OF HUMAN LIFE. 263 



What follows hereupon calls for the greateft attention, 

 lince in all probability it will bring us to the track, 

 and to the myftery of the perfon, of the ufbec 

 dervife. 



<c Our fages, fays he, are indeed but few in number ; 

 " but they are difperfed among all fedts, and in this 

 6C refpecl: have but little to diftinguifh them above 

 " others. In Flamel's time one of them was attached 

 cc ,to the jewifh religion. In his younger years*, he 

 i( had made it his bufinefs not to lofe fight of the 

 " defcendants of his brethren : and knowing that the 

 C( greateft part of them had fettled in France, he had 



iiich an ardent delire to fee them, that he parted 

 " from us for the purpofe of making that journey. 

 " We did our utmoft to diffuade him from it J ; and 

 tc he hefitated feveral times whether or not he fhould 

 u follow our advice. But at length his vehement long- 

 iC ing to take this journey got the afcendant, and he 

 " left us, with the promife, however, that he would 

 " rejoin us as -foon as poffible. He came to Paris, 

 " which was at that time, as it is at prefent, the capi- 



* That is, in the lirft centuries of his life. 



f Our ufbec dervife was then likewife prefent ! how cautious 

 he is not directly to mention fome things, and yet to give them 

 fo palpably to be underftood, as to make one readily difpenfe with 

 any clearer explanation ! 



X This too is not without defign. Since the journey (as the 

 fequel mews) turned out. ill for the jewifii adept, this eanv& 

 difluafion on the part of the brethren of his order plainly implies, 

 that a certain higher degree of the power of divination was one of 

 the prerogatives of their fublime fociety. 



s 4 . " tal 



