1880.] On eertain Medieval Apologues. 17 



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

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

 Jámí or Faríduddín 'attár ; — the latfcer are generally only stories, 

 graceful enougli in their way, but seldom striking any deeper chord. 

 The legend itself is found in al Beidáwi's Commentary on the Koran. 

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

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

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

 tical. (See Dr. Lightfoot's Horce Talmudicce, 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 Ahijan the scribes, sons of Shausha. On a certain day Solomon 

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

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

 tinué 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 Grloss. *' He 

 calis them Cushitesf \ironically\ beeause they were very beautiful. 

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

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

 their souls away, beeause 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 conclusión, as a fourth instance (though in a 

 somewhat different style), the story of the Santón 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 Sádí, and it is singular that even here we can trace some 

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

 Loa^^jjI j*ü ¿f¿ ls&Mj d-Jj^l ^Jj^ *¿ ¿¿\ J$¿jjl u They have related 

 that among the children of Israel there was a Záhid named Barsísá." 



* I may add that Parnell has taken pavt of his Hermit from the legend 

 in sur. 18. 



t Scil. Etlñopians, or iiegroes. 



