Kupt' 33. 



tried to discover what this box contained, and 

 suggested clothes, gold, fine silk, and at last as the 

 most costly thing. Pearls, to all of which he re- 

 plied that he would pay custom for them. Then 

 they said, "It cannot be, but, thou open the box, 

 and let us see what is therein/' So they opened 

 the box, and the whole land of Egypt was illumined 

 by the brilliancy of Sarah's beauty, transcending 

 even that of Pearls. 



The New Testament shews us best how much 

 the Pearl was prized among the Jews. The parable 

 of "the Pearl of great price" (Matt, xiii,, 45), and 

 our Lord's allusion to casting Pearls before swine, 

 (Matt, vii., 6), are familiar references to the high 

 value set upon Pearls. In the time of the apostles, 

 Hebrew women were notorious for their extrava- 

 gance, and fastened their hair with strings of 

 Pearls. The author of the Apocalypse ornaments 

 his brides with the most costly jewels, among which 

 Pearls are not forgotten ; and finally, he describes 

 the twelve gates of the Heavenly city as formed 

 of twelve Pearls, (Rev. xxi. 21). 



Egypt, . 



It is probable that Pearls, like other Indian 

 products, were at first brought to Egypt from Arabia ; 

 but it is known that in later times Egyptian 



