ~ i - lege vich the fii~lg above a11 other afitmals." Oae of tb; race of the Genii, a philosopher mid, " Do not be surprised at this act, fix I'a.s.z~b the head of the files, though srunll in body and dirnil111:i.i.e; js

very r i s e and leanled, nni i the chief and mouth- piece of tlie ~ h o l c of the insects. Every aniuai that exists he instructs in the rules of rank and gover:imznt. A I I ~ with kings it is a custom to collsTerae with those of their fellow creatures who are equal to them in ra,rlk and power. Although in shape and appear3nce he is different, do not lei

the thought illto your minds that t,he King f>om ;my selfish motive is partial to him or pays him such attention." A t last the Ring turned towards man and said, " Have you heard the conlplaint of che animals against your oppression mhich ]IfLs been related ? They have given a reply to t h e claim ~ L i c h you made. Xow: whatever you Lave to say, S:]: it." '.!'he representative of man said,

In us cre nlany esccllent (1:lalities and privileges, which prove ours to bc a just claim'' The Icing snid, :(Describe thenz." -4 Grecian said, L: W e ];nor l~riny scicaces and arts. In learning- and invention we excc! all the animals. We t h o r o ~ ~ 7 l ; l ~ fillfil the ciuties cf this wcrid 2nd the next. Frcm &is if, is k l ~ o ~ n thzt K.? zre lnasters an& anilrl& our slaves." Th2 Icing s:l.iG to the aaimals, 17'0 him thnt has mentioned his superior privileges, R.~c :

ansmc;. do you give ? " The nsserubiy of mifilals hearing this. bijired their heads [in thought]; l;os

- one gave any reply. U a t after half'an hour the y~~resentatit i :the 2ies said, " It.h has an opinior; that he k a o r s clal ly sciellccs and devices, and fw t h ~ i rezson he is master; and alimdtls his slaves,

~f mnll M-ill but think and ccnsider, it; wiil appear

\\-\th \~h; l t method we aild manage our n.oyl;s. In wisdom arid tL~ugl;lt are ~ ~ ~ p e r i ~ ~ to them. J5-ith the science af lnathrmatics we hax-e such accluaintance t.hrtt ii.iti?out rule or cc.,:~~., pzss me &scribe many ci;.cles: and f i g ~ i ~ ~ s , trian- gulzr and square, and in cur owil houses Lrn.1 I.;:any 1;inde of z,?~gles. The 1-111es of govei-~-rment ~ , n d ycnk, mnn a.lso learlit fro111 for x e appaint ir, osr hogses doorkeepers a.nd vatchmen that no olle mithout permissioll may BC nllo;~-ecI to go I>efore a m Icing. 'FVe obtain honey fro~l2 tLe leaves of

., . trees and collect it: m d st r::s:ire WC ssi ti_a opr houses, and eat wit11 O u r >?OLiIig 011es. Alld what- eT7ey refuse remains, ail men take out and prlt to

their o v n use. This art nc, one ever taught as, it is an inspirat.ion from God. V'i'ihout the help allcl assistmce of a mnster .p;e ~ I ~ O F T SO lfialijT arts. But ruali makes this Boast, that they are masters and 211 animals their slaves. Then why do they eat oul- leavingrs ? Kings are not in the h b i t of eating that mhich is left by slares. And they ir, many thing6 are under obligation to us j aud we

atie in no vay dependent on them. Therefore this unproved claim does not extend to them. Let them look at the condition of tlre ant ; although she is small in body, horn she, underneath the earth, makes various minding prtssa.ges, and if there be ever such ZL flood, the water never enters them. She gatllers and stores grain for food. If any of it gets met, she takes it out and dries i t out in the sun. Of those grains which she suspects to he germinating, she takes off t'he peel and cuts them into two pieces. I11 the hot season many, many ants, troops upon troops toll-ect and go off in every direction for food. If any ant gets sight of a thing 2nd by reason of its weight is not able to lift it: she takes a little of it allcl goes to her company and gives t'he news. She vho takes the piece of the thing to recognize it, guides those who are in front to the place. Tlien they all collect and with great labor and pains take i t amay. If any ant in the worlc acts lazily, they heat her and turn her out. If m:ln will reflect oil this, i t will be seen mhat wisdom and prudence the ant has. Similarly tllc locust in the spring seasoil feasts and drinks, and

becomes stout and goes to some soft earth, digs a

hole and lavs her egg, then covering it with flies away herself. ?Vhen the time of her deat,b comes, the birds eat her, or from extreme heat or cold she perishes. The next year again jn t,he spring season, in those days vhen the weather is mild, from that egg a snlall young one like a p u b is producedl m d i t creeps upon the earth and feeds on grass. At t.he time her vings come out and she has eaten and drank and become large, she also in the same way lays her egg a.iid hides it in the earth. In short, in this nlanner year after year the yo1111g aye produced. Likewise the s:ll;-worms that live on many of the hill trees, especinlly upon the mulberry, in the days of spring, r l l en they beconle quite large, they weave their \rcbs* on the trees

and repose in them with every co~nfort. K h e n they awake they lay %heir eggs in their cocoons, and t,hey thelnselves go ayny. The b i d s eat them, or they of themselves die fronz heat or cold. The eggs during the whole year safely remain in them [ the cocoons]. The next gear the young n.re pro-

* Luab-liternllg, aliva.

duced. from them and cra.wl about on the trees, when they beconle plump and strong, t,hey in tile s a a e nay lay e g g and bring forth young. The ,,,ps also in the mails and trees make nests, and in them produce eggs and young ones, but they

nothing to eat. Day by day they seek for

hod, and in t,he .winter d:~ys in holes or pits they I

llide and die.* Their bodies tllroughout the winter remain there, t.bey never decay or hither ; again in the spring reason bp the pojver of God life comes into tbeln. I n the like manner again they make their own houses and bring forth eggs and yonng. In short, in this way all the insects produce their j-oung and noilrish them, simply from love and kindness. T t is not that they expect any return fronl them ; which is the rcverse of nlanlrind who live in hopes of benfits aiid advnntage from their descendants. Generosity and liberty that are the graces of the virkuous are never in t,hem. Then in

~ h n t thing do they think themselves superior to us. The fly, the mosquito, the gnat, &C.; who In)- eggs md nourish their youllg and make houses, do

* That is,-: become dor~nmlt.'

not so. for their own benefit, bni for this, that after :heir death Inore insects may Be prodnced and be comfortable. For of them every one has a po<ti;re

of his death. 7IThen their day to die comes, with willillgness and plezsurc they expire of themselves ; the Great God of Iiis power rex-i~i- fies them the next year. I n $act, they never ill m y vay deny that they will die, like as mauy deny the resnrrection and the judgment. If mall vould nnderstand the coilstitution of these animals aud that they in worldly and spiritual afiaira are acquainted with more facts than he, he would not make boast that he is master and animals his slaves.

CBAPTER. ISSIII.

At the time the represenir~ti.vc of the files finished this speech, the King of the Genii being much pleased praised him and ti.~ri~ing towards the assembly of men said, "Hare you henrcl all '.hi; ht: has said ? Now is there in your opinion any answer remaining ? " One of them, n man of Arabia, said, '' In us are many tnlents and good

cl~~alities, by mhich oar clr?iin is p r o ~ ~ d . ' ' The

Icing said, " Relate hen^." Iie said, :' In grc:it enioj.mel~t our lives pass. Various kinds of delicacies to eat and drink are provided for us, which the a i G m ~ l ~ never get a sight of. The kernels and llllp of fi'llits Ri'e food fbr US : the skin and stolic 1-

they eat. Besides these, different sorts of hod, .$hil.l.i,,al*, 6 ~ 7 i ? , - K h d i ~ ~ , !;lc-lo.cliL-lu, gao-za~~tl l . , bis-

cuits :, smcet pil!,zus, zi~-bi.?.yrh2, aaEron pillans, rice ;ind milk, roast, stew, b:iq*ci?~i, j i . ?a i , milk, curds, lihi ; all kinds of sweetmeats, t,ofee, jnlahis: 2taci7~kls;

uclyus, Lill:fis, amarti: lc~uziyclt! $c.;--rre eat. And . . to nllluse ourselves we have dancing, laughing, joking, stories and f2b!es :,vailable. Rich robes and jerrellerg of rnnuy Iiinds we rear,-coarse iroollen --

* S)lir-m&l, baker -k l~kuc , gao-dicls ailrl pao-zsban, arc 211 a qrcet ];ind of bread ~ ~ ~ a a i c witli nrilk. T!~is first is a f la t rnallii enkc ; illc 111c snnie o11lp lal-gcr ; the thircl sllapcd lilie lilt eye of a (:OTT ; t l ~ o fonrt11, like tlje co~v's tor:guc.

Zir-birran ;-a 1;iuti c , f lliliau nhicl l i s brownec?. Eurani ;--the fluit cjf t i l e egg-plant cooked in ci~rtfs, n-irh

sjliccs. Firn i ;-l)oileC nliil; w i t h a srnzll q ~ i a n t i t of rice and snpar. (If the swcctmcats only two out of the seven have zny-

tlli~:g f i p p r o n c l i i ~ l ~ t1:cn: in England . B a l m n sohull ;-is like toffee ; and l n u z i ~ a t il:c saolc: niih

:!!c atidition of al~~:onl',s, p i s i a r I ~ i o nnts and raisins. Yi

clothes, carpets, sheets, rugs and mally other things* we Where are the animals provided with these things ? They always eat the grass of the foRst. And day and night entirely unclot,Eed, like slaTres thev labour and work. All these tlzin,gs are proof of this, that me are masters and theS slaves." The representative of t.he birds, the Per- sian nightingale, was sitting before thein on the branch of a tree. He said t o the king, " These me11 rho boast of their different kinds of food and drinks, do not remember that in reality these are [a source of] great grief and trouble to thern." The King said, " T h y is this ? Describe it." She said, "For this reason,-on account of this ease they undergo much toil and trouble,-digging the earth: golring the plough, ciriving bullocks, dr8.v- ing water, sowing corn! reaping, weighing, grinding, Iighting fires in ovens in cooking, quarrelliilg with the butcher over the meat, lteeping accounts and books with the grocers, toiling to collect wealth ; lear~liag, science and art;, afflicting the body, go- , ing to distant countries, standing before a noble- -- --

* Parash-o-farosh ;-a general term for carpets.

,an with folded hands for a couple of pence,-in short, it is with a.11 these exertions they acquire

and property. After death it frills to the &re of others. If they have accuillulated wealth 137 fair means they hare its reward, if not they have its punishment. lye live exempted from this orief and punishment, because our food is simply 5

gnss and leaves. Whatever things are produced from the earth we put to our own use without labour or exertion. The different kinds of fruit. that the Great God of His power c~eated for us Ke

eat: and we continually thank Him. Thought or al~xiety for food never enters our minds. Wher- ever Fe go by the providence of God every thing is povided. These are continually wandering and flo~mdeling, and by eatjag certain kinds of fooci, they also experience grief and trouble. They are

s~bject to chronic diseases, to fevers, headache, cholera, delirium, epilepsy, distorfioll of the face. ague, coughs, jaundice, consumption, boils, pim- ples, i tch, ringvoi-ins, gripes,*Y" elephantiasis: and diseases of the nose. 111 short, all kinds of diseases are they s ~ h j e c t to. They rush to tl:f

;,hJ7 sicifins for medicines, and after al l this tile s~lallleles~!~ assert that they are masters and every

I7 ttnima1 their slaves. Xnn gave flnsver : '' Diseae. es al-e llot to us : azlilnnls often catch dis. eases." H e replied: " h ~ i m ~ l l s hccolne sick onb from ll~isillg and becoming fidini:iar wilh you. The dogs, czts, pigeons! cocks, &C., aninlitls tllnt

are confined bp you, get food ancl drink 111lfit for them and thcl-efore fa11 sic]< ; zald tilosc xuiaals r h o ivnlzder of their own free r i i l in the forest gyp

fl-ee from every disease because their tin~ev f ~ r eating ancl drinking are fisecl. There is uo irregn- Iarity in it [the t i ~ ~ z e ] , ancl these nuii.i?als that ape

c o ~ ~ f i ~ l e d by you are not nllo~retl to spcnil t:icir time i n their own m y . They eat their fooi! 81

i n ~ l ~ r o l x r timcs, or throagh h~ulgcr c le~our nlors then their usual cjuant.ity. Tlley rc.s;t:rai!l cot,

their n,ppt,ites ; t1;rongj-h ..his they s o : ~ i e t i ~ ~ ~ r s ~ I 1 sick. T h i s it; thc rensnn your chi1dri.n bc.comp sick :--pr.e!gnaat :rorneu n 1 ~ 1 nurses i-!~r.o~~gl~ greedi- mss eat: improper food, snch ns you bonst of. Thcls the humours nre pY~ilucet3 gvoas, the mi!k is spoilt, and fi.om the effects of &ese tL-incs the child is -.

b o ~ n ugly and lives continual!y ~nl!ject to diseases, Tlkrough these disenses they live li&le to sudJel: denrli. esti-elm agon;:, affliction ancl anger. li: f:lct. throl~gh the il l effects of yoxr ~ m n acts j.i>:I

l jecijn~e sni!ject to these cal:lit~ities, ancl v-c arc cs-

cttlptcd fioi l - : t!~cin. Of the diZep:.nt kinds af li,oll \-!jli ];as-e: honey is the purest :LT:d tile ~JCS~ , . YoL1 t.;lt it ;ifid Llse i.t in 3-OUP medicil-!~~. ilnrl it. i.s tl:<! s:!li\.n of bcca. IL is rrot i :-~v~nted !.,y ycjil. tllm r : :

lvl-rnt t l l i i~g do yofi bozat ? Ecsitlt:~ i:i catillg Crni? - 7 . :!li% z crr:ll~>, nlc 2nd you arc cclni~l! :11lc;l for ilgcfi m:?-

:llIC1 y~11.1~ tti:ctt(:)rs l ~ n v e ::ln.>ys Leen an all eqna- i t - . In tlic . rl:i~-i: v:Le11 3r0111' g1-.~!nt 3ncestor-. ,$t,{mn :uncI Eve, livecl in the GnrJen of Eden nr:,l

\\-itllout Ii lbo~r or esertion ate of' the f?t!it of thi\t -l,lace T\ - l~en there T a u no Iiind CC xl1tl7siet.y or toil. vnr f ~ ' ~ : ' e f : l t l i ~ ~ ~ also \vel.e sllnrers ~\-\-;th tLe1.n in t,llose comfosts n~id blessings. Jl71:en your elclew t.hro[,gh the gnilc of tlreir Enemy forgot thc coni-

lllnlld of the Loilcl, oild begot a desire f o ~ n grili!t :lniP re re t~imecl out thence, tlie ai~gels took them bclorr and threw the111 into a place rrhere them ;vns not eve11 vegetation or icaf, IIom could f~*nii;

enter there I For a period they wept in this i:.tHic.

rion. At last their repentance was accepted. God forgave t5e offence. He sent an angel, who came there an2 taught them to dig the earth. to e a r

to gind, to cook, and to nla!ie clothes. In short. day and night they lived ellgaged in this xoil a ~ l d

l abonr. Then their race was greatly increnszd ar,J they hnd begun to settle in erery spot, in the forests and cities, then begun they to oppress tlie inhahi- tmts of the earth. They seized their houses caught many acd conlined the~n ; many fled. seize and confinc them, tEcy made various kinds of

snares and nets ; and pursued they them. And a t lasi; you have arrived a t this pitch-1-ou now stand

and detail your pretensions to supe~ioritjr. You ai.e for coutrorers~- and quarrelling, 2nd this that you s q that 7011 hold pleasant meetiogs, engage in the plensurz of dancing, spend your tilne

in delightful pleasures, wear rich ro!>es and digere)lt kinds ofjcmellei*y, and Isesides these many other

things that are nor; oLtaina1:ie by us, is true. El1t you have also a corresponding suffering for every-

one of them, from mhich we are exempt. [As a set

off] to your pleasant parties, you sit in the honse of mouluing. y o u have music, pleasure and mirth, but you weep ancl suffer grief. you live in your elegant house, and you sleep in the dark gra\,e. (:orresponding to yoxr jewellery you Tear iroll colIiirs 011 your necks, fetters on your hands, and chains on your feet. In the place of praise you are

;zttacked with irony. In short, you suffer a coy-

responding grief for every pleasure. And me are exempt from these calamities. For these exer-

tions and troubles are only for slaves and unfortn- ,late ones. We, instead of your cit:es and houses,

with this estetisive plain. From the earth to tlx heavens wherever our heart wishes we

fly. In fresh vei-dme. on the banks of rivers, we @raze and eat mithour; restraint. '\Yithout labonr b

*P exertion me eat our i a ~ f ~ l food, and [drinl;] pare lr.aLer, there is no one to pye\-ent us. 017 ropes, buckets, Tyater-skins and r;i.Ler vessels, we do noc depend. All these things ere necessary for you. you tnl;e them upon your sioulders and go from place to place with t h e 3 and sell them. YOU drFayS live in rhe midst of toil and &tress. These

hdgrs of slarer~-. Prom lrhat i t p ro~ed thnt you are masters and n-e sl:~rrs ? " The I<$$ iLsked the delegat,e of mankind. " IS there non- ::m~-

lal'ly lenlaining of thine ? " He ~ d d , " In US J n l n j . eseel~~llt and silperior qi~xliiies ihnt go ro I)Tol'e oilr claim." The Iiing raid; 'L Describe t h o ~ . ! ' tjlle of t;jcln, 5 Bebyerr, exid, '' God I ~ L ~ s gi;-:>x, 1:s

* . . l:.:nlly rnil viLrious 1,rivll~~g2~-rellg1~11~ pl'ciphcc3-:

tile of' (>ocJ-:t.ll rhese blceaings L:ls i i e

Tie llas jnforll:ed ca of ~v!;nt ;S I t ; ~ i ' ~ i l :111d frji..

'

biilJell! is good and !.)ad, set 11s :~p:~rt h r l:jict

pl?i.1j3se of cfit,ei.i:lg llt.a~-e:l. Xnrl bntlliilgl l>lu.iti- ectiou, prayer, fasting, a h s , tit.hes, p c r b r l i ~ i u ~ s(:r-

v ices in the llzosclncs, rending serinons in t11e 1)t?lPi:, ti;ld nlfiny kinds of ~rurship! IIe has ti~:~glt u s . .A!! these privileges go to prove tllut rre nre 111nste~~ci ;incl tlley .slaves." The representntii-c of the hirrjs cni,.;, ;: Tf you vi l l pause and refieet, it will Ile scel.1 t ! ~ t t.hese things are [a source of] grief n~ld suEeri~lg- :0 poll." The Icing said, '. KO~TT are these a trotiI~ie:' '' He replied, " X11 these services the Great Goc! a;,-

pointed, Ohat their sins may be forgiven, alld. tllex n ~ a j - not 'oe allomed to go astrnj-. For in the !io~:~n

gt. 5:tYS: ' h 2 ? 2 d ?ld .~&?~dfe yt~:idyla~ s ~ l ! j d t e ; ! that is: . Good acts hide crimes.' If they act not according to this r ~ ~ l e of religion, they ill be disgracciL I:,efore !hd . From this fenr they relnnill eugagc~t in devctiuns. I\,'c ape free from sin: we ha\-i: 1:o necessity for tlie ~ ~ o r s h i p of npllich these bwAss so ~nucl i . Xnil thc Crcat &cl sent Cx tI1o3(5 l)eople ~vlir, arc Ixcretics, polytheist.^, ancl sic- l!ers. =i:l those \ r . h ~ 110 tlot His services, )rho da;;

lligljt ill :~i'1(? fo~nicitt i~n izmain cngnged, Trlli!e frc~ln this \ ~ i c l i e ( l l ~ ~ ~ s a ~ d sin vr, are exempt, \ye 1,elieve God to lje ~~npnrn!leied and uueqi.~:lleci? nlrd live eagagcd in Ilis 1~raisc. And t.heir propllets 1.Ln\3 n1,ostlc-s are like pl!yaicians and astrologc~s, IJ]lYsici;il!s to tliose 1~01~ l rnw enecessary who have disorders n:~d siclcness : and the astrologers are only ~01!~llt by the unfortlmate nnd be~itchecl. .An!: IJr?thiy and purificntioa for you is made n dn!j-, \>ecau..;e y o i ~ are continnally polluted. Night a!!d day J-OLI pms you- time in ad~~lterjr and beastlineis. And youy bodies arc generally filthy, and for ~fih repson you got orders to purify yonrselves. R e lice;) holn these things. In the whole year we go net:]

lour matea] once ; and then erell; not from liist

desire ; olliy for the puqlose of propagating the sJEeier Ferform tbis act,. Prayer aid fasting j$ your duty, that through them pour crimes may be forgivell. X-e commit no crime, then why should iq~,ey be a duty to us ? .4~rns and tithes arc cece,,,,y fi,r this reason :--you coilcat and

keep, honestly md dishonestly, ri~~xeh nealth and wive zot to the deservirig. If YOU snpported the C

pooy Rnd why silould giving alms be made

duty-? v,-e are io:*iny and kind to~rnrds our

speci2s. JJTe never hoa1.d Z I R ~ ~ ~ I ~ ~ I I X th?o:augh

nvaricce. And &is, vb:3i you sv, that the Great ha4 sent dow:~ directions coli.cenling is]

Inwf~l! and fm-bidden, and about comecticn and 1.et&~ion: these are fc-r your iustrnction. For your m b d s are ia ilarlincss. Tllrongh ignorance and stnpi2iq jron mdrrstaod noL [your] advantages or disadvantages ; therefore yell rec;uire teachers and masters. And ~vithout the i-~terventi~n of prophets, the Great God acquaints a s with every thing. For He FIimself *hns said, ' T a audd rcb boku ilannal~le anit t a k ~ z i minn jibale b d y d t ~ n ;' t h z

is, God said to the Ay, make your house on the i 1 s And in one place He d:recta thus : ~ ~ l l z j n &ad u l h a salalahi wa tasbihey;' the meaning nhich is this : Every animal b ncqua.i~ted with prayers and formulalies.', And again it occurs : L Fabcr nsaUaaiio gurVban , ~ ~ b n b o P Z ~ ~ ~ ~ le,,,,jl.ao Iai fa y t ~ h l snu aten aklz~he kdln yd ronilat& amkhdna nzisia HdzaJgCiihe .fi~od,-iza sau atn ak) l i fasbohn rninnnnocJi?~lb~ ;' that is, ' The Great sent a crow t,o go and dig the earth and teach that he may also in the asme may dig a hole and b o y the corpse of llis brother. A t that time

. , saw him and said: ' U a s I that I am r.x eqad to this crow ill wisdom, to know how to bury +,k2 ,.

corpse of my brother.' In short, fi.om tl;;.~: incident he was i ~ u c h h~milint~ed. And this that they aa?, ,..

that tl;zy go to the mosques and monasteries ti, rend congregstional prayers, is not at a,ll xpuired of us. To us every home is a mosque and a &sine. Whichever way me turn, we see evidences of God. And me arc not obliged to read the uravers f c , ~

J - - --- Friday and Eed.* We continual!~, day end nig?,t,

-. --- -- S E& ;-the Easter of the Nusmlman, rommc"laratinq t k e

sacrifice of Isace. Etgmolo,cicallg, it means recurring, or a&nz!,

::;-c cngnged iil prayer and fi:~irng. Thcll for those things of ~ h i c ! ~ you boast Ire hnve no nccessitT." 'IT-: t .leii the ~.eprese~>tative of ~ i l c b i ~ d s hncl ijl?islleti

sajing this, the King 100fd. .to~:lrds the nlen ;illl! said, " Kow whaterer yon h%;-e relnniiling t o S:,!-:

saj:.'' The Tmb man fi-0111 alnnng :lie nss;.e:nbIy of :; , ,

:nen gave nnsver, I here are sti.11 many pris.ileges . .

ixar! superior rjunlities rcm:lin:ng :!u us: from n:hicli i~ is proved that n7e are :uastc.rs nlici animals c,~!: slnres. Yor adorning and benuti.fying, -xe ;~o.;;-

scss mmy and various kinds of n:-!l~::rel, s h : ~ wls. l~rocade, sntins, silk, sable skins, pol,lIiis, st,l-ipei: sill;, muslin: fine muslin: calico, silk, f i o ~ e r c d line::, drill, chcqne, different kinds of things to spre:td. carpets, coarse woollen cloth, rugs: sheets, 2nd hesides thesc mmy other boons. Prom this ir is finown that n e are masters and these slaves ; fill. m l l e ~ e have the animals ssch things procnmble :i Entirely naked they wander about in the jnng1es like slaves. A11 those gifts of God and blessings are proofs of our authority [over t,llew]. 7TTe are entitled to exe~wcke the authority of masters over them: arid to treat them ill sny may we wish. Thcgc.

are all our slitves." The King said to the aniinals, :. \That reply do you now give hi111 3' ' lialelah, the representative of the beasts of prep, said to this nian,--" If you boi\.st of this rich and soil clothing, ansver tl.lis,-where were these various garments in ancient times ? Why you have oppressed and tyrnnllizcd over the anirndi and st.olen them." The lnnn snid, ? ' What time do you refer to ? " KuZrlnlr, snid, " Of $1 your clothes the most delicate and soft are silks, szttins, and strong silks: itnd they are the saliva af a grub, and this grub is not in Adam's $amily brit is a species of insect, who for her own safety weaves her web on the trees, that she may be protected fro~ll the serefities of vinter and summer. ITou by force and opprea- aion steal i t from her. Therefore God has put FGri to this inconvenience,-you take it from her ancl stretch and weave it! then yon get it sewn by tile tailor: and wasbecl by the washerman,--in short, you have so much trouble and labor that you kc6.p it carefully and sell it. You continually live this ansietg, perp!execl ~ n d uncertain. It is the same with all the other clothes, they are generdly

of the skin and hair of animals ; especially your rich robes are offen made of the fur of animals. You, with severity and oppression: steal them from them and take credit to yourselves. To boast so much of this is out of place. If we boasted of these things it would be to our credit, for God created them on our bodies, that me may corer and clothe ourselves. He of His love and kindness gave us this clothing, that me may be protected from cold and heat,. From the molllent me are born, God provides this clothing upon our bodies. By His kindness, it is all prepared for us without labor or exertion. And you ever to your la.test breath remain wlbjeot to anxiety. Your ancestors disobeyed God, and you have this punishment in cansequence." The King said to XuleZah, " Relate t o us the be,&ning of the creation of Adam." He said, " A t the time God created Adam and Eve, He provided food and clothing for them like as He

did for the animals. And in the east, on the mountsins of rubies, south of the equator, thep both lived. When they were created they were entirely naked, and by t,he hair of their heads t,he

whble of their bodies was covered, and by means of the same hair they mwe protected froin cold and heat. They walked about the garden and ate of the fruit of every tree ; they underwent no kind of labor or esertion vhatever snch as at, present these people are ~ubject to. The order of the Allnighty was this,-' Eat a11 this heavenly fruit, but go not near that tree.' " Through the gnile of Sata.11 the3 forgot the instructio~~s of the Lord. and than all their dignity was lost ; all the hair of their heads fell OF : they became naked. The angels, st the order of the Lord, turned them out of the place and put them outside ; like as the philosopher of the Genii has fully detailed the facts in the first chapter." When the representative of the wild beasts had related these things, the man said, '' 0 wild beast ! it is not fit or proper for you to a8rgue in our presence ; it would be better for you iu remain silent." A-aleluh said, For what reason?" He said, '' For this,-that among animals there is none more mischievous or wiclced tlmn yotl. And in no a11hcl

is there such hardness of heart as in you, and 110 one has such a longing to feast on dead bodies.

Except injuring the animals there is no good qndi- ry in you ; you a , ~ e continually killing and mining- them." He repliecl: '' f-Iov is this ? Describe it.'' Re said, "Because all the beasts of prey hur t the animals and eat them, brenk their boiles n.nd drink %heir blood. They never have pity on their con. dition." The representati r7ea of the wilcl beastss said,-" We who act th~rs v i th mimals only dc so from your esa~npIe, n~hermise rre shonld not ,

lcnom aught aboxt it. For before the timc of Adam, the xild aoimale hunted not any animal, they a,te the flesh of ally animal that died in the forest or desert. They gave no trouble to living animals. In short, so long as they found :he flesh that fell here and these t1:ey molested not any living being ; but were collatrajlled to (10 so

I\-hen they reqr~ired food. lJyhcn gou r e r e cmnted, nnd seized the goat, sheep; cow, ox: camel and ass:

s.nd c o m n ~ c ~ ~ c c d confiiling them, and left no-, nr,

nnimal in the forests, then where could we get ihcir

[goats, $C.] flesh. We %ere obliged to commeilce I~nnt iag living anilnals, mhich is lawful f o ~ us to do, like as you in exl.1-erne cases are alloreil to eat

dend bodies. And although you say, that the disposition of the wild beasts are hard hearteh~ess and unmercifulaess, v e never find any animal am- plaining against ns like as they complain against con. And r h e n you say that the wild beasts t.ar rm the bzllies of the nuimda and drink their blood --K -

md eat their flesh, ~ O L I $so do the same. Cutting

aith knives, killing and sl-inning, ripping up bet. lies, breaking bones, roastins ancl eating-all these nets are pracbised by you. nTe never do such, if you mill think and pause you r i l l understmd, that the cruelty of the mild beast is not eqttal to yours ; like as the representative of the animals has described in the first chapter. And you among

yoiirselves do such things to your brothers and relations, that the nnirno!~ are not even nvare of. And t.koogh you say, that from ns no one gains any beocfit, it is evident that frcim our sliin and hair every one of you is benefited. And ercry animal that llunts that is subject to you, hunts fir y o ~ ~ and feeds you. Bow tell us this, from you vhnt benefits ncelve t o

the animals? The evils are manifest-)'on slaughter the animals and eat their L flesh. And you are SO

" deadin the earth that n e Inay not get thein to eat. V> derive no bellefit from you, living or dc.a(l. An? you silj-; that the beasts of' prey liill : I I ~ des- trry the anirnnis~ nlrile it n n i fi-0111 yonr exat~ll,le

12-e beasts of prey took t~ tbc same. And from the tine of Cain and Abel to the present time, t l~ey n v e constzntly witnessed that y o ! ~ continu:lllp

!ive at rrar with them. For Xustmn, Asfundynr, Jarnabid, Zohok, Parnidi~n, dfrasinb! 3lanaeLbrr. Davius, Alexander," &C., zlmays lived ill liiood and

war end ended [tllcir career] therein. Aacl a t present also yoa are e l l ~ g e d in strife ancl dissension, and yet you s?ralnelessIy boast and ipenli evil of the animals, m ~ d with deceit a i d pretension roll

desire to assert poor si~periority. h the rrny tL:lr ~ O L I coilatantly live in war and disaensioo, have you ever seen the ~:.ild bca.sts living, gir inc. tro~zble to

L

cnch otbir among thotiirelves ? If you will mq~:ir~+ illto the condition of the anirnals with due delibcrn- tion and thought, you will understnnrl that they

are much superios to you.?' The representative of. . - . ---- * Kings of Persia.

man said, i s there any proof of tliii ? " The other Those of your race rrho are acstere and de-

rou t , leave your dn-eilings and go into the hills fmests, resi:jcnce of beasts of prey,

mnilltli!l a a a r m friendship with the^^ continually. C" i l le bcnsts of prey: also lnolcst them not : therefore if rhe Lcasts of prey vere not hetter than you. ~ h v do I - O L ~ hermiti n~ld dcvout nien go to them?

the yirtoolls and abstemioar $0 "Ot llear tile rriclied, but keep them at n distance. This is a p ~ o f

a ,

fiat the hea.srs of prey me better tha11 you. nna

this is allother proof,-If your t]7m11nical liillg~

5 ., ll1nls do ~ o t molcsi Li1nl rlicy 1;now tlint the man is virtuous nlld ,mood. For every class recogl~ines i:c o v n cliLir ; Lencc the lieasts of prey knowing tl:c

.irtilous and do not interfere vith them.

I-es, a.mong the beasts of prey there arc also ~'icli- ecl and low jcxnmplesj ; rrl?eTe are the)- not ? In erery class there are good and bsd. Yet, tbosc

who are viched among the beasts of prey da ]lot molest the good and ~Crtuoua, bst dccour wicked men. God has said, Ntircali Basnxn'Zim.u'n bdzan .

t h ~ n kSn8 gainbihi8 ; that isi ' We have p ~ ~ t tyrznt,~ against tyran te, that t h o ~ rn?;j7 feel the eKects of their omn sin.' " When the delegate of the beasts had finished his speech, a pbilosop!~er from among the race of the Genii said, '' This is tl.i~lp said, those who are good pereons flee from the rcicked and a,ssocia.te with the good though thev may be

of a different species. And those who are wicked, they also floe from the gooil and go and Inis with the wiclced. If man h d not been -wicked mrl vicious, why should tl-eir derrout and ~t~?stere men go and live in the forests and mor~nteins and cnltivate a friendship for the beasts of prey, natwitll- standing the difference of species ? For bcimeen t,heln there is no limilarity cpparent. But undoubt.- edly they am on n level in their good qualities ." The wLole of the assemL!? of the Genii said: '' This is true, there is no doubt of this." The lnon on zll sides, mheu they heard these reproaches and sarcasm, became extremely abashed and all of them held

( 181 ) .

doKn their bends. I t was now erening ; the cocrt

was dismissed, a l l of then^ took leare 2nd wen: each t.0 I l l s onli house.

---..- Cfl-4PTXK. S S I V .

[ ' ] L ~ I l ~ ! P I . G 288 r)isj?rr!a b e r l c r n ~ ?Ia!z. d?x!

l.!! e ]'ar:.ii!.

I:~:~;!\- in tile moraiug all the m e n and :mimsl* ,,,, p s m ~ tin the court of j n s t h : ~ . The I<l:ig &,: 19 :?>cn, If' yo:i I~i i~-c any Innre proofs C)[ T,iII, ,!,Li;, to Rdi~;;2ce, rel:l;;ie tllcrn." The p e r ~ i n ~ , 1 1 ~ 21.c IllSnY i ) ~ a i ~ e w ~ i . t h ~ ql?i~liS~a- X.,

tj-..* ,,L1L> br a-llich o1.r Jili:ll is proved." The Kil:$ . - Isr " U i our race arc

kin,n, a . millistars, n o ~ , I e ~ , seerei;aries, stewards, tax-

rili~lcmrE L. ) F c~oilfri:!s, i.crrlda, macebenrers, serma~~ts, fris1:;;di, ailcl 2bsdsmnte, ancl besides this there :we

wriv;les ; the rich, :he noble, the generous, the 1:13IlJ a

of h e beri.iirit~, the devout, the temper-

ate, t.he orators, the poets, the learned, the accomplished ; jud F l a ~ e ~ s , etymologists, gmmnln~-inn S.

logieims, doetors, matherr,aticinna, asi~oiogers. aoot~sayera, interpreters of dreams: chenlists 2r:6

( 182 j . . moglwans ; and among tradesmen t l~ere are bG!dcrs,

rreniTers. cortoil dressers, si~ocmakers, tsilors. L!.,!

of many ?ii~d.$. -4od ere:*:; class hns its orrn (:?l2-

rate good 1raq-s &IICI chnraeter, its religion aid peculiar accomplishments. it11 these good rjufijiries

I. w d charecterisiies are pecuiiar to us. 1 llc nair.lals

have not a share in tLem. Froln rhie it k!,.,zil t ha t F e are master; niid tile lllilnal o!lr slaves. - '

IVhen msn had fi~>iabed this, tile 1,nyTot to tjlr King, :( This man bonstr of tile ~ ~ ~ ~ j ~ t ~ of their classes. If he enquire abo:it the difirrllt kiiidv birds, hc will perccive t h t compfired wit), tller:i they are very few. But I csn point out for e;.erJ-

good trait of xbich he J~oasts a coyyespondhg. hnd trait, and in the place of every Yirt~oLls One lnentiOn n vicious one. For of their races are Ernrod, Pharaoh, hweeticr, fornicatora, polTibeiste, at,heist,s, mlbelicrrrr, faithiess tymnts, highlmr, robbers, thieves, ? i i l a ~ e ~ , c n t p u r s e ~ ~ fooipaddr, linrs, t?icliccers, swiildlsrs, eunuchs: adulterers: prderastp, ignorant, fools, misers, and besides these mnny classes SO whose ~ o r d s and nets re not fit to

be mentiol~ed. -4ild rre are above these, bm 2l.e

generzlly equal to r h m in goad quali-ies iin

manners. For in our race also ore chiefs,

noblcs, . . friends: and gefieuous persms. Bnt ci:!efs are gnporiar in the art of gorernmellt kfid

n,dmiuistratioil to the kings of mankind. For . the)- 7

[,m] take cnre of the subjects and troops s i m ~ l y for their oivll objects and benefit. $Then their desires are obtaiiied, they give not a t h o ~ ~ g h t to the condition of the army a.12d the I T subjects. These are not the duties of nobles. i h e duties of govern-

rnent and cllic?fta.inship require G a t the icing SIIOE~~? d w a y ~ treat his zrmg md subjects with love and kindness. In t h e same -nay as the Great God

d v a y s meroifr~ll~ t.rents his slaves, so should erer)- king similarly look with. kii~dnesr L I ~ O ~ his S U I J ~ j e c l ~ .

-\nd the chief of the nniluds i~ l r rgs hiie love nnd +ielldsbip for the army nlld subjects. In this Kaj.

t ; , chief of the w t s and d the birds lire engagecl in the discipline find crder of their si~bjects. And if they act ever so kindly or obligingly tomnrd- thir t m o p or suSjeits, they desire nohing in return. And they expect no Geoefit in r e t ~ l m for nourishillg tllcir o'fspriilg. iThile rna? provider

( 184 > : f o~ his children and then requires them to se1.r~ hi1ilil, the ailimci.1~ bring forth yaung,-nourish them. md then desire nothing from them : simply Goln love and kindiiess, they hring i,Lem up and iced 'hem ; they aye strict followers of God's mrij-g-.;: or

cr:?s.tcs His slarcs m d scllds them food and

~ X ~ E C ~ S ncr erail thmicr f~2111 thcnl. If tjlerc had pa,ctices Ilnd not k e n il: man, $];cn irj;s :llc Grent. coaim2:ici :-' c:.- 4 • i' t i ,I!;..-::~s t o IY!~? asd tc, iFOE? ~2"1:~.' :<C l p ~ c t , !~ ic to filly m,,?. for mz do nokil;:~ir i r y ~ i i ~ . i ~ ~ ~

~j;so:.,,c~j~c,nr.~~ ---a .2 When the p::r;~t !12d ~ - 9 t t l l i l ~ fflP in his apreeli, 3 lll:iiosophi::. of thii G,,..;' ~ ~ 1 . i ill60 s~.id, '( Ee speaks

'be t~ l th . " ?'lie is.3 h-came nb:iahcd c:ld b2jr!

down their hezclu; not one con16 gil~,: Pils,;-pK In tb? rnsnrirrh!ie th i Ki;ig s::id to n?ii!osoii3er L: ..;le Gesii? "Tiie kijlgs v?~ihosc abiiitiFs FOII hIITFe

been d i s c n i s i ~ ~ , v:h, mat their s o ~ f c t s Dlld a!Tl?y

with such lore 2nd kindness, what liings are they ? l 1

The sage ~ep l ied , if By these kings angels are meant,, The angels me appointed by the Great God for the Wrvice of every genius, species or individual cni. md: for the!- p~cteet and hn;~e regard for thm,

1s; )

in the r x e of angels there al*e nobles and chiefs, who act lcindlg and friendly each towards his oen tribe.'' The King asked, "Whence dicl

this kindness and friendliness arise among the :ingels ? " He replied, " They by the grace of God hare obtained this good quality. And in c o m p ~ r i r o i ~

kindnaas m4.h nllich He acts tovwde Iiis slrhjects-the kindness of aii;i one in the world is not ailc l~ul~-(liyd t h ~ ~ ~ ; i ~ t d t h p a n For ~ b c n

created His creatures, HE oppainted ~ l ~ p d s for the ~ ~ t ~ ~ t , i ~ l ~ of each. Tlair rilape olld f ~ m ; KC

esci.ilent ~zfiued. l i e gave t h e e the powers of obsaratiou. He ii~ade all of them ac-

-7

qilhinted n;i,lh u a s good Lad. I. or thak e,o!llfort He the sull and t h ~ moon, t.ha coil- s t c ~ l n t i o l ~ s and stars. We sent t h e m t . h ~ fruits 311d

ienree of trees for food. In ~ilol't, l i e p~ovidel

$1 bindn luxuries. T1xsmre dl proofs of His

lore 2nd kindlless." Tile King ns!ied, '' Of the angela who are nppoiided to pmtect man, r h o ifi the ? The philosopher said, " The breat.11 o f life ; from the Pery moment Adn~n vas created $Ic. has dwelt in body. Those R I I ~ ~ E who

according to God's 0~de1.s 1m1~e.d d~i.11 to Adnln LR

ealied the second grade of angels, they arc subject

to t.lle firat grade. Al;d he ~vlio did not 1,orr i-.- -J $ v !L

ille spirit of anye:. ! ; S I:e is a!ao enj]ed Satan. The 'Lrcnth of lib' still remains in the IJOCI~ of the childreii of Ad;~nl, 2s tile bodily cf A d a n n!so riinni~;a wi th mnn. In t,hij fnrlii

they ere ~ O Y U itad l ire ; and in this form :lt ;X,

inst CL^ "ill the chiiJrcn of Adam rise and entey j~eavcn.'' The iiing asked, \TTLat js the that acgeis n.12 sllirit,s are not seen ? " T]le save

b rcpiicd, ' L Sccnore t.6ey are essential and They are llol perceived by the senses of the bady : but prophets and holy lnen by reasoll of their pureness of heart ssc them, becal~.use their soulij sl.2

unsollied n7i th the darkness of igllorance, ~h~~ ;Ire ca~efid not to fall into the sleep of forget.fGi- ness. T b r e is something in common bctmeen rhern and the angels, therefore they e e them ; and receiving their words communicate them t.0 their fellow creatures." The King heard this, to the sage, " May God reward thee ! " And afrer- aards looking torrards the pqrrot said, a Pinigh

t l ~ y speee'l." He replied, '' This man bocarn that of his race 2r.e nleiiy ~kilfiil men nhd trades-

men, this is nothing to boast :of for zlii02g 1:s

certaill are in these arts their equals. For instance, t,he has Inox proficiency bfiilding

tha~l b~ilclers and engineers nmoilg men. For nirhoct enrt.h, bricks, lime, or jinir they build their 1a1ir.e~ ; they draw lines mid eil.e!es and are not dependent OR chalk-line; or - -

:olllpass, nud these [[e~un] require tools 2nd instl-1:- meilta. So it is vitb the spider, which is the rrea\iest of inxe t s , but it1 q i n n i q and ~ e m i n g Inore Skilful t,hnn their ivdnvcrs. First she d r a m cut the &rend fr.y)rn ber sdirs. After that s l ~ a

stretches it in lines, and then completes i t from Ill the, midrllc sl;c leaves a space open to

catch tile ilics. a i ~ x 3 in this ~t she is dependent no ivJtrillllellts whatever ; while D wearer wjth-

ant his tools can?lor rresve at 211. X ~ S O the sill<-

irorms very feeble. but they I i n o ~ more s~ ie i l ee and art than n r t i i t~ . l$'l~e" rliey have fed 8:l.nd are full the). go the where they da l!_:.rl;i*dI: ~1c-1

grit in ~leiicsie :ir.es. T h ~ y :h.-:.

( 188 ) i 189

Over them- again and them coprect and morn;s md feed her young. .Among mankind there

and the mind and rain do not tilere. is no woman who taI;es care of her children like

lu tliis ~ ~ e o r d i n g - to *heir h s ~ i t s ; .. . l t l . this : nurses and midwives take care of them. At A'1 sl'ilI q ~ ~ i r e it^:^^^!^ *h2 i risT,yl:cii oils the time of birth, they take out the child from ~f their parents or tutor&, .-...

1"" an!; ?hot <lel,cai~eiji the nlld bathe and wash i t and give it milk. ''I nl l ;~d ie a~!d thread, jj!,, +lle &il,,., . 7.-I rcpnireTs \Then they ht3\7e fed i t with milk, they pat it to "-'O rritLout "ern call (10 ~ ~ t l : i ~ , ~ , Arjd the sTn!- '!OR 1 ~ ~ 1 - I : o u ~ ~ ill f j l l -

sleep in the cradle. Tliey do e17ery thbg ; the '?lY ~ii.!:olil aily thing mother of the child has not the least care- And

s'T2i'01*t if imdey the eai-;, h. ,,,, ., ,. SLe their cbildrell also are excessively stupid. They

" " ~ ~ s ; &C.; 011 \\.jii!:> , l i d hare no ic-ea of good or harm. , 4 f t ~ fifteen or

~ l n c e . S i r u i ~ a d ~ $lJc nLito nr l t -,,,,* LL,. l#

twenty years, tlley come to the age of d i sc re t l a~~ ""{ss her holise J i l lO : l t C!;>,:- T12:: f~,, . , rf!q L!J 'rhen they reynire teachers of science and l ~ l o r a l ~ ~

"0t6il>g n-hctever. 111 fiLCt,* t. .:c: ?,.: :,, >.a 4 5 a],;- The of theiy lives they are mrit,ing and read- "& make the;, o Q 7 ~ .nI;e,., 1 - ~ - 3 ~ d L O I : ~ ~ : ~ all:! i2t , art illg : thus they spend their time. And still they

tdeii; Ornn Young. TLcy ! :s- , :~ I~lore j, ;, .-, gcnce remain as ,great fools as ever. OUP j7GUCg Gnea P . '"'"

'''a' 'rikc IDy iilstapc: o s f ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ l , ,!-ho they are borl1 are ac~nainted with at Once

" a W'"pound of a bird ~ 9 d be,,:; rrLi:t every- .;);,hing p o d or bad. For instance, the J'oLUlg br i i l~s lie' rounp ! x?hrn of tile hel1, p:krtridge, or quail, On coming oni of

thrrty eabra me aecumalnted, 85, divides them the egg, peel; about without any instruction f iOrn three lotsy she P J ~ C ~ S ill eartllj the their From any One who tries to c3tch "lt of son~c r l ~ e Yudrm,rtL them they flee. This knowledge and intelligellce "' wygs whell a good niirnber of

Ones is an inspirnt,ion from God. They can a11 distin- she rakes sp the earth md geg g u i . s ~ between :rood or evil. The reason of

ihlago is, that rrith these birds the n;& alld femnie do i ~ o t shnre the duiy of silpportir,g their :-onfig eq~~ali.r, like as other b i ~ d s the pigeon, &C., rrhq male and female, together attend t o tbc young ond. Therefore the Great God gmnttd those yorlag ones such sngocit.~:, that they reqiiirr not the atrention of their parents ; they can graze and peel: for than:- selves. The yooilg of othcr animals aliil birds depend upon being fed with iniiii a ~ l d corn, but they do not. Then in thc opinion of the -IlmightY, rhoae rank is s ~ ~ p e ~ i o r ? r e day 2nd iiiglit remail:

engcged in His prayer and praise. And it is on this account He has bee11 so i;i:ld to us. ilnd though yoo say that of your race there are ports.

orators, devotees, and godly men, i f you llnderstood the tongue of the birds, and were nn.are of t,lie rosaries of the insects, the praises uf the rronns, the confessions of the beasts. c o ~ ~ t e m p l n t i ~ i l ~ of the locnsts, psyei-s of the frog; exhortations of the nightingales, the eennons of the emu, tLr warnings of the COCL, the cooing of the pigeo:l, the revelation of secrets bp the crow, tlle plaises of the swallorr, of the ov l instilling the fear

~~d :into o'ihC~s], ancl besides t h e 1 der- cription of the devotion of the ant and bee and athers-you Ko$:d l~erccive that alllong them also

eloc~Llcni spcnlieys, rhetoricians, lioets, OYP.'~O?S>

divotees allcl iEdivii:r;ala for God L~LS said. 7 z~~bCiJLilli~ Jk s,isslLak~l , , ilk y ~ ~ ~ ' 6 b d n ~ b c ~ ~ ~ a ~ ~ L r

tdfbcL2ir2. 1 lie rnemling of which is : ' Every thing ,,timally . Chd, but you do not kno" til at : ' so G.*d has given you the ehn~ncter of bein: iunorzl1ti &y you unclersta~ld not IIis pmiie, and 0

He hna eaiied us and 6 s r$d, ICziLhi?~ LUC~U-

4 hi,, r; rnsCeiin7i i i ; tlict is, ' Every anilnfil

]iliore his pr;iJTcrs roray ;' 2nd 3 5 ignorallt alld wise are not eriL1fil, F e "re ~ i l ~ e r i o r to To". ~h~~ of thing do you boast and dcceitf~~ll)- and cnlumnionsly say, that soii are ~ilastfrs find ;u~mals slnvcs ? hnCl regarding the aatrolosel-. you lllention, their acts nfhct 0111~ the ignorant. \Voruen and children only beliew them. In the opinion the r ise , they have no place- Some astrologers M deceitre &c foolish: say that in sucll

a city a ccrtai!~ event after ten or t ~ e n t j - years will happen. they know nothing of

their own fate, as to what will happen to tberfi- selves, or what mill be the condition of their. 3fany years previously they describe [what vill be the condition of] distant countries, and the c.olnmon

people think i t t,me and trust in them. Those nr- the people who depend upon the words of the as-

trologers who have gone asstray and rebel. For instalice, tyrannical and o1~p~essive kings of men deny the resurrection, know nothing of destination ; as Kimrod and Pharaoh at the morcls of the astrologers caused hundreds of children, yea, thousands

of fizmilies ta be murdered. They thought that the regulation of the world depended upon the 7 planets

and 12 signs of the Zodiac. They understood not that, witloot the order of God who created the

Zodiac and stars, nothillg c m take place. TLia is - true : " Opposed to Fate no project will succeerl." After all, whatever God has mished He has done. The facts are these : the astrologer gave intitmatio~l to Ximrod that n. child woiild be horn in Lir r e i p , who after being brought up and attaining n hipll position should overthrow the religion of the idolators. %'hen he asked tkem, Where; 2nd of what

race Le would be boril, and rrliere he would La b ~ . ~ u ~ h t up?-they TYCE not aWe to tell. They s:Gd to the King, 'Give nn order for all the children born in this yenr to Be 1;illcd.' They had the idea that this child also ivould be hilied with them. lkt last God Abmhnm, the friend of God, n,lld preserved him from the hatred of the a i c i ~ e d 'plinraoh did the s s x c thing nit11 the children of

Ism&). There also God sheltered the prophet y o g e s from their wickedness. Hence the m-ords of the ~ t r o l o g ~ . e r s are an idle tale. Destiny nelres changi.s. And yox~ boast of then1 [the astrolopraI rind say that in yam race are ~st~rologers and philosophers, they exist only to deceive tlla igllo-

Those follra who have faith in the A1tnighty believe not tlieir n~osds." XTben the ?N'"t I'"d sa,id this muell, the i<ing aslied him, " If a s t r okY is una to prescrlre Person] 601" doing harm: Tvlly do j tdy it and bring proofs t o ,:st;lb;lisL it ? And why persons 8fr~lia tilere-

? " He :' CeTt-ail~lo, it is p~~~ ib l , l g a P'C-

rcnj-nt,ive of hot not so ~ I I U C ~ BS tile a ~ t ~ o l c g e r ~

sav.-m&her .I I is it so I3j, means a S of for !14$'

of the All~ligbty, who is the Creztor of astrologer^.^' The King said: " Row c10 they obtain the nid of God in this ? " Re sn.id; L' By pract.ishlg the lau-S of religion. 11111:1iI.i~y ail6 -irceping: p x y e r ? 51si:q: . S

glv:ag s!ms nnd tit.lles, v~orship;>ing with a sincere 11eai.t~ are their r a y s ofottainiilg assistance. Tl'hen they ask God to nrcrt [any c a l n ~ ~ i t y ] no doubt FIit accedcs to tllem. EIence the ~ s t ~ o l o y i - 3 and uzngi- clails girc out ba f~ re the occnr:.eiicc of tlic crent that God vil! manifest srich s;lcl such ail evcnt. 'It ~ro:rld bc better to pray directly to God to be pro- testecl 2nd not to practise astrology." The Icing srid? When the l a m of religion 2rc o b s e ~ v c ~ zutl by that means ca1:t;nity is averted, it follov-S of corwse tha,t the decrees of Fate have been asitle.'' I!e replied: "His decrces: never fail. E11t those people who to avoid calamities 11zal;e 11~tlticns t ~ ) God n:.n 1>1-otectcd from thesc things. For instance. ~1-:1e11 t he ,zstro!ogcrs told Xiinrod that a boy o p ~ o s - ed to the faith of the idol:itors would be born and thsov his s~lhjects R I ~ C I m-:l~y into coafi~sion, by t.&s r n s meant Abrahain the friei~d of God, and God Lra~ing created him hnml~led z i~d spoiled Xirnrod

on him nnd his race) this ptlactice ha.: been obsermJ, every ono [of the pmpllets] orrlemd his foIloTera to do t611s i~nder every n1isfo~t1111e. Therefore natro. Iogy s h o ~ ~ l d bs practiacd tlii~s, [in c o n j w c t i o ~ ~ xi th p ~ q e ~ ] ant1 not U S C ~ as 5 lllenlls for the astrolo,nZrs of this age to inislend the pcoplc. They fox& God and trnsl in the rei~uivi'il~g heavens. For the rccoccry of the ~ic l i ! F e sho~llcl first pray to God : for perbct health is obbdtled by I i i a 1ne::cy o13ncI

kindness. One shonld not crlrn fro111 the threahald of the true Pl~picim and apply to the physicians [of tLis vr~~l~!]. Somt persons in the bc;innin,a of their sickccsk apply to doc,toir, md if from thsir treatment no b~ilefit accrlres t,bey lose all conEidel:ez . - In them m d tom to God; and ofte~~timos with muell tears and grief they write their condition i e pctitiu~is and hang tlrem on the ~ ~ 1 1 s and piliars of tile

niosqtzes, and God grmlts them recorerr. Th::s one should apply to God i;>r thore be~lectq clarirerl from ast~uiogy, mid not trust to the tricks of the

~strologers. For there was R Bin to ~ h o m the astrolo,nersg~~-e wnord, that in his city ~n event ~ o u l c l happen, which would be rery fdtal to the iinhahi-

t;!nts of the T6e Kiag asked, Worr it ~01112 llsppen ; ""6 t : x ~ xS\.ere n c i nble to give rite pnrti- cL,liu.s. niii r!riy said tl!ai; j i l a cci.t:in mmlrb 01-c

. . earig!ll aIite, tl;ii even: c ; tslie place. The

] ~ i l q syka;zl i - ~ a a i ~ ~ e , . - ~ h z t steps o;:glit l0 be takeil . r c y , to ijreiTw,i i t ? l i:eg c;!:~) ; r ay pir,!:~ n:,:>i> aiiid,

;; x,i,i.; ljFSr ~ ! ~ ~ ~ t 9;; :i!;t d:::!, r t z king ~ l l d L<-

<l -; -,., :: ..,..< i.;c tJ1+? c ; Q-. :<:fi:i]l %y1(; 5:ye:ik: $Ix3!!1~! s'!l LL:e , , \-.A. LL.- '.- . . 7 .

T,T-yll o:!-c, i,lii2iT ~ , . ! ~ j : ~ ~ . zr;~.is f i j d K ~ ! I ; I I I ~ 111 f h e pii.::i

,Fez\, e;-ji; ) ; l ( , !Jys ],<;fix,: God t o l><! %:\Y!d .LIE:: 7 - 7 7 pi:*apJ cii,,, 1 11% f ~ i ' n i d i i a e;:i!;liry." 11:

2ccdT~;Ll l~ ; ~ ~ r ~ ~ , ~ l t:lcjs Lid\-ic,2: i.:\e GII t?~::: . ?. & ! .

rvrut 3 , f i ~ l . ~ : , i : , ; l : , ~ o:! ! j :ne ;,fie city: aild mnzl3- 1r.el.i

Tr; ';il ti;?, 1; i ixtz IT&, c;nt :I!SC. 'I!icy bCf 3;1 to peti- " .- tion cTod ; .; 'ur; .L.b. c~ from 1 , C : : 2nd all djy :li.:!;t U t!,:~ w;lisined ardr!ii~:p. l j~ i t certain lnen, frx*: I I, ilot tlie p rpd ic t i~s of die nstrolo- Fers p.inained ia the night i b rained in

the city was situated in a holion-. y h e r a t e r oil sides in and c v v e ~ d the

,ig, and the persans n-110 remained in their

dnrellings perished. 'Those pe.ople who ncre outside he engaged in ilrarel* aad ismentr.tion,

( 198 )

remained safe ; like as Sroah a i d those persons xho held the faith wcse mved from the flood, ivLile all the others were drawned. Pox God has saii!, c ~ ? ~ c . L L c L ~ o ~~rh?iiifi20 i i2LIf0 jv~llb ~ , : ~ ~ q g ~ ~ ~ p , - ~ ]c12ct/1iL- zbin i ~ n r x l d ; bcdiyatenn itz ~ L G ] L ~ ~ : I Z rcaj,lj 72(l~l,,zo??,

A.i)ji.a ; t!xt is? 1 barre gi-~ci; sz~v:i:;c311 t3 illiij

to those tknt rnnai:l?d .:-jib hiE1 izi , j a,:; tlrnsc ~ i i i ~ t!i(iityhf 1T.y n-Orcjs to Lu !:c-. , J ..

.. . l r 1. .I..r7c . - t o $2 drai-.-:icd b?.~;\i;:jc t';eJ: -i . i i ; : j ;..:cl. T:~:, ?):;~~o:;.-,,~.;i: 2 L - i1.2 .' 0 ',.-a 172 ,.' -. 7 .,!+& .... ? . I . i r S .-., - sf ,7!:C1:! yil)ii ?;h---

\> ..a1 ;;:y 110 1"" ,,"L a ,...-. \.. i i ;-<:11. y;., i;:!":? t,{lL2T- l<,;.,,j -;-0 .: , > , , L . . Y . > -

V > . ? . J l i C.. . c : i c ; . . , .. T.. . - i , i ]z jyA,:~:-i < . . , 9 , -. . . . , .c- . >.~:j\;- L;-. ?.I;,, ;>;..;l; : '. ;- - - . I Le

7 7 said, - ' r i . : i : . - < y ;er:; j.02 ~ ~ : f i l - - . .I. .. .,,, IS of

piety. ' i .hy L I ~ S C ~ tlie rill23 of i;ii-!L -;::;t;! t ~ k l , - / . . . dldcrent oi>lri:.ofil. Lye;..,. occ.a .:; J a!:<]

2 ? G . So:ne say ihc Ea;::, ;., ieo;-t 2ociri>i ; . - 0, ; ,1:. -. '.'.:r-.*- '1'

, , - - L . A 3 LA^ LAX;< :- i!;?(,s the <liciesb. f < < ~ ! ; > ~ - . d;,: $ > $ - , . - - . A . - !);9oi; of' :li2 ,,7, +::.-: ~2 . &--A,-.,.: L : li~ilCf:>~. solilc f i ; . - ,r i!L!2yQ ;ir2 - -

c : ~ ~ ? , ~ ~ ~ , &),:A2 i; y a . , ~ ~ t!,.:.-, : <.I, --- -, tllre: c;:>:;s:,;. same I)?-

i k r e in S j ~ r , aom<; r;i.r7 <:;::gc ar;? fir., ELJ,,,,, ; ," ill' 2,s 5:s c: ~cve:1. acln. I> b::il:$:ie t?:::t crc>ti:yes hare

esisted 2s 1011~ ?L,$ tr12 c'"-.- L,LL..~;::T ; 8 0 ! t C say the Tk, is everlasting, some Lrilg proofs oi its fii..itenass ;

{ 199 )

s,,ne Sclicve in the resrri-rection7 nnd some deny it solne zc~i~o~I&eilge prop!~ew and inspiration, nitd , ~ m c disbelieve in them ; some are perillexed s ~ l d lral:der in dolfit, some depend up311 seme ~ i l d L-,-~.:,l::snt ; iomc ibrictiy eq'y th&r ;?l~eestora ; ~ l l d ' g ' ;-, htsifi2s . . tllls illere many diflernnt rcligiciis t o rr;:,ch p:cc sllbizer. baye c.1~ ~ l i g i o i i %lid clie form of Tvor&ip. \Ire bcliere in ?:m Cuiij- of

"

(>i7c, rind flyat He in 02rqu:i?':c<>. . . Kiglii e!ld

'rrc ellgnged in pr:\lsl?ig . nlarifj7ii1r:

: \vc do llor ;egent our bani:!:,gs t.c ni:J7

(.,; -3.- T- T

e r ~ n t , ~ ~ y ~ r . \\ C arc thn~kf!i! i c y v;hrterr:. 7.-

allotted in our f;,,tc, i! P t:Z':W:?'3 L2

Iiij ol.clms. i7;c do not gr\i v-:,)- this i:. n?

uv;,nt is the reson for th2t> 25 *.:.in - -. . .7

to i.iL; ori~ci-s, nctioy);. .! !:.! ii?3kheri>z:.- . . 3 , 1 1 ~ s i l r ~ 7 e y o ~ ~ . I ~ L G ; : : of CO : i ? l :~> . . . -. Llye c2niinnal;j~ s , . ~ 2 o 2 c d ~ c - -

Thoro i-,bina'i that a;. !:~voil~l o;?:opreiicn3lon y . . , -. . iIimlrillntion t i l ~ v pp$e~:; it" knnn-!. ~ h i i e t-ey -

U r. 1

knor theln not, 1 ]loee scic!lfis t1.i-ii they ~ i ~ ~ i d 'C-., .-

kno.i- tllcy ha,ve 110 ine~in;Ltio2 to~'":.?~. rcl?Sb

t,zEgs from whicll come no red ienafi:, tbi;i

( 200 )

siuEy. Some of tbcm are absx~rbsd in :llfasnrinr- 0 t h e heavenly budies and their dis ta~ic?~.

Solac are puzzled over ascer~iining the height o r mallu. t d n s rltd c!ouds. Xany go meaaorjng tllc yiyen nnil fomsis. Some study and pcndcy ari i* ;lie colllpositicn of the Hcasaiis u:ld discovering of i:le

x:::.tb'~ c c n t ~ ? ; L;Lra 119 i;iioi5~]cdge ihi: . .

i f i f - 1 1:- ..?:/C .(!:'h, They kiloir lloi hair ill,;lfi>- : ni:l - -

1 - ,D h . i ! > : ~ . ~ i ' . , .

iil:es!.incS t i w r am ; T z is ;lie cxf2!i[ hs!low i ~ i the cili?sr ; 17!lnL is the n i l t x ; k ,,f : i . . .

c a... ;.-U t 'L n:iJ bniinr ; I:orv the st<unn& is fo:-lsc(,j

r;i!:li i j the ctiidition of t h ~ L O C C ~ ; Bo\\r tlrc jciiiri oc

r 7 becly :LW ~ i t ~ a t ~ d . I l t ~ ~ g thine-S to ic;:rn Ri:icii '3 1 is easy and to uilderstn;:iI upceasq- . tli,:-- l?;2L..2r

I < ~ r ~ i r ; pt from these the aliill alld G,]-J arc :unde mnnifest. As tiie ~ ~ o p h e t ~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ :llr!, blessings cud gmcc of God be upon him,-hns lyritbt,ii, ,31071 a l n h nafisojizi fnlfdd n r ~ l a 7-a&joA2b ; tluki is; ' IIe who understood his own body God.' In addition t o this stupidity thBy read cot the word of God,, and know llot 13is orders reapeotil?g duty and ceremonies. &4,d ,,

i;aySiLi~s 7 YOU Laast of J~OLI rely only when t h r o ~ ~ g h

kreoaioess 2nd lust you hare eaten many kinds of food suE ~ z c o r n a aiclc, and taking a urinal xith v,,, J-ON go tc their doors and wai t Oldy those

are. jich no to the doors of the yhysicinu or c>

ailotheo-q. Also tile imlocl<y and imfortunate cravd round doors of tlre astrologer, and yet

f:":'01~ going tllerc, their t ro~ ib l e~ are increased for . . 1: 1s nut in ilk&; oofi-cr linsfcii a lucky or arrest

n!l ull] i:losLliot. f nrti:lr., cort:~in nst.ro!ogers

a!id &vioerr ta:;e piece of p s p ~ r and n7&e SOKlc

llonxnse JjCeii~.2 tl:e f o ~ l i i l ~ ; this is d ~ ? the

erse phS-aiuniis, tbyoilg!l iakillg their ~ d i ' i ~ e

:lic is iixn-c~,ased. Fy"ln those tlliugs T V ~ ; C ~

o . c , ~ ~ , ~ ~ ~ ~ the sic?: mm, fhcy tell him t o &h- >L , If t h y left Ilim to nntnw, the GC~C man lroLlld yecover. Jlcllce y o : ~ boasting ~ f ' YOU' pbl- sicianLns vlld astro~oge~s is egregious folly. JTTe

fiat dependent on them, for oor food llever i.arias, therefore v e do not become ill. %re take 110~ the advice of physicians base no for draughts or codections. It is a characteristic .. of .

the free that they dependent on 110 0""

the lot of aizves to con! i ~ l c a ! l ~ :*:1nuinn froin one i)lnce to anothm. Those maychantF, ]ri:iirjcwl liusb~eZ~:~'ulli: of which y;,n rourid,-cs ho,,,+, are even worse OR : ! , ~ : 3 , ~ ' ~ l C S . ?.r.s *. .,..

L%* 2 :L:- e Cfjil- temptiblc i l r ; ~ : ~ tl:c ? . > r g c y ~ etid :Ilod

i- ?:iglit a3.d d2J' iG toil ;~i:d l:il.,:>pr tLrv nw ''

J I :.!cy get ; x i : 0:::: S~C)::I:::?;.'~ e:i;;c:. TheJ- :--;:i :.:i - ,~f i ; -s ~ ~ ~ i j d - - - m 2 :i:a!!~?s: yet t l ! ~ ? ~ l-JICITSe!,,.yS

, : ,, - c 7 :::\ ::,-, - . - to L 1 1 c . T[!IJ- (A::,+ :!:c c::y!h :::..l ryeS.

<-

&::t C S ~ llot of the f';?if, ?!l:....<.,-~ v ! - ~ ,c,.. L - L " :-;' C .??';L i'j(!t

'""&$C? C.:.;l; 1111~ 2 . ; .,,:!l.- ?:-<.:;:] L,l . -%" - - * 2.z (1

I.,?? r , + ? ' , L L >,07-!... :.) -:::,l ' .,.. a lz;:\.; t:, 7jjcii. 7 .-.:..- - - L ,L.:,#> ?,?:!.!> l12;f s!nr:~c :I:: insi! rcs. r C l : l ~ !!.ir::bc!.L!?if ;:;

'a 1 h i of' ; ; , - 1 ,

I,, hop2 of 2 f ~ i ~ i i i c , &clr -::m!;i:a; n y ; ; i L l ;:ir:.j riakl ic. r L

In t.55 of sCpLYCit',- U 11,. , , - L - t .. . ~ 2 1 1 2.i l:!,; j:T~ccsa

1 ancl give i:s%i~ig 10 t1:2 s,i:.d !:oar: In GTIllo r:5iiia>i i;i:? tile rice ,,.,,.-

':!d. ,..:. , .;!li cf - 7 . . j7cf,i%, 1s i ~ t . I t is ,;,:,ic :;l tll- L L . ' ~ L - ~ S ta!ce it ZK::~: or some I - kjlzl d.,, =.- -...

, L ~ J L I V ~ h them of it- 4 9 d then 1::1,.1:1~ ~ e c o l l ~ 3 :;.inCd an; degi*aded, they aanL'cr Ijcgging fmm dijr fa door. They X T Z . ? ~ ~ their xhoie lircs in v...p m~ .-.,p ':L.,; . , 2;jid

fancy they :we gainers, and do not understal~c~ that they have given array for nothing the veal treasure, which- is the soul. They have sold their sdvation for this vorlld, neither do they enjoy the vOrld-heave~~ is lost to them. ' In

oI two things bofi were l ~ s t - ~ e a l t b Was

nor grJi-Led; noilher nos lieoran.' If YOU boast of

tIlrr yen a:ib- \-lint c h u a are boncroleut men of

yoL,-r rscc.ia z l~t" : iz Tbe!:l. fi.iends, rel~tions, nsoing (ill ~ m t , ilil!;~6 & l l c i g ~ ~ o v . ~ , \ ~ f i d ~ r b.,=

:Ll,bd L , ~ ~ ~ . ~ ) . ) fioie tiii:c t,o k i ~ e arkhg dm", nilrl - 7

they lilrcr :ooli illt.9 thair c<~~,ltdiiio~~. DO )":l er!;

:his biinrlTalcncc to "lljoy ~ - ' J L ? ~ s ~ ~ w s at yo::? ? z 2 < $ ..*: ':l,- '.,.&h <> ** ;, colrp?.J7, rrhile FOLIY fiiellds, relations

J- q . :1 c,? : ,G.

bonrs go bci(?iiiz? i L ~ d \i,:;al you s3.Y thh~ .-L*.-.-.

F>

L-

,,.,,1 a:e-&2ries, they X e iroy;:l -,-Og r;:;G c!~i'l<;; ', .. ' J ..I

. . 7

boaic!i2 o~ 3;-QFc jii:Sdrie\-c~s 0' X ~ C K ~ ! ~ 1~:'~:~

t ~ e r s are iiot ir. TLro$d. Tyi~11 their CC:I~:: : : .: . . , I - . : -

, . .?ill pl lasf i~t~~y tL>:{ c:::,'"-7;.-'" to deceive t,h&. filcll~ls. For sh~iv, q-ith C-.;?;;;:?:; i: alld plcza;.,g ,-.clli,OLi~ion, they v:ite tl1?1:1 !,?":i:i

in +h .',. hcnrts &CJ- :;yk $ic:,li7- of fi.iesd&ip; bi:t 4 Cl-

fng bonr to i-mdormioe h.e r o ~ t end foundation si' t i~e i r eharzater. Kiairt alld dny they Law the idea of stop;)irlq to elliplor o f iile p-i.sa;i

""C? g2tti11g a ! i Y ? ~ e l l t ni?piiilrt silot!lor ill ]-,h p l ~ ~ c e . A ~ i l at last by 6O;lif EI:.,. L- tngc!ji? oi*

C po- Ip11cc: they sA;!ct 1li-i disiiiiiaiij. l-cLll= jLcrli2ifs

2nd desatees thzt )-a:: ~ L i f i L ill laiii;!s

' 0 l:? ~ . igb t~~ i l s , a t~d 1 ' 1-0, j i

7 . idep L: : ti~oir prayaw inre>--- ..L rC;ltlu;l - ** itye nccc. t 1 ' ' . 1Jy God, hnve shen-n )-G(: their s]f-desiai nl!rl

nbsiineoce, and deceived sop. For tT':at n?licL - . aI3PXX be 0 tlil lenqt!wni;i2 of their

L -2 ' a d s : takjng lie hair 6.:. tha ~ j ; , ~ , ;roar ' ixo lolls

' E ;3 robes, being satisfiei wiiL coi:-sc c lo i~ j12y . ill!fLiDg c , patch npon pltch: rernainii;~ siic~:; e]jc&iog to

U

lie one, taliiu,: little to eat, being to f;,ijis! teaching the 1 ~ 1 ~ s of i'e:ioiml, mal<ing

L) long pmq-- m" t.:ll their foreheads a m3rked,

let-jnDn lilj hallg t l l r o ~ g h eating so little f90d, letting their brains wither, their bodies become thiu their color becori~e che.nged,-these are dio,yether

23 deceit and lies. Their bearts are so full of nldiae % ~ d hatred, they think no o11e created cquni to thelll,,

They are continualIy complaiing of God, [saying] did God cycste the accursed Satan? '??by nere

adulterer^ and fornicators created 1 Why doer He give thenl food? These we improper words. Their harts are &IICd with such-like diabolical ideas. YOII tLin1; them to be riyliteous, but before God none are so .vicirad. TT?hy do you bosst of them ? These people arc a sb:~nle 1111.ltd n disgrace to 5-0~1. YQ" vise re.ijgiolls also for the sake of tile v-odil hnve m;lil"Ilet. Inaful which is unlrm- ~ ~ ~ 1 , aIld aometi:nes inde that unlawful which is right. Tlleq. give vroug explanations of the T F O ~

of God. To ativa~~tnges, t-hey twist the real I . \Vllat c.%u religion and piety do ? IIel] is prepal*ed espacialliy for those of ~ h o l n 3-cm host .

Pour jiidges lnnyers so lol~g as they are not ifi

situatioll [bdl.t?~ 01. I , L s ~ I L ~ , w ] go t o the mosque rn6i-n- ing and evening and say prayers, and preach $0 and teach peollh. When they kt posts they seize the rnredth of the poor and the orphan, and gixre ii to oppreFsive kings t o pIense them. They take bribes

do jnsliee. Those wllo are not contefiied: tlley make so by f e n and threatening. In sh@l%; these

( 206 )

S are tho,ongi:$i wicked ; they msIce right

~~:rong, and rrrollg right They ferr cot God in tire least. On thcir account are p u ~ i i a b ~ n e n t ~ and ji~dprnel~t [lodai~lcdj. Tile bad pr~:ctices of c:iliphr ~11d kings that J.OU men t i~n as b e i ~ ~ g the s::ccercorr C:' the pmpheis i r? re11 I<iionn, fa:. they leave the ~T::YS of the pYoph~ts and jrnt to daitb the

of t h e prophet^ Th?)? tiriolc themrc~ires better t h a n all men. They yrefbr this \rur!d to {Jle l~cxi. U'hsn my p ~ r s o n nli loxg the111 ~ C C U I I I C B B rulel., he first irnl~dsonls lhim T Y ~ O has sprrcd ]:is nllcestoyr n-ell for years. He cspcls fwm liir iiiind re-

mciljllbrmce nf past se~*~-ices. T h i o ~ l ~ b morldly no~bition he kiUs his friends and Bmthcrs. These m e not the chai~cte~ist icr of s~q>criora. To boast of these kings and nobles is injurious to Toor case. dild your claim of omnersLip rritl-oot proof or i~enson is altogether false aiid unfo~mtled.

CHAPTER SXT7. A?2 ~ C C O U P ~ ~ o j the TT'hife A~zt.

VLen the parrot had finished this speech, the King looked towards the aseemb1~- of Genii and men

( 207 )

and said, ': T h o ~ y h the white an t Lns no liaild~, fiet, hcv does she ml;e up esrth and over h r bad:: build Ler arc?:cd horse. ? Give me an exp!nuP.tion of ~Lis." Ol;c of the men of the IIcliuew nsseulbly ~ ~ i . 1 , '; TIla Giilii xive hey tile earth. For this y;ason, thn,t slit did i,Lmn dlis scrrice-she ate the wand of !<ii,g So!osmn and 11r fell. The GeSi t,Goilght lie \Taa &ad Rc3 thence, and they \I-Lrc fl*2e<J frOStl tl)il nlrl! ~roul~lc. ' ' 'The Icing id r:, file t~llcs tllz Gw-lii, '' .Do Y O I L 1~1103- any- r!,illi. of , . i,lle tliis pfrhon n ~ e n t i o ~ ~ s ? " They

: - finy that tha Genii.

Bi,ril L. her imllcl ;y;r;~, for if she a c i d thoi tolr-nrds Gullii this man hns dere r ib~d , sl~oifid

\re nov iri;lject to tll;lt toil DIUI t r ~ ~ b l ~ 1,. freed ? xinS Solo~ilnn made tile Genii bring earth nll,d wnrcr, and built houses 2nd gave the111 0 sort c~ r.llnoyn,ncc.x A Grwkphilosopher mid

tile King, I kllo,y one reason for tlds. " The

j<illg &lilte its7' fie re131ied, '' l'h 6 c m -

rnro of tile *bite riit is rronderfi~l ; her body il cOO1 : the pores of her nrhole body ever remaiAd ape11 ; the nbi& goes into her hod)-

( 208 1 is congealed 114. the excessive cold and becorn:r water. This forms in drops on the surface of jler

body, and tbe dust which falls npon Ler bodv becorneh mud and sticks to it. This she collects, and makes her h ~ l ~ s e over her body for p ~ - o t c c t i ~ ~ ~ that from every harm she may Le sared. And

she has two teeth which nre very strong, rrLich she cuts through fruit. lcnvcs mid vood, and makes passsages ;in bricks and stoilcs." The Ring said to

the locust; " The white n n t in a sort of grilb y0-a are representative of the grubs, explain what this Greek pliilosophcr snjs." The locust .aid, " He speaks the truth, b ~ i t he has not dcseribed the whole of her talents, thew are some others." Tlie King said, " Finish about them." ITe &l, ~~\T]lell the Great God ercnted the whoie of tile :min.nI; 2nd

gave each of them his biesiing, He in His porer and justice made all eqnnl. To some Ile glL:rrre bodies of a i.ir,oe ~ i z e nild hczry, but ga~-e the111 grovelling and gross spirit;. To others IFe small and tender bodies, but made their spirits extremely vise and intelligent. Thc ?ednndnncy rind the deficiency on one aide aud the o t h r arc made

to balance For instance, the elephant, though be has a large body, is mild tempered ; he is governed by a child, who mounts his shoulders and tnkes him where he chooses. The camel, though he bas a long neck and body: is yet w c h a fool that he folloms my one who seizes his nose string. If a mouse wished he could lead him a b o ~ t . And the scorpion, though small in body, when he stings the elephant 1;ills him even. In the same way this grub, which is ed1&1 the xhite ant, though his body is very small weal<, has a very capacious mind. In short, every Form that is s~ilall in body is altoge- tber wise and il~telligent." The King said, " What is the reason that large-bodied animals are dull, and ,qmall-b0died wise ? What skill of the Creator is in this ? '"Ie said, \JThen the Creator of His perfect power perceived that those animals whose bodies rrrere large were able t o bear grief 'and pain, ]lad be given them c9pacious minds they ~ o u l d never have subo~itted to any one. Ancl had the jmall-bodied ones not been wise and ell-info~med, they could ncrer bare existed uirder grief and trouble Therefore He gave N those inferior spiritq

i 210 ) ( 211 )

and these in triligen t spirits." The hing sad, she collects it rind makes her home ? to

" Give the data,ils." The other replied, The tyrsnnical kings, are rebellious md disobedient,

ever?. art is not t o let the secrets thank Him not far His blessinf, the of the inventor be knon- to any one, or how bodied animals are nn e~idence of His Power and he makes [any thing-] For instance, tile bee skjllm insbllce, the knat killed Ximrorl *lot-

without rule or compass makes in her house dif- nit.atmdillg this that he is the sm~l les t of insecte

ferent kinds of angles and circles, alld it is not and pharaoh beca~ne disobedient and lrnomn she does it, or 1yhenCe she brings ,gainat voses7 the Great God sent Rrn'y of

Wax and Had her body been large, this ~ocults to go there ;md subdue him- Sin'i'al'ly art have been discovered. So is the ~~d gwa solomon authority, m d the 6ft of

Lthe secret of] her $pimina alld is prophecy, and nlnde all Genii 2nd men bject to not h o r r n to 311y. This is the care raitb vbita solne of $he rricl<ed b d a doubt to

a""t) nothing can solve the secret of the formation being propllet, [thinl;inn] that he Obtained

of bcr house. I t is not kno in how talcer up his do,ninions by fraud nnd deceit. -4lthough enrth and builds. The phi]osopbers dellv t,hat said that ~~d had Of E-is kindness rind grace given

i t is l'ossib1e to form anything rritllout matter. him fizt rnnlr, even then the doubt neut from

And Great God has proved by the s~cill of tileir minda. ~ " d ~ o d sent the white %'lt rrllo i t [p~saibie]. For without mnteri- the wand of solomo~', a"d

"Is she .ionre11 boose, gni,her. honey in the mosque. Z U ~ s ~ ~ ~ ~ ' ~ food If they are of opinion that she collects it ,, ,,, ,.beye lvitll the ability a ~ l ' ' ~ ~ ~ ' "lm

f l o r ~ ~ ~ ~ a,lld leaves, why do they ,lot coliect it uhitd ant], This power of the Aimigtty use it? And if she gets it fiom-air Tater_ is a

to the nicked who boast

"'ld man carl see: why does he not watch her, horv A41thougb see dl His ill ,ize and .wealt.h.

and might, they do not take iranlling. T h e J ~ boast of those kings who are inferior to OUY

small insects. There is the oyster, in which the pearl is produced ; she is solaller in body and wea1cer than all the anjma,Is of the sea : but in knowledge and wisdom, most proficient and intel-

ligent. She gets her food and n~nintenance a t t&e

bott,o~n of the sea and there lir?ea. In the rainv ----J season, she comes from the bottonl and stnys on

the susf'ace of the water. Tvo shells of hers are very large? and she opens them-when the min

~ - water goes inside them: she immediately closes them, that the water of t ha salt sea rnny not be mixed with it. After this she goes again to the bottom of the sea, aiid keeps those tiro shells closed

- -- fbr sometime till that In t e r hardens and becomes

a pearlsl. Well, where is sucl, 1;nomledge in man?, God has placed great fond~less in the minds of mm1 for brocades, sillcs, 2nd silk cord, which are oro-

L duced from the saliva of thene small worms. Of their articles of food they think honey the most

delicious, which is produced by an insect. Their assemblies they light up mith n;lx candles, which.

are also got from it. Better than the best is the pearl for their adornment, rvLich is produced by the ei;ill of sinall fish rriiic?l I haye just now descrih- ea. 'Ehe Great God bi.ongiit forth such excellent i:?ing~ frolll these auimnis, f!mt mull may observe thcln and ncknorlcdge Ris skill md pon-er. So t - - 7 7 -

,ri&stnniiing 1 1 1 ~ ~ see ?;l r, is pover and ingenuit>-, the)- il,rp cp<r.rcl,cna find ~ m s t e their lives in error, aild here the); give not t h a ~ l t r for His blessings.

.[hcy opprission tin': tymun? m" His t . ~ ~ ~ ht.i']esa m.er.hrc-a." \ Y b n the l r ~ ~ ~ 5 t haG gnis3ed this speech. i;in,o said unto . a ? the men, ;c Have lrou i ! ~ o r ~ ttc SAJ? ? The~? R-

i'ljed. .; n:~)' O L L ~ ~ advalltagest by . . .

, DPOT" tt!~*t T . ~ o ~ e e~lss~ers and they 7 I

s~nF!.z.7p Tile xi:.. '' Eeinte them.

ola fio2n rmangi; th21:: id, ': Onr shapes l;nifoym, p-n.; t:;d~ form and appearance arc

,,iGuFj. Prolzl &is it i p l m o ~ l l t h ~ t r e are maS- te,, a,nd tkey g;tves. For s ~ m e t r y belon~s to

r3:1k a sprenlacy, and mu1 iiiormity is pec~~lilia~? to slavery.v ~h~ King said to the animals, " What

, e p ~ d o you to tLia S " All the snim J r

bent their heads and remained for a while in thought. After amoment the Persian nightingale, the representative of the birds, said, '' This man speaks the truth ; but although the forms of the a.nimals are various, yet the spirif,s of all of us are alike ; and though the forms of mankind are all dike, yet their spirits differ." The King sairl, ' * What proofs are there of this? " HS replied.

" Difference in religion sr.d faith prove it. For among them are some thousands of sectel-Je~vs, Nazarenes, Galilenns, polytheists, heretics, Bre- ror-

shippers and star-wordippers. And in additioll to this, in one religion there are many dirisionr, like as the ancient philoscpllers ditfered in opinion. For instance, among the Jerrs are Sztmnritane, Galiieans and Jaluteee ; among Christians, Nes- torians, Jacobites, Anglicans. Among the Gu=bers, f0110 ive1.s of ama aster, Lrwallees, Hirmees. Nuzkis, Behrahis, AlanuLi ; among the l l ~ s s u l m ~ n ~ , Sbils and Sunaees, Karijees,* Rafizis, Kasibis, Deists,

- * The Ral+ijis believe only in two Calipils, Abdbekr md Omar, and haye no public prayera-Rn6zis means saeadrrs ; they believe' only in Ali 8s a Cslipb, sa~ib i s a e yery nearly

Son-ft'~talisis, ;hainis, Btheists, Asharis, &c. hnd there are many more sects, who all vary in their belief aad reli~ion. Each thinks the other a her- etic, and. curses him. We all are from schism. Our religion is one and also our faith. i n fact, all animals are Unitarians and believers. They know not plytheism, hypocrisy or sin of any h i n d 'fhey have riot the least donbt or uncertinty of the polver and unity of God. They belieso Him to be

Creator and Ba~efactor. They think of Him night and d g , and rernain engaged with their ro,,ie, ,d in praise. But the lnen know not of our payers-" They that dvell in Persia said,

ITe dS0 belieye &l to be the &-eator, the Bene- factor, the one God and the une~uaued." The King aslred them, Why is there so much difference in y o u faith and 1-eligion? " He said, '' Faith religion are only ways and mesns by which object is And the object and end of each

is one and the same- Man must gab that

the same ss gannis. Jh3inis do not believe in revelation ; they ,. a sort of QOLkers among Mnhomedans. Ashflis are sect of the Sannia,,

sonle means ; in whatever may he aallis he must keep tllmed towards God." The King said, "If this be tlle object of evel*j7 oce to reacb Heaves, why does one peraoll kill anot'her ? " He replied, " It is not on account of re l ig i~ l~ ; for in religion i s 110 hatred. Rut. it is on account c' cosqucst: which i c a duty of the religious." The XCng said: :: Tell us znoi-e f:lll y ." 11s replied, " The 'FTOL'I~~ a:1d

faith are twins. one is not ahle to esist without the other. B:lt the hith is of..i:.!.fit. inrportance, a,ncl the world scconr1;tr~-. Tlre f i ~ i tl: is !lecceserj-

for the world, th.t sl! ~ i ~ e l l Le hou::st. An? for the faith ;? kill2 is requi.red .tr, enfc?:ce bj- L.is aiizthority t l ~ c rri':es of re:lgion xraor~g t21e pcoplc. fIence many religious I l l C i l SIIII:;I.I~,?!- :~313!e . L to ;;ct

1 . . domil~lon ancl r::ak. For erory re~;;;:.q::s i1:::a d.:- ,. . - sires that nl! 1:1~:1 may folloc- Iiis n;\--:: ;::th, 311d p~zctise r:lles of religion. I[f t.li.lia .!:Ii:?:-:; .- v,::! lifiten

C n - 2;-tentively, I will give a clear pros, o'. L?;$ --.,- . L ~ ~ s D ~ . "

He olpdercd him to do so. He rc;:l:??ieil, :'To ,crib- d u e the passions is ,z duty in ever> weed 532 re- ligjon, and to subdue the passions is this,-to sscri-

ficr: ~ O I I S S ~ ~ ; mhik the cust,om of the world is to

sla~ighter an? other that opposes one." The King said, :' Slaughter by kixgs t,o acquire territory is very colnmon ; but how do religious nlen kill their pi~ssions, tell us." He said, " In the fait.h of 1 ~ 1 x 1 2 th i s practice is Irnovn. For God says, Imaltnt- ta'hu is:shtcir.n miqial n?o,nni.ilzn azfo:;ohzit~z zua arltcn!~- l12hli77 F J Z Q ' I Z T L C ~ . luh ~ii?~ulzilja~zn~11c~ yzikcitiiu;tn $~abiliZin- ?LP Jnyz/nkfdEtinzd 7.ca yBktalum. ; the meaning of wllic3 . r r IS : 1 he Great God has purchaser1 from the fzitl!- fill their passions ancl tvenlclr and pro,niscd ther!; Wcau:ln: a d tllej-, fo: the sa?x of Gcd, sac~ific;: t!let:lseires and are st~crificed.' Besides these t lc ra a x r~rnnny molbe tes ts to prnre this point.. 1;; 0:xc

pIi:ce. like ns it is mitten in the Bib!e, it i s $:..id, P"zls.;bli ilu bBr.cek.ii;sr. Fuktrid a?~f~j;5ncrX:;.::.-~ y8!il;!i)?r

7 . l;hai,.rt'il,-t?a.ii?~ i.)zd~c b(lreki~,l ; that is, ' IE j-o:l m,--:: I> .. . .I

tnru to God the11 sacrifice j~ourself. fcr iil thr. sight of it is acceptable.' And when Jesus sniil . : '\ITl:o ill join me in t.he service of God ? ' A! i His friends szid, :7Ire nil1 be feyor ~ o r f i i . ~ ~ i:: God's service.' Blld the11 Jesus said, "If yn!t vould serve me, you must. be p~epc;.ed for deail; and the Cross, that. 7013 may nlount up to I-:eni*i;~r

nlld live there with your brethren. If you mill not work with me, then you are not of my followers.' F'in;tlly, theg were all mnrtyrs in the service of God, and never tcr i~cd from the. religion of Christ. In 3 sirnilzr manner the people of India, the Brall- n~ius, 'CC. sacrifice tllea~sclves ; and while living, hurl1 thelrlselves fcr the sake of religion. Their belief is that of all devotion this is t.hc most accept- :t5!e to Gocl,--for a. penitent to put hinlself to death slld b~wn his body t h a t all his sins may be thus forgiven. Thus the leariled on religious matters keep their souls from avarice and lust, alid bea,r the burden of devotions. They mortify their passions till they have none of the love of the world remaini~g. In short, in t5ia may all religious people practise self-denial, and think it accey table service, that theyeby t,hey are saved from the fire of hell and obtain hen.ven. But of every creed there are good and bad; and of the wicked, that person is most, ricked who being nmare of a day of judgment clesil-es not the reward of goad aets and fears not the punishment of sin, that acknowledges not unity of God to whom every one wilt

return." When the man of Persia had finished his speech and paused, a Hindoo remarked : ';The children of Adam are greatest in numbers and [most varied] in races, in species and in individuality. For in the whole four qcarters [of the ~ o ~ l d ] there are nineteen thousand cities, and in them live various Binds of people. There are China, India, Sindh, Hedjaz, Yemen, Ethiopia, Kajad, Egyptr Alexandria, Kir~ran, Indiis, Stambonl, Azerbijan, Armenia, Syria, Greece, Irak, Badak shan, Jirj an, Jeelan, N,zishal>orzr, Iiirman, Cabnl, Mooltan, Kho- msan, Trmaoxlania, Icharism, Ferghana, &c. There are thousands of cities and towns which cannot be numbered. And besides these cities in the jungles, mountains, a id islands, thausands of men have settled and live. Every one's language, color, manncrs, disposition, religion, and arts, vary, The Almighty sends food to 211 of them and keeps them under His protection. Th's excess in nutnbcrs, difference in co:~dition, ancl variety of employmeats and pnrsuits go to prove that lncn are superior to the other races, and that they all are in advance of t,be created animals which are not of their raw,

From this it is ~ulderstood that man is master 2nd all animals his slaves. Resides these there aye

i.iany.other pr'irileges - r e hare, n recital of vhiclt ~o17ld be Trery long nild teclious." The frog said t o the Icing, '' T l ~ i s mail has n;enti~aed the numer- CI IS~CSS of n~nnkind and boasts thereof. If lle could S ~ P the jnhabitants of rLe sea and cjbscrve their rarious forn~s and bodies, mnnkiad W O U ? ~ :IppPXT

t o hi!n very fev, and the cities n.nd t o ~ n s he bus described would d s o appear f c ~ . Frjr in the n-ho?e cf the f ~ n r qi~artet-s aye fifteen I f i r ~ c ._ seas-the G!?- cian sea, the sea of J i~ jnn; .the Cc?;;>i:m sea: the Red sea., the f'ersian Gulf, tllc Incli:-ln Oceau, the $,ind. dh im sea: the Chinese S:::., the sea of Gog, the yellow sea, the Arnbi:,n sez,, t:hc F-.+ a cl. 21ell: Ocesn, the Africm sea: the Snatbers, Qcea?:, <he Eastern

and t l l ~ ~ ~ CTC five hru~dred sinali. rircrs tw3 Lul~drcd Iwgcr ones ; for example? the Jihoon, the '.Cigris, tbe Euphrates! t,he Kile, &C., of v$ich the

length of ench is from 200 to 2,000 miles. The remainder: streams and broolcs, smdl a11d large ponds, t'anks, &C., in the forest and wilderness, Kithout number, and in then1 fisli, turtles, croco-

- - - . .

dUcs, porpoises, alligators, &C., thousailds of kinds. of aquatic animals live. God only knows of thcm or can count them. Some say there are 700 divisions of the aqtmtic animals, and many other sub-. divisions and classes.. And of the inhabitants of the land the wild animals, bcnsts of prey, the brutes,. '!C., there are 500 divisions besides sub-divisions. and classes. And these a11 are God's slaves x ~ ~ d ' property, for He of His power created them all; and gives them food and al~vays keeps them from every harm. KO act of theirs from Him is hidden: If this man wiU reflect, and comprehend the mnl-. titude of the animals it will appear that the num- . bers and crowds of mankind do not prove that they are masters ancl ali~nsls slaves.

CHAPrI'EIl SXVI . A Description of tthe Spiritual World.

When the frog was relieved from this speech, one of the philosophers of t,he Genii said, :' 0 ye. multitnde of men and animals, you are mcaware of . the facts of the numerousness of created beings. You are not acquainted with those beings [compos-.

ed] of spirit and light that have naitght to do with shape. hey are single sl3irits and have no distinction of sex ; they are uncompounded spirits, and they live in the heavens. Some of them who $re of angelic race, aye statiolled in the highest heavens, and those who live i n the colder regions are the Geuii and the compnili~ns of Lucifer. Then if you thought of the numbers of these beings, you would kuom, that a.nd snilllals coaxpared wit,h them are as notliir~g. For the [sitid] cold regions me ten times as exiensive 3s the land and mater, and the highest heavens in extent are ten tinles larger than the iomer regions. And the heaven of the region of tbe moon is ten times larger than any of the worlds. In shy';, every vosld as you ascend is in that proportion to the one below [fen

times gt*eate>-.]. -4xd all these worlds are 611ed with spiritual beings. The space of a span is not left yacant. These single spirits live there, like as the prophet (on whom be blessings and peace) hns said, Ma ylissamci~dtisabe bezuaze shi6l8in illa wa hzinuku naaluk?j.n kdeminz au rcikedn an skj'edun ; which means: Xn the seven hczvens there is not a

spsn of space c m p t s but there allgels stand alld

bon and kneel before Eiin in worship. T2len 0 ' men ! if you SRT their uumbers you vorxld understand'thn,t your race has no place co~npared with them. A d that your nun~bers and assemblies do not pluve tEnc you aye masters and a11 are your slaves. For d! are God's ~iaves and His army and subjects. To some l i e has made others subject. T11 fact, jr:st 33 I-Ie chose of His perfect wisdom He sent forth His Inws for the govelnment [of all $hings]. Gocl shol~ltl alrrays be praised and t la~lf i- ed.' When the philosophel- of the Genii mns reiier- cd fro111 this oration, the King said to the men,

The animals have given a reply to the i;hinge of fvilich you boast. If you h a r e a~~ytl i ing more to say: say on." An orl:>tor c;f Aag3.z 1-eplied? '' We Lr~ve nlore good qualities, which prove that we are rnnst.ers and they slaves," The King snid, " Tell us of them." He went on-" The Great Godhas proi~~isec? many t -~~:xrds : ~isil:g fro11 the . grzvc? spreading over the trbole earth, n trial in the jrtdg- l n e ~ ~ i 43ity, cmssjng t,he Sira,t blbiclge: entet-iag heaven

of] Firdos the first hcavcn. the second

the everlasting heavens, paradise, the heaven life, the heaven of peace, the heaven of repose, a

heaven to live in, the heaven of holy men, the tree . of Iife, the water of charity, streams filled wit11 mine, milk, honey a.nd water ; splendid drrellings, the company of houvies ; nearness to God and many more blessings ; besides these that are mentioned in the IIorm, has the Great God provided for us. .

Where are these things procurable by the animals? These are a proof that we are masters and mimals our slaves, Besides a11 these privileges and blessings Ke have other distinctions which we have not related." The representative of the birds, the nightingale, said, " Like ns God has promised you good things, so also has 'I-Te threatened yen with punishment. For instance, there is the punishment of the grave ; the esalnination of ilJ.us.lkii. ~ n d %L%-, angels of purgatory, fear of the last (lay, the severity of the l:,st judgment being sent to hell; afflictions, the first hell fire, tbe secontl hell, the third hell, the fourth hell, the 6ich hell: the sixth hell, and the seventh hell ; beillg cast into burning pitch ; drinking poisons, drinking of the

naters of hell : living iq. cD:-.pnny wilh 3:: tan ; C . Eurfenng jn c3;upan.c. T:-irii i?avia--.:: -., . , t,:,!ise . are

npl:s\uted for ~ 7 9 2 . $2Eides f - ~ ~ ~ ~ tIlzre a,-2 lllr.::i: * .. . ..- . - yaGre p~-~::-z~:l;e~~:.s ?.:-i(l ::;-!2';,:ulis ~~~i~;; . , .~;!l :c~]

. .. EZorar, and m? arz 2:;z;nfi: ;:W::. i.Lsz:. c-22 i ; ~ s . . . .. ~ o t proi~l..'red 11s s11;r i.erii-:!;ci,, i>.elt::e?: :!::a i - t : . . . . thpEtened us -:,.,a a n r 11.- I - . - .- .- T T -

C'

, V ) e 2l.e

~ ~ ? ~ f e 2 t vjt,h X-:< ' ?.T- .,A ! -p , .. j:.ll . fFr c 3<':, ey&rs. , . . . prom 2;ly ..&-c2 or -:l<- -i.cly.... 7: ;;eyiye ne. ;he:. -. 1 I S

5; d;sa.xvantzgz. r3 - : .-:3fG:.2 v- -. 5 y . 6 - er.1- i z ,J -- - t o you in z:g~;.~i:;ill. L si; ::,t: !:at si;ne~'ior to 11s.~'

A:.1 Hedje3;;i .;$z, ';ljoTT on 21; crji;Riitp vitb you, for mder an:? c:rcr:mst~..:??ce~ Te i:-z11 aln~:ys exist ? If 73'2 sb;i! l i v e :i;irll t!~,;

. v . ~rophats and holy :x:I, enil n.s:.:;:~l::< it: these - 1 - - p"u!>!e TVLD nre ;c>!, -irLq,e; Lza,-led! L:):--, al~ste-

m:Lous, devout, v:yhi .o~e, iil~s~;~:;~eis. ri;!l 51,;.;8e 3 ,

mile reseix519 the a:g~i!s of GO^. h s e tiL:hL excel all others i l l p(,ocl t .. war$.; thut -:;-i::l-i. t;. pizase God, - . that devote their live;:: and neniih t:, Him, that depend upon Him, that prny t.o ITiin, ailcl rely upon Him, and those that have t%e fear of the Lord. -4nd if F e be n7ieke:I an< obey Hini n G r !

(i

then by the intercession of the prophets our salva- ticn mill be nccoi~~~lished : especially through the intercession of the true prophet-the real apostle -t$c chiefof the pr-ophets-the seal of the prophets ; &l,la!;omed Muatah (on whom be blessii~gs and peace)-all our sins will be forgiven. And afterwards we shall alwzys live in the company of irou~.ies and ghilv?ua.c. Then the angels mill say to us, Salcil~ztc alt.kl/:i?z tibLzhn .{'ad lihziliha kdledina ; that is, 'Peace be to yon, l o ~ happy m d enter heaven, an.3 live there for ever.' And not a class of animals are there part'akers of these privileges. After the diss~lutioti in this vorld, you mill altogether dissppear. Your name and trace mill be blotted out." On hearing this all the representa,tives of the aninzals ail3 philosophers of t.hc Genii said, " Xom y o ! ~ have come to the point and advanced a substantial prooi: Thcse who boast should boast of such things as those. But tell us now of the mcnners, good qualities and virtues of those people who are thus qnalified. If you can, give us a

detailed accoant." A11 the men reflecting a moment, kept silent. KO one vas able to answer.

But after a nloment a learned, intelligent mall said, " 0 just King ! When in your presence the validity of man's claims is established, and it is also fonud tllere is a race among them who are attendants on God, who have such privileges, pleasing manners, elegant and angelic WZJ~S, just and virtnous qualities, such astonishing and high positions that the tongue is at a hult to describe-and wisdom itself at a

loss to pe~letrate the secrets of. Every speaker and orator is attempting to speak their praise throughout the whole of his life, but is never able to do so completely. Now vhat does the just King decide on behalf of poor mankind whose slaves the animds are ? ' l The I i i n ~ ordered thus :-

'.Let all the Aniinals reinail1 subject t o and nlider the authority of Mail, and never disobey him." ,&!l the animals assented, and every oue took his departure in peace.

THE ESD.

Rasa'Il Ikhwan as-Safa' (English Trans.)

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Transcript of Rasa'Il Ikhwan as-Safa' (English Trans.)