292 



Life and Writings of Father BescM, 



[April 



it may he compared to the sea ; to its enemiesy it may he compared to 

 the anger of sa'mts ; for goodness ^ it may he compared to heaven^ and 

 heaven may be compared to this city, 



** Like as the great sea surrounds the golden world Cearth) so was 

 the beauty of the ivide moat virying its bright waves, and surrounding 

 the walls (of Jerusalem)^ which shone like a multitude of the solar 

 rays, rose like a mountain to the water of the clouds and pierced the 

 sky. 



** This extensive moat at the foot of the heaven-reaching walls, 

 seemed like a silver sfiackle to detain the beauteous city o?i the .ca-gtrt 

 earth, for fear it should esteem the earth an unsuitable situation, and 

 asce7id to heaven as a more appropriate place. 



" This moat was deep as the deeply-rooted affection of the great ; 

 the green wteds in it p'ayed on its surface, unstable as the affection of 

 the mean ; and the lotus outshone by the beauty of the damsels, could 

 not stay within the city, 'but here opened its tender leaves and breathed 

 its fragrance. 



" There icere swarms of contending crocodiles, shewing teeth sharp 

 as a sword, and curved lik'f the fair new moon, opening their Jl<'shy 

 mouths, and fashing fire from their eyes, as though the moat had for- 

 merly been deepened to hell, and the demons lying there had assumed 

 and wandered about in a terrifying form. 



** The beauty of the golden walls, was as though the ever-fair earth 

 on a day of rejoicing, had put on a crown of pure and radiant gold ; 

 they were no more to be surprised than the temper of holy men, who are 

 filled with goodness beyond desire, and who keep their minds, 



" As the golden mountain is surrounded by clouds, the city surround-* 

 ed by a wall enclosing all wealth within it, had a gate which when, 

 opened was as though the earth had opened a casket, in which all its 

 treasures had been collected with a desire to display them for universal 

 adva?iiage. 



** The remaining part of the description is equally imaginative; de- 

 signed to please the fancy of a Hindoo rather than to convey a know- 

 ledge of facts. 



" The following extract will exhibit the method in which doctrine is 

 inculcated in the Tembavani— the two first verses are represented as 



