I860.] On certain Mediaeval Apologues. 17 



Masnavi. It is in fact this simplicity and power which distinguish 

 the apologues of Jalaluddin from most of those which we find in 

 Jami or Fariduddin 'attar ; — the latter are generally only stories, 

 graceful enough in their way, hut seldom striking any deeper chord. 

 The legend itself is found in al Beidawi's Commentary on the Koran, 

 sur. 31. ; v. 34. ;* and the following, from the Talmud, is undoubtedly 

 an earlier and cruder version of the same story. It is immeasurably 

 poorer in every respect, but the scene and dramatis persons are iden- 

 tical. (See Dr. Lightfoot's Sorts TalmudicoB, vol. ii. p. 428, who 

 quotes it from the treatise Succah, fol. 53. 1.) 



" Those two men of Cush that stood before Solomon, Elihoreph 

 and Ahijah the scribes, sons of Shausha. On a certain day Solomon 

 saw the Angel of death weeping ; he said, "Why weepest thou ? He 

 answered, Because these two Cushites entreat me, that they may con- 

 tinue here. Solomon delivered them over to the devil, who brought 

 them to the borders of Luz ; and when they were come to the borders 

 of Luz, they died." 



Dr. Lightfoot adds the following from the ancient Gloss. " He 

 calb them Cushitesf [ironically], because they were very beautiful. 

 They : entreat me that they may continue here.' For the time of 

 their death was now come ; but the angel of death could not take 

 their souls away, because it had been decreed, that they should not 

 die but at the gates of Luz. Solomon, therefore, delivered them over 

 to the devils ; for he reigned over the devils, as it is written, And 

 Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord, for he reigned over those 

 things that are above and those things that are below." 



I may mention in conclusion, as a fourth instance (though in a 

 somewhat different style), the story of the Santon Barsisa, in 

 the Guardian, No. 148. Steele avowedly takes it from the once popu- 

 lar "Turkish tales;" but the original is probably to be found in the 

 fifth majlis of Sacli, and it is singular that even here we can trace some 

 apparent signs of a Jewish source, as the tale opens with the words, 

 Laxo^jjl j*lJ &yi ^Alj Jj(^ao| ^jd &X ^J| S^_)| •« They have related 

 that among the children of Israel there was a Zahid named BarsisS." 



* I may add that Parncll has taken part of his Hermit from the legem? 

 in sur. 18. 



i" Scil. Ethiopians, ov negroes. 



