the learned Hebrew. The Rabbi, the physician and the his 

 torian manifested great curiosity to hear the dream; Dr. 

 Steegius said he would relate the dream in the Emperor's 

 own words. 



"In the midst of a peaceful sleep I thought I stood in a 

 forest of trees, six of which were nobler and taller than the 

 rest, and formed a circular grove; they were marked with 

 obscure symbols that I could not comprehend. The first tree 

 was humid and white like tin, the second was dry and white 

 like lead, the third was humid and black like iron, the fourth 

 was hot, dry and red like copper, the fifth was dry and black 

 like silver, and the sixth was hot and humid like yellow gold. 

 In and through the grove moved swiftly a figure like that of 

 mercury; as I was watching his eccentric movements the 

 vision changed, the trees disappeared and I found myself in 

 a splendid palace having fifteen rooms, on a lofty throne sat 

 a King of noble mien, his brow encircled with a diadem and 

 his hand grasping a sceptre of power. Before the King 

 kneeled his son and five servants dressed in robes of different 

 colors, and the servants implored the King to bestow on the 

 son and on themselves shares of his power, but he did not 

 deign to reply. Infuriated at the King's nonchalance, the 

 son, incited by the five servants, stabbed the father as he sat 

 upon the throne ; he ' then caught his father's blood in his 

 robe. Without, the servants dug a grave two handbreadths 

 in depth and four inches in width ; into this tomb the son 

 endeavored to throw his father, but fell in himself also and 

 was prevented from getting out by an Aquastor. The King 

 and his son were in the tomb a very long time, and in my 

 dream I saw their bones which were divided into nine parts 

 by an angel who cast one part of them upon whitened and 

 purified earth. Meanwhile the servants prayed to the Al- 

 mighty to restore their King, and a second angel was sent 



165 



