Ibn Tufayl –

Hayy ibn Yakzan

Translated from the original Arabic by Simon Ockley
Reprinted with slight changes by Edward A.
van Dyck
 Antioch Gate
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Birmingham, United Kingdom

Published by Antioch Gate 2007

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-4- EEL-MAAREF PRINTING OFFICE, CAIRO -)t
% PROP. N E G U I B MlTPl
 THE IMPROVEMENT OF

HUMAN REASON,
EXHIBITED IN THE LIFE OF

Hayy 1bn' Yakzan :

Written in ARABIC above 600 Years ago,
BY

Abu Ja' afar Iba Tufayl

By what Alethods onc may, by lhe rncre LIGHT OF NATURE, attain

the Kr~o,nledgeof things N a T o R a L and S U r E R x a T U R A r , ; ~ n o r c particularly
the Knowledge of GOD, and the Afhirs of another Life.

Translated from Lhe Or~ginalAr,iblc by Snnfo~OCIILEY, A M , Vicar

of Swavesep in Cal~ibndgshire, and Priitted by iEcEtvt. Po'olvell in Black-
friars.
L O N D O N 170%

Repiilt'ecl, lvifh slight challges,

Edward A. van Dyck,

For the LTse of his Pupils, cct

CAIRO, Egypt: 1905

 œ he bedieation

To the Reverend
Mr. Edward Pococke,
Rector of MINAL,
in Wiltshire.
Reverend SITI.

IIayy Lbn Yaqz;lu rclurrls to yo11 ; p i n , in :t ilrcss Oiffcrcrit froin

t11at which yon sent hiin out in. WI:erevi.r hc comes, lie ;ickno\z-ledgcs
you for 11is firs: a ~ i dbrst ril:ic;fer ; m ~ dr:onScsses that his heing put in a
capacity to tr.a\-t,l througll Lurupe is oving to your band. I could not
in equity rerid itirrl to any other persoli. yon being thc sole proprietor.
And as your learning en;rhlca you to do hi111 justjce, bu your ca11dor
will incline you to pardon what is by me clone amiss. Dolll which
qaalificatio~~s y o i ~elljoy. :IS a P;itcrnnl I~thcritancc, descending froill the
rercrer~dand lcnrncd Dr. Pococke, the glory :il!d orrlameiit of oiir age
and nnlion. i't7hosc lrirxlnory I lnuch rev~~i.~siier, aild l i u x ~much
~ I ;ickno\v-
ledge lr~yselfi~idelttedto him for his learned vorks, 1 thouglit 1 could
no \\.ay ery~resshclter than by taking sornc opportnnity to p a y m!- res-
pects to you, Sir, the \vortity soil of so great ;L father. And no fitter
be arc!^. than Hayy Ibn Utlc~ran,\yitl~whore ch;traclt~r and 1ar1::ilagc roil
;ire so \yell acqnainled, aud to rrllo~il you have long ago shown so great
a respect that I have rlo rcasoli to fear bnt Ile will be welcome.
I all),
s111,
Your m o d H~ukil~le
Servant,
 PREFACE
When Mr. Pococke first l ~ n i ~ l i s l ~this e d ilrahic A i ~ i l ~ owith r his acco-
rate Latin version, .lab:!o 3671. llr. P<ieo:kr !'is kilhrr, tl:at late en:inetil
professi~rof tl;c u~.i~:rri:l!l:m,->~:::.cs i r l i:,:~ ~inivc,.~;i!.of (Isfiird, p1.c~lirc.d
a Prefscis to ii ; in xvhirh Iln It.lls 115 tli;.t tic llni :ci~{l re::soll to Il~init
that t,hie nn121or Trai nonirl~lpc..;~~y \~:iIli Ilni ilr:s!ld. \vllo c!ierl very :In-
i t I : : I l : I ; l , I s i i ~ c i ~ le ~ l i S'cnr
1198 of ~ I I IT,or(3
. ; necor!iin:. to wl~icli':rcconr;t, t!~c ;~t~Ilior li~ticl some-
thing nborc 600 YenI's ; I ~ I ? .
Ile lived i i i Sp:i.iu, :I-; appcnri from o ~ i cor t\vo p~xssngc,; in this
book. IIc w o i e son:!. otli?~.l ~ i o ( * c ~:r-h;cl~ , :ire not coi:ir to ocl. I~ands.
This has beori very \vi?ii :.uc;~i\-o:l ill {!I,. S , i 4 : oircL :i?;:.ui?!:.~il o i \i.i?ich
is 1 : i h : I n i i I : r 1 1 n : s i t lI{.Rrsw.
and illu~t~3.::.~l \ r i l l l :L I:II.~;I~coii~ii~cilt:l!-b'I'li:! d<~;~ipi; or llic antllor i s ( o
sl~ovrhow J1nln:in p:rpncliy, ~ir~;ii:!crlby any eiti!i.n:iI liuip, niny, liy due
applicatio:~,ali::ic i o tile 1ii1o;iii~rl:c of n:ii~~r,il nli<l >o 11:; drgrera
Ll~iny,~,
find out i t s d < ~ p ~ r i < i : Ii In~~~ ~; ; :I;LI Snprliiir Ucing, iJlc i~ilm:~it:tlityof the
sonl, ;ir~dt ~ i l l.liifi:-, ~~::c~!.s~.ry i;) s:~lx-;~.!i~~!l.
How wcil Ire 1l;i.i sur.cri.dcii in ibis aticmlpt, I lcn\~cto the rcader
to jldge. It i-: ~ i ~ i t , !.!)a1 ~ i n Ilr .,V:IS n nl:i:I PC p r ! s tirrcl ve?y good 1eni.u-
ing, cunsidcric:: i ! i ~ agc 116 i i v d in, n:iti tile Tiny of s!ailyiny in illose
tirnes. 7'hc~rc a g:.er,t l!lc;riv Ilvrjy sl:wkes in it ; : ~ i i I d o l ~ l iiol ~ i but
a jndicions re;rifrr wi!L fillcl his ncconnt ill Lhe perusal of it.
I was not \vil:iilg ((hc:~pl~in~lporl~~~ii!d) fo 1111~1el~tal~~ t110 trans1aIing
into En#lisll, l,e!:ao,;c 1 nr:ts inl'r)r:~i?d lliat it 11::d ]3r!z:i done trvier~ alre-
ady ; once b.; UI.. :ls!ri;r~ll, :rnot!,cr li;m I).; flip Qo:i!ic~c, IT!LO imagined
that there !\.as soinr:liiiig iir ii tii:ii Invorc~~l their ouiilr~+:i;r~tic rioiiuos. IIow-
ever, taking it for planl:d tl1:11110th iiio;e fral~sl;~lions .:;crc not ~ n n d eo r ~ t
of the origin:~I A : I i t of I l I l I I I t they
had n ~ i s t a k e lfllo
~ sc,riscx of Lhc anillor iri 1:1r,ny plt~cc..;.i k s i r t c ~ ,oh>erri::g
that a grt,;ri mrn:; oT !;I!- Ries:ds u.l:o~:~I ::nil :I ili.~il,cIS) o b i i ~ c , and
other persoris \ ~ I I , , I I I would ~ ~ i l i i ~ l yirlciino ly to a inore faiurablc ojlirl-
ion of Arah Lcarni~i;, I~nrlnot sei:il O i i ~iiook; 2nd \vilh;~l, holiing that
1n i t d s 1 1 1 1 1 i i1 1 of t r ~ r o : ic ~ : 1 1 i i i v,-u~id
not bo aIlopcll!fr usrieei ; I :it I ; L ~rr,i~!irr.cil In i~.:~li~i:iie i l a11c11:.
I have 1lc.r~a r ~ dt1lci.c a d d i d ;inolc, i i ~i t I1:ci.c is an aceonnt
given of soli;e p~x.:ii I!I:II!,s o n ~ ccli,torn of lhc !slil>iii:lr exl~!ainl-d, or botl~c-
thing of 111;+1li:itilrc, n.ljir:li I liol~e \rill iiot be ni~:~,:cc~ptahl~. Arrd Icd
any person s l ~ o ~ i l dil~roirgh , mist;ikc, iil:~l;c : I I Iill~ usc of ii, 1 liai-c sub-
joined an appendix, tile dpsiplt ~ i ~ . t - l t i ~ the
h rc::di'~. niay see in its
Proper place.
SIMONOCKLEY.
 The Bookseller to the Reader
When I first nndcrtoolc the p:iblicntion of l l ~ i sEnglish Translation,
I thought it ~ ~ ~ o not
u l d be arlliss lo pinsrint the \vorlrl will1 a specimen
of it first. Rut, since tile ir~trodnctioi~ is sncii Il!xt !hi: rcader can no
more by it givc a gn:>ss :it xv11at is con!nincd in the boolr itsrlf, tllan a
nran can jndgi, of Iris e~ltertair~mcrrt h y sr(,ing t!rc cloth lnid ; I llare
thought it nPccrss:iy!- 10 give lii~nn Kill of Fare.
The tlrsipn of t11cx :intlior, w11o w:ir n 5'111slinl phiiosol~l~er,is to
show how hrurl:i!~ rrason Inay, h)- i~hsivr;~lirrna!~d expciicr~cr,arrive at
the k r ~ n v d c d ~ofz n;~lnl.:il t!~irl::i, :!nrl :roil1 tiit~r~ceto snpr;ri~nlt~r;il ; yar-
ticularly the kno\~lcilgeoC God an11 ;I Fnti~rt?slntc,. '11tl iri o!.ciur to tliis,
he snpposcs n pereon broilgh!. 1111 I Jtlinlw'lf, ~ where hr! was :tltogethor
destitute of any instri~clion, bat \~h:tt hc could get from his o\vn ohscr-
vation.
He lays the scene in sorn? F o r t u ~ a t e I S ~ : I I Isittliite ~. under t l ~ e
Eqninociial ; \vherc Ile silijl:ose. llrc philosophrr, eillier to Il;lvc beeri
bred (accortling to Ihn Sina's l i ~ p ~ l l ~ : ~ r\v110 ; i i . contacived ;I ~~ossihility of
a man's being forr~ieciI I ~the ii~fluer~i.ctof tile plnn~!ts upon Rlatter right-
ly disposed) without cilher lathier or nrotllcr ; or elsc. esposcd ill his
infancy, and providmtinl!lr sucklt~Iby n roc. Kot that oni. :tntllor lrelirrvcd
any such matter, but onl\ h;~vingtleiipr~ed.lo cor~trivca cor~venicntplace
for his pllilosopher, so as to leave lliril to reason by Ilirrlself, and make
his ohserrations withonl any gnitie, 111 ~ v l ~ i creltriion h h e proposes botfl
these ways, withont speaking one \\rord in S:~vorof pitl~cr.
Then lie show.. 11y ~rlint;teps and tlegri~eslic >.dsai~~:e~l i l l tllc k ~ ~ o \ v l ~ t i g e

of rlntural thing.;, till n t last Ile j~crcci~;odtlre i ~ t ~ i ~ c ~ sofn iackni~vrledging

l~-
an infinite, eternnl, \visc> Cri,nlor. nnii :1l+i1tiic. i~~r,::;~Icri;iiily arrrl i m ~ r ~ o r -
talitp of his own sor~l,and that its h;llppiness consisted only in a continned
conjunction with (his supreme Bcing.
The nratter of this hook is c ~ ~ r i o ~arid ~ ; ,fill! of riscl~rl theorems; ile
makes mosl use of tho t'e:ij,afelic Pllilosol~l~\-, xi~hicll he sPenls to have
ncll understood; it 11111-1 11e corrl'csscd ilidacti l.hnl ~ v l ~ che n cornes to talk
of the u~lion with Gocl, etc., (;is in the in!riiiluctio~<),illere BSC se111e
errthllsiastic notions? u.11ic.h are ji:~;.lic~~Inl.y corrsidered and refutr:d by the
editor in his appendix.
Whose design i l l p ~ ~ b l i ~ l ~thi.5 i i l g t~.:ti~-l:~!ion W:!S 10 g i ~ t !Illuse \\rho
are as yet unuci~udnlcdwit11 it, n t:wlr of il~cncutrlcll urld gc?nins of ihe
Arab ~ l i i l o s o ~ t ~a~~rr sdto
, excite yo11!1g scholnw io tlic stb:tdir~g of illosc
al~lhurswhich, Ihrongh a grourrdlrss conceit of their imp~riirlence and
ignorance, have been too long neglected.
And Ihong11 lVtx do not prcicnd to any cliscoverics in illis hook, es-
pecially at illis liino of d:iy, \\.11+1n ; i l l l~:rrls of learning are c~~ltivalcd
with so ~nlrcllcs;~ctnesi.;y111 \\-P hope Ilr:*t il will 1111111e allogcthc~anac-
ccptable lo t l ~ ccuriolr~rc:rdcr, to Biroi\, \vliat t l ~ es!;rtc of lear~litlgW ~ alllong S
the Arabs five hnntlred yeas.; since,. And iT \vh:t! a c slrall 11ove corn~nuni-
cate shall seem lililo in respect of fho tliscoreries of illis disi:erning
age ; yet \lye arc confidrnt IIi;;t ; L I I ~ European, who sh:ill (:!Impare the
learnir~gin this book \i.itlk \vlml \\.as puljlisl~ed liy any of his own coun-
trymen at that li~nc,will find hirrisclf obliged in conscience to give our
Aulhor fair quartcr.
 Abu-Ja'afar Ibn Tufayl's
INTRODUCTION
to the LIFE of

-
Hayy Ibn Yaqzan

In the Name of the nmst Merciful God

Tlle~~etl b p thi. i11111iglity:!lid cler~lal,lllc infinilcly wise and rncrcirul
God: G !Yho hnlh tilught (1) U:; 1I1c u s ? of lilc per]; B who, oul of his great
goodnew to ~n:iliki~id,< ha3 n13dc )i;m nildcr.;i:trid Ihings \\-iricll bc did
no1 (2) lino\\- .. i i~lni,:clrinl Tur l i l , exi~i:il~~irl gifls, :ii~il give hiln t11:inlrs
for l I i i l J l ' lI Llicrc is hilt. One God, and
thnl he has no i)ar.trlcr; :m11 lih;iL h:u~!.ulalan i-. his rcrv:1111 nnd nposlle,
endned with an exccllcnt spiril, : I I I ~n:lsler ~ of coririt~cing~lcmonslmtion,
and n victorious s ~ r o r d :lhv 1)lcssiirg of God l ~ enpon liiln, arrd his compan-
ions, (men of great tliouglils and w::l ~ul!lcrslnndin.s), and upon all his
follu\~rrs,to the cild ol Llia world.
o r l e dc Ilenr Fric:litl, (God Itreserve :-on for ever, and make
you p;lrl;?kcr of i.~,c~~!;i;ii~>~ Ii:rl~i;iticwh)Lo cumlnn~nica(e to yoil \\-hat I
kilo\\. of llre rr~!.~ii~ri(~sol iiic cnslwv pliilosoph!., ~rir.nLioncdby lllc 1,carncd
Ibn Sina(3): KUXTyell i i l i l b t undcrilnnd lhnl \ ~ l ~ o c r cdesignsr 10 altnin to
H c1e:tr arrd distirlct kno~\icdgr.~ n n s lbe diligent. in 1!1c scnrch of it. Indeed
your reqneJ gavc iiic n nol~le tnrrr of ihoiigirl, :rnd hrougirt nic to Lho
undcrsLarl~iillg o l \vllal I never lincw before; nay, il adrailccd nle to
sncl~an clernlion :rs Tin I $ ~ r i g ~I r~oe\,~c1oi;nenl socvcr, i i able to cspress;
arld the reason is, l,cca~~se i l is oi' :L 11uii1:difl(!rc:nt rl:it~lrc.and kind frolil
the t!iirigs of this world; only lliis tlicrc is i r ~it. 11i;ii wlror\,c>rhas attain-
ed to nrry dcgrcc of it, i s so ~iligllLiIj?aifccie:l \vitll joy, pleasarc, and
exultation tll;ii il is iinpuisibl<: I'oi. hi111 10 coi~cealhis scnsc of il, h111 he
is for.ced to oltcl. seine gcli1+1.;,1rxl)t~c~>iitils, sillcc hc cniinot bc pnrlicular.
liow iS n rilnil, who 118s n:)l bee11 polihired by good ~ l a ~ ~ toe ~ i s
tu iliat blatc, hc rnns out irito stfin~ge e:ipressiuns, and speaks lie
:rlt;~il~
]cllows I I U I wllat; so ii~nlone or lilis sort of 111cr1,wl~eni r ~that state, cried
ont: cl'r.:iisc I,c to 111e! Ilow ~~:~>:iiic~i.ful all1 I ! a Ai~otllersaid: .I ail1 Trnthl.
Auollier, 'l'llnl Irc \\-;<S (ion. Abn-1IBnied (4) al-G:rz&li, when he had
~ - -- ~

l ) S I $6, l . (2j Sur:~lr...... (Yj This grent nrnrl urns born

in Uucliara, n city h m o n i for (lie l~irilrof rli;iiiy leariled 1 1 1 ~ 1 1 . : ~ l dstill one
of the cenlers o!' rrligii~n, Ic:iriling, and irnile in Central Asia. He was
hor!~i l l 375 11.. $184 A.l).; ntiti \T:I.; for a tiirie tile wazir of tllc Hnyid Sultan
Sl~tnris-nl-Daulnh. nrld died iu 4.28 H., 1037 A D . ncar IIamndhan, aged
uuly 58 years, (4) llorri .461 H., l(ibH A.[)., died :it Tiir ill Khurasnn
505, 11., I 1 1 1 A.D., ;rgcd 64 years. \\'hat he tllonght of those nlen \vho
were i o wild ;utd enthnriaslic :)a lo nse sr~ehcxlra\-aganl expressions, ap-

.;
pear.. plainly from lllose ~\-ords of liis (1i:oieii l ~ yL)r. Pococke in his cS'~2ie-
ci'ttbei~ p, 267, wl~crche says : G People ran o11 to such a degree (of
 - 8 -
allained lo it, expressed himself illus:
'T was what it was, 'f is not fo he esprcss'd;
Frlyuirc rlo furt.hcr, :itit ronccirc tlie bed.
lixi 'rio \\.:IS :I n?:m th:tl llnd yooii Icarnitrg, ntld rv;~sxi~cli vt.uicd in
llrcl scicnt.ei. \ri'lr;~l11111 I:kja (1) says nt L110 c ~ OS d his discoiirrc conrcrnirlg
lb~!IJ~rc!r i.; v.-o~L11cjbscrriog; t h e r . ~he s:iys 111:11 il will appear plainly 1.0
ally one tiinl ul~tie:.sl:iilds lile dc-;igir o f Itis Loolc tlinl tll:lt dcgver is
]rot ;~t~;~iii:ihlc i i y {IIC ir~eans of lilose sciences ~\-liii:l~were tlrcn in use;
h111 t!~nt !~t:nlLnini.d l o d i a l h e knew bv bcilr:. :r!topc!iior nbslmcicd Rom
n ~ ~ y i l ! i lnlric!i
~g IN! h:itl 11ccl1 ac.c[u:linLcil \\~illl beCori.; iurd lk,;iI 110 \ u s
f~uniiltcdwith o!hc?r riotiuris :~llogetlIcr inclopcrirlo~lt nlwn maitcr, :rnd o f
Loo 11o11lr :I niiCii~,cLo he :rlly v\,:i~' alli.il~i.llcdto ~ I I C natiu-a1 iifct, liiil wcrc
ycctiliar Lo tlic Illrsred, and wllicll npon !11;11 :iccount we nlny call
L)i\rinc Priqlriciie;., ~r1:irll G o d , wlio:;c Xrr~re111i ~x:"i;cd, h~!sio\;.-; nl:on
soc:!~ I,[ his seri.ni~!s :IS 1:r ~:li?.i;wcs.
NU\\; tLis dcr;rr~: wirii:l~r this ai~iliorllrcrrlions i s ntl::iilnl~!c by Specn-
iativc K ~ o n l u d g i ~(rlor , is il t o l!c dtit~l?t~!tl 13111 that. iic 11:td rc;~c.lieciit
1I'.I .,I., ~ ~ !h~r)~; tnot Llrat Y C ~ I ~IC Y II~I \I:IVL:j ~ 1 4: I ~ J \ \ - t r i ~ ~ t ~ ~ i ox\-lhicl~
~ ~ c ~i~ot\\-iLl~-
cl,
st:rrrdi~!g i ilol so i1rui.11 dil'fcvc:il fro111 it i11 lcii10. {is in d ~ g r i % efor : it1
tlrnl n.'riicli 1 riienfir>rrid Illere :ire no di~covoric. ~ l ~ n d\\-li;cl~ e conimclict
lliose u:hicl~ !his ;nltlior :rrc;lns; k u t fltc dil'fcic~nucco:l.;i.;!s in [llis, viz.
tllnl in our nruy ll~(.r.c iba Frcalcr t1cgri.c: OS dcllrness :~nd perspi(:tliLy
t1ia11 tlierc is iil Llir oi!ler; fur in Illis we :rp~)rclicocl things by tllo help
of soi~~ull~irig \\hich Tve cannot properly c:ill s IJoi\~ctr; nou indeed will
.-----p

111ii1itrvss)CS to p ~ ~ i ' r i dto :L 11tli1111 wit11 Go& aid :I sip11i ou ) ~ i l l~s-iflro~~t ~

illc i ~ l l c ~ p o s i t i oof~ i arty rci.1, :~.uti I:rn!i!i:~rly di;cl;nr::c wilh hiiv. -. :\ild :L
1:tllr :~Slerlrc ~onfiiiucihl l ~ i i s : a \i-!iic.lr sorl OS a~~i.ci.!ir!s11:r~e oi.c,isioncd
gro:ii nrisehicl:: all?orig ihc (.olnnloli pi'oplr ; SIJ thzt sc;niiJconuI.l,y Sclluws,
lnhilig asliic tliri,. Inrs!xr!:dry, h:t\.c! l,i.:.le:id~~iito llrr :,;li~ietlrir~gs:Sor irrcn
are ~:ulurnli)~ ~ l t ~ ~\\-iilr i e i a~ic11
l ili~c.oitri;.r ; t l ; give Llicr~i a l i I , ~ ~ . to
t y ncg-
icct h e i r I : t i s i r i ~; ~I I~I ~~\~iIl:;d;~r,t~riiise t.tle111 ~ ~ t ~ r iofl y r11i11d; :xid Lire at-
l;linm:.~~t.oL' alu;i~ip;ed ~ ~ g r o o;111d s irroi~~ick!i~!n. how i1ic ~ i ~ o:;Itipid
ri >\-rc?lclrcs
i I I I c l l ! I l i t r I I I sur:h false and
di,c.eilf~ilespre.;rliJ:la. Arid il' nny o r ~ ccle~lici \:;lr:~l t l i t y %:I?,t11er it~iriic-
diatcly trll yoi1 ill;:; illis liiil~olier(!S yl;r!r.s prot.c.eili froar I,cai.l~ingan11
&
I2ogi<.: anti i!rzf. L(,::riitg i s ;L 171x!l, a11i1 l,ogi(:, l& b of t l ~ < : brai11, lJllt
ti:ni, iliesi' tlrin;::; ~!-lli!:Iithey :~fiii.!li:it.c tli:.(<!vc,.ot ,nly ~!iw:~~.dly 11). tile
I . Lki? i\-Iii(.!i i i ~ t x y :a! iiri,~11;~s~I;.,);!(I il~ell't l r r o ~ ~ g h
I,ij<l~io f 1 1 1 ~I ' I ~ I J T Id"b~il
;L $real !i:;iriy e~tiitttri(,s,:it~dl~ru<ku(t,(i :L grc:il (l(~n1OS 11iiscL1ieS.s'~'IIIIS f;tr
l - l l i o w rxxc*iiy ihi:, :Irliy,.r*1.s li~to \l,lld c.~ti~;~\~:~p.anciea of' our cuthu-
yinzls, 1i.l L11cvn ~lic>t~!ielves jitd;:r. A ' I ~ niih:rl I xvonld 11;ive the111 trorn
heucac lc~:ir~t!I? I I I ~ I ~ C I ~rtut Y 10 ~)rel(!~rd to bc l!ie first ctCler 1118 Apoatlca
who 11:~rlcindeavovcil Lo ttrrrl nrcrt fro111Dnrknc?ss 10 Lrc;x~r, siiicc Ilrey
scc so lrrnl~y \vo~IIiypersoils niuo:ig thc kIusli~nsgonc ))cSore I!lelll.
(l) S!tnl:iiirc~l ;tleo ibn nl-(.:&-ig11, borrr at Sirr:igossa in S11ail1to\\xrds
fllc close of tlit XJlh (:?i?tnr\ oT llle Cl~ristianllr;~;c l i d s t FPZi l l 63311.,
l . D,, 1 r w i t i ~ e of rLl~ePoripaictic l'liilosolli~y of iiristolle.
i i i , I i s c to Knl)lii B:rniorl 1 1 ' l ' i i ~ o i ~give.
, hiln a
;b;r~fli clrsini%~r.Ali~t--l-li:~sai~ '>\h, ivllo eollcctcd i i i - \\-arks, a d rednced
Illem ilito orlc irolnine, prekrs Ili!ir i~c:fot.eall :iIu.;!ii~~ pl~ilusophersd ~ a l -
scievei.. biosl ui'hi:: works are in~ycrl'ect. Scc Dr. Pocoel<e's Ele?rckos
Scri2Jlarwn prefixed to tile Arabic Editivn of thal one reduced volulne,
any of those mords, which arc. ci:hcr n:ed in romlnon disr.onrsc~,or o c c i i ~
in thc writinss or t l ~ cI,cnrlicd, s e l . ~io~ cxprcss That by \vliicli this so1.t
of per(-(!piion does apprclicnd.
This degree, \vf~ic!~I llavc alrcadr; nicnlionc.d, (and \ ~ l ~ i upcrhnps li
I sl~oi~ld never Iiavc had any h t e ol, i f your rcqncst 11:icl no1 pul inc
npun :I fdrtlier se:ircll) is 1l1c very sarric illins \\l-l~icl~ Ilin Sina inc:lns ~vhcrc
lie s:lys : T l ~ e n\\-iic11 a man's dosircs arc r a i d lo n good yilch, and
2c is conipefcnlly \\-ell oaeroiscid in tiint \~:ty, tli('r(? mill appear to him
sonlc srnail glinriiio~~in:;; of t!ie T~,nlh,:is it \Yere f l : ~ s h ~of~ ligiilning,
s VPPJT
dcliglii~n!,which just sl;ino iijlon liini, :111d illell go o i ~ l . ;thon ilie more
hc cscs~-ibeshirr~s(>l!;flie ofl!)nor ho \will ye~.cei\~c tllein. f i l l d last Jle will
bccoiiic so ~vellacc~ilnintc.tlvritlr fhnm L1121 [lie\- \\-ill occnr 1.0 him aponta-
ncously, \~-illloui ruy cxc~~.risca1 all; a n d Lhcn, a-: soer1 ns h e perceives
anyihing, lie nplilies iiinis!~lI 1.0 1!1(, 1)iriiie i<ssencc~,so as to retain some
impregsion of ii ; the^^ son~i.:liiiig ouaiiri to hi111 UKI a sadden, xvlierel~ylie
heriris to disacrrl t l ~ cT ~ u l in
l ~ tvcryil~iiig;till, t l ~ r ~ ~Crey~~ciit
~ l ~ l i exercise,
he at Inst ;cttai~isto a l~crfcoltrani~uilil); :trtd tliat wliii.11 used to apl!car
to liiin only bi- dls arid starls, hccor~ieslittbiti~al;and tliut \vl~iohwas only
a gliriirneri~~g before, a cor~st;~nt iiglit ; arid 11e obtains n eo~istant and
steady lirio\vlcdge. Ttiiis Err Jljn sin:^, Rcsidch, lie lrns given an accoi~iit
of those sc,reral slejis aiid degi.ees I J ~ ~ v l ~ i o ha r11;11i is 11rocraht to this
yc?rfi,ction 1 till his soul is like u liolislitid looltirig-gi:ras, i i i vhic:h hp heholds

his mind, h~cnube of ftir iinprcssions of 'Trntli ~rliiciiho perot?ivt?s in it.

\Irhcn lie is once :~tlaincd tlins far, the next tliiri~wi~icllernploys l i i ~ nis,
that he sonieiinies loolis toivnrds 'Truth, :>rid sonic~timc!s to\val.ds hi~riself;
and tlius hc flactuatcs bui\z.ee~iboth, till lie retir.o:i I'roni iiiniselC \\11011y,
and loo1:s only to\r.;lrd the Uirine East?nce ; ant1 if lie does at any time
looli tow:irds liis own ionl, tho only rciasoii is, because t h : ~ tloolis towards
God; and frorii thcncc? arises a pcrl'cict c:onjunctioii (wit11 God).
d ~ ~ accurdi~~g
d; to tliis iiiailrler wl~ich he has cleicribcd? he does by
110 Illcalls allow tl~:it t l ~ i s 'Taste is ntiairied i ~ y\\.ay ol siicculatio~~or
deducliuii or co~isc~~uenccs. And, lliat you nlay t l ~ cr1ior.c clearly nl~prchcnd
tile diffcl.cncr bi,!\i.c\en Ll~tr ~ ~ c r c c p l i o nol tl~csc'sort of 111o11, and liiosc
other, I sliall p~.ol~ose you a I'amiliar instanoe. Snppose n rn;m I)orr~hlind,
biit of qoicli 11n,cls, and a good capacil!., ;I tcnacions ri~(!niory, nnd solid
judgmcni, who liad lived in tli' place oC his ~iativity till he had, l)?tlic
help OS t,lic rest u l liis senses, (:oi~ti.acl~da11 : ~ c i l i c i ~ i ~ ~ twilh
; i i ~ ~:le great
many in tile rieiglibo~~l~ood, : ~ n dle:irried tile scveml kinds of aninials, and
tliir~ga in:li~ii~ialc,rind tlic slrccls and liuuscs or the to\vri, so as to go
any \\-Iicrc :iI,oul i t \vitIiol~t a guide, and lo lino\\, s11i.h pcoplc as Ile met,
and call I1ri.m hy Lheir 1I;Lrrlcs ; :n~d knc\v lire nanlcs of colors, (l) :tnd
'tile difference of tlicni b!- their dcscripliuns and clcliriitions ; and aller he
~
. - ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ - - - ~
-p-------p-

(1) Altliou~~li
this will servt! to explain flit! ~ i i c a r ~ i rof~ gthe
author, ?et it is qtlite Le, iiecausc thc~.c is no yossiblc way hy
which to convey lo a is b o ~ nblind tile least notion or idea of
light or colors.
2
had lenrncd all this, sholild have ];l:; rycs opencd : IT'hp, this man, when
lie ~valkeJabout the town, mould f i n i l ei-cr\:lhing to be csactly aprrenble
1.0 those i~olioiismhicli lit! 11nd Li:f:)rc ; and t!!:~? col!)^.;; \vcie c11c11 :IS 11c
had belore conceived l l i c ! ~10 ~ ~hol I)y 1110c des,-r;p:i<iris lie l!:ul rcr:(:ivetl :
so illat the difkrence l)ct\r-ee:~his nliprt!I~cusion wl~eriblind, and fhosc
\\hiell h c \vould have I I U W Ilioi liis cyc,;: xv\.ccc. opcnt:d, would coiisi-il only
in I l i c ~ el\vo great things, o i ~ co l \ ~ - i ~ i uisl ~ :: consc(jue111o i [.he olli!~i, viz.
a grc:~tprclearnc~s,ari:i cxirerric dr!iiglii. I.'roiu TYII~II(:C il, is yl::.ili 111;~l111c
condition of tliose cont~inpl;tlor~, \Y:IO Iinvci noi ye1 :lliailicti I r r l l ~ cU.VION
(wit11 GOD), i; ex:tcily l i k ~Illat of I!:e 11Iirid 1n:ln; ;ii1!1 tli(: nolioii xvl~icil
a blind man lias of colors, by ll!iiir dcicriplion, : ~ 10 ilrosc
r !hings
wliich Ibn I3nja -;;lid xTi>rc of tou iioldle i~ i1ulnl.e io 11r nii!.l,vn\s aitril)l~lcd
to tlie nalnral lilc, >: killd ~vliicl~
(< God l>i:sLa~.vs npon s:icl~ or his scrv:tnti
as lie pleuscs. n But the <:olld~tiono l 1!13,c m110 I l i t \ ~ ilt;:~i~ixl1 0 L110
lJxro:i, to rnllolrl G u l 11x9 glvi!ri l.liat whiel~l [old yon aiulil not be proper-
ly cspres,,ed by the x~ordPOLVER, is ! I I ; L ~ second state ol lllc blirid mail
cured. Take 11uLicc Iry llic way t h : ~ 0!1r t si~nlliLo!lui; noL c:;:~cl! y ;ip::lic:cl~l;.
in every case ; for lh:,re is w r y s i ~ l d o nan! ~ oiic So:~nd1111t is borii with
his eyes open, tllai c:i,l atiairi to Ihcs:. l h i n ~ i :\.itlio!it :l111 li('1p 01'
co!ltenipl;ilioii.
Now, niy Uenr Frif,nd, I do 11ot. licrc, when ! spc:;~l.: of liii! lrlcas of
Llle Corrte~ill,lativc,111e:m ~~-1inl lllcy learn lrom the sincl)- o i PLiy-;ics ; nor
by tlie riotioris of those \v110 llavc? :ctl;:incd to !he LNION,\v\.li:tt tlley 1r:~nl
frorn the stud)- of Mniap1r:-hi<.:, (for ilic.;c t ~ v o\\r:iys OS !eariiil~garc v:islly
diflerent, and mnst by ilo nlc:iil.; I Jco~:i'oi~nct(d). ~ 1311I \~ll;il 1 mean lry
the Ideas o T tl~!r Co~iti.inpl;riivcis \ ~ l ~ is a l a!t:~irrcll h y thi? si11d1-of 3Irl:i-
physics of 15-Ivliicl1 liir:d is t l l n l nl1ic11 ll)n U:~:Llindcrslood ; and in the
:rpprcher~sion OS t l ~ e i ctl~ings[his (~oi~tliiivn is ni,c~ssarilyr c q ~ ~ i r c dviz.
,
that it bf: ~rinniSi!!sily a r ~ dclearly trile ; arid l11cn t1lec.t. i:i a ~niddlc6ovt
of speculation, b c l \ ~ c c n Lha!, 2nd thosc wllo Icnv!: aituine:l !o the L~NION,
~ v h oc~riyloy lhcineelvcs i r ~ Lhcse lhiiigs w i f h gl.e:itcr pcrsljicuity :irid
deligl~L.
Now Ihn H:~ja blames all Lhose that make any mcntion of this plti;t-
sure, which is enjoyed in (lie UXIUN,heforc tlie Vulgar ; b ~ s i i l ~ hs c, says
that it lrelongs to (11c iir~:c,gillative Fnc.u!!g, aiiti Ile proruisetl to n r i k a
book :rlionl it ill ~~-11ic11 Ilc designed 10 give :in n c c o i ~ r ~ or l llii! whole
n~;itlr,r,:ind dcscril~e llic corldition ol' tllrisc \+-l10 ncre so happ) :v to
nllnirr it clil:~rly a ~ i dr~c~~s~rir.oolr:~ly; bul \\.c iiiny a n s w r lrini \\-it11 llrn old
provcrb, viz. Do riot XL!, ;L ll~iiigjs s\i.c,et 1;cl'orc. yo11 last(+ 01' i t ; 5 for
S

he never tvas so good as liis c.ord, nor ps1.for111edanytlriiig like il. Hut il
is proh:~blethat the rc;isori why h e did not, was either because he \vas
straitened for time, bcirlg lalccn up mill1 his journey to \T7ahran ; or else,
because he w:~s ser~siblctli:tl, i l he should ~ ~ i l d c r t : ~lo k egive a dt?scriptitrn
of illat stale, the rlntclrc o f sncll :r kind of di.;uolu..;e \so~ild u~~avoid;tlrly
have pi11 hirn upon a necessity of spcakirig sornt: Il~iu$s~v\.llic;l~ \ ~ o u l dmn-
nifcstly have veproachcd his o\~-ilnlauncr of liviiig, and contwdiclcd t11oae
principles wlrich be himself had c!sc.\vlierc liid down ; in wllich he cn-
 - 11 -
couragcs men to heap up riches, and proposes several ways and means
in ordcr to the acquiring them.
VT\'c11ave i l l this disr~nrsc.as ~leccasityrcquircd, digressed somewhat
from ilir nl:tirl tiesign of \-dlnl you desired; it appears lrom \vlr:it has been
alreadl- qaid tll:~: ]-on rtlrr::t eillrer Incan, 1. That I sliuuld describe to yoa
\vhal ilrcy >cc :xiid t:rsle, \vt~o;we so hnppy as to enjoy tllc UNION, (\vhicli
is impossil)!c to be c1cscribt:d :rs ii rr:ally is ; nnti n-11ennny one Eoes aluont
to express it, either liy spoc!c!i or writing, he qnile al!ers i h c Ihing, and
si111is into (lie s!)eculaLiics \I~:I\~. Foi. \ ~ l i c n roll once comr to clothc it with
1i~llPr-;a1111\\orrl.;, it coincv 1tc::irt~r t o i h r corpol.e:rI \vni.ld, and docs by no
rllrans rc.111nli1i r ~iho ~ ; u n r rtnle
\ l h n l i t w w in 11eTorc; and Lhc signiiica-
lions of llieae ~i-oudx.\\-l-llic.lr :we i ~ s c d ill esplniaing i l , arc qi~itealtered ;
so tlint it occ:isions a great many rcnl i-nii:taBcs to some, arid m n k ~ sothers
helieve that they are rnistnken, ~viienirirlccd Ilicy arc ]lot; ntid the reason
of t!iir is, 1~c~c~:lusc. il id n, l1;i;i:; 01" infinilc cxicnl, cori:pro!iending :l11
things in ilst:lf, hut not cornl>i.chended l,? any). Or clsc, 2. Ttre ~neaning
of your ri,cpic?st trrissl hc Illis, tlinl I liou!d show you after \~lin: nranner
tlrcy proc:cwi, who $ \ c liiernsclves ~ t pto cunlcn111l;ltion. An11 tl~is, my
Gooci lqric~id,i? a tiling which is cnpnhle of I.cis~x cxpres?ed hot11 11y
spnc1:h ailcl \\-~.itirig: but it is as sc::roc as old gc,ld, esl~ccidlyi r ~this
part of the morlil \vlicrc \ye live; for i l is so rare that there is hardly
one of a [howand :;cis so t r i ~ ~ c;rs! ~a srri:itleri~~g or i t ; and of tlrose few,
sc:irce an)- have r.or~i~unriic;~lcd :!nyLhing of \vlinl tliey linuw in that kind,
but only by oli>i.uro l h i r ~ l i and i n ~ n c n d o s . in!lccd the Hanafitc: S;.hool,
and the Rfnslirii La\\, do I ~ o l hforl~idilielr to dive too far ii~tothis matter.
Nor xvo~sltiI havc !.on tlri~ilr (halt llie pliilo~opl~y~iliich we find in the
books of Arisiollc, nr!d :~l-F:~r:il~i, (I j a~:din Ibn Sina's Ilook wbiclr he calls
c( al-ShiG D, do!,. :irls\ver ll!c cnrl \i-llic:!l y o i ~aim at,, nor Fnve any of
thl! Sl~nnibli~~llil~,so;~ircr:.. \vriLtcn ful!y and satisf:rr.toriiy a110111 il. liecall~e
thosr scliolnrs \v110 wrrr Ilrcd in Spain, hefore the! knowl!ldgr of logic anti
philosophy \~.;s I~ri~a(:l~ed ;inror~~rst llre~n,spell1 iiieir \iliole lives in rna-
lh,!malics. in \vlricl; il iilnat he :l!!o\\-etl lllcy iirndc grcat propess, but
\icnt no fartlrcr. Al'tri- tlicni c;lnre a gerier:~Lion of lrleri who ;111plird
thenisclrcs n\or(, to tlrc Art of I(c.asoning, in ~r-!licli tlicy rxci.llcd t l ~ r i r
pre6,ccessor.:;, yet nut s o kr. as to attain t o frne perfcction. So that one of
thcn~.said :
p - p~ ... . ~ -
(1) l':itt~onl cxcejillon thcl grentcsl oC :LII llir I2lusli111 pirilosc~j~lierl;
dcerntril hy sorut, \rc~.)-tlenrly cq!ral to Aristotle himself. n'faimonidcs, in
the I<pi:it!e v++;ic:h1 j1is1 no..v rii~~~itiorit~d, corllrncrids llirr~ higlily ; anti al.
thoi~gli!;i' :illo\\-5 tl) lbii Siil:r a gtval s l ~ a r e of l c a r n i r ~and ~ acumen, yct
hc ~".cFerjal-Fal.,d~i iicl'orn I I ~ I I I .Nay, Tl)!i Sinti lliiliselt coni'esses thal mh(w
Ire Il:~d rrvid o w r Ai.lslollr's 2l':leffip:i?/sics forty i i ~ ~ l i:rnil ~ s , lcar111llicm by
lie:^^!; i!rxl I I C 3 : ( > t - c ~itind~:!~~~li1~~11
~ Li~cni [ill :in li:ir11)(~11:iI llpon iil-Fa~:tl~i's
cxl:o-i!i~~:r ol lireiii. l{(,\v\.i.uI,ebooiis oi' lil~t,toi.i~:, Rh.;iia, I,ogiL., a i ~ dall part.;
t ~ ! ~ i o n i; i ~I y i s v i::~rc?i)i~c.n nr11i:h cii<\cnir,l,riot otlly l)y
~ ! I I J ~ ; : L Sh11 !)y . J V I \ ~ X I l (:ihri,;Li:~,is111o. 1 1 ~ \vcis ~t p u r + o ~of~ sing11Ia1'
~illltili~llr.e :!lid C O I I ~ ~ I Iaiid
~ I I n~ .d:,i[~isc:.
~, oi' !lie tl1ir1i.s of h i s \rwrld. IIc
\\.us horn at !b'nral), ill Ili~lrhar:t,:r:rd tlierl at I);I.;;A.;;*IIS ill l:,e Ycnr 339 :L,
960 ,I.lJ.! vlien ~ I J O I eI i~ g l l t ~Tears old.
 'Tis hard, lhe liinds ol knowlcd~earc bnt two :
The One, erroneous; tlie Other7 true.
The former profil:; notlling v;hen '1 is giintd ;
The other's dificlrlt to be attained.
After these camc others, who :~d\~;lnced still fi~rtlicr,and made near-
er npproaehes to tllc Trntll : alnong T~~homthrre w n s onc lhat had a
sharpcr wit, or t~.!ler notions of lhings Illan Thn Raja. 1j1rt lie was Loo
much t a k ~ nup wilh worldly h~lsirli~s-,a~ltl djcrl bcforc he had time to
open oat the treanary ol his kriii\\-lidge, so llrat most of thoscx pipens of
his ~~-1-llicIi arc cxtant, ;~.rt>ilnpcrrcct; particr~larly his boolr about the
Soul, 2nd his T3dbiru-!-M~ta~vahhid, i. c. IIo\v a Jl;\n ought to mnn-
age liim.;clf lhnl !cads :L Soliktry I,ii"c. So arc his Logioi aoci Physics.
r7
l h o s r picre; of liis \\-hicll ;tre c~i~irrp!rle :ire only sliort tracts ;wd sonw
occasionnl Ipll~irs.Eay, iil Iiis li:pii!le roncerning Ilic UNION, hi! himsrlf
corlfrsses t.lrol lie had w~.iltcn riothil~: c o l ~ i p l ~ t c\ Y, ~ C I . C he si~ys, That it,
would reyniri? a grnnl den1 ol trouble ;lnd p i n s to cuprcss tlutt clearly
wllich 11e had u11dert:iken lo prove 3 ; and; c I!i:it Ihe mcllrnd m11icl1 hc
had made usr: of in ilspl:~ininglr;niiclI', \\-:[S not in 111:111~-pl:11:es co exact
ns il niigllt ~ E I V Fb o c ~ i *: nnii, c< t!lnl !ic dcsigncd, il lle 1i;ul tiii~c,Lo allcr
il. p So r l i ~ ~ efor
h Ibn I h j a . I, for rriy p;lrt, Ilc'vrxr F:?\\- liini ; and as [or
his conl.emporaries, they were far inferior lo Irirn, nor did I ever see :rny
or their ~vorks.Thosc \v110 arc now :]live are cithcr such as are still
adv:lncing for\\-ards, c!r rlse such as have lcft or[, without at,tui~inglo
perfeelion; i l t11er.e are :my olhers, 1 know r~olhingof f!r~m.
11s to those X~orksof al4'arahi whii.11 ;~ri: P X ~ L I I I , Ihily :we most of
the111 Lngic. There are a g r ~ n lInany tl~irlgs very duhio11.q in hi.; philo-
so~liii':~I \vorks ; for in his Millatu-l-Fadhilah, i. P. 'l'l~e Most Excel-
lent Sec-l, hc nsscrts csprc~sily. atllnt lhc sools of \\~ickrrlrrrerr slrall surfer
nverl;isIirrg punishment; 2 and >-PI 11c says a i positively, i:~ Iris Politics,
that they shall bc dissolvetl and annil~il;tted, and tIi;il the sonls of the
Perfect shall rc~nninfor ever. Ant1 llicn, in his Ethics, spanking co1li:rr-
ning thc 1~111pini~ss of man, h e s:rys thal . i t i - only in Lhis life,. and
then adds lllal = \\~tr;tfsoerer~ ) e o l ~ tl ed k of besides, is mere w~hirnsyand '
old wives' t:rlt.s I f:ll~len].;. A principle \\,hich. il I~clieved, \vould rnake
l I s i r of Llic mcrcy of God, ancl puts the Good ;ind the Evil
110111up or^ tlic sa~rie l in I : it, 1n;tkei ;rnnilrilalion Llic eoiiimon
~311ii to Llicm 11otl1. This is e l w r not to 11c p;irdi~rli:ri 111' any rllr:trls,
or rn:iclc n~ucnclsfur. Drvitios all Lliis, Irc hnrl n 111c:iii opinior~of the gift
oi' propliccy, ~ n d.;:lid i.h:it, in liis jndgmcrlt. it. did L~elorl~ Lo Lhe fil1211liy
of ini:l$natiorl, ;wtl iIi:it IIP preferred ~ ~ l ~ i l o s oI)eSoi,e p l ~ ~ il ; will] rll;lrly
olllcr lhings oT the li!io i i a l n r ~ ,nrit ncce3iai.y lo Iji: meri1iorii:ii 1ii~re.
its for tile l~oolcsof .\~,iilo(le.11x1 Sin:t's exposilii~ii or Lli<,n~ i n his
110 lk ;11-Slrifa > [i. tt. I!c::t!th or I!e:~liripl rni!lllics t!li.ir ri~irrr~ ; for lie
fl.od i i r Ll~c S ~ I I I C S L P ~ I ~:illd \\-as (11" lhc salilc: h i ~ t;a11,1S:.lii)ol. In llic
bi,ginriing oC L11;11 book lit, s:ry;; ilia1 ;lie Trnlll \v;ts i l l liis opirricri diffcr-
crit froin \\?:at lle 1::td t!!,!i.o i I Iic J I : , ~?\.r.ilti>rilt1:;1 l~oolc
g Llre plrilosol~lly of the l'cripalctics ; but those who wonld
a c c o r d i ~ ~lo
 - 13 -
know the Truth clrnrly and \ ~ ~ i t ! r o ~obscnrity, ~t h c refers to his hook
*Of the Ewtern Philosophy.~ Now, hc tlvrt takes thc pains to compare
his ~al-Sliifir*with what Ariilolic hns ~v,ilLen. ill find tliat tllcy agree
in most thinrs, thongh in nl-Silif L there :xr,c many thin:*, xv1ii1:h arc not
extant in any of those pieces n.li:cll :ve Ilnre of Aristotle. lint if llio
reader t:tli~ the litcral wnsc only, eitl;cr of al-Shif:~or Aristotle, willlout
penetrating i ~ l othc liidrlen si.nse, 11c will n c r w attain to perfccation, as
Ibn Siri:i himself ohserse? i n :tl-Shifa.
As for al-Ghaz;tli. (1) ho oft~xn contr:~dii:ts hinisclf, denying i n
one plact? ~slintilc afiirrns in anotlirr. HI: taxes the p?lilosoplirrs \\,it11
l~crcsy,(3) in his I~ookelltilled * :rl-TaI:&f~it,.~i. e , n u s l r ~ ~ c t i oor n 1)invn-
frill, bcc:iusc Llrry clr111y the i.c~.;arrt~r.!ionof tile body, arid liold tlinl re-
wards n11r1p~lrii:,li~nc.rrti ill n 1';il:lre Sfnlr k~clo~ln. to t h ~ ~, ~ orily.
u l Then in
llii~lieginning of hi. !iooli ,<nl-Jlin;rn,~ i . r , tire Bnl?.nc:e, he, ~ f f i r ! : posi- ~~
tively lhnt this i.; t , h ~tloc!i.ine of i i ~ r(,:lilis, (:I) 2nd !h:lt lit. w:is convinced
of t i ~ clrntll oi it, :rft:.r 1n11cl1itn1l3- nnil RP:L~C!I.' T h ~ r e:WC 111nlly s ~ i r h
oor~trndiclion~ns Il~cnciiiIc~ripc.~~i.ctl in I ~ i sn-i,i!in:s: \vl~ic-lll-re liir~lvclf hcqs
pardon ror ul tlict e!rd of liis a Rlizn~i-~~l-l\'t:nrnl, ( Thi: C;i!:~nce, o l kIcn's
Actions,) wlltrrct Ile says tll:it tlrcrc a r r T l ~ r c cSorts of Opinions: 1. Such
as :;re tolnnion lo I I i ? \'ul~:rr,nnel ::grer;ll~Le to tlrc.ir iioliorls c:f thi~rps;
2. Snc.!i its we cul,~n;vnly m:lltc xisc of iri ans\vcrin; q~lesliolr.; propose-d
tons: and, 3. S n d l prirntc vlc:vs as a I ~ ; L I 11iis ~ :~.ncl keeps 11) I ~ i ~ n s e J f ,
which nonc undcrstar~d bnt thoso \die think j a ~ tas he does. And tllcu
he iidds Ihnt altlioug!~ tl~er.r: weye IIO mori: in \vh,it iii. had written than
or~lyLhis, viz., Th:!t it lliade ;L nian dou!)t of those things wllicli Ilc Irnd
irnhibrd :it first. and I~clpcrf lli~rito rcrilove the ~)rejudiccsof education,
that erell tlict .r:.ci.o snl0clcrrt; IICC~LI::C,h c tlliit 11ei'er doubts mill never
s e i g l ~thinss n r i ~ l l t ;and fie that doos not clo this will r ~ r r e rsee, but \rill
rcn:tir~ in blin:ln?ss and eo!rriisiorl: -
- - ~- P ~~ ..
(1) An ~ n i i i i r n tan11 cxlrcmcly Orll~udoxRIuslirn S i i n r ~ i t e ~ ' p l l i l o s o ~ ~ h ~
and tlleolopian, horn a1 'Tfii:, a fanious city iri I i l ~ u r a ~ :in~ ~the ~ , gear
4S0 H ., alloul 10.34 3. D. ; dictl, 505 ll., 1111 A. l). Sr'rl Dr. focockr's
Elrnchoh ?c.riplornin. 12) In ilr:iI)ic tile word Ar!/itr.cc signifies to be
an inlide!, I I I I ~ 1I I P ~nsc, il. coln~nonI\- as \\.c clo tlic I\ old licresii, i3ia,
wllerr :L persoli lioilis nnrlllinr{ crror~cou?ill b'nlld:irner~l:ils, tllo11g11orthodox
in I i t . (:j) Thc (.:nfis :rro an enthnsisiic sec!. of inystics anloria
h 1 1 1 l i 1 1 ~s ~ t i i likca r r thr! ()nirlikls and ()u:rl:rrs. T l i c ~ cS P ~111) a
stsirler su1.t o l disciillir~t.,:'ntl prc:ti,nrinii lo ,n.rcnt :rhstiurncc and contenipt
of t ! ~ ?\~cir!rl, ;tlle! :IISII[I, ;I grt';rlcr f:ur~ili:lrity fincl (:luses i ~ r ~ i owit11 ~ i God
L~I:III otlic'r iecls. 'l'!rc:- iisc,il lirnny ht,~.:~lrj:ic : L I I Ifxli.ar:rpnL
~ :rcliorrs, and
ntlcsed l ~ l n ~ : ~ l ~ c i i :expr(~::sicins.
o~is AIl-i!n~:iv~~ nl-ll:lllag \\;IS c ~ ~ : i ~ ~xlionpsten/.
tl!csin a!.o~it l l ~ r\.1,:1r 3011 11. 11 was II? ilr:rt ~ v r i ~ tille on(, of his rpistlcs :
i3lc~ictiis III, 111::I rilq-c>srs l l ~ csl~irrii~q ];!:hi. B c ~ t ( ~ , ::r111
. prc?Iivlclc:d lllnl
Go2 rl\~~~~Il i l l hiln. 'Flrc I~c.;~r.rrrrI ;rrncilig Iho ,\inbs nrl, no1 n:rc~c~tl :ri~out
(11cderir-:~lionqof ~ I I P \!~OI,II (.:III;. I t S I V I I ~ I I I I ~I I I I;;ITV l)c~triI<I;OTVII : I I I ~ I I I I ~ ;
I l ! : l L l 1 0 of i I . Tile mos! prohal:lc inlerprelalion
of it is h-o!i~ i111, !;;.i,~'ii S i l j i ! ~ \i-'.;i!<~r!i:
. or !'m111 t l ~ eIrr11)ic Clif, ~noarlin:.
col, 111~*:rnsc:I!rose 1Ii:rI I'ull~r\\,id i!iis l 1 1 In \.:car silli, i~lld
clo!I~liil Ihen?s~:lics v - i t l ~1 orily. Dr. l'ococlic and t11r Ic;~rncrlGolins
folhv tili:, i ; ; : ~ r , ~ i ~ k , l ::tlIi1(,13g!i
~jii; i I ~ A ' L O IS~C > , ~ I ~ Ito
I11c :~ir!cri ~ l;;,, . J r1orii)L
whether i t is derived S~mrrrthe Greek ;111jcclivcsopl~osor fro111 the Arabic (:id.
 Believe your eyes, but still suspect your ears;
You'll need no star-light, (31 when the d a appears. ~
This is the accolint of his way of philosophizing, the greatest part
of which is enigmatical and Cull of obscurity, and for that reason of no
use to any but sucli a s lhorougl~lyperceive and undcrstand the ni;~?t,t.r
before, and then aRerw:rrd? hear it from hini agaili, or at l:?ast srrcli a.s
are of an excellent oapacily, arrd can apprehead a thing frurii the 1e:~sl
intimation. The same author says, in his a al-.Jawnhir B ( i . c. The J e w l s ) ,
that he had hoolcs not fit to be commnllic:lted bnl lo s u c l ~o111y as Tvera
qualified to rcad them, and thal in tllcni lie Ir;~d laid dow\.rr lh11 Kalted
Truth. 13111 none of lliein have ever co~lic illto S1i:rin Illat \VC krrom of.
We have indccd had boolis which sorrlc have irnagirrcd to be tliose
e ~ he spenlrs of ; hut it is a nrisiakc, [or those a1.e
~ i n c o m n ~ n n i c a h lones
al-Ma'arif-nl-'Aqliyiili D [ I~itcllecli~al Noliorrj], and the a al-Yaf!ih w:tl-
Taswiyah* [Inflation and Equat,ion 1 , and b r s i t l e ~these, a Collcctioli of
Scveral Quedions. 3 Hut as for these, altl~oughthere arc ROIIIC lii~rtsin
them, yet they contain nothing of parlic~ilaruse to {lie clearing of tlriligs
bul what you nlay rncct with in Iris ollicl. l~volrs. 'i'licrc are, it is truc,
in his *al-hlaqqad-n1-,2srrla., some thinas \vliical~a1.e deeper t l ~ a n~ h i r we t
rncct with in lhc rest of 11is books, hul hn ~ ~ l i ~ . c >SIJS ; i l y llritt L1i:it ,book
is not ~ i n c o m m u n i c a h l e ~fro111
; wtierice it folio\\-s tliat 11ia-ie hooks wl~ich
are come to our hands art? not 1ho:ic ir~(:ornrniinicahlc ones \r.t~icli lie
means. S o n ~ chave fancied thal Ihcrc were somc grcat rrlatters coniniricd
in thal disco~irseof liis, which is :it the ei~ilol his ~3IishkBI.. [i. c. Caie-
rnent] - which belief of tlicirs 11;l.i plurigcd then1 into inext~icabletliffi-
culties - where, speaking of the sevr?rnl soris oC tliose \vho arc Bclrt
from nearer Appronclics, 11y the I~rigl~tncss of it113 iadialiorr of the Uivinc
Light, and lhen of lliosc \vho llntl a!!aioc.d to the L:NIOX, he says of 111esc
latter thal they a~rprcli~~iciutl
S such ;~ti.,.ibirie;; 10 Ircloi~g to Ii~e Ilivinp
Essence as were destructive of its 1:nily; fri1:li wi.ilcncc it ajipcarcd to
B

thcm that he too belicved a sort of llaltiplioiiy in the (iotlhead, \vl~ii:li is

horrid I~lasphemy.Now, 1 n~akisrlo qnestiorl 11ut thiil the morllry I)oi?li~r
al-Gazali as one oC tl~ose\\,hicl1 :~ltaineci 10 tlic utirlosl drgrcr of 11:lppi-
ness, and to those hoighls \~lricliare proper to those, T F I I ~ enjoy l11c
UNION ; but as for his secrcl of inrommtrnicnblc bool<i,wlricl~conlain t l ~ c
manner of the Rcrclnt,ion, tliey ricver caltic: lo 11:). 11;triil~:;ill11 tliilt pitrh
of Knowledge which I havc ait;tinr,d to, i s owing to his otlli?r wol.!.is niid
to Ihn Sina, which I read a:id c o l ~ ~ p a r cwith d the opiiriorrs of lhc ~ircsent
philosopbcrs, till nt le~lgtliI came lo the Knowli?tlgc of l.11~'I'rnlh. At first
indeed, hy way of enquiry ;~rtdconlcniplittioll; b u t nflcr\v:ir,ls I c:cilre to
---p- ~ p--p
~ -- ~-

(1) The word liere renderoil * Star-ligl~l,u is in III,:LIJ~C Z,~!~L.>CI/,

niii:~n-
ing Saturn. It is a pijrnmon way wiih Arab nutlrurs, n.l~cn llrey iinienrl
to show a vast d'islrroporlion hct,\vci)n Lhil~gs,to co111~iar~ 1110 grrviie;. to
thc snn and the 1u~;serto S;r{nrr~.The n~caningof lii~sdiqtich is ilr:!l 1l1cr.c
is ;m n1uc11 difference brl\veer~ w11at a lrlall 1:ni)n.s b!. I~c;!r.-r.p, or 1vh:~t
n , \\.!:;~t I I C Irlroms 1~11rir11n i.oincu
nolions he iriibibes in liis ~ r l n c n ! i ( ~:t~itl
to exatirinr: llii~lasto l l ~ cllottoln, alrd lil~o\\.Ihcni i:s~:ci.itrrcntally, n liicrc
is between twilight and noond;l?.
have a perfect sense, and then I fo:lrd that I could say something wliich
1 could call niy owl.
Nnw, i ~ v a sr c s ~ l r e i liii;lt yon s!~olrld h c the first to whom I mould
comniunicnie ~vlintI kricw a h u ~ ~l lt~ e s c rnallcrs, both upon the accoul~t
of the intimacy of onr fricnd-;l~ilr, a r ~ dyoiir caridor and integrily. Only
observe, that my discovering lo you tlic ends wliicll I attained in this
way, witl~out pr.o\,irig the principles lo you iirsl, by which those ends
are :itt:rinctl, ill do yoii no iil::rr siwice Lhai~ally other story \z'hich
you receive liy tradition, or anylliing told yo11 in gerlc$r:rl, of w l ~ i c lyou ~
do not Iinow 110.v to make n pnvlicnlar np~r1;cntion. Presurnirig that you
will ac~:cl~til k i n c i l ~not for any ~ n e r i lof tlic autllor, h u t on account of
o u r goo!l f r i c ~ ~ i l s l ~urid
i p ;~cij~iai~il:!ncc;
and I hcarlily dcsirc that you may
riot rt,op Iiei.11, bnL aspivc Lo a loftier degroi, : for tljis i j so f:ir from heirig
able' to 1)ri11y3-011 to tl1ow 11c;g11t.i,L1:al [it] is no1 soEcierit to s a w you.
n'u\\. I wo111d 1i~!11 y . 1 ~ 1 ~ yi l ~ c sallie 1i:ithi which I h a r e malkcil in be-
fore you, ;rntl 11i;rke you itcer by tlie salno colupass, fill you arrive at
t l ~ cs:irllo l~oilii,; ~ n dsee witii your o w l oyes wI1aL I have seen before
you, so :rs nut lo t;llie it on trust any longer from lnc, but to cxpciience
ii yourself. R111 ll~isis a rrlatter ~vhich \vill not o ~ i l yrequirc considera-
ble tin~c,1)nt ;llso lhal you he free and disengaged froin :ill manner of
husinca~,and lollo\~,it close ~ ~ i greal t h applic;ltion. And if you are really
in enrncsi, and set about it hciartily, you will rpjoicc as one that has
travcllcd all lliglit does \v11011 :he sun &CS I I ~ U I Ihiui, arid will receive
a blessing for l-ollr I:rbor, a r ~ dtake tieliglit in your Lord, and He will
delight in y o ~ i . Anti fo? m y o\\'n part, you will find me according to
your oa.11 llrart's desire: just snch an one as yo11 could wish ; and 1 hope
that I sliall luad you in tlrr righi way, het! from evils and daagers : and
really I pcrueivtt somc3 gliminerings niiw, bp Llic lielp of ~t*hicli I shall
illflaillc your desire, arid put roll l ~ p o ner~teringtliis nay, by telling yorl
the s!ory of IIayy 5 n l'aclzan, and Asal, and Falaman, as Ibn Sina calls
them, in mhicli lhosc illat understand themscl\res right will find ~ n a t l e r
of impn~vemcnt,arid worthy their imitation.

HISTORY
0F

Hayy Ibn Yzkzan,

0K
Quick - Aliue son 07 Wide Awgke. -
1. Our ancestors, of happy mcrliory, tell us that 1lier.e \vas an island
in lllc 1ridi;ln Occax~, situ:rio under Ll~e Eqninoctinl, \+here iller1 conie
into Lhc \vol.ld :pontar~eously xvilhout the llclp of fall~cr arid mother.
Tliia island, it sccr~ls,is bleal with such a due irltluence of the sun, a8
to be llle most tenlpcralc and !~,:i'i'i.l or all p l n c ~ sin the Creation;
thongh il 1n11i;tho cor~Ccsscd 111:11 <ii:.i~ail :l-icrlioi~ is c:ont~.ary to tlic
ol~inionof lhe n:osi c:i~le!~r::lcd p!riloio;:i~crs al,d l)!j!-ai?i:ws, \v:iu ;iriiri:r
LItL c r i i 1i11i;l: is l I c . "on-, if il:o re:iso~i \sllich
thcy give for this nssertioxi, viz. << 'Elnt tllcsc lj:iri,; sit,u:~ie 1111dertlic
Er~iiir~ocliniarc not k~:~hit;ihlc~, \ri.rc dr;l\vn Iroi~ia:?\' imii(~dinw11thorn
llii: Earth, it is :rllo\\-od llral il ~ \ - o i ~ l:ipjrcav
d rnoj,c>~)ro!j:rL;e; but i f 11ic
re,t;on l:e, liccn~~:>z of lhe intrnse Iical - ~vlii<:lri,c ili:~t wliich nror;l til
tlicm nssigrr -- i l i i nhaoluleiy ftdsc, nud Ill!: r:o:rtl.:l#,yis p:.oictl by :ui-
dcni;~blcdcnlonst~.nliu:~.17or il is drir~onstralcdi l l lj:rl!~i.:ilI'iii1osul:liy l l ~ a l
Lheri?, is no other cause or 1ie:tl than JJolioir; or clsu tlic C:onlacl alitl
Liglit of 1.101 Buclies. i t ii ; t I i i ~ i~covcd lllnl llir SLUI, iii itscli, i.; riul 1101,
rlor ~~arl.akos of ally r i i i ~i i ~ rj!i:llity : i: i s j1rovc.d iliol.covcr! ii~;illiir! llii(.k-
est and smoothesi l)ocli~'.;rLbr.civc ligiil ill iho gr,eaiesl dcgrcc of j:crScc-
t i o n ; and ilest lo !IIF!II, tli1: tl~iclrci. trlric.11 aro riot sincioil~; :irid iiiosc
wliich are very thin ~ c c e i v e rio ligljl ai nil. jrlris \vas firs1 dcinoiiatl-nlcd
l ~ yIbn Sin:i, ilcvcr irl-:~iioiicd bcforo hy any U C 1l:c Aili:i~~riis ) . F~.onl

tile son tlor:s riot eoin~lil~r~ioatc hid lrclnt, to tlic Enilli ;~!'lt!r t l ~ c same
rrianiier as hot 1~orl:ch111:;tt Lllo?c othc:r bodies \vliicli :LV.I: liilnr ilicrn ; be-
cause lhe sun is no! liol in ilsclf. Nor oar1 il b r s:rici illat tlic E : ~ t his
ilcaled hy molion, beu:~ilsc il s(;rird.s slill, a:xl rc!rir:ii~li i ! ~ llrc s:trrlv pas-
ture hollr ~vllontile u r r sl~ili::s 11y1onit a11d wiien i t d!)c.; iiot ; nil0 yet it
i.; evidcnl lo sciise that Illrru is a m.1 tiiffercllae in ill in re:;pci:t of heal and
co!d, :it tiiosc se.ver:ri tiirr::;. Nor docs 1110 sun firs1 iicnl llir L , nlrcl so
the Karlii; bec:iuie \\.c 111:~yui~si.l.-;e, in h01 \\rcat!icr, 1i1:tl tlic air \v11icil
is ncarcsl tire E,tr;ii i s l~ottcr l I than tli:rt ~vlii1.11is I ~ i g l ~ eand
r
more retnole. It rciiiai:is tilol.(!;orc lllnl i!~cisun lins 110 oiIli!r wa-y of Iieal-
irrg Lhe Barllr but by iis iiglli; !'ur hc:rl a!\\-:rys Sollu\:--, ligii!; so Lt1:~l
\vllcn il, l ~ c a ~ nare s collc.cled, ;M 111 ~ I I I I . I I ~ I I ~Soy - ~irlsi:ii~(.c,
~ ; L S ~ ~ilS fires
all I~iiforcil. Piom, it is tl~:tiionalsaletl in I\i:lliic.rii;tlics Lli:il ilic sun is a
11i:nl I i d S is i l and tlrat l I is ~iluclr gr:?al.c:r
~II:III ill(: l<nrtl~;~ i n dllrat thcp:irl of tile L:irlll \\11icI1is :it :ill lii~iwi l ! ~ i ~ r ~ i -
n a l ~ dby tlhe ?on i.3 :rho\-c t~:tlf of it; :intl th:it i l l Lii;tL ih;ril' w:!ir;i~ is iliu-
luin:rted, tile ligllt is ~ i ~ u ii~Lcir:jc
st in 1111. iilidst; boil1 l:i~c.;ti~-c~ I.iial p:i~,t
is l l ~ eriiosl reiilolc from d u ~ . ! i ~ \li -~I ~ii i ~: l l ~ is ;,l llie ~:irc:u~i~:c~.c;icc of [Ire
circtlp, ns also ~ C C ~ I : I C ! iL 1ic;j opposit(: to i1101.e1)::ibls oi' the s u n : it1111
that tl~oscparts, gvhich are nearest tlie oirr:nliii'e~~cnci? of tile oircic, llari!
less liglrt; and so gradually, till tlic circu)rlfei,ei~crof !he circl~~, \vi>icli en-
compasses tht: illu~iiiriatrdpart of the E:~rtlr,_cntlsi l l d;rrkirc>s.
2. Kua-, tlial is the ccnler of l l ~ ccircle of light, \vlicrc the snii is
verlical to the in!iabitants, and lheu in lhnl placo tha heal is lliuil c-ulren~e-
ly iirtense; :a11(1 so t!~ose coaiilrie., arc lllc colii!?sl, W ~ I Y Ilic I . ~ si~iiis
furil~cslfro111 beilig rcriieal. And if liieru wei,c' any si~cllpl;l(:c tvlruie llic
suri was al\~-a!.s rci~lical, il lrlnst nccds be e.\tveriic 1101. Ko\r,, it is de-
~ ~ i o i ~ ? ! r a in
l c dAstruno~iiy llial tilt! auri is vertical i\vii:t: a year only, to
tl~oae~ ~ 1 1 i clive . l ~ under the Ec~uinoctial,viz. when he enters ill10 Aries
and Libra; and all Ihc rest or I l ~ cy.1'7r110 dcc!ir~ca horn them, six ~noal!ls
nortli~vard,2nd LYr r ~ u ~ ~ tSi iI sI I I :.;,:I
; ~ !: :1:.~i .'cx t11a.lrvasorl i,ii~y:I:C n(,iL1lvr
too hot i:or ti!o cold, 111il of :I i~:otlc.r:rt~~ lcillper !irl\:.e<?n B i ~ t l l . Theri! is
llluelr 1noi.c to be n:ii:\ aboill this nrqili~iclil,iii i~i-:lci.to cx1)lairi it f'11jly;
but i l is noi, snil;ll~le to oliv 1n1riposc; 1 ii:rve r~nly hiiitr~il it 10 )-on,
bcc;lnie it 11nlps tl111 story :I little, ancl 11fitli~sit sotrlo\\~irat ~rrul.~? prul~;!ble
L11:it a Inan lu:~ylii, fur;iied \r-iil:cv~tille l:c,ly of f;xLhcr aril lri<~tircr; nncl
there are surri~?irlrii:I~ a k i n ~~irsili\.[tly l1i:ii 11:~)-yll~iiYaqzan. i. c. (2nir.k-
illire soli of l\'ide-Ciwnlti,, \\;I.< so ; otl~($:.s di=ny it. and 11dI the siory
tl1us :
3. Tiiuy s ; ~ yt!~nt iltcrc I : I ~ , no1 I:IVli.oin I l i i ocr isl:lnd, nnoihcl.
gre:~lisl;lnd, very fcriili. mid \cc!ll prolll:~~l ; n~lric!~ \v:~l: thcn goiirrncd ! ~ y
a prini.:? of a i)l.oli~lark1 jcal~ras ~liiposiii.111:hc Ii:1i1 a sislcr ul osc:iiisilo
b i ~ a ~,~ l\\!111;11i
! he roi;fir~cd :11i:1 r c ~ t i ~ : i i i ~ fro~11
c d 11,,arri~$1: ; IJI!K\~I:.P lie
C I X ! ~ 110t r11;1ii.11licr 10 1.1;1i! s ~ ~ i i ; ~ i ;l!)' c lrvr i ~ ~ ~ : ~ l iHI! i y .I I I I I ~ :I i!e:~r
relaiiori ~ ~ l ~ ols~ca?i ~ r\\-;IS
c \';i<l~:iri,t11al r i ) ~ ~ i - tl dl i i ~11ri11rcs, and 1n:~rricd
hc!r 11rivalci)-, accoviiin~to ihe rito; of' nl~~iiirnouyill n-c ;1111ongilrelri :
it \mu nut lung ht5fol.e 4113 111t,rcclw\r.ilii cl~iki,and \\!us Iil.linglrt to b ~ i lof
a SOIL;aud being :til.aid ilia? it sho~i'.d I I d~i s : ~ ~ \ r v c dh11i. , loulr liilrl in
the cvorii~lg~ xirl \vhi:rt SLIC IILLL! ;,~~cl<:ciJ 1 i i 1 1 ~s11c p111 11i111 ir;Lo a little
ark \\rlrich slio clorcvl rip f:ist> ?:,,cl so corr\i'>-ed hit11 i o {!!c ~ c s r h o ~ c ,
will1 sonic of lier se;l.:~~ris ai~tlIiric~nils :LS sllc ci~uitl lrosl; and. ti~cl.e
~rilli;L Ihcar.1 cq~~:illy :iil'i:i.lcd \\.iiii 1or.e niid f t ' ; ~ , SIIC! ioolr i ~ c rlast IL':IV~
oi liilc irl ilicse \roi,ils : .< C) God, ll~bn ihrl~icrlstIllis c.lli';d out OS noii:il~g,
arrd d;dsL clie!.islil? him ill tlrcr darlr recnhses of rliy wolub, till he was
coml~letcin all his ~ S I S ~1;Yfc:11.in; ; l h c o ~ i i l ! y of :' 1;l.ooii ; s d 11njl:st
king, coninlit lhiirr to t11y R O ~ L ~ I L ~ ~I P B , l t o I art il~linitelj
ineicilt!! ix;ill I)c ~ r l ~ ~ ~h?s c tliy d gl.:tcio:~~liroridcncc to prolecl hinl, a ~ i d
riercr Icavt. I!i:rl ciesiit~ilcof lliy cti1.e ..
4. T1ir.11 slic sct Iiin~al:o;il, aiid iltat rc.11- liigllt. llie lide curvicd
him ns1ic;rc or1 il:::l island 7%-ejvsl riov ~~!ciitioni,tl.11. I ' O ~ I I I I I N ~ 111;11, i l ~ c
\\.ater, being lilg11, cnrl.ic~1111e ai-l: a gl.i':ii \\:iy or1 sl~cir:,, ! ~ ~ I I P I ,tliiln it,
\vc~iildII~IIT ~ ( J I :I!,
I ~ ;::~crilt~>r :ii.~c\,roi- i t r i , m 50 11ig,I1hi:[ U I I ~ .:L, !y i ~ air~l ,
cast tlre ark into a s111;tIl sl~adyRTOVC, L t i i l ~ l i set \viilr trel'i, a p1c;~sarit
~:l:ict~,rn111:rt:hc \\.CS S C C I I , . ~ ~liollr fruiri \\.intl ant1 stir1 ; nlleri t l ~ ctide
cl~buil,llic ::lk \\-;IS lcl't ll~cl.c, ::rid l l ~ c\ilrid i.ivir.g Iiicw u 1:cnp of salid
togeli~cri~t:l\rcc:~illc ail< s1.d i!ie sca, sufficicrll to scc:lirt! liiui fro= any
future d;~ligc.rof :snc.li ancitirer Iloorl.
6 . 'I'lie violci~oeo l tl:? \v:~\cs Itnil luo.;oncd Illo jbint-i of I l ~ c: ~ v k ;
the hi,) \\-:IS 1iiiri:rvy a1111oric,ii. it 11a:~pc~ied foililliately ;l1 i!l;rl j~ii~c.tnrc
of time, illat :I rocr ~vbiiiiicrii~p:tLonl 1 i d in .;c:~rcii :,I her f;~v\-ri,
\il~icli slrayirjg V,ZS ( l ~ ~ u ~ i hi yc .till~ l t)~rgl(:> i!c;iril liii>boy (;ST. ;,11c1f'~,!lc~\~:i~,$
tlle roico jii~iagirling il lo llnvo I)c.crl 111.1.faxi!) c:lnlo nlj to Ilitl arlc, \\.lhioh
she iniiiipc1i:i:ciy : i I l : ~ : l , I I v I l it \silli her 11uofs
from ~vitliout,anti l l ~ r110)'s rlrn,gglii~gxr;illin, zii 1;isI 11trt.i~:ccriltlicm~lioth
they 1oi:st:ied s IJsnrd : as soon as she :air 11i:li *:!C bl:i,i~cd [lie San20
natural affcctior~to him as if11c hacl been her uwu, sockled him, and
 - 18 -

Look care of lhiili. ' l ' l r i i is H 1 i 2 .; !l \\!ii<.ll IOes give \\.l10 :LW 11ot
i l l i l I l i e I t 1 1 1 c I ;..~.)~li~i.cd ~il,IioutC:itlic~r or mollicr.
G . c11 111~1 otlicr ~ I : L I l11osc: I ~ , \I !I:>[,l) ~ ~ X i r l~l ~ t r: ~l IT-!
i , I ~ J I\-,LI~Z:>II
I \v::d
rod^ I l i s 1 1 1 t I r I i i l E ~ I t oil 111xt
i.;lnnd; ill a ~riciceof low groi~nd,it t:i;;l~i;.,>~t ll~ni;L (.t~rtni~r 1il:~ssOS (iarllt
x ~ x sso l'errrrent,c~tlin solllt! !;i~riotl o; 1iia1.~ Il~:tl. lllo SUIII. cjnalititw - Itol,
cold, dry, rrroist - Trcro .;(I c<lli;llly nlise,l lllnl 11o11c~c i f iilollr prernilcll
o r l ! J ~ I aC ! l l S \:a< S I I in i t soiriv
p:i.rts \v,,rc l)(:Il~t,: I I I111ort: ~ P I ~ I I : LL cI, II ~
L I ~ J ( ~ I ! ~!II:I~I
~ otl111;~. ?lid (.~~i~st:,l~ie~lIly
fitter for g<~nrr.tliotl:llic ~r~id!lle l!:.r.l I ~ I I I , w!iich r;l,tilt: ~,t.:~rc::tto
the1 ~ P I I I I I E01 ~ III:III'SilOilr. Thi.; 1 : i ~ i L li~ ; t >~i l ~
i $ in l'cri~rc~ntnliiin; i l t t . , ? arosi,
some, l~irhlllci h? I.il:ison uC its vi;c(~ir>:rc-d, :lrlrl il c.li:~r~cc.dI.!I:L~ ill iiro
~ n i d s lOS it t!~cli,~ IT-:IS a !i':i;oi15 siiI~>t,i:~<.v 17:ilh :I r1~1.ys1r1:~lli)111iI)lci ~ ri!,
mlriclr ma:, i i i ~ i ~ l into c ~ l tmrl \viii-~n ltrin ~~.!vlili~)rr, f~ill of spiriluoiis ,lntl
aerial s ~ ~ i ~ s i a r l: t~: n~ d~o!, tlrt. m o d c\-;~cltr~~i!lrcralitrei~nnginnlili.; illat t i i c l
maller being thnc disposed, t l i ~ r c~ \ a ; , by illc coitimnnti OS (iocl, a s p i ~ i t
infiiwd inlo it, ~rl~i,:!: s>-:i.$ jirir.ciii >c1 c.iii><.lyLri i t that i l c n l ~ s~~;rucsLP
separalcd lr.orll i t c v c ~so~ rrliic>ll a s i:! !l1ongli1; \vIlic.i-i clid ;!S C I J I I \ ~ ; I ~ I ~ ~
i ~ i s I eI L S o!' I I ! s ~ I I I c I ! . NI:\\-, [IICTC itre
S<IIII? L~odicsI'ro~i~ ~ ~ l i c ~ iri, i c el ( , r r c i ~ cI I O r!!ilcctioit elf !icIlt, s ~ I ( > I I :IS t11ii1
air; C I I I I C ~ S frwu i\-hir11 i ~ (10 ? 1-01, i i i ~ ~ l ~ ~ ~s1~rl1 f ~ ~:iriX
~ - I111ii.k
l y , l)ocli(~~ ivhi~+.
are 11ul srnootlr (bul. Il~cri:is :L diii"~rci1i.c.in It~esc, :il~ii Li;c dilfc:lc>nre ol'
ttlcir colol.? ariitls fi.0111 ll~ci diil:~~.c~it 1n.iniicr of tlrpir rcc.(l~,iinn of tllr
rays;') 2nd fl-on1 o1lrcl.s \Ye rc,.circ tlie i.tt'li~.:iio!i i l l !]IF hi:Irc~;i tic~g,,ec-, :I-; fir~ln
bodies ~vhii.11 s ~ ~ l o i:;rr,l ~ l i ~~cilishixl,
~ i:ic11 :I-.loolring--gl:is~(>i :Incl tilt, iilic;
so llri~tiii~~s(! I I ~ z p;~rtit:l~I:~r
~I:Issc>-,\ \ - I l ( ? r ~ ~ ~ I ! I ::;!!t\r 111.tr1111~r.x~:ill I Y I I I I ~ I : ~
so ~rrur.'illi~l-il.n.; lo kllidie :I lire. So tlial ipii.il. \\lrir:ll coi11c l,?. l11c
couni~:t~~tl of Chd; dot,; :L( all ti11rti3 at1 11110:1 :l11 c ~ . c : L ~ L ~in I . I ~S ,O ~ I I C of
u,liich notwiih.;t:~nd;r~gil1c.i.c U ~ I ! ! O110 : I ~Ilrii)ic;sio!i
~ of it, lanl t11r rcasoll
of that ir, hec.nuic of tlreir irluai!:~ciiyiliio \ + - I i t ) i i ~ ii is i n f ~ i + ~; (ufl wl~ic11
lrind are 1lri11gs irlani111:ttcr v-hii.il arc lilly rcjiresc?nt~~tli : ~Illis sii~~i!itntln
I J ~t l ~ i nair. 'I'III,~-C~ :\],c ; I I I ~ ! I Isol,[ P ~ >~g:titl. ill \\4iiclr l l i c r ~ c i , ) ~ L~L [ I ~ I ~ ~ , I I ,
s o n ~ e l i i i ~ofl ~it, ;I> v c ~ t ~ t : ~ l;:'I(I ~ l i ~i ts~ t ! Iila!. v<l~i(:ir re I Y : ~ I , ~ ~ ~ ~ !11:~ I IIll<: ~CI~
~ ~ ~ -----p- ~ ~--P--

( l ) H:ix~i11~
llit: l>i!>- II;I~c!I<,:~
:I:I(,? li~i-: :II:IIIII,\I.,
i s :\ c ~ l ~ ~ l r i v :or
~r~t*~
Il~iiSilr:!'~, \v110 wrutc: l i - i i i ito:,y Iirsi, :i11i1Sro~rl\i.llolii li)ll 'ritf:xvl ha. i:il;en
:L grt.:rS pa1.1 of il. iv,15 of ol)irlioi~L1ixt SIICII a Ioi.,n~lio:~
:l11 \V:?L- i;,)7:-il~lc;
tllut~gllLIICI.C rleirer Ih:lvirl' b n : ' ~:my
~ a~iclrllliiy is n s i ~ f ( i c i ccli>~rlon-;lr:lliotr
~~t
of llic i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ o s of ~ ii l ;~ Sor
i l ~-i~?pi:
b j ll~t't;t,r.~ti~~rr of lIi2 wr~!'liIllrc ~;t~lesti.~l
bodic,s hare li:trl tii~lt' e n ~ : c c l t~u c.scvl l l ~ r i11inoit of tllcir po\iTci., aild
sl1ril illc!r ii~flii(~!~?c~in n ~ ~ ~L:) l tl~ri!~;:
~ t ~ :l,l~o;ilSIII.'I:I l~ro:li~cLi~i,i, i~:l~i!:!~it~c,-j
h:rring nrvi'r so rilrlcl~a; ailcliil~lr~il y:'t, :li?orl$st :lii t!lv v;lricly of tilci!.
opcfi~tiorrs.pl?i111? il;o\v n i !li;at it is no! in tllei: 1~~1vc.r.liat cl ,riiiit
grvc pliilool~!iui.s l o , ~ r es ~ , ~ t l , - i i ~ ~toi ~20
~ - r I>i.yonii ~leino!i,~li.:lti~r~. l1 is
obnc,rva!!lc lil:rl oni. Alritlot. iioliiiilg of !!K ii:;itlcr, I)nl le:trch it :r
l I it. - ' l : I I S i l I :111d s!~)~iIIy:!fFir,il.
tllai I l l ? hundreds of field-rats :rlI I ili:? I ~ - ~ L O:111ti
S ~rlli~~l1liil1l~ili~
during Llic! I;e:Lsoli oT tilt. l~igli .'Jilt' v ~ i ) : ~ ?\vaii!:,sc flood tlic l a n ~ l , : L I . ~
generated out of illc clods of cn~tlib y tile action oC tire stars npon the
irrt soil; t h i is t h e popnlnr ljclirf \~-Ilir.liTlrn sin:^ also S ~ R P P ~ErI* )
thick bodies me mentioned, whiczli are not pnlislied. And then laslfp,
there are o l l i ( ~ 3-- ~ e p r c s ~ n t l:\-
~ r l liio:;(l ;I::SSCS> in our last co~npnrison
- in \\-li;ch ?!I: i~nprrs.ions o f t ! ~ ; ss!)iril nrc \.isil)le, nrltl sn1.11 \\,c reclton
al! sorlh of m~iin;rlx. Bal thcn, :is tlrchc siriooill n n ~ i ~)oli;hed Iludics
d r i o l ~arc of tIi(- sarilc figl~rcwill1 I!\(. s n n ( i . P , s i c 1 1 ) do rccoirc
h S I a I 1 i i 1I I I t i c I t o e r S O illso
do sorlle :inilnnls rcc:i,ive tile illnu \ni.c3 o i LJI;II ,>pitit. lilorp fliarl u i l ~ e r i ,
hct:;iuse tllcy are lriorc likp t o f l i r ~ t spirit, ~ ~ r l iarc l formed after his
inl:lge : si;:.h i s JI;cn l~:ir:icnl;~rly, v\-l,i,,:l: iz Ilinlcd 1~clor.e\viicre it is said
1h;il Go11 mntli. hl;rri ;rlltv I& o\\rl ilnnpc.. ( l )
7. !To\\-, \ V ? I I , I ~ ~ l i ~ i sfor111I I * ~ ~ Y1 % ~) S,II;!I ! ~ ~ :I tl'yrce I11:rt. :l11 o ~ ! ; P ~ s
arc n o t l l i ! ~I)~-l'oi.c~
~ it, 11111i l I ! I I I o ~ I I I I I I I , tlit!
glory of its li::111. \ Y ~ I ; I ~ , - C J ( , ~ I ! ? S I , I I I < I < i l l i l s ) v ; I ~: { I I I \ ~ I it is i 1 ~ 1 1 ) ~ l y
con~pnrctl lo Ll~:,ii! g l : ~ s ~ 01,c ' ~i ~ i i i r i . i , v ; \\-lti!-!h rrflc:.L 11;:111 1111011 / ~ C I I ~ S C ~ V F $ ,
arlil 1111vn cv,t~.j.tl~i!lgi,lhr.. ]\c:! tbi. i < ;L c!(yrcc! \YII~,:II is .rl~><,uliar . io
prophet^.
8. Unt, lo rclnrn and spc:~Bmorc frrlly of t ! r ~ opinion of those \\,l?o
nccounl f i ~ rlllis Itintl of c,?i~el.;iiion. Tliey lrll n t h t as soon :IS t t ~ i s
spirit \V:!$ joined 10 i1tv rt~r,l~inclc,:i:l !hc ot;irl. 1)3\\.(~5illlrnedi:~lely, h v
tlie cun~~nz:ldof God. .;nl:~iiiilccl to i!. Nolv olp~io.;iln to this rc~ccplacle,
ii1ei.e arose :tno!!~cr l~i:l)!)lcdiviticrl illto i!~rccxrc~coplndi~s l i y lliill ~rii~illh~.i~1es,
c.li!l pasirges F1.otr1 onth I O thc. oiiicr, \\.!lic.ll \\-t.~c R!lc!d \\-it11 all atxri;il
snl~stnilcc,not 11ilu.lr unlike 111:tI \\-l:ir.li i r l tlir firs1 ri~ci~placlr, o111y
tllc fiwl \\-?S ~i>l>lr~iIl;!t, !iii<!r ; :i!l:l i t 1 cnc:h of i!:c.*c! i l r r ~ rvc:itrir.lr~,v;hid~
\rc!c! :l11 t:lkcll on1 of OIIP: \viJrc ]~lac.~tl ion3c o l tlro.;e Cacnltics, \\-hicl1 were
C . ~f1)is ?ovt.rr~;n$\pit.iI, ;i:ltI \V:,VP
P I I ~ , ~ P 10 nlil~olnlcll to I:,lic c.nt.r or thcir
rc.ipeciivr sl:~tions,a!ril lo ~ ~ I I I I I I I ~ I ~ ~ c\ei.ytliit~p, I-;!!~ loll^ prcnl and sm;~ll,
to ili:il s:liili. ~vll;,.li~ \ ~ iti~ld % y o : ~IJC'"~I.,, l v ; ~ . pl>ii,'>din tlrc fir>t rcc:ol~l:lclo.
Ri:l~t agnirisl tlli-: r.cw!l~laclc, oppnhitc to l11c .;i,r-t,riil, Ll1i.r~ aroQc :inoillcr
third l~al)hlr,D!Ii,r! \\-illr nil :li>r;i~l111~it.:m(:r~, \vlric-ll \\-Rs p r o ~ c ril1:m that
t~11ich\\-:I?in t,!lr: iri!irr i\vo 1 l l l i .\\-\-.,S 1n;ldc FIJI. Hlc clrlerf:~:niricnt a;ltl
pre.esv:~!ior~ of soi:~c oL11t.r 0,; t 1 1 ~iiirtirior r:1~111lic.+.
9. ' r i ~ n sl i ~ c v v I!~rec t ~ c . ~ i ~ p l ; ~\V:.IT c : l c ~ir1:iilc
~ it1 ihr salne order \vhic!i
\\,E J I ~ I . d~~ioril~t!ri,
P nlid !Ii,,ats wcvc t i ~ cfirst ~ u r to l Ht;it pre:ll ;Ilass \v!~icb
n:ra f;~ruic,t!. Ko\\ I!lt'r sIoo11 ir~ ~lci',! of 0112 :rllol\lci.'; Iiclp: llic firs1
\\--autcd Ihc oilier ;rs .;c.:.i.n;~!s, : I I I ~ !111,y :ip:lin thc help ancl f n i d n n c ~ ~
of Lhc fir,t., I I ~ I i a .~ : d i ! ; l~iil. 11oll1 Ilrr,-c rcccpiaclcs,
thong11 infcrior lo tile fir-l! \\-i~i.cb ~ I C \ . I ' ~ . I I I C sllj~c'rios
I ~ ' ; ~ tu all llioac inclnbcrs
~r.llic11\vcXrefo'.lric;l :tflcr\r;li.ds. 'S!. ii..:l rr.ci~pi:ielc, b y i1ic pclwcr of 111;il
sl~irii 1~11icl1\v:ia jk~illetllo it ai:iI ;Is t,ii11ti1111:1l f1n~ui11: 1ic;~I.iv;ab furnicil
ilrlo n co!iic:il G:nrc>, iikc 1l:;tt o l 'ii.c,, an.1 11y illis irlcnil- lI,:~lihi1.k l)o:iy,
\\-11it:Ik :ti11111t il, I:VV;II,II: i j S 111; :.:8!~~o Ii;?o~.t,.Ix!il~i: :KJI~<I fl(,:,l~ vo~vrc>d
with a thick memhmnc. This is \\41nl \\,e cxll the heart. Now, considering
t,lle prc:~l c x p n s e of moiilnrc, I ! I ncc:Is 1 ) ~\\.Ili~re thilrc is SO
ni!icll l!e?t, i! c-ns n l ~ s c i ! i ~ ~ !:n~+:.~s:i),y r~l\~ i!l?l i!icr.i: >l~o~!!tl11c sonl? p:vt,
for!1;ic11~:,.!I:B-P i)!l:cit : l S!II!I!III1 x 3 rnr;!i11!1~:11~ 10 S I I ~ I ~L!Is I ! ~ clc"~vl;(;lji~r-
\vi~c3il \voi.lif l!:tvt~~I::,,II i r ~ ~ l ~ o . : ? 10 i ! ~II::V,~
! ~ st~!!si,li:~lICIIIZ, It \X:,LS also
!~f~rc.s:ti.y I 1 1 ; ~ l Il11iq h ~ ~ ~ l is;~:ril] ng sl~o!rl~iII:!\-I, a s c i ~ j eLu!li of \vli::k
W:IS C C I : I V ~ ~for ~ ( , liilrl,
! I ~ r13d \ ~ l r a t \\-:ls li!lrLfi~l, arid aecor!lin(~I\-aliract
tlie oniL :!rid r:.prl tltc o?l~er. I?or t h r w crlrices Ll~crr we1.e lxvo parts
forrrirvl, \+!!i l1i:~ir r~,si)c.clircfri~.iiltir~,IIZ~CICIY I ~ I C I I G L ~ I :1r1i1 I L!;e liver :
illc C:r:;l oi Il;cso I i l l o\,c3;. n!l Lliitijii c l i r ~11) scnsc ; tile ! a t t ~ r ,
oi-c;. .;,t(.1! 11tit1c:s : I S I~c~l~,ng:il t o nnli.iliori: !!oh11 or tlrc~ac il~~];c~ii!;!il ripon
LII(? !%OS1.t f ~ :C r Y I I , ! ~ ! ! ~ of !,I>:II,:ncl I!I<\ rci.!.~ri!iir(ro r t11cir proprr k w ~ i l ~ i c ~ s .
To i,.i:~i~lis:~ :I Foocl i:orrc~spond~~i~c.i~ i ) c l \ v ~ ~ all e l ~ I l ~ r w , t!ri!rt: u:c,rr! c?nels
:1rid !r:i.s:l::c., inlcl.\vo\.~.n, soln~.i!i;c.g~xr. sot!~clr.ssrr, :lccoi.dir~g :I; I I I ~ I ~ I ~ : . ; ~ ! ~
reilui~.cd: :itlri t11i.u~are 11,ca r t i ~ r i ( ~:,tlrl s rrtitis. - Tlr~is~n!~c:ii~ I I L ,n I:~sic.
l ' l i i ' ~ illat 11:11 illc s1oi.y s o on f:~rl.!icr, mid gi\-o :L 11nrtic11I:ir account
of l!iib ~ v l ~ o lorganism c a i d of Il;c lurri~::tiori of all tll? pn~.!s, mcml~c,rs
ancl or(l;ili<, :W jil~!-,iici:ir!? ( I j d o or tllv forniniion of 11.1~ rcciiii ill Illc
\vo11i11, ui!iiliit::: noilll~i:,., till L!le \~llo!n or:,.:tliisn~ v : c i co;iii)l?!i~ly : I I I I ~
pf,rr('clly i'o:.n~c~rt, and 1r;id lieconic jrr,st like :rn c11!11iyolhnl i-. rca6j fljr
I It) illis :ii:roi!i~t Ilr!%yarc forced to 111, I~eliolilcnlo nrid linrc rccorii,ic
to t I : : i l \-;is: rll:I<.; o l c s ~ l l i\\-Iiicil , !-on arc: to i!tl:l)ow I\-;IS of a liiusl ex:t(:t
m i r l r l i i t i t i L l i a of ninleri:l!s
~ i)i.oper for rn:rkilr.r
111;in.a !i~ilv,:::l11 t!ii);+ <L:i;><, ~ , l c .\\-!1i<.11 , C O \ ~ ~i lV. [ i l l :\l liisl, T Y ~ ~ I ~l!(, : I \v23
ci!:111111~lc~ ill :dI 11i; par!,>, :!q il' ttcv icl:!ss 1i;lcl 1i<>e11 711 I:tl~or, 1i1ov i;ov?rii~gs

I I I l S l i I i t : s ~I i l I of I ciirl mnd
rlriiv! rriirl c.r,r;kt,il i t 1 p!i,i.i,.;. T!IP ~IILLIII I!t:ir~;: I!IIIS l ) r o ~ ~ gin10 l ~ l 1111,~xrorki,
:!!!(l fii~,lir~g !>isn o i i i ~ i ~ l ~ i f~i ~d ?~ !I ~~ I! I II .~ I ~ ~ {c);I , I I\X-,I!II of \ ~ i c l ~ ~ alill l s ,Lllc Roe
\\.liivh 11;:rl losl l1c.r. 1:in-n ilcard Lim. >{OTT, boil1 t l ~ o , ~\i-i~o ~ . :11.i, of Lhe
o!!ic;r opinion ;Ind. tilorc ivlio ;:re for tllie kind oi' $.xnc:.;rtioti. az:.~.i~iri :r!l
llic other p~!.!ictiI:~rsof h i s c i J ~ r i . t i t i i ~:]lid ~ ~ : \1:!1:7.l ! I I ; J ~ lc!l 11s i s L,l~is.
10. Tiir,\- sal- i1i:it this Roe lircd i r ~!:o,lLI p:ril~~scl,so fhal SIX WJ-;
f;iI, nnrl bad si-icli 1:lc:i:y of 1:i:lk lltat slrc \:-::S v:-ry ~ v i ~ alilt? l l to tnaini;riil
!lie vllilii; slic looli ~<~,c.:rtc:;rr of liiltl, ;iilcl I I ~ ~ \ lcfl ~ ~ Tl~iln, ];at \~lleli
1111ilyerl"o~cc~i1 11cr: :tt~d 110 ~I.<\.:K,t) \vi,ll ;t:ll~~.~irlI(~:! x\-ili~ l ~ c rI1t:;i il" tat
n n y f i t ~ r e-!?E si:lirl :L\\-::!- frciii him n i i t t l ~1oil:;r.r ~ 111::ri ordin:~r:-, he mould
pi!i!'il!!>-; :III,I s11(,, :I$ sou:^ as slip lic>arcl hirii, I Y L ~ ! I < :r ~ ~ r l r ~ii~r~~>gl : ~ n l l y .
licyi?cs :ill [hi<. 11i. c:;ijd\-l~ilthis linppiiicss 1li;ri tiltire X\~;I.; no l?ca.;t of
prc,y it1 Llic \L-II:)I(~ is!n~ili.
11. T11r:s h o X Y ~ I ~ on, I liii!!g oril:; i111on \vi.at I I ~siiclie:l till he TKLS
Two 0111, nrld Ilicn 11c 1>1,,?:r:il:, <!!:,p :L lil!'c ant1 brcud Ills ivC:ii.
ITe al\\;lys !ul;o\\.c.tl I!I > Z o e ; w:id S!!(? ~!I(I?;I.:~ :ill Ilic Icndcr~c.;; to ltiri
i1:1i11!. 1 I l r 1 1 1 1 t o i!i:i~.i'.; \~:l;<~roli~~ii-lrccs pt.c\v, ;tlli!
l 1 ~ 111iir1\viii~ 1!1t, rir)!>,.l :>n<is w ~ ~ ~ l , ,11.11il.s : : ! \%-41i<,!1 (cl1 rroi.11 [l:,: t~,ccs; :~.!ld
:i? for I I I I ~ S or s~icli li!<r, sirr IIS!,~! Lo Iit,i~:i!< ilic >!~i:ll \vi+,li l ~ c rtecjlh, an2
:i>;c 11itil l!+: l<< rri(:l ; :l i l i s~~~~L.!it~,< l1i111 ;IS c ~ ~ ! t ~ X,+; i l,., p!c:~>,!<l: :L!:).
-P-
~- - ~~ ~- - . ~-

(L) Itr llle s a i s c o l pllysiologisls.

when bc \\-at; thirsty, s l ~ csliomctl hiln the m37 to the \vatcr. If the sun
shined too hot and scorchpd liirii, 2 1 1 1 i n if he ~ 1 - acold, ~ she
cli~L.i.hcd hirn and lip?! h i m \.:arm ; and milcn night ca111con, she bronpht
him 11:,1c~. !o Ilis 111il 11!n<c, a!lrl coi-cl*~llliim partly wl1:c11 lr?r o\rii hod;,
slid p,:ully \vilI~ ;;o:tlr?[c!:ttlicr.i ~v'lich vicrc I ~ f ti r ~tllc :!rB, mlric.lh lind 1jer11
pnt in \iil:~Irii:i c-lien Ire \\-:IS fir-t cs:)o;c~il. Nov, x.vlien tlicp \vent out in
tl:e nioriiin:, ant1 \rlic>n !lie:!- c:;trlle Iio~ii:,apnill :it night, tlieri. a!n-np went
~ ~ i t~lI IiP L I I a hcrd of dccr, \~liichIny in tlie sarrle place as lliey did ; so t h ~ t t
tlrp lioy, ljc'ing nl\\a\-s ainongst them, 1r:an:d tlicir 1-oice 1)). di!grees, a r ~ d
inlilalcd ii i ( i c>x:rctly tlint (lri.rc \\-as pcari.il :my scnsi!l!r [appreciai~l(!]
difLcrcnvc; II:I)-, ~vlir~n I~lm:.d !!ir voice. of :!I:\- bird or I ) P ; I ~llc
1119 , \~0111d
couie I I ~ I\cry near to il, ht?irl!: oi' ;l 1ntj.l. exc!~llrnt :~:1~1r.clicrr;;i~111 [ h c 71-onld
Tory rl&:;il,lyrcl~ro~llrcc~ i l j . I h t o! ;11l i.lir roi::cc i ~ : : ~ i i t l ~ l ~ii~iit:ilo:l,
ct !I? ~~nzdt?

~iiostn.e of l l ~ edcc~.'s,\$liir!, Iic \v,I-:rni:i~lr~. of, :,nil corrlil c x [ , r ~ s slli!li*c!f

as I ! : v ~ 60, citi~t.~. wll~.:, 111:.1. :\~::II! h,.lil: ~ . ; ~illci,.
i i !71::t117, \\!II:II i h ~ ~ :~. o i i l d
h:l?c? tilrul colno Il;~:rrrf,or go f:lr.Illi~r.1,f.f. (I?<I?y011 1 ~ 1 1 ~1 i~~ ~l O \ ?kl:lL V !lie
brute l~ri:!sts Iluvc diSrcrcnt so:~nd.i to csl~rcssI!IP;I? cliiiPct.cn: LIli~lirs).'l'lrns
he conirnctc!d inuli a:l acq~laintnncc\vil.li tlic ~viltlbr?;rsts Lhal they \vci.C
no1 afrnl:l of Ir'rn. rior ; I ( % oC 1111~rn.
1 2 . L?!- i11;s ti111c 11,: ljr:;:rr~ to llavc tlic ide:rs of a g;o;rt nlauy
Ihinps Gscd in liis mind, so :IS to h;l\-e ;L dciirc lo ioirli., anti arl aversion
to o~llc:r;, ~ ~ \ ~c h cn n~ i r e y\rc'rcx ubsc,ri~. In tile nii.:rr1 \vliilc limoolisidcrcd
;ill (!in scvc,~.nlio:.l> of anim:~I., ;i~~ci s;:\v that lhey wcsrr al! clo(lr~dritller
\~ilIr lr;ii,,, \vool. or s ~ ~ - p ~ ~so; i ,l$ , l of Sk:;~t\isrs : 115: cor~s!~I!'re:l 111{?i1" gre;!t
s!vifi~lt?is ;l:lcl ?,Lre~i?ili,anti !lr:~tth1,\7 were all arinrtd wil!r \Tc,:rpons
1 f 1 I I I I I I o I , 1 i 1I I c . 1:at that
11c Ilir~~st~lf \\:!S 11:~licd and dcl'cncclr.;s, s!om nild \TI.:I~,in respect of thenl.
1 . I I CI ~ l : an:. colilr<~ve,.;y
~ ;rbo!i! y:!iil(,i.in.z or suc.11
I i s S l ! I I t I l l c I ' I P I ; for
.IIIL>~c1,111d 11olIi I < I * I > ~ljv > i c o\vn, ancl Ixl<c :L-\T-;L~ 11;. ; :!rid lit: c011'ki ~ ~ e i ! ! ~ c r

ll3. Ilc ol>urrrc,d!)~,;itlcs, 1 1 1 . ~ 1llis Srllo,,~--5ivna,tl!o11:11 Llicir f o , ~ r ~ l ~ c a d s

new smooli~:l1 fi~.it,yct :\!tclw:o.tii ii;rd Jlorl~v1;nd or~t; : ! I I ~i:ii11:::1l Lhey
were fccl~li!:#l fI;..st, !i,t nSicr.snrcin grt.\v rely vigoro:l-; :rrid swift. 1111
tl~e*clIri;!y; !I(. ~it,r:.t~i\-,~cI in f l ~ ~ i i\\-hi(:h
i, \vese no! ii: liil11:,1!1;; n111i\~hc.rl
l I I I I ! I I I i l 1 I no i i l s o l i i c the
rc::Foii ol' lI:i? iliifv-crii.c>: !Ilnn !I<' ~ : o n s i d r l . ~S dI ~ C I I ii::il~ials :IQ I X L ~ ~ ! I Y
cic,Scc.i or II:~IIIKI~ inip?r;\clion ; Illit :irr~c;l~gstthciln all, 11c could i;niI r~oili.
lil:r Ihi~i;;i~:l'. Iic !on!; noilcn 111:il tlii: p;cssaz:.i.s of t l r i ! cxcrcniei~.l$ w e ~ e
curtlii.li irr :!!l cill!cr crc:il~:rc$ l~c~iieic~s hirr~:jcll: Lli:ri liy \ihiclr Ihcy voided
t!if'ir grosstSr P Y C . ~ : , I S Tv:ii!l ~ I ~ a~ St ,,~ i land
; (11;il \vIri1;11\tyrs,ci! for tht! voidi!l$
0' r r ~I . l or S l i l k I I I < c ~ ~ ~!!Cc PO ! ,) S C I . $ C ~
i:~:.t L!~c?ir11r.i~y ,I:II.(S .>vt*:.~? lr.or(A cu:i(:c;~!c:lt l i ; ~ ! his ~ I)\\-~I \vere.
14. All i,:lc: Lh;:lc;.; \v,'rt! i:i:xllcr o f cr,.p;rt ::ricbI !U l r i l i ~ : ailcl w!it!n
~ I r I I I I ~ ! ; I L\villi I ~ I : ~IILIII::~I~?
1.1: h:l,.l { ~ . p ! g ? : . . ~ ~ ~lj ~ i ! ~ l ~ !\v,,~.y ~ I ~ ' ~ ! I Pa,i11
: I I , \\-:IS
now I I L U ~ ::.\>;P:I Y P ; I ~ S , !,Id, hc (I,:sp,~~;~c(l nll:,~,ly L): l::.\~iil;: !IIO:I>,1ii1:+
grow i~ponLliln, i h e \vtrnl oS \iiiicIr 11i:ltio iiil~i 50 unenby. H0 t11erefor~1
 resolvcd to help himself, and tlicreupon got hirn some broad lcares of
trees, of which he made Iwo ro..c .-il.gs, one to xrtw bcllinil, the othcr
bcfore ; and rrladc a girdle of palm-lcaves and 1.us1lc.s tniiled to-grthcr,
to hang liis coverings ur~ori,and tirvi it ; ~ l ~ o nliist \r:li-l, ;ind so \yore it.
But alas, it monld not ]:tit long ; for thr le;r~-e-,x~:it:lcri~d and tiropl~cd
a w a y ; so that h(. x7ns forccd to gct rnorc, wllich 111. drml~lcd :rnd p n l
together as \vull :is lie coalcl, plaiting the lc;r~c,; one upon nnother: ~ v l ~ i c h
madc it a lil'rlc more dnrahlc, bat not mni:li. Thc.11, haxring 11r)ktin a
hough from a tree, and fittctl ihc encls OS it 10 his initirl, lhe strii,pc?d off
the tlrigs and 1n;tdo it smooth ; with t l i i )!I. 11cg;irr to all;~vlr ille wild
beasts, ass;:nit,ing ttir wea!ic,r, alid ~lcfcnrli~ixllii~ls~~lf
a ~ i ! ! ~IIIC
1 ::~P(,II:cP.
HT tltis means IIC bcgnn :I lil,llc! i o Itno\\. liis o\rn ~li~cn$li,:uid ~~c~rccirctl
that his hands xX:crc? hcltrr thari their :cst.t ; I,U(:;L!I~, { \ I F 11?!~)of I I I C ~ I I ,
h c had proi-ided ~~iicr<-\villial to covrr hi-. n:ilicdnws, n:lil also gc!lcn J i i ; i i
L: dilfensive xvcapon ; so that now 111;:lh;id rio ncid of ;L l;:il: no;. o l I l l o r
natur:ll weapons xvliicli he hrti so \i-ishcd for a1 Iii.51.
l . He was no\\. al~ovcsercii years oltl ; nr~dI:PC~IISP Lllf rt~paiiing
of his covcring of 1c:tves so oflcn xwi vc.~.yIrotihltwo~nclo hi111, he 1i:rd
n drssign of taking tlitx tnil OS sotilc dead 1ie:tsl. :IIIC! \\.en:.ir~; il 1i;111s(:ll;
bnl when he pcr.(aeircd thnl all l)cnst; (lid cor~slantly avoid ihosc \v~rii:Ii
\iTerc dead of lllc same kind, it madc lriln doubt w l l ~ ~ t lit~ irlligl~l ~ r Ile qafc
or n o t ; a t Iasl, by chn~ii:ehc fonnd a dcad iinglc, ; I I I ( ~ ~bsi'rviilg l11:lt.
notie of ilie bcasts slicivpil nny a~ersiorrio tl1;11,c:rrc:rs. lie c:o~~cliltlcd tll:lt
this xrould suit liir: pltrposc : : ~ n din G ~ i ipl:ri.i), Iic ~ u o!T t l l ~ e\rirrgs,
and the tail whole, and spread the f~;rlher. opal ; ihcn Iri: clre\\- off tho
skin, and divided it inio Lno c.c~nrrl11u1~!-;,on(, ol' \i-liicll lirt n-orc rillon his
b a c k ; with t l ~ cothcr 11e i:ovcretl his n:r\.cl ; ~ n f sc'i:rels; l t h ~lnil 111. worti
bellind, and llir ,wings \\-ere ~,l;ac.~:cl I I ~ J ~ It~:rc.ii
I ;irii~. Tliis dl.c.s-; oC his
ans\vcrud scver.al ends ; fol. in llio fir>l 1il:rcc it 1.oicl.cc1 hi5 n;~keclnuss,
anti helped to keep hini narni : and lhcil it nr:rrl~~l~itnr so fi.i:l~tirti to tho
beasts, Illat nono of tlic~n cared to 1nr:idlc wi!h Iiim, or colno n w r Iiinl;
only llic Roe his r7,arsr, wllid~ncrrr 11:Cl. him, ilor l ~ i , ,11c.i. ; arid ~i-llcrl
she grew old and Eccllle, Ilc ~isril Lo li1;:d Ilc!r xi-lrilllt~rl11c1.1.c.:is 11:~.Ircst
food, and 11lui;k the LrsC Trui1.s Cor litlr, 2nd girc'llttr llir~in to citt.
16. Nolwiihsi;\ndi~~g lliis S!ICjirc,\v 1i~:r11:irrtl fio:lk, :!ild c:onlin~tc!~la
~ r h i l ein n 1:lnguishing (v~n~lilion, till :I{ last slli. dir?, ;iinl 1hr.n a!] t121.
nlotions ::nd ncliorla ceasi,!l. K h c n !!~c l)oy j;er.i.(~ivedIivr ili I11i-i (:IJII-
dition. lic \\.;is read)- lo r!ic for grief. Ile callrd liet \\-iih tlie s u u e i.oicc
v;lrich she iiscd to :in-xver to, :mtl 1ii;tde \ilr;it noiir lie could; I)i!l illere
a no ~ i I : ril t t ~ l i ~ iTlien
. I I ~ ?bc::tr~ 1.0 pccp into ! ~ : r c)c,s nnd
ears, 1111t could perceirc no r i ~ i l ~ ltic!' o cr:t i i i either ; in iilic I I I : L I I ~IIC ~'I.
examined ;ill tile p:tl.ls ol lier body, and forind ~ i o t l ~ i r ~ :~i~niss,
: bill E V C ~
thing as it shoulil hr. llc 11:!1l a ~ ( ~ ~ P I I delire I C ~ I 10
~ i i ~ l ' i ? i f ~ ~ o i - i i l il!l;tI.
!~,
yart Ivhcrc (,he tlefcct w;~s; tt:rt 11- rnil:l~t rtxniouc il; 2i;l.i ; \ h i - rc,l~!rnto
llcr fornicr slate of life and v i ~ o r . 1311111c \r:ts ;~llo~;ell!ci.:)l :I !h .S IIC\V
to conrpass his design, nor could !;c pos.,il:iy h.i.7; ii, a;iw.!i.
17. That \rlrich pnt liiru npon Illis searc:ll, \vas \rl;nt IIC olrsrrvecl
 - 2,q -
in l~irnsclf. Ile look r~r:iica 111;1l.n.l..:l Ire shnt his eyes, or bcltl :~ny
itling b(3f1,rc the11r. lie could i ; , lii)!l!i~~g ~ :it ::l], fill that ol~sta~.]?xms
ren~oved;:rnt3 so, T . ~ I C ! I Ire put his l i ~ l g ~illto r his wrs, lliat he r.oold
nut l~car,till 1,e tool, tlti~r~l or11 iignir~; and, 17-licn ho closed his noslrils
togcll~tw, Jhe s~:~c,lli ~ v i l ~ i ~i.lil i ~ 1rc
, openrrl l l i a n ; frI)m \vl~cnce 11c
concludc~tllint ;ill Ilia sr.r!s?s :~rldactio~ts were li:rlile to ol~:>t.xcles and
impcdiinenis, trlion t111! r e n i o ~ ; ~of l r\-llir:i~ the snule olicrnlions relnrncd
to ti~pirSOI.IIIC~.(.CII~I,SC'. 'I'hcrelore, rvl~nr~ I;c li:~(lex:~~iririi:dc\ery exlern:~l
part OS hcr, :!m! fon11~1nu \.i;illic defrct, :mtl !.e! :it l l ~ chalite lime
yerccivccl :I i ~ ~ ~ i r o r s~;ti-l i s i i t i oof~ ~1iintio11ill t l ~ c\i.I~olc IJO~:', 1101 ~~(!culiar
to oni: li~c:iiI~c~r, 1 I I I ~ U I toI l l h~ IJC#:III111 jln:lgil~e tlii~lthe
h I i S L I \\-R; most rtyinolc I i t arid liidden
in Itic i:~rv;ti.d ~ r ; ~ i , tcl' I l ~ eb o ~ i y ; ;xr~tl L at illis prrl \\-:IS of such nature
and ilae Li1:~t;\x:il!~uul ils IicI;i, I I O ~ I ? of l1112 other esternxl parts could
?xcrci5~ t l ~ t i r proprs f~~!)r:i;uns ; ;IIIII il~:rL, i f Illis p ~ r lsirffcr ;In)- 1111rt,
the ~ ; I ~ I I : I ~\vi~c.
C 1111i\.('i.i;~!,i ~ i ~ad c.i!:,ialion of llir n.liolo cr~sneil.
18. 'I'hia :l~:~cie liiln very d(:hirous to fiud llfiit part, il' possilllc, thal
IIC n~ightrclnoxr 111s cleir~cl Sronr il? tlial so il ~ r ~ i g lLe ~ t a.; il oscd to
bc. and idle wliolc bodl- lnigllt elljoy tlic Ilcnefit of ii, ant1 the ;same
cons.;,? of :cc.Liul~sl~lIlo\\-a3 l~cSui.r. IIe 11nd bc>roreob,er\-ell, in Ll~ebodies
of X\-ildbcnsls and oll,i.r :cni~ll:~ls~ Illat : ~ l ltlic>i~) 111en111ers\r-rre solid, and
i ~ t ~ onl.! lilxve i.:~\iiic;~,viz : tllr slzull, Lhc brc;i>l, and t h c
ttrnt t l ~ ( ~were
bclly ; 111, iin:tgi~;cd, ilrurcrore, tlinl illis part, rvliiuh lie ~vn~iferl, must [of]
nrcds l!c ill oilcl oC tllcsc ct~riiics; :md, al~ovc all, h e l1a11 :L strong
IIWSII;IS~UIItliirl j l \1-;1s iri tlio :r~iddlr~iioulof illeni. 1Tc verily hclievcd
~ ~ ~ sin ~iccil ol this pall, a i d [lint from thence it.
tl~aiall tlic! ~ n c i ~ i l , tslovd
must r~rcc~ssnrily fullo~r th:il i l ~ escat ol' il 111nit he in the center. And
whc~i!IP rcilcctii~l 1~1)on)his o\>;r~hod\-, lic fell snczh n part in hi7 breast,
of whiclr 11c i ~ i ~Lliis ( i ir~lliun, viz: 'l'ilnl it us irnpo~sible for hill1 t o
s u i t i l i i l , so IIIII.J!I ;IS l l ~ et ~ v i ~ t l i l US i : ~:m
~ c!.e, thoug11 he could
at tlre s:nirc time rc~risrlre a ~iiis~ibilityol snlisiitiog \vilhoul. liis o l l ~ e r
p;trlr, viz: his liarids, I'ccl, v;ri.-., riosil, (!ye.;, or cv~:rl his licatl. A I I ~
UIIIJII this : ~ c c o i ~ rn-Ircui:\-~~r
~l, 11c Cu'ongl~l wilb ttny vild heasl, 11e alw:tys
tooli pal-ticoli~r c.a!.e lo gii;lr(l hi:: lircast ; hec;rn?c of l l ~ eal~prehcosion
~ ~ l ~liei d h:rtl
r ol tlr:tl purt wiiidi \v:rs contailird in it.
l!). J I n \ i i t ~liy
~ tliis \%*ay of reasoning, a.islircd himself llint lhe
disnfk~c.tecl11:ir.t ]:L>- iu ittc l):.tr:~-;l,11e \\-a$ rc.suivcd to rr~;rkc:I search, in
order io fill11 il out, so lllnl, .,\--hat so eror the i~lipedinielitwas, lie might
reulo-ic ii if l~ossil~le ; Iiai, tllcn again, hc 5 ~ afraid ~ s on Lho othcr side lest
his ondcst;rlii;~g sl~onldlje \\-ul.ir i!~nn tlie disease, and prove yrejndici:~l.
Ilc l~txyanto r.oniidei, ircxt, rvl~clli~v01. ~iot, 11~'11ad ever re~ncrnbered
any Lensts, or o~l1t.i.u n i n d s , which Ile had seen irt llrat condition, recover
again, ;and rel~i1.1110 [!:C siln:e sintc rvilich thcy \\-ere ill befori? : hot he
could et111 10 111i1td ; ~ ~ O I KI I~ C I I C Elic c o n ~ l ~ ~ dLl~i~t,
110 S I I C ~insla~r(*c e t l if she
\\ere IeL ;~l~,nt,, Ilirrt? v<o~ilLhe 110 hopes a1 all ; l)ul, iT !le should he so
fostu~~alc as l u lir~d t11:lt part, n ~ i dfir~clthe imlledin~ent, Illere might be
sonlc Itolse. I?l~oliillis Ile rcsolvcd io open her breast and niake cnqniry ;
 in nrdcr to do \14iich 1:o provided i:;~-;r.'f will1 slinrp Ilirlls, atid rplinlcrs
or dr; i.:irc, :ilniosl likc ikiiivcss, ~ v l ; !;.-~icli ~ lie inado :In iiicizion lici\iecn
tlicl ribs ; niicl, riiil.iiig t.11r11iigI1~ I I C f l ~ . < lt::~:iic ~, lo l!:c c l i : ~ ~ d i ;~ irI1i~11
;~~~n
Ire firidiiig very to~igli ;111rlriot c:isi!y l~rokc!~,a~sirrediii~~isc'lftlinl sili.11
a cciveriilg l~rr~st. I ~ I ' c ~ : : I~elr~tiglo !lint {iiirt \i.Iiicli he w:rs looliing for,
:~ir:l lli:~t if lie cr~iil~lonce gel lL11.ouj.11 Ihnt, 11e sliol~icliiiltl il. TIC lnct
~ ~ i i soma
ll cliS~icullyin his \i.t~rk, I ~ c c a ~ ~ls~ei sin-trl~inelr!~ \\-\-crc riorle of
tlre Iiesl ; tor lltr hacl none I I I I ~ ii1c.h as n c r c r i i ; l i t : t>ili:el.of flirii ui. c:ir~t..
20. I~:JTY~?Y'L., IIP slia:.~)oi~cdlhelii ngaii~ iirid re~~ci-;edIris atlerlil~t,
~villr:LII iiitl skill Ihe T:L< ln~tsler o!'. At 1;ist Ire hrolcc~l!~r.o~igli,and f l ~ r
fir.<[ part lie iiit~tx i i i l \ x ~ ~ >l l ~i t ,~ 3I I I I I ~ + ! \~vli~cli
11c a1 first sigI11n l i ~ l < ~ Sor !~i<
111:11 11:11,1,\rllicI: tie w:is ?e;tvcl)ing for, arid till-rie~lii1c.m alinnL (Iris \\.;~y
..
: I 1 : l 1 , l: sel, t f !I$, i:oniJ f i l l 1 1 i l l !IICIII L110 cauLc~OF lllo d i ~ e i l t ' .
1Ie first 11:ippcnccl upon ilint 11)Iic \,l:ich lay next Lire sitlc nliirli lrt: Il:~tl
o l , a ~ e d ,m ~ dmlicn 1:c ycrccivcd L!i;~t it did 1c:tn siclc~rnya,Irc was ~rrli:<lit:d
tliat it \vas no1 tlic pari I:? loohcd Tor, bcc.ansct h(: was lully l,t>r.;:iatic.d
tlint that rlirrsl nccds ]:c in ll:c r,iidsL US Lilo Iiotiy, :ls \\cl1 in re9;ir.d o f
latitndc u a lungitudc. 1Ic pl.unecc1,ccl ill iiis sc,n~wl~lill ;rl 1;1:,l, 111: rolllld
tile lreurl, \i.liicli \vlicn !IC six\\' rloied \iiIll n very s!l.oil; cover, mrd
i';isterled \\.ill1 stroiig l i ~ : ~ ~ i ~ c ant1 i : l ~ covvreLi
~, I J ~Ilic Iiinzs oil tlial side
\\liic.li lie Irncl oi,cl!ctl, Ilr Lc.gnn to $ay. lo l l i m ~ ~ i lc< lil': lllis ,,art hi: ho
O I I Ill(! ol11c.r sidc :L.; il i s 011 illis \~liic.!i 1 Ji:ive ol;cncd, iiictn it is
cerl:ririly iri Ll~c iiiid~l,a n ~ iviliiil~it doul~t L!ICIS;III!I! I ltiol< fur, ~~ie(:i:tlly
considel-irig 1111. conic.llic~~cy ol llic siluutiori, llie i:o!i~cliricss arid ri!:.llla,.ily
of ils figure, tIic firtnnchs n~!d solielily o! the> ilr?il~,;irld bc-iil.i.s, ifs hcir~g
g~rardcd xiilll suc11 n rric~iibru~~e as I i,a\tx rlul oliher~cd iri :X" oilier
p:irl. D ULJOIIIllis lie scnrc1ic.d 1l:c ol1ic.r ~ i r l e ; and, fiiiiiing the sarnc
rnerllbrnnc: on ihc inside of lire riii~;:;lid L!ic llings in t l : ~ s:~incp:i'iti~,.e
\\-11iel1 lle had ohscrvcd on 111x1 sidc \:liii.ll h r li:ttl oprnrd f i x ! . Ile
ct~r!c.ludcti ?he hear1 10 !>c Lhe part \vIiiclr iic luoiiud lor.
21. T11rr1,Soi.el l t r first at.taeltcd the l~eric.arcliil~li \\.l;ic!i, a k r a long
trial :md a grt:n! den! of p:~iili,iie nl:tde h l i i f ! Lo Irilr; :rl:tl v<ilc>rr11c li:itl
i;~itilhc: 1111arth;n.c, and perceivc~tl Lllal il \\.:Is so!id on every siclc, h(!
bcg;~ir to cxnniii~oit, to sce i f 11c coul:i 1I:?d :ill). I11i1.f i l l ii ; IJIIL lijlclirlg
Ilr,nr, hc sqnciezed it will1 h i s 11:11111~,ant1 ~~cl-i.ui\edI!i:~i il x n s liullow.
flc hcgnn tiic:ri to lliir~k1li:it \v\.lr:11 lie looked Sur uiigill possibly b::
euniaincd in that cu~ill-. bvli~ll hc carllo to OI)EII it, h(? f o ~ l r dill it t,ix:o
cavities, one on Iltc right side, Llie otlier 011 ilit: Ieil. Tllal OII the rig111
aide v a s f'l;Il ol clotlcd li!ood, that on 11:~: IcT1 qaile 1'1r1~1iy. a T~ICII,
(says lie,) nriftiout all doubl, one of lliosc l\vo c;tvitie; iniisi ncer!.; bc the
rccept:icIe oS \~Iratl loolr For; nr for Llr:ll olr Lilis sic!?, tl1c~i.c is ~i:~!liiiig
in it L u t congcnletl hiootl, ~141iohv\-:i~nt;l so, bc surc, bill tile \\4io:c body
Tvas ill tllnt cond;Lion i n \~l:ich il nnw is, u (1'111. l i t . II;LII kliscrvcd i.11;it r.ii
blood co1ige;tls ivllcn il i1o~r.afro111 Lhc. body, :!nrl 1!1;1: illis I~loodditi no1
differ in [lie lr!i:if Iruln nil!. ullicr,! a~li!l.l~crcfi~ic -,v:inl I louli Cur c;innoi
by any illealis be sue11 s li~altcras t!~is ; for ihai \~ilich I rnc:m is
pomething xhich is peculiar to this place, which 1 find I could not
subsist ~vithoiit,so mnch 2 : tlic Iv;:!llilirig of an cyc. And this is th:tl
which I looked for at first. F,)?, :IS I'ur Illis lllood, Iio\v uiic,n h a r e l
lost a great deal of it in my ~liii~ii~isl~e': \vitl~t t ~ ewilt1 beasts, :rnti yct it
iicvcr did rrre ariy unnsitic?lnl~le Ii:n.tn, nor ren[!er.cd lrlcr ir~c:lpnl~lrof
pcrlurnling any action of lifr ; anti thrrcl'r~rc~what I loolt fur is not in
this cavity. Sum, as for t h ~ ic:wity on l l ~ c1(lR side, I iilid it is :iltogelhrr
em11l.y; and I llave I I ~rc!ason in the xrorld to Illii~klirat it \\,as nlnde
in min, Iiecnnsc I find 1.ver.y jr;irl :rppoinled for sncli and such p;~rlicular
furictiyils. I l o a ilirn ~ ; I I Itliis \~e~ilricIeoi' tlie h ~ ~ a r \\-hicl1 t, 1 see is of
so cscellcnl x l;.an~ch, s e r r r for n o oic nl :ill? 1 cnnnol 1~1rtthink that
the salilc ll~ing,\ri~icll I nil1 in scnrch of, orrcc ti\rzll lrcrc, h111 Ilas rlow
dcsericd his \its] l~t~liit;~iion. :uid lelt it tli~pty, and Lhat tlie tilrscnce of
that thing 11as occ*;~sio~rti~! llii.; privatior~ of s m s c and ~ e s s a f i i ~of n niotion,
~ ~ h i clinppcned
h lo llit? boi!!-. * -- Sow, w l ~ c rhc ~ yerceired tl~:rt t11' being
rriricli hat1 inlinbilcrl illero I~o;'or~e, h:!il lclt its honio hefore il I,sll 10 ruin,
anti forsaken il wl~rrr ;is yet i l c o ~ ~ l i ~ ~\vholo t t e d and c ~ ~ l i r ehe, concluded
that it \\-as llixlgllly ~~rolr;?lrle Ilinl it would nevcbr selnrn Lo it ;rny Inure,
aller its being bo c ~ :III:~ ~ t 111anglcd.
2 2 . 1Jpori Iliis ilic whole hody sccmcd io I~inin rcrp incon$itler:~t~Ie
thing, and \vortl~r l o t l ~ i ~in~ grcspect of tllnt hcing \\.liicl~BC I ~ e l i ~ v ehad d
ur~cri~~liabitcd arid had I I ~ \ Y lefl it. 'l'l~e~.efosch c :tpplied hi:nscll \vholly
to the considcralior~ of tliat Iicing : \X'll:lt i t \\-;L.;, and how i l snhsi-ited-
1~11:ltjoined it to Iho hotiy? - i\'hetlrer il \vent, arlil >l!- \\-llat p;lss:ige,
\vl~eni l left tllc body P LVhal was the v:rtise of its di.partw,c ; \vi~cther it
\vcsc f ~ ~ r ~10c dleave ils n:nniion, or 11;td left tlrc body of ils own
accord 2 And, i n caso it v r n t a\v;1y VOIIII~I:LY~I\-, ~\,lliitit \\-ast11al r c o d c ~ e d
lllc body so disag~.enal)lcLo it ; ~ sto m:ike il lorsnlie it P And wl~ilsthis
1ni11t1~ r n sl ~ e r ~ : l ~ ~ x\viih
e d hi1r1i v:~r.icly US t l ~ u ~ i g l ~ [11c s , laid :~sicle all
coilrcrn Cur the carcass, a r ~ dt i ~ r c ~itr nw:ly ; for now tic yrerccivrd lllnt
11;s rnotlicr, \vlric:l~Iritd r~nl,serlliirn so tcndo~;y : ~ n d h:id suckled lrin~,
wns t11:1t Sonicthirig \ v h i d ~ \\-:IS c i ~ ~ ~ ~ :.~ :!l111
r l o [ rvo111
l i t ~ ~ r t ~ c e e (:rI11c dthose
nclioiit; 11). \rlii(>lr slie it~n\rc.ti11t.1.(::II.(.of I I ~ I I I , :rnd aUecIioii [o 1ii111,iilrd
not Corn this in-clivc hod)-; hnl. Ih:il. .lhc k~odywas lo it o ~ l l yas nrl
inslrnnlr~~t o i tool, like his aliige1 \rliich he had 111:lde for I~ir~rst~lf, with
~vh:hicli11c usi:d io fight with the ~vildheasls. So i11:lt. rr<)\v, all his rc~gard
to tile body \\-:IS rcrnorcd n ~ r dtr;~l~sf'c~rrcd lo lli:lt, by \vliivll tlic body is
governed, and hy n-hoae po\vcr i l n ~ o u r s . Nor tind 11c any olllcr desire
but lo mwkc eni~niryaflcr that.
23. In the Inc:ln lime llie C:LI~P;ISS of llie Roe b(xg;m lo ~rulril'ya r ~ d
eniil noisorr~rv:\\poss, \ ~ b i e h.;till inc.rt.;rscd his a ~ c s s i o nt o il, so illat h e
did no1 care to see it. TI was not Iorlg ;rTtt!r, llint Ilc chnnccd lo see
t\v9 ravens cnaaged so R~rionsly lllat orrc of Lhem strrrek down lllc
oihcr sl;n.k de;icl; and xrhcn hc llad (~(JIII!, he I;e;nn 10 si.r:~pcl \\-ill1 his
cls\rs till hit hati diggcd n pit in I\-liich lie buricd tt~ct c:~rcnss (I!" his
ndrers:\~.y. 0111 ~ ~ l t i l o s o ~ r oh>~'rvirig
l~cr Lhis, -;:lit1 lo himself : 111r\r well
C

has 'this raven dolie in burying Llie body of Iris cor~~p:rnion,t l ~ u u g hhe
did ill in lrilling him ! IIow lunch grrntrr reason was Lhere f9r rrlc t y
4
 have t e e n forward in performing this office to my mother I :. IJpon this
h e made a grave, and laid his ~ n o l l ~ e into r it, and buried her. He
proceeded in his enquiry conceri~irig\vl-~atthat sl~onltlhe by \vIiich the I~ody
was gor~erned, hut could not aliprt!hend ~ v k a tit was ; \v11c11 he looketl
upon the rest of thc roes, i ~ n dperceived Lhat they were of the same
forin and fignre v:ilh his ~nolhcr, li(: beli(!ved that there was in every
one of lhem somelhisrg which governed arid actu:llcd them, like that
a h i c h had actuated and gorernod liis rriotbcr formerly ; arid for llie sako
of that likeness he uscd to keep in their company-, and show aficction
towards then). He conlinued a 11-11ile in this condition, cnn1cmpl;tting
the various hir~dsof aninials and pl:iiits, a d walking a l ~ o a tthe coast of
his island, to see if he could find any thing like Iriniself; (as he ohsrrved
that ovcry inc1ividu;~l ;mimnl arid plant had a greal rnsny ruore like it.)
But all his search was in vain. And when he perceived that his island
was encompassed by the sea, h e thought lliat there was no other land
i n l l ~ e\vorld hnt only that island.
2.5. It happened that by collision a fire was kirldlotl among a parcel
of reeds or canes ; which scared him at first, as hcing a sight which h e
was altogether a stranger to ; so t l ~ a t he stood at a distance a good
while, strangely sl~rprised; at lasl h e cairre ne:trer and nearer by degrees,
still observing the brightness of its light, and its marvcllous cflc;~cyin
consurning every tiling il louchetl, and changing il into its own n:lturc ;
till at last, his adrniralion of it, and t l ~ ; ~innate
t boldness anti fortitude,
\vhich God had implarlted in his nal,urc, ~ ~ r o ~ r i l ~hi111
t c d on, so that he
ventured to come near it, and stretched out his h:~nil to take some of
it. But xvl~cn it burnt his fingers and lie folmd there Tvas no dealing
wilh it lbal way, 11e endeavoured to take a stick, which the fire had not
as )-et rvllolly seized u p o n ; so, taking holil on that par1 wllicli was
untouched, lie easily gaincd his purpose, and carried it holnc to I ~ i s
lodging (for he hatl contrived fur lliniself a corivenicnt placc). Tllere h c
kept this fire, and addcd fuel to it, adriiircd it ~vonderf~~llp, and lcnded it
night aud day ; at nigh1 especially, bccai~se its liglit anrl heat supl)lied
the absence of the sun ; so that he ~v;tscxtrrlnely delighted with it, and
reckoned it the most cxccllerit of it11 those things \vhich he hiid about
him. A r ~ iwhen he ohserved Ihnt it always no red nl)\ral.ds, IIC persuaded
liirnself that it was one of lliose celestial subslances \vlric!~he saw shining
in the firinanicl~t,a ~ l dIic! was conlis~nallytrying of its power by Lllr~milig
things into it, whicl~ ILe perccired it operated upon and consnmed.
sornetitries socrler, somelimes slower, according a s the bodies ~vlrichhe
put into it were rnore or less cornb~istiLle.
26, A i n o ~ ~ g sother
t things ~ ~ h i che
h put in, to Iry its strength, Ile
once flung in sonie fish u,hich ]lad becn cast ashore hy the water, and
RS soon as ever lie had smelt the sleam, il raised his apl~ctite, so that
he had a rrlirtd to tiislc of then1 ; x l ~ i c hhe did, and found thorn vcry
agreeable ; and Corn that time he hegiun to use 1.ilnself to the eating of
flesh, and applied llirriself to fisliing a i ~ dhuntiug till he understood those
sports very well : upon this account he adrriired liis fire more and more,
\vatcr. So the an.Llomizt's insLru111::1 ' 5 are soinn for S:issioii, others for
Ipraclion, and ollicrs for Pi?r.for:ilior~. A71d ii~ns, tho:lgh llic bady was
One, ?.c+ tl~atgovcrrling ~ p i r i l III:II~(> I;.;(! IJS it in sevi!r:!l XT:L~J, acc:ording
Lo the I s ~ ~ r n . ; nnd]
ll rclspc~ctivcriics ol' e,icli I I I C ~ I ! I ~ii!111 I , , L!ie s2vrr:tl
cud* \vJlic11 it 111.o11ils~~il to ol~la-11.
2 . Tl111lilie r)(v'cei~i'd that t l ~ ~ \WP. r e :ill this \\-liilc but One .Ani~nal
Sl~irit,irliont, action, \ \ l ~ e n11c rnaile use of Llic Eye. w:is Sigh1 ; when of
Ihc E;lr, IIrarinx; \\-lien of tlio Xose. Srncllirig; \v11e11 or t l ~ r 'l'ong~e,
Tastirig; and w h m of t11o Skin ar~tlFlcsll, F ~ i ~ l i ~ i g\Vl~cn . it vr~lploycd
a n 1 i 1 1 ti1~11ils ~pcl.ation\v35 Molion ; ilrld ~vhcriit r~i;~dc IISO of l110
l i ~ ~ r rNutrilion
. in~dCo:ic~oclion. Anrl t11:1t, Ihonal~tilere \\-ere menrhcrs
filled 10 c\vry onr of il~esc! nscs, yet IIIJIII! of Llic.111csonld 11cii.forin Llicir
rcslxv!livcb offircs X\-ill~oul, Iinvins cor~.crpo~itl~,nc.c \ v ; t I ~ tlrnt spirit 11smc.;tn-:
o l llie rlervc.; ;!n11 I11;il i f , at ariy Lir~~c,,i l cli:a~~:edIli;~t thtxir I I ~ I S - : I ~ I ~ S
\vc:r~~ciIIi(?r t~rol<r,r~ off or ollstr~~r:[cd> s~tr!i :I I I I P I I I ~ I I\~V U I L I L he
~ :~Ilog~:ttr~?r
11~?1t~s<. Kinv l l ~ r s cnerves clrrivc! this s[lil,il I'SIIIII lktc lirain, \\-11ic11 ~ I : I S
it fro111 the 1ic:~rt(arid ccinl;rins o1~1t11d:inrc OS spi~.il,hcc:ti~se il i s divirled
into :I gro:tt n1:lrry partitionsj : I ! I ~ 1,). whnl rrlcnlls so:'vcr :In\. li!r~lj i:;
d'l~rivcd o f 11is ipil.it, ils avlion ccaacn, and it is lilcc to :L r:rsl-iil'f lool,
not fit for list, l l r ~ di f Ll~is spirit dvp:lrl nl~ollyfro111 tl~c?botiy, or is
conuutn~d or diasolred h? any lr11~:ins\vl~:~fioe\~er, tlleri t,lhe vllcile liody is
depi.i\-c!~lof ~ril~lion irll at once, a116 rctlnc:cd to n slatt? of deatl~.

30 Thus f;ar h;td his ohncrvations lisoughl I~iinl ;iliout the erid of
the 'l'hird S(!renll~Vcnr of his axe, viz., when lie \\.:I.; onc and t\\-\-c<rrty
years old. In \rlri(.ti tirire he hiid ~ n n d c;i\iu~nd:,i~ceol prelly eoriiri~nnccs.
IIc rnacic, 11irnsc:lf 11ot.h clollii~narid sl~ocsof ihcl sltios of ine11 \\riltl hensls
as 11t. 11:rll di::ic~lrd. H i s tlrrcnd \r,rs madc c;f I:;~ir, anti of t l : ~bark of
t110 slalhs of Alill:lr~:r; 1 1 ; 1 I o s or an\- other ril::iit,s, \vl~icl~afforded sncb
slringsas \vcro f i l for ttial pllrl?ose. HP lenrni~d Lhc rn;iltitig ol t t ~ e i o
threads fro~ritile use he lrnd made ol' the rna11c.i !~cfore. HP rnade a ~ l . 1 ~
of slinrp thorns, :rnd sl~lirltersof cane, sha~l)ened\\-it11 flints. fle Icnrlreil
Illc :rvl of bi~ilding froir~ Llic oliscr\ations he ni:ic!e n l ~ o nthe s\~allo\vs'
nilils. He linilt 11iiuaelC a store-llouse anit a plirriry, to !ay up L11c
rern;li~rdcrof llis provisior~ i n : :in11 n~:itlt! a dour lo il of cilrie.; l\vistod
toge'lt~~~., 10 D Y P V C L I ~a ~ i yof (11c IJC:\I~S$ C ~ ~ ~ in I c111ririg
IR liis iilis~rirc. FIB
Loolr bi~.tlaof p1.c). aucl broi~~ghtl i ~ c i ~1111 i Sou l ~ ; i ~ \ . l i ~ n;gI ;I I ~ lic11t la~iic
[x!~lltl-!. fur thc~ir csg* :md clii1~1rc.n~.lie tool< I.he lip> of the h1lSS;tlo's
111ir11s:rr~d~ : I S L C I lIl(i' ~ ~111>011
li f11c sli.ong~>itcanes tl~:il11c could gel, :i11d
st:i+es of (hc t r l ~ =;~l-znn*;rrlrt otllers; and SIJ? lnrtly by the help ol
firc, kr1111pnrfly of slrzlrp-er1gc.d slorins, JII. qo l i l t ~ ~lllcli~ ~ l that llrc) s e r ~ c d
hiru irlstc:ad o l SCI rrluny ~ ) c R ~ sIIc. 111:ldc hi111 R rllicld of birlcs fuldi~l
1ogctl1c.r. All t l ~ i rjl:lir~.; hc loiili lo Cui.11ii11lii~nicll\villl ;c~.tifiui:iIwcnlmns,
l~ccauscIre f'uitlrd I\ill~sel('tiesliiriie oi' ~~:ilni~nl ot1r.i.
111. S(m. \\-lrc~nlic l~~~r.i:c~i\-cd 111:~t 1 1 i11:ir11l iupllliiv! :I!! l!~cie dclccls
\vcll, :rrl~l tllnt none I,? all Ilia v:rlioii-: lti~iilz oI wild bo:rsls duist
st:incl :~gi,ii~il l1i111,I J U ~ KIII ; L \ Y : lrc;!~
I~ hi111,:!r~il\v~!rc too 11i1n11:vfor iii111,
lie I J C ~ ~ L LtoI co~ntri\-eIIW 10 IJO eve11 \rill1 111e111, arlcl tllotigl~t 111~1.c
 tvould be no way so proper as to ~11s.io~e out some of the strongest and
swiftest h ~ a s f s of the island, and ])ring ilieln up tame, and feed them
ni:h proper food! ti!l they wonlti lvt hi111 hack then^. and then he riiight
pursue the olher kinds of wild beasts. There were in thal island both wild
horses and asses; Iln rlloqe of l-1ol11 sorts such :IS seemed filtcst for his
pnrpose, an11 I Jesrrrcibc~ he niade iliem so gentle and tractable that lie was
colnplelc m;lstt?r of his ~vishcs. ilnd \vllcn he Iind rnadc o i ~ of t the skins of
he;rsts s i ~ c hthings as served hirn cornpelently well, instead of bridles and
s:iddler, Ilc col~ldw r y easily then overtake FTICI~ bcasts as he could scarce
crer h:ivc been : ~ h l elo have crn~$IltL! any other manner of ay. IIc made
all tlrepe rlis(:o~crics~~-1iilqt he x7:is employed in tlir! study of ar~atomy,and
tllc se;rrcl~irig out OS the proper tic!^ peculiar to c;rch part, and the difference
bcl\vcen Lllri11; and all lllis ahonl that lirne I speak of, viz.,the age of Slyears.
3%. IIe tl1c11 proceeded firrthrr 1.0 ex:lnrinc? t11e nature of bodies in
this snblurlary lrorld, viz. : - The diffei,cnt lrirlds o l nnirllals, plznts,
minc~rals,acd pcreral sorts of sloncs, e n ~ l h ,\\.ater, exhnl:itions. ice, snow,
hail, sn~oke,11oar-frosl, ~I;LLIIP. and 11~x1. In \vhi(:li 11c olrser~eddifferent
rlu:~litirs, alld diffrret~t ; ~ c t i o ~ ~and e , that their n~otions agreed in some
rcspt't.ts, o l ~ ddiffered i l l atlrerr : :iiid considering these thi~igs\r-ith grcat
application. he perceivc!d that tlioir qualities also a p e d in sorrie tl~ings,
and differed in othcrs ; artd Illat, so far s s they agreed, they I\-erc One;
hut, when consitlcrcld \\-ill1 rrl:~tion to lheir difl'crcnccs, a great many :
so fl~:rt, when lie came to coi~sider tlic prope:.tics of things, by \vhich
they \YCI.C dislinpnishcd one from another, h e fonnd thal they multiplied
so fast upon him lhnl it was impossible for Iri~n to comprehend them.
Nay, when he conside~.~tlthe diRercnce of his o\vn limbs, \vhich 110
pcwcii\~cclwere all distinct orir fro111 tl:c olher, by some property ancl
action pc~.uliar to each, il seea~etl t o hi111 that there was a Pl11r:ility in
hi, o~\~11 epsencc. And, \\--hen he looked upon any one nlen~hcrhy itself,
~ I Pft1111ld tliat it nrigl!t he divided into n great lriany pnrts; from wvlience
he eonclud(:d that Lliere mnsl needs be a Plurnlily in his own essence,
and not only in his own irut in every other also.
33. Tiicri 11c cntcrcd upon anoiher sort of sperillntion of the second
ltinri, 11y \v!>i(*l~ Ile p ~ r c c . i ~ cllral,
d Lhongh llie [hiffcrentj p ; ~ r l sof his body
r ~ c r eIllan!-, ye1 tk11.y w\.rr.c conjoined and colr~pacted iogc>th?r so as to
III;I!CP O I I ( ~ I~ody, :(!Cl lllnl \rh:it iliffCr.i~~~~'e 1h1'1.e W ~ L S hclwveen t,heni
(~ot~sisic~d only in the di1fercnco of tllcir arliori<, - \vliicli tiirersity
yroi.~cdrd Srom Lha t :~ninial srririt, the nature o f \vhich h c had ht!fore
re:iri~hcdinto and Connd onl. Now lie knc\r that his spirit \vas One in
13sri!tiri', ;lrril \ Y ~ S se:111y l l i ~~ ~ i b s t a i l cofe his I~cing,and that all 111e rost
of tllc nle~nhcrsscrrc ihal spirit as i~~stl.i~rlicnls ;>;rnd ill this rchpci.t l?e
l~erccirc!l liis own csscnri. i.o 11o One.
3 . 111, 1 1 r o ~ e 1 1 1frorti
~ d II(~IIC(> to the ~onsi~ii'~.:~tii)ri 01 ;ill tllc specics
uf aninlnls, ;:nrl h ~ r r i i i 1Ii;il ever.y iilcli~.idiinl of llrc~n\lTils On(,. Ncxl 11e
co~isidcrcd tllclii \viil~ rcg:~rll to tlieir dilferenf hpucicls, viz., ;IS Roes,
IIursc~,Aiscs, I l S of i~irds ar.r.oi.~linc: tc, tl~cxir k'nilu, ; ~ n d!le
perceived l11al all t l ~ eindividu:~ls of every species 12-crc csnclly like one
another, in the shape of their part:;, Loth within and withoul ; Ihat their
apprehensions, motions, and inclinations mere alike ; and Illat those little
differences, wliicl~ \*,ere visible amongst tlrem, were inconsiderable in
respect of those Inany things in which they agreed. Frorn whence he
concluded thal the spirit \Tliieh actnalcd :my specirs pe as orie and the
same ; only distrihntcd a n ~ o n gso marry hcarls as tlierc were individuals
in lhat species, so that, if it \i7cce possible for all that spirit, which is so
divided aniong so niany hcarls, to he collected into one receptacle, it
would he all the sarne thing, -just as if any one liquor should be poured
oiit into several dislics and aftcr~rarda put all togcllier again in one
vessel ; this liquor would still he the same, :rs lvell n l i e i ~i t was divided,
as ~vl-hcni l was ;ill together, orily in ~c5pec:t of that division il may he
said in some sort or seiise to he nlnltiplied. By this w a y of coiltelnplation
lie perceived that a \vlloln specics \Y;IS one arid t l ~ csame Ihing, anti t11;1t
thc multiplicily of individuals in t l ~ rs;irne spccirs is lilte tlic iliult,iplicit,y
of parts in lhc saiile pcrsorl, wiiiclr illdeed are not many, i. e.: are
only One.
35. Then hc represented in his mind all the several k i n d of animals,
and perceived that sensation, and r~ntrilion, and the po\rer of moving
freely wilere they pleased, was coriilrlon to thein all ; wliich actions, he
was assured before, were all very propiir to lhc arrinial spirit,, and tbat
those lesser things in which they diflerctl (not\\:itlistanding their agrrelnei~t
in these greater) \+,ere not SO proper to that spirit. Frorn this considera-
tion h e cor~cltided that it ~ v a sonly one and tlie s;mie animal spirit which
actuated all living creatures whatsoever, tl1oug11 illere was in it a lilllo
difference which each species claiined as peculiar to itself. For instance
suppose the same water be poured out into tiiffcrcrit vessels, that \\-hicl1
is in this vessel may possibly he somt:wl~at warrrler than thal wlrich is
in another, though it is the same \\-ater still, and so wcry degree of lirat
and cold, in this water in the several vessels, will represent ihe specific
difference which there is in animals : And, as that mater i i all one and
the same, so is that ar~ilnalspirit Onc, tliougl~ in sorue respecl tlic!re is a
sort of multiplicity. Arid so under (his notion he looked upon the whole
spocies of living creatnres to be :ill One.
36. After\\-ards cc1nietr7plating the diSS('ri?ni species of plants, as Ire
had done before of animals, h e yerceiveti llrat the iridi\-itlunls of every
species :~iilrc,both in their boughs, leaves, Ilomers, h i t s , and ~iiirn-
ner of growing. Arid, coml~aringtllcrli with animals, he fourid th:it there
must needs he sornc one thing which they did a11 of tlicnl parlake of,
wllich was the sarnr lo tliern that lhc anim:~l spirit was to the living
crcatnre, arrd that ill respect of that l l ~ r ywere a11 One. IT'tiereiir~url,
taking a view of all tlitl scvcral ltinds o f plants, 11c conolntied 1l1;rt. tl~cy
were all One and tlic same, by reason of that ag~,eemciit\vhich Iic Io~ind
in their actions, viz, tllc'il. nourishmenl :~ntlgrowing.
37. Then he comprehended, iri onc single couccplinr~, the ~ ~ - 1 ~ o l c
ltinds of animals ;~irdplants Iogcllit~r,;LIIIIfou~idthat I.Ircy \Yere 1)otli alike
in their nutrition and gro\ving, only tllat the aliirnals excelled the plants
in sensation and apprehension; and !-of he had sometirnes o1)served
sonletliing lilre it in plank, viz., that soine flo\vers do turn themselves
towards the sun, anti 111x1 pl:u~ls cxtt!nd fheir roots in that \isay \\,hence
their iiourishnicnt comes, arid sollie other s n c l ~like lhirigs, from whencc
it appenrcd to hiill that l)l:\~ifsa i d airiirials wcrc One and tlie ::%me, in
rrspec.1 of that Oiic Tiring whic11 was conlmoll to tllcri~bolh ; which
was indccd Inom perfwt in illc onr, and rnore ohstrncted arid restrained
in the ollicr; like ~\,alcrthaL is partly runnirig and parlly frozen. So
tliat he concludt~dthat III;LIILC and ariimnls \~crc?all Ollc.
38. He ncut ci~r~si~lcrcd those bodies xvllich I~auc neill~crsense,
nutsition rlor gro\vtll, s u c l ~ as stones, carfh, nir and ~ I ~ I I I 1v11ich
P, Ire
pcrceived linti all of lhern three dimensions, viz., Lenglh, Breadth, and
Thickness, ancl tlrat tlleir dirJertxn[.~sc:~nsistnd or~lyin h i s , thal soine of
thcrn werc coloured, others not; solne \\me warrn, olhcri cold, arid the
likc. IIe observed lilat lhosc bodicis wlrieli werc warm, grew cold ; alld on
the contrary thal. those ~ \ ~ I i i cwere
: ~ cold, grew \\.arm. Ile saw that water
was rarifitd inlo vapors, and vapors again rondensed into water; arid that
sucli things as wcrc biirnt, \yere tilrncd into co:rli, ashes, flame, and
smoke; and if in its ascent it mere intercepted by an arch of stone or
the like, it thicltcned tlicre and was like otl~ergross, eartllly substances.
From whence it appeared to hirn that all things were in reality Onc,
tliougl~ nlnl1iplic.d nrld diversified in some certain respects, as tlic plants
and aninlnls \\we.
31). Thcii, consitlcrirlg \'it11 11i111selfwhat that corninon thing must
Ire, in which l l ~ cS;iincncss of the sninl:tl.; and ~ll:rntn did consist; he saw
that it nrnjt 11c solnc Rody, likc ll~oscbodies, which h:rd a thrcelold
dimension, viz., len:tli, breadth, and Llriokiiess; and thal, whether it
\isere 1101 or cold, it \\-as like uric of those olller bodies which have neither
sense nor nutrition, and differed from the111 ol~lyin those operations which
arise from tlie orgnnical parts of ~)lants and animals. And h a t , in all
likcliiiood, those oper:rtions were no1 essential, hut derived from sorncthirig
else. So that, if those olrcrations were to be co~l~tnuriicatedto tliose
ot21er bodies, tlicy \\-o~ildbc like this. Considering it therefore abstractedly,
\i.itl~rcgnrd to its esscucc ol~lg, as stripped of thosc operations wliich,
at first sight, s ~ e i n e d 10 flow from it, he pcrneired that it was a Ijody,
of tlie sanlc kind with lhoae other bodies; npon \vhicl~ contc~rnplationit
nl~l~earedto hini t!~at all hodies, as \\-cl1 those that liad life, as those
that had it not, as \vi:ll those that moved, as those that rested in their
natliral P ~ R C C J , v8(:re One ; only there were sorne actions in some of then)
~ r l ~ i cl~roceedcd
h fro111 their org;~nicalparts ; concerning wl~ichaclions he
could not yet delerrnine whclher they were cssc~itial, or derivcd from
sometiling \willront. Thus he cor~tirii~ed,considering notling but the
nature of bodies ; arid by tllis mcans he pcrcc~ivedthat, whcrcas, at first
sight, l'liings had appenrccl to him inriun~erableand no1 to bc compre-
hended,-;Vow, Ile discoyered the ~vlrole mass and hulk of creatures
were in reality only One.
40. 1Ie continued in this opinion a considerable lime, Then he
considcrcd all sorts of hodies, bulli -rliinnte anti ina~iinrale,which at one
while s'cmcd to hirn to be orrc, auii :il a~~ol:lr?r to he ;I great rn;iny. And
11e found t11;lt all of them had a t e ~ ~ d c n cc:itlrcr
y upward, ;IS siiiokc,
flnn~c and air, \1'1icl1 dc9fainod ui~der water; or cl-e downward, ;is
\vaicr, picoes of earth, or pnrls US aninral-i :in11 plnnts ; and th:rt non\, of
these bodies were frcc Srom one or otl~cr. of thrse icndrncics, or ~ o n l ~ l .
ever lie still, unlt~ss hindered by soxrle oHrer hotly. allcl interrupted in
their collrsc ; as when, for il~stalicc, a stone in its fall is aloppcci I I llie ~
solidity and hardrie,ss uf the carih, n , l ~ e it
r ~is plain that it \vonlrl otl~er\visc
fall lo the ground, or rather cor~tirit~cstill tiesccnding ; so smolic dill
conlinncs going up~vards; and if it should Lt. interccpfnd by n solid aroh,
it would divide both to the r i ~ h l ; ~ n dIcCt, :m:i so soon as it was Srced
froin thc arch, would still co~llinuc:~scending, and pass through L11c air,
which is not solid enough to reslrail~ il. So when a leollicrn bolllc is
filled wilh air :xnd slopped up close, if you l ~ u l dit a n d ~ rnaicr, it will
still strive to get up, till it returns to ils place of a i r ; :~nd lhen il rests,
and ils rel~ict.;incy:>nil propensity to :rsce~id ct~:~ses.
41. 'Ie t1lc.n enqnircd wlic:ll~er or no lrc conld lind any Ilotly that
was at any tiwe drstiinlc OS boil1 these molion-i, or a tc:ntlency lomard
them; but he could find notre s11c11 arnong all bodies \vl~ichhe lrad aboot
hirn. Tile reacoii o l Iliis enquiry \\-as, hccausc hc \\-as \*cry desirous to
know the nalurc of Body, :IS such, ahslract~dfrom all irlnnrlcr of q~lalities
from u~hcnccarises rnnlliplicity or dil-crsity or kinds. nut \\.hen he Sound
this too difficult a t:mk for him, ;md 11c 11:id csarninetl llio~t?hodics which
had the felvcst qualities, and could find riorie of them void of orie of
these two, - Hcavinrss or I.ig1itness - he proceeded lo txonsidcr the
nature of lhesc two properiics, and to cnarnine whether Ilicy did belong
to body quatenus Ijody, or else to so .le other qnnlily superad~lc!d to
body. Kow it seemed plairi to him t l ~ a lGr:~vity: ~ n dLer.ity did riot holong
to body as suol~; for, if so, then no Jiody coi~lclsubsist wilhout thcnl
both : nhcrcas, on tile contrary, \ve find I11:av:- Hodies whicll :we void of
all Cigt~lncss,and also some light bodies which are voitl of all FIcavir~c:as,
and yet \vithoilt dnnhl lhcy both are Bodies ; in each of \~11ic11there
is somct1,ing saprxradded to Corporeity, hy which 1111~1; arc disli~rgnishc~d
one from l11c otiier, :rnd lhat ma1ic.s the difrerence brt\vecri them; ulllc!r-
visc they holh \vould be ono and the sarnc thing i l l evt!l.y rczpect. I7ror11
~vlle~lccit :~ppearcd11lairlly tlrnt the F;ssence both of a heavy and of a
light body was coniposed of two things : one wl~ich\\-as rolnmon to them
Isotli, namely Corporrity, the oillcr, by \vhich they are distingniit~ed one
Erurn they other, viz., Gravity in the ono, and 1,cviiy in the other, w11ich
were superadded to the essence of corporeity.
42. In like riianner he considered other bodies, botli at~ilnalcarid
inanimalc, and fourld llieir esselice consisted in (:orporc,ily, :rt~din sorne
olie thirig or more superadded lo it. ilr~llthus lie att;lined a not,ion of
the f o r n ~ sof bodies, according to their differences. These v c r e the fjrst
things hc found oat, belongirig to the Sl~iritualWorld ; fur Ihcse fornrs
are not the objects of sense, but are apprehended by inlellectnsl spcculaticrn,
 Now, among other things of this kind ~\--hich'he discovered, it appeared
to him that the animal spirii TT-hiolr is scalcd in tllc hcarl (as TT--e linve
rncntioned bc.Sorlrj 11111sl neccss:~rilyh:lrr sorlle quality sul)cmddcll lo it?
cor1)orcily; ~ \ - h i t *1.ci1~1crcd
l~ it r.ap:tbIc! of those \ V O I I ~ C ~ Iacl,io~ls,
'LI~ dirfereiit
sensalions arid \my> of ap;;rehcnding tl~ir~xs, and various iorti of molir~ns;
and 1l1;lt t,llis clli:~liig must h(: ifs So:.i~i by \vliich il is d i s ( i ~ ~ g n i ~ hfro~li
ed
olhsr bodies (whicli is the r;tnic that Llic !~hilo~oplicrsc;ril tile sensitive
sorllj; and so ill j)I:li~t'l, that \:4iirh was in them the szme that rudical
rr~olsturc was in iie:l.;!s, TYZS somcthirrg prt~j)c~r to them, which Tvas their
form, \rl~icli lh~: philt~~oplicrscall t h ~veget,:rti\-c: sonl. And that there
was also in ilia~~in~ilit! t l ~ i r ~(na111eIy
~s ill1 bodies, l~eiides plants and
aninials, \vJlit-I~are i n this s~ll)hlriary \\-orld) sor~icthinp peculiar to thcm
by tlie power ol mllicli every orio of t l i c r ~ ~pcrlorincd such actions as
Tiere prope' to it; nn~nrll-various sorts of ~rlotion, and diffcrcnt kinds of
- -

sensible yualiiics, and th:rI thiiig \\.as the fonn of erery one of Ihern;
and tliis i s Llie samt? which the philosophers c*;ill 3:itore.
43. And ~vlien, by this contemplation, it :rl~pc,arod to hiin 1)i:ririly
that lllc lruo Esscr~ce of Ilint Animal Spirit, on which he 1::rd been so
inlcnt, was cornponr~tledof Corporcity anti of some other quality super-
added lo thal corporrity, aud Ilia1 il hnd iis corporciity in connnon with
other bodies; but that tliis olher quality \vliicl~ was supcmddcd was
~~cculiarto it : inlnlcdiaiely he sligllted arid dcsl~ised the notion of
corporeity, and aliplicd hi~nself ~vhollyto that other superadded eluality
(\~hi.hich is the s a ~ n c lllal Tve call the sonl), tllc nalnrc of which hc
carrlestly dcaircd lo kno~\-. Therefore lie lixed ali his lhongllts upon it,
and hcgan liii conternp1;rtion witii corrsidcring all botlies, no1 as bodies,
but as e r ~ d ~ ~\\-itl~
e d fe~rnlsfrom whence neeessari1)- flow these properties
by ~vhich they are distinguial~cdone from another.
44. Kow, by following a11 this notion and colmyreliencling il in his
~nind,he I~erceivcdtlial ali l~odieaIr:~d one Forrn in oonlrrlon from whence
one or niore actions did proceed. Arid t11:~lthere \>mre: solnu of lhese
bodics and clio ions which, altllo~rght,lic.y agreed will^ a11 the rest in that
one cornn~or~ forrr~, had another form llcsides supcrnddctl lo il, from
~ v i i e n csonic nclion.; l>ri)ccc.tled. And fi~r:hc,r, {.hat there \vas anolhcr
sort \\-llicil, agreeing xvilh the rest in those t\~,oforms ~vhich Lhcy lrad,
was still dislingnishrd from thcm by a third form, snperadded to lliose
oilier two, from \vhonce also proceeded sorne actioil.;. For insl.ance, all
tcrrcslrial botiies, s11ct1 :LS earth, stones, mint.mls, plants, :,nimals, anti all
otllcr heavy botlies, do make u p one in n ~ l n ~ l ~~vldch e r , agree in llie same
form iron1 wl~enccflows the propcrll- of descending conlinnally, mililst
tllcrc is nothing to hinder Llieir descent : and mhenioever they arc forced
to lnorc up\\rards, if lliey are left to llicrnselves, they immetiinteiy, by
t t ~ cpo\vcr of llieir form, Lend d o ~ n ~ v a r dagain. s I\'o~v>some part of this
number; viz., plants and animals, though they do agree with all that
C
mullitode before lrtentiorled in that form, get still have another form
f snperadded to it, Irom wllcncc flow Nulrition and Accretion. Now the
c
meanin8 of nutrition is, wlien tlie body that is nourished substitutes, in
2
!
1
the room of that \vliicEi is eorraurr~cii ::lld ~ ~ a s t t !Troln d ilsell; ~olncthiiig
of Ihc liko kind, wl~icllit draws t r ~itself, mid Lhcn coriverls illto its oxvn
snbstanc:e. Accretior~, or groc.ir!g, is a moiiou ;rccordi~lg to tlrc tlirec
ttirnensioris, viz., length, breadth, cl t,hickness, in :L due proportion.
And tlicse two actions are coainlon lo pl;ii~tsand arlirnals, anti do, \~illiont
clonlit, npr.iti;!: froirr tJ1:ll rorrn x1-1iicl1 is colnnron to tliclli boih, \vl~icllis
~vlial \,;c c.all tlic Vr,grlnlivc Sonl. Now, part OS tliis r~ialtiiudc, viz.;
animal$, lliough [xvhilit] t l ~ c yI l ; i \ ~the fivsl ancl sccorld for:r~s i n common
with the rcit, hnvc still a llrird for111 snperndded, Gom \\-it11 ;~riscScnsn-
lion and Loc;~l Notion. Ileqidcs, h(? percci\-rid that evcry particlrlar
Species ol' aniin:rls 111ld sonic propcrI\- \\~l~ic.li dirlingr~islicd it, and n~acle
it quite different from the resl.; : L I I ~be knem tll;rl this differerrcc must
arise from sorrle fctiuti; peculiar to lliat appcics, \\.hiell vT:ls solieraclded to
the notion of i.il;tt for111 \\-hicl1 it had in colnnloti \rill1 the vest of anin~ale.
And the likc 11c sax\- i~appenedto the several kinds of pl;~rlfs.
45. Also it \ras evident to hi111 tli;ll llle ~ S P ~ I I C E of S tliose scnsihle
bodicr, \\,ihich are in lhis snblurl:~r!~worltl, 11:ld some of them more
qualities snpcraddrd to ll~circo:.l,orciiy, and ollrers, fexror. Ko\v, he knew
thal Lhc IJ~~derstnndingor l l ~ efc\ver 1111l'il ~ I E C ~ IS J ~sr~ore ens! t o lriiri
than Lhe andr!rsl:lnding of tlro~e wl~ich were mow ill ni~nlbcr. 12nd
therefore Ire cudearoul.cd to gcl a Irnc lrotion of the Sonn of sonic one
thing \vl~ose (mencc \\as l l ~ ernosl iiinl~lca ~ i dunco~~~poundc~tf. Now, lie
perceived that lfic e*sence of a~rini;~ls alld plant.; co~isistetl o l ;I great
many prop(?rlie~,~ P C : L I I S C of the gre;~t varipty ol' their operatiorls; [or.
which reason h e drrrried enyairing inlo their forms. As for Illc p:irts of
thc Earth, he saw 1l1;rt s o ~ n c of l l ~ c r ~xvcre i rnorc si~nplc than others;
and tlicrcrore he rcsolved to ljc~ginhis enquiry witli thc niost iimple of all.
So he perceived that \ n l c r was a t l ~ i r ~wlioic: g essence was not coiiipolmclcd
of Inany qnalilics, whicli al)penrctl fro111 the paucily 01 thosc actio!~s\vllich
arise from ils foi.ui. Tlic salne he lilccwiso ohserved in fire arrd air.
46. Now, hc 11:1d a nolion hef'ove Ili:tt all these foiir n1igl11 be
cl~nngcd one into n~~othpv ; nnrl I l ~ c r t . i i ~ r1~1 1 1 ~nirlst
r~ hc sornc onc3 tiling
xvhiclr tlhey joi~itly pn~,lil.ip:rted ol; and III;II this ihjng v a s c.oq~ort,ily.
Now, it TT:I;:ncccssxry 1 i s I I ~ i l r 1 1 1 ~v;is conirnoll to tl~rln
1111 shonltl he a l t o p ~ l l ~ cFroo
r f r o n ~those r[ualil.ics 11y wllicli llr{,sr fo11r \vtxre
distinguis1;rrl oric frl~nrtlic oilrev ; i11111 liii 11eili1~1. 11~:t\.ynor liglrl; hot,
nor cold; moist nor dry; h t ~ c m s crlonc of tliesc* rl~iz~liti~!~ w ~ r r ?( : O I ~ I I ~ I O I I
10 all I~otiies, : ~ ~ i r Llii~rclort!
l conld iiol apporlzin to Body as sncl~. And
tll;lt, if it \vc.rr possible to find ally sucli I!ocly in \\.ilich fhcrc was 110
ollicr f'ornr superadrl~tl Lo oorporcily, il \~oulcl~ R T - I : none of t11c.e ~ ~ n z l i t i i ~ s ,
nor indeed any ollicr 11111 ~v111~1 \~+el.ccornnion lo all bodies, wit11 w l ~ a t
Ihrni socver end~ictl. Ho considert?d Il~~!rr~forc wit11 I~in~cclf,to sec if 11c
conld find nrly one adjunct o r l~ropevly wlricli \\'as c o n ~ r n i !fo ~ ~all bodics,
bo!h :rniui;~le and inariirnatc; but Ilc i'onnd ~lothiilg of t2r;lt nn111ve, but
only lllc notion of Estensior~,ancl that IIC porcci\~c.ti was conilrlotl to all
bodies, viz., that they had, orle and all of tllem, length, brcadlli, and
tliicliness. Whence he gallicred Llial this propcrty belonged to Body au
 Body. However, his sense could not rcpresrnt lo him :my body existent
in Nalure \~--lli~ich had t,his orily adj11nr.1,:mil was voici of all otlicr forrl~a:
for lir saw ttl:~tcvcry one ol' tl~elriJrad sorrlc ollicr qnnlity sr~pcraddcd
to Lhc saii! Fxtcniion.
47. Then hc c o n ~ i d r r e d ,f~trtlrt~r,
mht>tlicr illis Three-fold Estcnsiun
vas Ihe very ns?erlc:r, of Eody or n o t ; and t h ~q11ic1d-y f o ~ ~ n t l besides
this l';stension, thcrr was :~r~otlicrin \vhich thih Eslcn.ii'on did esist, and
lhal this Exlcnsion could not s!111si~lhy itself, :is a!so the 11udy v-hich
\vas cxtcndcd conld not s1111rist hy itstxlf \ i i t l i o ~ ~extcr17ion.
t This he
e~prriincnlcdin sornc of lhoqe smsil)l(: bodics \vlrlcll :ire t?ndncd with
fosnis; i'or ex;l;ril!le, irl iday : \i?llic.l~ h? pcrxiu-(l, wv1rc.n mou!~ied into
any f i g ~ ~ r e sp!i~~~.ic;~l
- slrpposr - Iind in il n cerlkrin proportion of leoglll,
brrodth, an11 lhir.knt~.;s. l i ~ r l ft~c'rr.if 1.011 loolc lhnt rvry s:irnc l~all,;tr~d
reduced i i l into :I cnl1it2;:l or oi:\l fisln; ttic dilnensions \\.?re changed,
ar~ilditl no1 relniii lliu salve 13!.opi)l.tior~\il~icli tlic!y h:id 1~cfor.1~; and yet
the clny sllll rcrn:iincd tllc s;rlne. \~i!lrouta n y cli:wgil, only l l ~ a tit \\-:IS
nc>c~ss:~ry for i l lo bp ertendtd inlo Lcngllr, Rre:~dlt!, atid Tliickn~ss,in
some proporlion or n l l i ~ r ,and not he dcprircct of its dirncn.;ions : Yet it
17-ns plain to hi111 froln llrn snccossive alterations of tlinn~in thc same hody
that they wcrc distinct f~orri lli(1 c1:iy i t s ~ l l ; a.; also t,hat, l,ccau%c L11c
clny conld not bo altoputher ~vitliout ihcni, i l npj~tarcrl to hiri~that it
belonred Lo ilr: wspncn. ilr111 11111s fror~itliis cx11'~ri1rri~nt it nppenred to
him tlial llody considcretl ns Rotly was c o r r i ~ ~ o ~ ~ n dofc dtu:o ~ ~ r o p c r l i e: s
The one of wllicl, rcprcsenls tlic clay of \ilric11 tlic sphere xins made ;
thc oilier, l l i e Ihree-fold exprnraion of it, \i?rcn formed ir~to a sphere, a
cuhe? or ~ r l i n tother figure soeier. Nor \\.as i t pos.(iJ11~to conceive Body
hut as consiqtinp of thrae two propcrtics, ni.ither onc of ~riiichcould
srlhsist \rill~onl Lhc otlrer. K~rtIh:~tone, r ~ n r i r ~ lIhal
y of (~xtcnsion,which
was liahlc t o clrnnge, nlrti conltl sllc~crszi\rul?-put on rlil'Sc~~~i~rrl figures, did
n t form in :rll those hoclies \illicli hn(l fornis ; and that other
r r ~ ~ r ~ s cllrc
~vhich sfiil abode i r ~the sarrlc7 sinlc (~7-11irhwas Ilic clay, in our Inst
inplnnce) tiitl rrl11.cscnt corporrity, wl1ii.h is in all hodiee of what Cornrs
sorirr. i'jo~~,lhnt which x\-t:c:ill clay in Lhc rorf-goir~ginslnncc, is the
sarnc which ilie ~!l~il~rso~rl~cr.s call blaterin' prima [ tllc firs1 111nttcl.l :md
\11icl1 is \rlloll\- (1t~slilnt.t:of :l11 rrrxnncr of forms. (huly - Jj:Al)
48. When his conte~npl;~tion llad procccdcd thus far, nnd he was
eot to sonic dis:;irlc.e fro111 scrlsil~lcohjccls, nuti \\->-as jnst npon the
cor~fncs of the ir!tellr!i:tnal world, h c b r c n n ~ r diflident, and inc:lincd
rather to tlic s c n s i l ) l ~\vorld, wl~icliIrc \ras nio1.e nscd to. Therefore he
rclired fruru tllc coni;idr~,;~lion uS nhslr:~clerl Ilody, ( i i r ~ c e lie f o u n d tl~:rt,
his scuscs ci,nld ljy 110 rnca:is leach it, neithctr coultl lre rwrriprc,licnd i f )
xn~lnljpliecl 11irni.t:lS Lo Ihc con.iiicsr;itiori of the nit~sl ~inilllr pcnsible
11oilics lie col~lrlIjrid, \I-liich \7-c>rixthose loilr. alronl. \vi~ichhe had 1)ecri
cscrciscd. Ariil first of all he co~rsidcred LV:itcr, x:liii.h 11c So~iirti,if Ict
alone in llr:~t coriditon wirich ilr form reyrrircd, h : ~ d Ilii~sctwo thinas in
il, viz. s ~ ~ n s i l ~cold,
l e nnii n pr.o!~crijion 10 niov,: ili)nr~\z~ar.rls : Unt iS heated
by tlie firc or Lhe suii, ils coldners was reniovcd, but its propension to
move downwards still remained : iI it :iflerwards, w h e ~ l it came to be
rnorc! vchemenlly l~cnted, it lost it< fc~ntlency dov:n\\-ards, and mounted
upw:irds ; and .so il was \\.holly deprived o l hot11 ikoac properties mhicli
~1sc.d coilstantl!. to procccd fi.om it, anrl fro111 its form. Nor did he know
allyiliing ~riorcof ils Cor~:r, 11111only tl,nl tllci<: in.,1 :lciio:ls ~ ~ O C F C ~
from !I:encc : ixrid lvhen Ilicse t ~ ; o ccxai.ed, t11c n : ~ ! n i e o l ilic form was
alterid, mid tiio \v:ilciy ~ L I I ' ~ I I \vai rt~nlovetl fro111 ti~:itboil\-, slrlce tliere
appc;~r?din it a c t i c n \vJiich 1111l:;t nc,erls o\vc their origin Lo ariott~er
fonn. IIIierc!'o~.e it lniisl h n r c r ~ c e l v e d anolhcr forill, \vIiictr had not l!ccn
thcrc hororc, Crorri wt~id! arosc tliosc ;rr.tions, \v\l.l~iclirlcvor llseti to zppcar
in it \vllil'?l it li:id i l ~ eO!!I(I. f ~ r r r ~ .
49. Now h c kncm Lliat everything that was prodiiced anew 111ust
riec~ils1i:ire somc p r o d n c ~ r . And from this coillc~~ipl:~tiori lhcre arose in
his niiriti n sort OS imjircsaion of tile Rl;~ltcr OS i11;~lform. 01oriylr his
notiorl of hi111 was ;IS \.cl gcr~eral;lntl intlisiincl. TI1oi1 lit: p;:ilscd 011 tile
t!s:~r:iining oC tiirse Sart~iswhich Jie Iinc\v LcSilrc, rirle Ly o ~ i c , a n d found
that they mcre produced ar1c.n7, anti Illal. tllcy must of nccessity be be-
hol~len to sorne cffieier~tc:mae. Tiicir h e conrid::ri.d l l essences ~ ~ of forms,
anti found t l ~ : ~il~(.yi 11-i-orct notl:iug clse, I ~ n torily :r Dispo;itio~l of Biitly
to proclncc s~1c.11or soch actioni. For instnncc, IIT:llcr, ~ \ ~ l i cvery n mnch
hextcd, is (iisposed to risc up\\r;trds, and lhat Uisposilion is iis fornl. For
thcrc is nolllirrp p r ~ s e n liri t l i i ? motion but Body, and some things \'i.hicli
arc oi~scrcedto nriic Srorri il w!~icll were not iil i t t ~ ~ f o r (st1~11 e as i11ia-
1itic.s nrici moiionh) :nd Ihc Eflicici~:~ \vl\.:;ic+~
pro(lr:r.e i h ~ i u .Now, t,Iie fit,npas
of Body Cur one lnolior~ r:rilicr t1itrn for ailotk:c:r is ils I)ihl~osition and
Forill. I'lic same he C O I I C ~ I ~ ( ! P ~of all oihei. l o ~ . n ~ sand , it nppearcd l o
llinl tli:!L lllobe actions nI,ii.!i arorc. froiu tl!clii \rere not in renliLy olvifig
to ilicm, ]jut to i h e llio Kfficicrri C:nirse, \vho I I ~ : I ~ ! : use or lllcsc Cor121s to
produce iliosc nc:Lio~i:. \vliich arc t:ttrii,nlcd to lhein ( i . c. tllc Sorrlls ).
IJTlriah nolion of his is csnc.l!y tlle s:ilne wilh whaL God's A1!11s?lt: s:~ys :
=I :im liis ticnring h;. \rlii~*hlic Ircars, and 1:is seeing by \~-lliclrIre sccso.
Arid i n the oar-Stn : *You did not kill i'iiem, but ( h i killed Lllc111; when
liiou thromesl tllc d:irL-i, il \v:rs not tllou that ihre\vest liiem, but Gocl * .
Snrah . . . . , v . . . .
50. ?\TOIT,~ ~ l i chcn !\;id ntLn;r.cd thri;; C:K, SO :IS t o ll:nre il g e n c r d
n i ~ dini1isti11c.t~ i o i i o noT tliis - i ~ ; i , ~ h~ot , 11;ui a 1110st carrlcst desire to know
11iii: distiiirll>-. r\rld h ~ c n n x cI I C Ji:id not ;is yi:i. \~~itlidrn\r-~r Ilin~sclf from
tlip serisil~lc\vorld, ho ll:,:.rn~ lo look lor Illis 'v'oiuntary Agent alllung
aciisil~leIlling; ; rlor (!id Ire a;. yct know \v!~c~tlirril w::s one Agent or
.
mniiy. ,1Iicrc~oi.clie c~iiqnirtdslric!iy illto :ill s~icliI,irdi,~s;is h e lind n11out
Ili~n,via. t h i , s ~ ~v!iii!li 110 II::~! !wen cn~p!oyrd L a : I ,~nd lic
fcund that L.!I \vtxre ;{l,\ linl$!r~ to Gc!ler;:liori :incl Cosl.il)!lio:i: aiid if
{here \\-i:i,c ally \\-l~ir:Ii rli11 1:ol silffL,r n Loi:~l corrtipti~rn, ye1 lllcy \vilr,r
li:!blr. lo a p::cii:~l I![IP, ; I S V.ra.r,ter i~i!d Eartfi, Llic pni.rs of n.liicil ;~sc?
c o ~ i ~ i ~ ~l! ~ l lire.
r t i l.i!<ci;.isc ilc l~el.cci\.c~ii il!:;i Air \-a5 I)y oxtrt>~i~it,y of
! I i t I , I I i in!o v::i!:.i. : :;riiong all t!?c
rest uf llie bodies \.:hicl1 llc !lad been co11rc~s:tnl~villi,11e cuuid lilld llolle
which had not its existence anem, and required some Voluntary Agent
to g i ~ cii l~eina. Upon \vliic*ll accolrrlt he lnitl them all aside, and trans-
ferred his thoupl~lsto the considoraiion of llie li~wvenlyhodies. And thus
far hc re;iclicd i r ~11is po~~lemplations a21ont thc end of the fo~irthseptenary
of his n,gc', rja., ~vlicnIlc wtrs uighl, nr~dtwenlg- ycnrs old.
51. Now ho linc\v very well lllat lhr heaveris, and all the lulliinarics
in thelu, I\-PIT hotiies ; I~ccansethey were :ill extcndrd accor~dirigto the
thrc.c dirnc~r~sions I r r i ~ t h ,l~rc:~dth,and Lliicliness, wit,!~oot any cxceplion ;
and that crt?rylhing 121at x~~a3 SO e x t e n d ~ d\x.ils I h d y ; ergo, they were
all bodi1.i. 'rI;cn he considered r ~ c s l ,w h ~ t h c rthcy wcrc cstonded infinitely,
so as to .;L;,c:-l~ the~risclv~~s lo an cr~dlesslength, brc;tdlh and lhickness ;
or wheiher t!!cy viere ci,.ai~riscril]ttdby an\- limits, nrld fcrminatcd by sorne
ccrlain 1)<11!ridu,br\-o~~rl \vhic:h llierc cor~ld!c no e s [ < , ~ i ~ i o nBol
. here he
slopjird n \i.iiilc, :ls ill a kiriii of :rniazt.inrnt.
53. A t last, 11y lhr strength of 11;s ;~pprehcnsion, and sagacily of
his ufiderst~r~ding, h e perceived ~ h ; ~[liet 11olioil of infinite hotly was Yab-
surd and impossi!ilc, and a notion \vholly uninlcl!igiblc. He cor~firnled
hirnsolf in this jnrlgnient of his, by L: great rnnny arauments whicll occur-
red to him, n~henhc ihos argacii xvit21 1,irnsclf : *That this hc:tvenly body
=is Icr~riinnl<~tl 011 this side \yliiclr is next to 1110, is evident t o my sight :
And tl~.ntit pannot he infinitely extended on ihnt opposite side, which
eraircd tliis scrnplrt in me, I prove thus : Suppose two lines drawn, from
ethe estrcrriiiy of (his 1lcavc:nI.; k;ody, on that terminated side which is
%nextto me, xvl~irh lines sho~ildbe prodiiccd quite ~hrough this body,
*in infiniturn, according to the extension of the body; thcn suppose a
$long part of orlc of these lines cut off at this end \vhich is next to rne;
utheu t;:kc il'i: ~.cmaindcrof \+,lint was c r ~ toff, and draw down that end
.of i i mhei-c il \\,a.; cnt off, nnd lay il ercn wilh the end of the other
aline from \vh'~*iithere was n o l h i n ~ciit off; and let that lirrc mhic,h was
=s!ror!cned lit? l~rtrnllelwith tlic other. ; thcn ::uppose Ll~ernpassiag t!:rough
.(his body, ii!l you eorns to that s i d e which \ve snplposed to be infinite :
4I:iiLler yoli will find 2)oth Lhc:se lincs irlfi~~ilelg extended, and lhcn one
.of Ihert~canriol bci sliorter 1lr:m tlic olher, b ~ i tthat which had a par1 of
.it cut on' ill bc :IS long as that whicli was liot, which is absurd : Or
<else ! l ~ cline \vliic-l1 was c111 will not bc so long as that other, and conse-
sci!~w~tlly finitc : Ti!rrel'u~.c if you ad11 Ilia1 part io it which was cut off
<frc:in il at fir-;t,, \\-!llc.h was finiie, liie whole \xdl he linili.; and then it
.iri!l be n0 10liger or zliosior t,l~all Lhat line \\rliich had nothing cnt off
.h.o~ii i t , Iherc~orccclual Lo it : But llris is finile, therefore llie other is
afilrite. l'llc,rcrori: lhr I1ocIy in X-11ich such lines are or were draw11 is
~Iiriilc,:(nil all hodiw in nllieli sue11 lir~csm:ry lie drawn, :we finilc: But
arr~cllIiac's J I I , I ~ ,be drall-:I iii all hodics. Therefore if \vc s~lpposcan in-
*lii!ili~body, n . ~snppuqe an :~!?s~!r<!ity 2nd inipi~bsiiiility.*
52. (his) ST:!li3n, l>\' tl:c siri:<l~l:!r:;I~~t.rigilr
of 11is gcninb (wliicli lie exerted
in fiii!li~ix oltl siteh :L dc~iionit,r.;~ti:;~~), iic had s;ltih!iotl l~irnselfthat the
l i d : OS T!eu\.en \vns Iin'le; !ic desired, in 1111: rirxt jil:ii.e, l., 1<11o\vwhat
figure il \vns uk arid h o w il was limited by liie circnn~ar~lbierrt super-
ficies. And first he ohscrved the P ~ I I , moon. and stars, and ea\r that tllry
all rose in the East, and set in the West : and thosc nliich wrnt riglit
orer his h ~ a ddescribed a great [cl.] circle, hnl thoic ;l1 a gre;1tc1r dis-
tancc frorrl thc vertical point, >c-hcther no~lliwardor sotllh\vard, dt:.ierib['d
a lesser circle. So thal the lcast circles ~vkiichwtxrc dcscril?cd h). ;lny of
the stars wcre those t ~ v o~vlrich\vent r o l ~ n dthc 13%-oPole3, thtl one norlh,
ilte other s o u t h ; the last o l which i s t t l ~circle of S:lhayl ((:anopus- &a-);
thc first, the circle of thosc two stars U-hich arc cnllt~rl in Arabic al-
Farqadan. Now because h e lived u i i ~ l r rthe Eqninoctial Line (as wt? have
showed befovc), all those circlcs did c111 tllc~hrtriaon at right angles, and
Loth North and South xTcrc alilrc to Ihim, ;md lie conl(1 st3e lioth Polc-
Stars : PIe ohscrvcd thnl if a star arose at ; I I I ~linic in ;I circle,
and another Lar. at the rarrle tirnr in n Icssr~rcircle, ye1 nrverl.hi~less, as
tlier rose togetl~c.r, so fir(!! scl togol.h~r: : ~ n dlie observ~tl it of ;l11 the
stars. and al all t,inies. From ~vhcncc.he convludetl llial I l i i ~ l ~ t ~ : \I-:IS ~\~rn
of a spherical figure; irl \vhich o p i n i o ~ he ~ was co~rfirrncd by obscrvilig
the return of the sun, moon, and sii~rs to tlie tl:tst, aflcr their settin:;
and also, hecausit ttlcy ;~lwa).s appcarcd to 11i11lof the sanlc Iiigncss, hoth.
~vltenthey rosc, and when they 17;orc in ihe rliidst ol hr:rven, arld at
tlie time of their selling; \~llerens,i f f t i ~ i i~iotiolts
r h:~ri no1 h c r ~cireul:ir,
~
they musl liave hecri nearer to sight nt sori~c:tinirs llmn :tl otllers; and
consequently their dimensions ~vould ~ ; I P C :ippt~ar~(I proportirtnably prenler
or lesser ; 1;ut sincc tlrcrc was no ~ n c happe:rmnce, he concludrd ilrcit
their molions wcre circtilnr. Then he corlsidorctl lhc nlo!ion of Ihr moon
and the plancts from \lTcst to East, till at last h e undcl~slood;I grcnt pari.
of astronomy. Besidcs, hc ;~pprehc~ndedthat tllc~ir motio~ls\\-ere in dif-
fcrerlt sphe~,es,all which were coniprchpndcd in xrloiher sp!~erc which ~ m s
above thcni all, arltt which turnt?ti al?ctl~lall the resl ill the SII::CP of a
day and a 11ig11t. I3nl it \vould be too lcclious to cxl11:rin ~~articlilarly
how he advanced in this science ; hcsiilcs, it is ian$lli in other hooka ;
and what \vs have already said is as nin::I1 as is rc~clnisitefor oar prrscnt
purpose.
53. When he had attaincd Lo this tlegrcc of kno\vlt:clge, Ilc fijnrid
thal the ~vholeorb of tile Ircavt~ns, and \~.halsot.vc?r'\'as tontailled in it,
was as one thing cornpa(:tcd :~nti joined logclller; 2nd ih;tl all tlio.sc
hodics whicll he used to eo~isiduvhpfore, sllr2i cfirth, X I - R ~ C ~i~ir,
, pli~nts,
anilnals anti the ii!<e, were all o l thorn i o corrf:iinecl in it as ncvrr to go
out of its hounds : and that the \~liul(txrns like One hrlim:~l, ill \%71icli
the Ii~minariesrr~yrcselli~dlltc senses ; the spheres so joined and corrl-
patted togell~cr,ans\vered to the lirrllis; and tlle s n h l ~ u ~ n r~vorld, y to the
belly, in ~vhich thc cxcrmmcr~ts and humors are conlairled, and \I-liirh
oflcritin~esljreeds :~nirilnls,as dot.s tllc Crc?afcr \\rorlil
51. KO\\,, when it appearccl to him l1i;lt ltie whole ~ r o r l dwas only
Grre Substance, depending upon a Vololiiary Agent. :In11 he hnd or~itcd
all Lllc parts of it, by the same may of thiiiking \viii~.li 11e h:~d hrfore
made nsc of in considering the suh11rnai.y world, Iie pio~~oni~r! to Iris con-
sideration the World in General, and dehi~ledwith liimsalf ~i-k-bcth(~r it did
 exist in 'rime, after it had no1 ljeer~: and c:rmc lo be, out of noltiing;
or \vllelller it had bcen Crorn c?lcrriit\-, wil.liool any privation preceding
it. Concerrling this matter, he had very rnariy and great doubls; so that
neither of Lhesc lwo opiriions did prevail ovcr Ihe otlicr. For when h e
proposed to l-iimself tlie hc!ief of its eternity, Ihere arose many objections
in his mind ; hccnuse lie thought that tlic notion of infinite existence
MYAS preasetl wilh no Icss dilLiculties than lhai of irifinile extc?~isio~l : and
that :I iicing as was 1101 free I'l.oni accidcrlts produced anew, mnsl
a l ~ oitself be produced nlle\v, 1~er;~uscit cannot he said to he niore
mcicnl thail tliwe accitlttnts : a~ntlthal which cannot cxisl before accidents
psoduceil in Tinrt., rnust rlecds itsclf be prodnced in Time. Then on the
otlicr I~:md, when lie propobed to himself the belief of its being produced
anew, other ohjcclions occurred to hirn; [or he perceived l11al it was
inipossible lo conceive any ilotion of its heirlg prodnced anew, unless i t
a s- 'anp~)oscd
. ttl:tt tlicre \ra3 Tinic Ileiore it \~llcreasTime \\.as one of
tliose thiugs wl~ichhc?longcd t o llie .ivorld, and was inseparable from il ;
and thereCore the ~vorldcould no1 be supposed lo be later tlian Time.
Tllcn he considered that a lhing crcaled niust need:; have a Creator:
and if so, Why did this Crcator 11laBe the world now, and not as 31-ell
before? Wns it hccausc of any new chance, which happened to h i m ?
That could r ~ o lbe ; for there was nothing csisle~itbesides himself. Was
it [lien upon atco~lrll of :rnp cliar~ge in his own nalnre? But what
should cause thnt change? Thus he continued for scveral gears, arguing
pro and con ahoilt this nratter: and m;iny argumcnls offered themselves
on 11oth sides, so that rreilher of tllesc two opinions in his jndg.aent over-
balanced the otlicr.
65. This pul him to a great deal of lroulrle, which made l~irnbegin
to consider with himself what Tr<ere the consequences which did follow
from each. ol Llie3e opinions, arid that perhaps llrey might he both alike.
And he perceived that if he licld lhat ill@world was created in Time,
and existed a f r r a lolnl privation, it \\.ould ricccssnrily follom frorn t l ~ e ~ r c e
tlinl it co~rldnot cxisl of itself willio~rttlie help of some agent to produce
il. Anti thal Lhis agent rnnst r~ccds be such an one as canriot be
appre11endr.d by our s c ~ ~ s ;c sSor if he should be fhc objscl of sense, 11e
must bc Body, and if Ijody, tlicn a part of the world, and consequently
a crcaled being ; sr~cli an one as ~vonldhave stood in need of some
other cansc lo create hi111 : and if that second creator was Body, 11e loo
t ~ l d 11po11 a third, and thal third upon a fourlh, and so ad
~ ~ ~ odcprrrd
infiniturn, \vliich is allsurd. Since tlrerefore the \vorld slarlds in trccd
of an incol.l)orenl orealor : And bincc lhe creator thereof' is really incor-
poreal, it is in~possil~lc for 11s to apprehelld hirn by ally of our senses ;
for we perccive nothing by f l ~ ehelp of them but llodp, or such accidents
as :tcilierc lo bodie-; : Arid bcoat~se11c cannot be perceived by Ihc senses,
it is impossible Ire sllo~rlti bc apprel~eridcdby [lie imagination ; for tlie
irr~agi~iationdoes oi11y represent. to us the forrl~sof tl~ingsin their absence,
\rhicll we I ~ a v ebefure learned by our senses. Aud since he is not Body,
v-e nrust not altrihule to liim any of thc properties of Body ; the first of
whic.h is extension, from which lie is f!w, :IS also from all those properties
of hodies mlriclr now from it. And sccing tll:!l Iw is the 81:~nkeroC t l ~ c
iYurld, doubllcss h e has the sorereign c o r r ~ ~ n ; ~ovei
n d it. * Slinil no1 lie
know it, that crcalcd i t ? IIe is TX-ise,on~niscient! B Surilh.. . .. . V . ...
513. On the olhcr side, l ~ esaw lhat if he held lhc Elcr-nity of lhc
u*orld, and that, it always was as it no\\; is, \vithonf any p:ir-aiioil he.foi.e
it ; theri it would follow lhat ils wiol.ion rrriist be etc?rnal too ; because
there could be no rest before il, fro111 whcuce it iniglit coinnlcncc its
motion. Kow, all rnotiori ileccssarily requires a 1nori.i j :111d Lliis mover
mush he citlicr a power diffused tllrough the hotly movcd, or e!sc l h r o n ~ h
some other body without it, or else a certain yam-er, not dilluscd or dis-
persed through any body at all. Now, cmry goww which p a s s ~ t h ,or is
diffnsed, through any body, is divitied or doublcd. For inslancc : - The
Gravity in a stone, hy whicl~it tends downwards, if yon divide the sloile
into two parts, is divided illto two parls also; and if you add to it
another like it, the gravity is doltbled. And if it were possil>lc to add
stones ad infiniturn, the gravity ~ ~ o n linci.e;rsc
d ad infiniturn too.
And if it \\-ere possible thal that storic should grow still bigger, till it
reached to ail infinite extension, the ~ ~ ~ e i g\vould
ill increase also in t l ~ c
same proportion ; and if on the o l l ~ c rside, a slonc shoulcl grow L0 a
certain size, and slop lhcre, the gravity would also increase 10 S ~ I C ! a~
pitch, and no farther. ?Jaw il is demonstrated lhat :ill Body must neces-
sarily be finite ; and, consequently, that po\\;er ml~icllis in Kody is finite
too. If therefore we can find any power mlricl~ ~)rodnccs an infinite
effect, it is plain that it is 1101 in Body. Kom me find th:ri. i l ~ eheaven
is moved about wilh a perpetual rnolion, withont any cessation. Therefore
if we affirm lhe c l c ~ n i t y of Ihc world, it necess:~rily Iollows that the
power which moves it is riot in its own body, nor in the other exterior
body; but proceeds from son~ethingaltogether ah~lraclcdSrorn Botly, :ind
which cannot be described by corporeal adjuncts or pro1)erl;es. Kow he
had learned fro111 his first conlemplatiori of t,he si~blunary world that t,he
true essence of l3ody consisted i n its form, which is ils dispo4tion t,o
several sorts of motion; but lhat part of its essence which corisistcd in
matter was very mean, and scarce ~iossihli?io be couceived ; therefore
the cxistcncc oC tlie whole world consists i r ~ils disposition to be rnoved
by this mover, \v110 is free froin niaLtcr, and hour lhc yrol)crties of
Body; abstracled from every thing xvhich we can eillrcr pcrccivc by our
senses, or reach by our imagination. And since he is Lllc cfficie~it callse
of the motions of the heavens, in mhic11 !notuilhstnndirlg their several
kinds) tliere is no difference, no corif(~?ion,no cessation ; withont doubl
he has a power over it, and a pcrlect k~lowiedyeof it
57. Thus his contenlplalion this bronght h i n ~ to the snmo
conclusion it did tlic other way. So that doubling concerrii~igtlrc ctcrriity
of t h e world, and its exislence de novo, did him no hxrrn at all. For
it was plain to him botll ways that therc was :I Heirrg, \\-liicli x a s not
Body, nor joined lo Body, nor separated from it ; nor williin it, nor without
it j because oonjunction and separation, and being within any thing, or
ivithout it, are all properties of R!1,11-, from which that Being is allogcther
abslrar.ted. ilud hecause all bodies i l ; ~ i ~ind nccd of a form to Re added to
their ~n:rltcr, as not hciny ablc td subsist \vithout it, nor esist:renlly; :uld
tile form ilsclf cannot cxist, hut by this Voluritary Agent, it appcnrcd to hirn
Illat all tllings owed their cxisicllcc to this Agelit ; and that. none ol therm
could subsist but tllroudr llini : and conseyncnlly that he was the Causr,
and Lllry the EEfecls, (mhelher lhry were nr\r.ly created afltrr a privation,
or mliethcr they had no beginning, in respect of him, it was all one ) and
creatnres whocc cxiatcncc dcpcndcd upon tllt~tUeiny ; and l11;~t~vithoill
1iis conti~iuance Llley could not conlinne, nor exist without his esisting,
nor liar(! bee11 triern;~lwithout liis being elcrnnl ; hut that h e \\,as essen-
tially indopcndent of thern, a r ~ dfree from them. And how should il be
other~~isc, wile11 it is dernorlstraled lllal Jiis pomer and might are infinite,
and that all bodies i ~ n d~ ~ 1 1 : ~ t s obelongs
~ver lo Lllcni are finite ? Conse-
quently, t!lat the whole \\-orid and ~ ~ h a l s o c v cwas r in it, the lleavcns,
the earlh, lhe slars, and \viialsoc~ver was lielmccn lhem, ahove lhetn, or
benealh thcm, was all his work and creation, and posterior to him in naturc,
if no1 in Timc. As, i l you take any body ~ ~ l ~ a t s o c vinc ryour hand, and
then move your hand, Lllc body will ~viibolitdouht follow the motion of
your hand, with stlch a niolion as sllall be poslerior to it in nature,
lhough not in Tirlic, bcc:msc they hoth began logether : So all this \ ~ o r l d
is caused and crealed hy lhis Agcnt out of time, whose command
is, when he would have any thing done, ]B E, and it is s.
Surdh ,.... v ... .
58. And o hen he perceived that all thirlgs which did exist Tvcre his
morlrmanship, he lookcd tlleln over again, cor~sideving alterltively the
power of the Efficient C:~iise, and adrr~iring the wollderfi~lncss of the
~vorlimanship, and s n c l ~acenrwie wisdom, mid snbtile kno\v!edgc. And
there appeared to Ilitn in the rl~osllninutc creatures (much Inore in the
greder) sncli lootstrl)~of wisdonl, and wondcrs of the \~ol.k of creation,
that he xvas s~vallowed up will1 adnliration, :rnd h l l y assured t l ~ a tthese
tliir~gscould not proceed from any olher, tllnll :Lvoluntary Agenl 01"infinite
perfection, nay, lhal %-as above a11 pcrCci:lion ; snch an orle to n.l~o;iltile
weight of the lens1 alom \\-as 1101 unknown, ,whel.her in heaven or earth;
no, nor any other thing, ~vheiherlesscr or greater than it.
59. Then he consideled all the k ~ n d s of arrinl:ili, and h o ~ %tthis
Agenl had given inch n fabnc of body to ever) onc of lhern, and Lhcn
taught them how to use For ~f he ]lad not directed thcrn io anply"
- A

those limbs, which h e had give11 them, to those respccti\.e nses for which
they \T7crc designed, L l ~ y would have been so far frorn being of any
service that they would ralhcr 11avc been a burden. 17roln whence he
knew that the crealor of the ~vol.ld was supereminently bonntilul, and
exceedingly gr::cious. And lhcn xvllen he perceived among the creatures
any that had beauty, perfection, slrcngth, or excellence of any kind
~ v h a l e ~ ehe
r , considcrcd wilh himself, and knew that it all flowed from
that roluntary agent, (\viiose narue be praised) and froln his essence and
operation. And he knew that what the Agent had in his own nature
 was greater than that which he s a v i l l lhe crcaturcs, more perfect and
complelc, more htlin~lifill and glorions, anti more lasliirg ; and that there
was no proportion belween iile one a i ~ dthe oll~cr. Ncililcr did lie ccasc
to prosrxutc this search till he had ruri through all llle attributes of
perfection, and folii~d lhnl lhcy Tvcrc all i ~ this i Agent, and all flowed
from him ; and lhal he was lriost vorlhy to have tl~cin all ascribed to
him, a l l o ~ eall tlie vreatnres ~~-11ich\~-crcdescribed by lhcor.
60. In like rrlunner lie enquired into all thc attrihntt. of 1mpc:rfec-
lion, and pcrcci\-ed Lhnl lhe inalicr ol tl;e \\.orld was {sec ~ITJIII t h r n ~all:
And how was il possible for hirn lo bc otl~rr\visc, since fi:e notion of
Imperfection is nothing but mere privation, or what depends upon i l ?
And how can he in any way partake of privation, ~ 1 1 ois very
essence, [anti emnot hut exist] ; who gives licing to every thing lhal
exists, and besides whom there is no exislence? 13ut IJR i s the being,
HE is the Absolute, Ilti the beauty, HE the glory, HE the power, HE the
knowledge, c HE is HE, and besides hirn ail things are subject to perish-
ing .. (Surah al-Qaqav)
61. Tllns far his knolvlcdgc had brongl~tliiin towards the end of
the fifth septcnary from lris birth, to \\-it \~\.he~r h e \\-as 36 years old.
And Lhe collsiderstion of Ll~isSupreme Agent \:as t l ~ e n so rootcd in his
heart that il d i v ~ r t e dhi111 from lhinking upon nnylliing else : and hc so
far forgot the considefiition of Lhc crc:rlurcs, and the enu~niringinto their
natures, that as soon :IS ever he cast his eyes a ~ ~ oany n thing of what
kind soever, h e i~nmcdialely pel.ceired in it tllc foot:tcps ol this Agent ;
and in an instant his Lhonghls were t a l ~ e noff from tlic Clrcature, and trans-
ferred to the Crealor. So that he .si:s inflamed ~ r i t h llrc desire of him,
and his hcarl TT:IS altogclilcr withdrawn Cronl tllinliir~giipon this inrcrior
world, ~vhichcorilains the ol~jectsof sense, and ~vliollytnlien up wilh l l ~ c
conlemplation of (he upper, it~lellcctnalworld.
62. IIaving now attained to the kno\\-ledge of this Supreme Tleing,
of permanent existence, w l ~ i c lhas~ no cause of his own existence, bat is llle
causc why all things else cxist ; lie was desirous 13 know by what rneans
he llad attaiued this kno~vlcdgc, and by \~lricIi of Ilis faculties he had
apprehended this neing. And first lie esamined all ,his scnscs, viz., his
Hearing, Sigl~t,Smelling, Tasting, anti Feeling, and perceived tl~ni,all these
apprehended n o t h ~ l gbut body, or what was in body. For lhc Hearing
apprehended nothing bnt souridr, and these c:lloe from the nndnlations
of the air, when bodies are struck one against another. The Sight nppre-
hends colours. The Srnellirlg, odours. The Taste, savonrs. And the
Touch, tile temperatures and dispositions of bodies, snch as hardness,
softness, roughness, and smoothness. Nor does the imagination apprehend
any thing but i n so far as it 11as length, breadtii, and thicliness. Now
a11 thdse things which are tllus apprehended are the adjuncts of ljodies ;
nor can these senses apprehend any thing else, because they are facnllics
diffused through bodies, :md divided according to the di-rision of bodies,
and for that reason cannot apprehend anything else but divisible body.
For, since this faculty is diffused through the visible body, it is impossible
but that when it apprehends any ihirig whatsoever, that thing so appre-
hended must he divided as the farulty is divided. For which reason no
faculty \vllii.l~ is seated in hudy c:in apprehcnd any thing hut what is
body, or in it. Now, wc have already demonstrated thal Lhis necessarily
Esitrtel~tReirlg is frce in every respect lrorn all properlies of hody : and
conseclue~ltly r ~ o tto he apprelrciidetl but by something: which is neithcr
body, nor any Sacnlly irrliercr~ti n body, nor has any nlanrler of depcn-
dcnce upon it, nor i6. oillrer ~vithinit or without it, nor joined lo it, nor
separt~trdfrom it. 1:rom whencc it ;t~ipenrc?dto him that 11e had appre-
licrldcd this Being by t l ~ n tnrhich was his esscncc, and gained a ccrlain
know1cdg:e of him. Anti from hurlcc h e conclndrd tlial this cssencc was
incorliorenl, :~ird fwc: from all Ihe ~:,opc:rtirs of I!od\-. And that all his
caterrial part which 11c saw was not in reality l ~ i iesscilcc ; but that his
true essence w:ts That I I w~~hich ~ 11e apprc~hc~r~dcrlthal Absolute neing of
necessary csiifericc.
63. I-Tavil~gthus learncd Ilia1 lhis esscnr7e mn.i not 1h:~t Corporeal
Mass \vhiclr he l ~ ~ r c e i v e wilh
d his sense:: arid m;rs clothed with his skin,
hc b ~ g a n to enlerlnin mean thonghls of his body, a n d set himself to
conienipl~tet l ~ a l Noble Ihing by \\-lrich h e 11ad rea(:hod the lino\vlcdge
c n t Kc%cc:;s;~r.ilyExistent k i n g ; and b ~ p a nto
of ll~nt S u ~ ~ c r c x e ~ ~ l land
consider l ~ i l hhimself; liy rrlrlans of that tloblc ensctrlce of his, mhrtkcr lhis
r~ohlcessmcse of his raould possibly hc dissol~odor die or he annihilated;
or \\he!Iier it \\.(!re of pt?spdnnl durnlion. No\\, he knew that corruption
and dissolntion '\yere prol?crlics of Buily,, and consisted i r ~pnlting off one
g 311 other. As Ior irlslance, \\rlicn \vater is changed
fol.lr~and p n t t i ~ ~ 011
into air or stearn, nud strnln into w ; x t ~ r :or \~7he11plnnts are turned into
cart11 or ashes, arid c:ulh again into plnr~ts (for this is the true notion
of corrrrptiou). 13nt a n incorporeal twin#, v,-hich has no deyendance upon
Body, bat is allogethcr free from Ihr accidc'rlts proper to Body, cannot
be snpposcd to bc li~ililc10 corrolilion.
62. Having thus secured hilllsclf in this Iiplirf (hat his R ~ a Essence l
conld 110l I I ~dissolved, lle had ;i nrind to kilow what cor~diliorii t should
he ill wvl~cnlie lrad laid ;rsidc Llic hody ,and was aeparaled from it ; whicl~
he prrsnatied lri~nsclfwonld not h(!, till Lhe body ceased lo continlie a
fit inhlrument for ifs nre. T l ~ e r ~ f o rlie e considered all his npprelrcnsivc
faculties, and pci.ccired that evcry o r ~ col thern did so~netimesappscl~end
potentially, and sometiri~csactually; as the (lye, ~vheriit is s l ~ n t ,or
tnl.iicd amay fronr the ohjcci, s r r s potentiitlly. ( F o r tllc meaning of
npprehrnding polcritially is, when it does not apprehend now, ye1 c:m
do it for the time to come). Ancl i ~ ~ h ~ a ~eye t l iisc open, and turned
!o\vard the ohjccl, it secs actually, (fur that is cnlled nclu;tI, which is
prcsci~l),and so every one of thesc facalti(~s is sometinles in Power,
and .;orrietin~csin Act; ;tnd if any of tlienr did never nc1u:rlly apprehcnd
it,s proper ohjccl, so long: ;IS it remains in power, it has no desire fo any
parlicular ol1jcc1 ; bocausc il k n o w notlling ol any, ( a s :I rrlan that is
born blind). I h ~ tif it did ever actni~llyapprrhcnd, and the11 he reduced
to the pomel. only : so lor~gas it rcinains in thal coridilioii, it will desire
inlhilion : Such a man as thi. sli,rll. ivhcn separated from Body, remain
in evrl.lnsling l)lcas~irc,and dcli_nhl, :~ndjoy, ; ~ n dg l a d r ~ ~ s shy , rrason of
thr: uninlcrrupfrd vision o l [hat self-cxialenl B ~ i r ~ gand , its entire freedom
from all irnpiirity and ~nixture: and 1,ec;n:se all those sc~riil)lethings
sliall he rc~nlovcdf r o n ~11irl1, wl~iclr are Ihe proper ol~jcclsof lhe corporc;~l
faculties; and mhir:h, in rrgaril of 11is prc~sent statc, are no 1:rttt:r than
Lormenf~,evils, and l~indcranccs.
66. 13cing t l ~ n ssatislicd that. the perrection and happiness oF his
o\l-n k i n g consisted in actually heholding that ncccssarily sclS-cxistent
Deirig pel.pelnnlly, so as not to he direrted Doni il so much as the
tu.i~,!i!ir:$ of nn eye, that denlli m i ~ h lfind l~irllacl~i:tlly employed in that
visi,,ir, and so 11is p l c a s ~ ~ rmiplrl
c he contirlued, \vitliont being inlerrnpt,t?rl
by any pain : (\zIricl~al-Jona)-d, R dod.or and irl~xnr of t l ~ csccl of Ihe
Snfis, nllliilcti l o ~ r h c ~a1r 1 1 1 ~point of drvrtl~h e said lo Iris lrienils ahout
him : . T h i s is Ihe time whrn m m o n ~ h tto glorify !.;or) and h p instant
in thcxir prnyrrs, >; ) ho heg:m to considcr with hinrsi4i; by \\-hat means this
vision might acfnally be coritinl~ed,\vit110ut inlermption. So he WIS very
intent for x time upon that Eeing; lrnl he conld not stay there l o ~ l g ,
before some sensible ol!jrct or other ~vonldyrcpcnt ilsclf, either the ~ ~ o i c a
of solnc: vild I~cast\\-ould rr.n~.h Iris c:~r-;, or some phantasy aflcctcd his
imsgination ; or. lie Tla; tonclled \vitl~ some pain in rornc part or other ;
or 11e was hurr~ry, or dry, or. too cold, 01. too hot, or was forced to
rise to ease n;~tiire. So that h i co~lten~platiorl \iTas i~rter~.upted,anti he
rcsrnovcd from t1i:rl statc of nlind : And then hc c o ~ ~ lnot, d \vithont a
prc:tt deal OS clillic~~lty,r c c o ~ c rl~imself to that ~ l a f e \\.hieh he w s in
heforcx ; and hc \\-as nfrnid that drat11 slioulil overtake hiin at such R
lime as his thouglris Tvrro divt:rted lrom Lhr viaion, :mti so should fill1
into c.verlasting mist-ry, and the pain of s?p;lmtion.
67. This 1~11. 11in1inlo a great tir:rl of ar~siety, and \\-hcr~he conld
find rio rcrr~rciy, 11c 1)cpnn lo consider all thc scrcral s o ~ l s of :rr~in~als,
and ohscrve lheir aciions, and \\-11:1t they wcrc crnp1oyc.d ahout : io hopes
of finding some of t11c.m t,hnt r~~igllt poa~i1)ly11;~\-ea notion of this Ijeing,
and cndcavonr afler him ; that so he rr~igi~l le:~rn of t1rc111 ~vliiclr\va? lo
be saved. But lrc n-:rs nllogether disappointed in his search; for hc
found tlrat t11cy xverc. all wholly taken n p in getting their p r o ~ i s i o ~and ~,
satisfying Iheir dcsircs of cating, anti drinking, and copnlal.ion, and
choii~ingthc. s l ~ a d pplnces in hot mrather, and the silrrrly ones in cold :
Ar~dthat. a11 lllciv life-tinre, both day and night; lill Ihey died, \ms spent
after illis nlnnncr. v-itliolll any v:~riation or minding :~npfhingelse at any
I.ime. E'rorn \vlicncc il appclared to llirn that they k r ~ r \ vnotlling of Lliis
lieing, nor had any desirc! towards it, nor 1jec:tmc acq~~ainled xilh il by
any nieans din1soerc.r ; and that they ;l11 \ ~ e n tinto a stale of privation,
or s o r ~ ~ c l l ~ ircry
r ~ g near akin to it. FIavir~g passcd Illis judgment upon
l , linix\\- that it \\.as much rriortXrc,ason:~blc to conclntie so
a ~ ~ i r i : l slie
of 1-egri;ihlcs. +X-liiclr had l ~ u t ICY of tliori! al)prcllcnsicns which the
nnirrlnls li;~il; :xnd i f tlrat \vl~oscl:ip;)rc:ho~r,ion \r;s more perfect did not
attain to this krro~vledge,much less could il be expected from that n~hose
apprehension was less pc~rft~d ; e pyci:llly when Ile sa\T that all tlio
actions of plant; re,lcherl no furlher lhnn n~ilrition and generation
6 . [Ic next consid(ired ill(. st:irs anti sphprcp, nnd sum that they
liad all regular ri~otioris, and \vent ~.onndin a due order; arid that they
wcrc pellucid and shininp, anti rcmotc from :In)- approach to ohange or
dissolution: which maclc him linrc n sirong snspiciori that they liad
essences, clislincl from ilicir bodies, \vl?ich were accluttinted. \\-it11 this
necessarily self-existent essence. And that tlirse ulldrrstanding
esacr~ces\vcre likc his n ~ l d c r s t n ~ i d iwScnce. ~~g Arid \\riiy ri~iylit it not be
snlilio>txl Ili:~! lhcy niigllt l ~ a r c inc~~rporc.alc'h>t3n(*l.s, wl~c!n Iic hirilsclf
I : 1 v i 1 1 s l ii s 1 1 i s I c t ~ i c o l +c:nsil~lcIliil~gs'?
.7
l11:tt Ire cons::.tc(l of n r.o:.inplil~lcl!or!y, :111d j ( , t ni.vcrLhclcss all t,licsc
dc'f~(*tsdid not lliiidcr lii~.~nfron~1r;ivilig it11 i11~0rporrn1ir~cor~.n~~tihle'.
r.ssc3tlre: P'rorn \vlicric.c Ire conclu~lctf il~al Ilrt, r.c,l(,sti:d bodies \icrcx niurll
I I I I I Y P likrll- lo 11avc i ( ; ilnd lie per~*ei\~lil il~:ll,t11r:y llnil a kno\\lcdgc o l
tl~t! necessarily self-existent Being, :lilt1 did a ~ ~ t u a l l ybehold il at
all times ; hccansc Olcy \\'ere not at all F I ~ I . I I I I I ~ viih P ~ C ~1110.58 l ~ i n d c r a n ~ ~ s ,
aricicg from tlic i~nlerrcntion of sensible tl~irl:a, \vliich dehaired lii~nIron1
enjoying t l ~ cVISIQA, \\.ilhout intcrrlrpliori.
69. Then he liegnn l,o consider wiili hirllrc'lf wli:tt slloultl bc Llic
reasor1 w l ~ yhe :itone, :ihn\~i~ ;rll llia rcsi of living crentnr~s, should be
endtwd ~\-ith such ;in cssor<:e ;IS niadc lrini like ll?e h e a v ~ l ~ l bodirs. y
Nu\\, 1:e 1i:rd nrirlt!rslootl l~eforeIt!(, nature of the Klcrnenls, and ho\v one
o f Itreni used lo I!e cl?nng!.ed i l l 1 0 :~riotlic,r: and tllal Ihcrc as nolliing
Ill>(JII the face of l l ~ ec,;~~.lh x~l~icli alaah-S rcniain~tl.in tlre sanie form, hut
tli:it g~>r~(l~.iiliori :111d ~ o r ~ . i ~ l ! t i olollo~~-cd
n one nnoihcr pc~rpc,tunlly in a
111rrtr1:rlsuccpssiorr ; nrid tllal i!ic grcatcsi part of these hodicii \\Tcirc3rnised
arid conil~onndc.11of 1~1:11i.xi.y tllin:.~, anil were for Ihzt reason tlre liiore
disposecl to din~oliition: Arld tli:lt tlifrc conlrl not he f~i!~nti among them
all any tiling lmrn :xnd f ~ w !frorii rnixlnrc, bnl. Ilrnl, snch bodies as came
iic~:irest 1.0 it, i111d had least iiiisti~l~e,such :is gold and jac:intli. are of
l o ~ ~ g r dur;~tion.
st and 1l:ii: snl~jcct. lo dissolution ; and that tlie l~eaverily
liodic!~wrrc ruost sinrplc and pnrc,, and for that reasor1 rrlorc free frorn
,s,o 1utiorl, and not sul!ject 10 :L slicct.ssio:l of foi~ns.' And Iierc il ap-
d:..
p w r e d to liiil~tllnt tlic re21 ~s>cl~r(:tl (11 Lliobr 110dics \vhich arc in this
sillrlunnry \~-orld~ ~ , i i nrii l soli~c!o l tl~clnof one s i ~ n p nolion
i ~ ill l~ nddcd to
corpiirciiy, :Is the fonr eli,ii~cnls;in oll~ersof more, as n~iimalsant3 plants.
A I I ~111:tt tl~osc,wlrosc cszcncc coniiuled of the, i'c:~vest fornls, hail the feweat
actions, ;uld wcJrr kirtlr~i.distanl fsorn life. And that if there were any body
10 IJP folinil th;~tw;rs dcstii trle o l all form, it mas impoisil~let11a1 it slionld
live, but was nest t o nollling at :dl; ;clso tlrat those tliirigs \~11icliIvrre
cndneel xvitli nionl forms ha11 ttrr. ~iiost ol.erntions, and had rilorc :.c,:~dy
:ind e:l.;y elitr:urce? to t t i ~ ! slztc of lilc. Anti if this form mcrc so dispo.jcd
Lhnt Lhere mr.rp no \v;:!; of ~ep;irntilrg it from tlie ninltcr to u:hictl it
p r o p ~ r l ybelonged, l h ~ the ~ r life 01 it \ V O U ! ~ be mnnifcht, per~n:irielil and

-
vigorous to Ilie 11111li1sldr:grc.e. But on Ilii, contrary, \ ~ h : ~ t s o c r ehody
was altogetller d e s t i t ~ l tof~ :I form, wa.3 h u l ~ J>:* ( a Greek T V O P ~ ) ,
r
reason it is very much like to ihc 1t:~:ircrilyhodies.
71. And when he had consid~>rcil i11e propcrlics of :tnilnals, and
conld not see ;my one among t l ~ r ~ nconccr~iing
, u.hicll he conld in the
lrnst snsprct that it had any kno~vic(lpc of lliis necessarily self-
existent being; hut he knew that his own cssc~icc11:id llle knou-lc~lge
ol it : He concluded frorri lierice that he was an animtl, rndned wilh a
spirit of an cqnal tenil~craturc, as :l11 the heavenly l~odicsare, :111d that
h e was of a dist.in(.t species f1.on1 tlrc rcst of animals, and that he \!-as
created for another end, and designed lor sul~lethir~g grcatcr i l ~ a rv~~ h a t
they were cz~pableof. Arid l.llis ur;is enough to stalisfy him of the nobility
of his natnre ; naiiielg; that his riler part, i.e. l l ~ coorpore:ll, m;rs nrost liltc
of all to the l~euver~lysuiistanccs, ~vliich arc witliont this \ ~ o r l d of
ge~icration and oorroption, artd free from all accidents t11:11. e;mse any
defect, cllnngc, or alteration : And tllat his itoble prrt, viz., Lha,l pnrt by
which h e attained [lie knowledge of the necessarily self-existent
being was sonlething heroical and divine, not snl)jccl to change or
dissolution, rior (capable) adrr~itiing of l~ciligdescribrd by any of the prop-
ertics or allribnles of Ijodics : Not to 11c appreliendeti by any of tllc senses,
or by the imagination; nor lo he kno\\-n hy rrlearis of any olhcr instrumcnl
bl:t itself alone, and 1h:rt it allains the knodcdgo or itself by itself, and
is at once the kno\\~er,the knowledge, and the thing. k ~ l o ~ v nthe , faculty
and the object. Ncitl~cr wx:, lherc ariy diil'erence hcL\vcen uriy of these,
because diversity and separation are properties and adjuncts of bodies;
bnt body was i r ~no way coriccrncd here, nor any property or adj~lrict
of body.
72. Having apprehended Lhe manner by 11-Irich heing like tlle
l~eavcnlybodies \!,as peculiar to llim above all olllcr kinds of anim:rls
whatever, he pcrccivcd that it was a duf.y necessarily illc~lrnlient upon
liirn to resemble tlicn~, :trid imitate their aclions, and endeavour to the
utlnosl to become like Lhem : lie perceived also ihal in respect of his
nobler pnrt, by mhiclr lie lrad :illained the knox-lcge of tl-~alnecessarily
self-existent being, he did in some measure r e s c ~ i ~ l ~it,l e l~ecausche
was scxparated from the attribulrs of bodies, as l l ~ enecessarily self-
existent being is hinisclf separated from tltcw. .lTe S ~ T Valso that il
u-as his duty to endeavour to lnake llimsclf rn:~ster OS tile propcrtics of
that being by all l~ossiblemeans, and put on his y~ralilics, arid imilate
his actions, and labor in doing his will, ar~tlrcrign 11imsc.If \vliolly to Ilim,
and subnlit to his dispcnsatioris hearlily :tnd urtfeigrredly, so as to rejoice
in him, tf1oug11 he sliould lay alfliclions up011 his bocly, and h ~ r r tor
totally destroy it.
73. He also ~ e r c e i v e d thal lie resembled lhe beasts in his viler
part, which belonged to this generable and corruptible world, via.,
this dark, gross body, \vtlich sollicited him wilh the tiesire of variety of
sensible objects, and excited hini to esling, drinking, and copulation ; and
he knew that his body was not created arid joined to )tin1 in vain, but
tliat he was obliged lo preserre il a ~ lalx ~ d care or it, wllieli he s a ~ v
could not be dono without sorne of those aclions which are common to
 the rest of' animals. Thus it was plain to him that tliere wcrc three
sorls of actions which he was obligetl 10, viz., 1. Eithcr those by m-hich
he resembled the irralional animals ; or, 2. -those by \vliicli he rcsemblcd
the heavenly bodies ; or, 3. those by \<~11ichhe resenlhlcd lhe necessarily
self-existent being : And thtrt l:e \\.as obliged lo tlie first, as llaving
a gross body, consisting of scvcral parts, and different facullics, and
variety of motions. To the second, as having an animal spirit, ~irliich
had ils seal in lhe heart, and was the first bctginning of Llie body and
all its faculties. To the third, as he was what he was, viz., as h e was
that being by which h e knew the necessarily self-existent being.
And lie was very well assured before that liis happiness :md frccdom
from niisery consisted in tile perpetual vision ol lllal necessarily self-
existent being, \>-ithout being averted from il so 1uncl1 ; ~ thes twinliling
of an eye.
74. Thcn he with himself by \i~Iiat mearrs a continualion
of this vision might be Rtlained; and the resnlt of his uonlcmplalion was
this, viz. - that he was obliged to ki+ep hilnaelf eonslanlly exercised in
tlrese three kinds of resc:mbl:mcc?. Not that tlie lirst of them did in any
way contribute to helping him to the vision (but was rather an impediment
and hindrance, because it was corlcerned only in sensible ohjccts, which
are all of them a sort of veil or cnrtain interposed between us and itj ;
hul becanse it was necessary For thc preservation of the animal spirit,
\vliereby the second resenrblance which he had will1 tlie licavcnly bodies
was acquired, and was for this reason necessary, though encurnhered 51-ill1
hindrances and inconveniences. But r.s to the second conforruiiy, 11c saw
indeed that a great share of that conlinned visiorl was attained by it, but
that it was not free from mixtnrc; because, whalsoever conlctnplales lhe
vision afler this lnxnrler continnally, does, together wit11 it, have regard
to, and cast a look upon his own essence, as s11;tll be shown hereafter.
Rut that the third coirforn~ity mas illat by u,hiclt 11c olitainetf. the pure
and cnlirc vision, so as to be wlioll?; taken up with it, without being
diverled fro111 it orlc way or the other, by any niean:: whalsoever, bul
bcing still inteut upon that necessarily self-existent being ; ~vhicll
whosoever enjoys, l ~ a sno regard to anything else, and his o\vn essence
is altogelher ~ieglecled,and vanished out of sight, and become as nothing;
and so are all other essences both great and small, except only the
essence of that One, True, Necessarily Self-existent, High, and
Powerful Being.
75. Now, when he was nssn~ed that the ~ctlnpstbound of all his
desires oo~lsisted in I.11is Third Conformity, arid that it was not Lo bc
attairicd \vitlionl being a long time exercised and practised in Lhe Second;
/ and that there was no continuing so long as was necessary for lhal
purpose but luy Ir1e;rrls ol Ihc First ; (~vhictr, how ncces.;ary soever, he
knew was an liilidrancc in ilsclf, and :ir1 help only hy accident); he
1 resolved to allow llirnself no more of [hat first conformily than needs

l must, which was only just so ~riuchas wol~ldlieep the arriwnal spiril alive.
Kow, in order to this, he found there were two things necessary : The
7
former, to help it inwardly, and supply tlic defect of that nomishment
which mas wasted ; the latter, to prcservc it from witl~out, against thc
extrenies of heat and cold, rain and I r n , horlfiil :~ninlals and mi(:l~likc;
and 11e perceived t l ~ a l if hc shoold allow l~irnsell to use these ilrings,
thougli necessary, nnadrisc?dly and a1 :~dvcrrlnre, it lniglit c1r;mc.e to cx-
pose l l i ~ rto
~ excess, and by that rnenns 11c ~ n i g l ~do
t liin~sclf;m injury
una\\parcs; wl~crcuponhe concluded it the safest m y to set bounds to
himsolf, mhiol~lrc reeol\*ed not to p%%, hot11 as Lo Lhe kind oC me:lt
[food] mhich thc was to cat, and the ijoanlitp and qualily of it, arid Lhe
tirnes of reiurlring to it.
76. And first h e considered the scvefill kinds of those tl~ings~v1iii.h
w r e fit to c n l ; and Eounii that t l ~ e r c\\.ere t l ~ r c esorts, viz., either srich
plants as urcrc no1 yct come to thcir f111l growth, nor 11:~dallair~edto
perfcction, such as are several sorts of green licrlss which are fit 10 e a t :
Or secondly, the fruits of trees wliich \\-ere fully ripe, and had seed lit
for the prodnction or more of thc same kind (and sucli were the kinds
of Dniis tbnl were newly aatl~eredand dry) : Or lastly, living crcaturcs,
both fish and fleslr. Now he knew vcry well that all these things ~vcrc
created by lhat necessarily self-existent Ileing, in appro:~chingto ~>-llom
h e was assured Illat his happiness did consist, and in desiring to rcsemhle
him. Mow tlre ealing of these things nnlst needs hirider thcir atLainin8
to tlrcir perfectiorr, and deprive tlicln of illat end for wllicli they \\,ere
designed ; and this wol~ldhe an oppoqition to lhe working of lhe Supic)n~c
Agenl, and s i ~ c han opposition \vould hinder that nearness and conformity
to him ~vhiclr he so much desired. IJpon this, he thougl~l it the hcst
way to ahstain f i o n eating altogether, i f po:isilile ; lout when he saw thal
this would not do, and that such an alsslirrence teridcd l o Lhe dissolntion
of his own body, which was a so inneh grcaler opposition to tlre Agent
than the lorrner, by ho\v rnucl~lic of a more excellent nature tlian
lhose things, wliose dt?struction w;1s the cause of his preservation : Of
ttvo cvils he resolved to choose the less, and do tlral whicli containetl in
it the lcnst opposilion to the Creator ; and resolved to pnrt:ike of any of
thcse soris, if tlrow lie had most mind to were no1 at hand, in socli
cp~rrtily as Ile shonld colrclu(le irpon 1iel.eafter; : u ~ d il it so Irnppencd
lhat he h : ~ dtlleni a11 at 11ntrd. then he monld corlsidor wilh himself, nntl
choose tlint, in the parklking of \\41ich t.lrrre \vould 11e the Icasl opposition
to tlrc work of lhc Cre:rtor : Such as the pulp of tliosr fr~iilsrrlrioli were
fully ripe, and had sccds in ihem lit to prorluce otllcrs of the 1il;c bind,
i n g to preserve the seeds, arrd nrill~cl.cnt them, nor spoil
a l ~ \ ~ a ~ . s t a l t care
tlie~n, nor Il~rowthcm in sneh places as \\-ere not fil for plarlls to grow
in, as smooth stoncs, salt earth, and lhe likr. And if such pulpy fruits,
as apples, pears, p l ~ ~ m etc., s , could no1 easily he roine at, lie would tl~err
lake such :ts had nothing in 111cn1 fil lo cal b n t only the secci, :IS almonds
and cl~estlruts,or such green hcrlls :is wcrc young ;uld tcndcr ; ;ti\vays
observing tliis rule that, let him inlie of mhicli sort he ~vonld, lie slill
chose lhose that there was grealcsl plerrty of, and which irlcrcased firstest,
but so as to pull up nothing by the roots, nor spoil tlle seed : And if
 none of these things corrld be ]lad, h e woiild then take some living
creature, or eat egg?; but when llc Look any ;~nimal, he chose that sort
of w111cb there was ttlc greatest plenly, so as no1 lo totally di.siroy any
species.
'77. These were tlic rnlcs which h e prescribed to Iiiniself as to the
kinds of liis provision ; as to tlie qua~itily, liis rule w;~sto eat no more
tlian just ~ l i i ~\~olild
t satisfy his hur~gcr; and as for tlie tiilic of his
meals, lie drsignecl, \vllcn he was once satisfied, not lo eat any more till
he fonnd soinr disnl~ility in hiniself tvhich hinderrd hii cxcrcise in the
Secorid Conforn~ity, (of ,vhich we are now p ~ i n gto spc$ak); and as for
{hose tl~ingcwhich nc~ccshily requit,rd of him iow:~rds the conservation of
his :iriimnl spirit, in regnrd of' dcf~riilingit fro111 t~xterlialinjuries, he was
riot nine11 lroi~bledallotit them, for he nTas clolhed wilh skins, and had
a honhe s ~ ~ f f i c i eto
~ i tsecure hi111 frnnl tliose i r i c o ~ ~ \ ~ i ! s i i fri1111
~ t ~ ~ ~e sv i l h o ~ ~ t ,
\vIiicll WRS enough for Ilinl; asid he tliotlght i l sul~erfluous lo take ally
further care aboul those lhings; m1d as for his diet, he observed those
rulcs which h e had prescrihetl to himself, n;imcly, Lhose which \we have
just now sel down.
78. After this he appliecl himself to the secorld opcralion, naniely
tlie inlilalion of lhe heavenly hotlics, and expressirlg lheir proper (lualilies
in hirnself; X-liich who1 he llad considered, lie found to he of three sorls.
Tlic first, wc1.c anc.11 as had rclt~tion to tliose inferior bodies which are
pl:rced i n this world of generation and corruption, as heat, which they
i~rll~art to those of Lhrir on7n nature, and cold by accident, illumination,
rarefaction, and condensation, and all those othcr Lhings hy \vllich they
influence these infel.ior hodies, whcmby they are disposcd for the reception
of spiritual forrr~sfroni llie Necessarily Self-Existent Agent.- The second
sort of properties whii*h lhey had, werP sndi an concerned lheir own
being, as that they were clcar, brigl~tarid pnre, free from all mariner of
feculent matter, and whatsoever ltinds of impurity: I.11al their niot,ion was
circular, solnc of lllc~nmoving round their own c-~nLcr,arld some again
round the cenler of ollier plancls. - The third kind of tlicir propert,ies,
\\.ere srrcli as lind ~.clalionto tlie Necessarily Self-Exiatel~tAgent, as their
continnally heholding Ilirn without any inlernlption, ;1nd their l~avinga
dcsire tox\~ardshim, being bnsied in his service, and rlloving agreeably
to his will, arid riot otherwise, brit as lie pleased, and by liic power. So
he bcgail to resen~hle them in every one of these three kinds, to the
otmost of his power.
79. And as for his firs1 conlormity, his imitation of them consisted
ilk removing all things that 15-ere hurtful, either from animals or plants, if
t l ~ c yconld Ire removed : So t,hat if he saw any plnrll \vl~ichwas deprived
of thc benefit of tlie snnl by the iiilerposition of any otlrer body ; or lli:~t
its growth was hindered hy its being twislcd with, or standing too near
any olhcr plant, IIC ~ \ ~ o ~ifi l possiblc
d rerrlovc that wliich hindered it, yet
so as not to hurt either; or if it was in danger of dyirlg for wan1 of
rnoislnre, he took w11;~tcare he could lo waler it cons(ar1tly. Or if hc
saw any crcature pursued by any wild beast, or entangled in a snare, or
 - 52 -
pricked with thorns, or that had g;)tlen anything hurtful fallen into its
cyes or ears, or was 11nogry or Lliiraly, lic took all possible care to relieve
it. And when lie saw any x~;iler-coi~rsc stopped by ariy stone, or anytl-ling
brought down hy the ~ l r e n m , so that any plant or animal was lrindcred
of il., he lcoli c;we lo veniovc it. And tiiud hc coi~lir~uedin this first
kind of imitation of the heavenly bodies, till he had attained it to the
very heighth of pcrrcclion.
80. The second sorl of imilation consisled in llis continually obliging
l~irnselfto kccp hi~r~self clean k o m all rllariner of dirt and nasliness, and
washing liirr~vclf c17ten, liccyi~lghis nails arld l ~ i s tee111 tleai~, and the
scicrrt pnris of his 1)odg-, wllicll ilc tlsed to rub so~rlctiriics wit11 s~vcet-
snit~lling l?rrbs r rid perfurrle wit11 good odors. IIe used freyuixntly to
n ~ a k cclea~i his clolhes, ancl ~icrlul~ie thelil, so that he was all over
estreni~lyclcari ;r11(1f~,ngrant. Ilesidcs this, he used a great rrlariy sorls
of circnlar motion, (l) solnelimes walking rourid the island, cornpassing
the shore, and going round the nlmosl Ilonndi or i t ; so~nctillics \valking
or running a greal many tirries ronnd : ~ l ~ o uhis l housc or solr~cstone, at
olllor times turning himsell ronnd so oflen lhat lie was dizzy.
81. His imitalion of the third sol.i. of ntt,ril~utes,consi+xl in confining
his L11011ght.s lo Lhc corrleinplation of the ncceusai.ily :,elf-exislent Ilcing.
Alld in order to this, he removed all his ;~Si'rctions from selrsible things,
shut his eyes, stopped his ears, and rcSrained himself as rnuch as l~ossible
fro111 folloxx.ing his imagination, el~dearorillg lo the ulmost to think of
nothing besidcs IIir11 ; rior to adrnit togctlicr with lIim any other object
of contemplaiion. And he used to llelp l~iiilsclf in this by violerltly
turnin; himself ro~lnd,in wliii~h performance, wh?n Ire was very violently
exercised: all IIlarinor uf ~ensihleolljccts vanished out of liis sight, cnd
-p--ppppp--- ~-
--~
- -

(1) Imilating the he;rvenly bodiei in their circular motion would

seem indccd quite puerile, bul thal we are lo remanher thal Muslinis
hare an ancient rite of going several times round the Cubic House when
llicy go thil.her on pilgrimage, and it is a necessary par1 of thc ceremony.
Now, Ihn Tufayl having undertaken to brirlg his philosopher as far at
least as was possible for o:li? i r ~his circnrn~l;tnc:es,in the krio\vledge and
11raclisc of all those thinss m-hich .llnslims account necessarl-, he ~vould
not let hirn he igriorarit of this practice oS moving round ; hut has hrousht
it nndcr this sccorld sorl of imitation of the heaverlly bodies, Now,
:iltl~ongh ooiiv pl~iloaopl~ermay bc cxcnsed for riot going to tile 1c111plc at
hlakliah, l ~ e tso #reat a stress is laid upon it by Masli~ns,that al-Husayn
:rl-Mallaj iibn Mancur \\,:IS in the yr;tr 309 H., 921 A.1)., eonderr~riedto die
1jy Ihc wazir al-Hnmayd, who pronon~~ced s t ~ n t e ~ ~upon
r . e him, having first
consulted the imBrns and doctors, for having asserted. That in case a
man had a desire io go on Lhe pilgri~llageto hl;l:ikk;~h,arid could n o t ; it
\vould bc sufficierit, if h r sct apart any c l w n roorri of his house for that
purpose, arid \c-rnt round a!]out it, and pilrforriled in it, a t the same ti:?ie
when the pilgrirns are at Malikah, the sanie rites which they do there,
and tllerl fed anti clolllcd tliirly orphans, and gave to each of them seren
pieces of silver. For \vliich lielerodox view llc rcccircd a thonsand
slripcs, witliu~~t so much as sighing or ;riianing, anti had first orle hand
c111 off, ;lilt1 then bolli his Icct, arid then llre ollrcr h:ll:d; then he was
killed and burned, and his ashes were thrown inlo llle rivrr Tigris, and
his head set upon a pole in Uagdad. See Abu-l-Faraj, p. 287.
 the imagination and all the other factrllies which make any use of the
organs of the body grew \~~c:ll< : : L I I I ~ on the other side, the operations of
his essence which depentietl not on the body grcm stror~g, so that at
some times his meditation \~.ils purtr arlcl free froni ally ~nisture, arid llc
brlield I J ~it Lhc necessxily sct!fcsi~tcrit Being : Ilut Llicrl again the
corporwl fi~crrlties\ ~ ~ c u lre?ul.il
d up011 liini, nud spail his conlclnp!alion,
arid bring him down to tliu lowcst dugrcc \vhc~rc h e \:-;rs b e f ~ ~ r c n'ou,, .
wlicn hc 11ad any infirnlily upon him which interrupted his design, he
took some kind of mcat (food), but still according to the t~forerilentioned
1.111cs;:rnd lhon rrrriovccl spin lo Lhat state of iiililatior~of the heavenly
bodies, in tliese tl1rc.c resl~ecls which ~ c have t rlicntioried; artd tllus llc
conlirrncd for sonte tilrlc opposing his cor~io~.e:tlfncultics, and Ll~ey
opposiiig hiol, and nllitually slcogplirig one ag:\ir~st ailotl~cc; arirl a1 such
titrtes as h e go1 tlie Iirller of tlicm, ant1 his thougl~ts were [rue from
mixture, lit did appselit~lid somc,llling of Ltie ronditiuri of tlioac who tiave
ailaincd to Llic lliird ~ ~ ~ ~ s c t ~ l h l a n c c .
$2. ' T h ~ nlit? began to sccli after this third assimlllation, mid took
pains i n att:rining it. Ancl first, he ccirrsid~rod Llic allriholes of the
norcsnaril~srlf-cxiatrrrt Being. Kom, it li:ld appeared io him, dnring the
tilnp of liis tiit~ori'ticnl s~~cci~ltilion, hcforc he cnicscd upon the pr::ctical
yart, that thcrc \vcrc two sorts of them, to wit, ilffirlnntive, as linowledge,
po\TTer, \visdo~n :tnd. so forlh, and Kegntive, as imniatcrinlity; not only
such as consisted in not hcing llody, bnt ill beirlg altogelher removed from
anytliing tliat liud tlre 1c:ist rclalion lo Uody, though at licver so great R
clislnnce. And that this w ; n ~ condition, not only required in the negative
aftrihntes, b11t ill thc affirmalive too, viz., tliat Lhey shol~ldhe free from
all pro~iwlics of I3otly, of which Mu!tiplicity is olle. Now the divine
essence is not rnulliplicd 11y these affirniativc sllribules, hilt all of them
tcgclher :Ire one arid tlic sanic tliing, viz., liis real esserlce. Tlieti hc
brgan 10 col~s;dcr,lie\\- 11c niighl imitate hi111 in bolh these kindi; and
as for tllr affirmali\.c altribntcis, \vlieri lic considered that they were
riolliirlg clsc !m1 liis vr:tl rssc:lice, a r ~ dthal Iiy lio tl~cnrrsit co11ld I J said~
of Llielri tliat they arc hlnrly (because rrrnliiplicily is a prupcrly of Body)
and that tllc kriou.lcdge of his own csscnee v.as not a rlotion snpcradded
to his esier:ce, hul 1l1:~this r?sscncc was the Imo\~ledge ol 11is esse~lce;
and so vice versa, it appeared lo him that if he \\7o11ld lr~lowhis being,
tEis kno\rlctlge 11). which lle knew his hein3 woultl not l ~ e a notion
superaddcd to his beil~g,hat l)e llie vcry being itself. And he perceived
that his way lo make Iiirr~scll lilre io Jiim, :IS to what concerned His
affirmuti\re allrilmtes, \\.ould he lo know Him alorle, abstracted \vl~olly
fsorn all propcrlies of Body.
88. 'Shis he upplicd himself t o ; and as for (he n ~ g : ~ t i rattributes,
e
they all consisted iri scpawtion frorn hodily things. He begar~therefore
lo strip himself of all bodily p?.olic~.Lics,~ ~ ~ I i i oIII! l l 11ad iiiarie some
~ r o p r c ~ins bcfore, dnring tlie tir~icof the for111t.r c,xcrcisc, ~l-l-henhe was
employed in the inlitation ol llie lieavenly bodies ; hut lhero still remained
a great many relics, as his circular motion, - ~noliorlbeing one of the
most proper attributes of Rody, - and his care of anirnals and plants,
compassion upon them, and irldnst~yin removing mha.tcvcs inconvenienced
them. Now, all lhcse tbings belong to corporeal aftriht~tcs,for hc could
not see these t,hings at first, hut by corporeal f a c ~ ~ l t i c sand; he was
obliged to rnake use of l l ~ esame faculties in preservillg lhc~n. ThercSore
he began to reject and rerno\,e all those Lhings from himself, as hcing
in no wise consistent with that slate which he was now in search of.
So he continucd, cor~fining hinlsrlf lo rest in the bot,tonl of his cave,
xvith his head b o ~ ~ cdown,
d and llis cgcs shnl, and turning himself away
altogether k o ~ nall st.nsihlc tl~ingsand the corporeal facaltie~;, and bending
all his thonglits and ~neditationsnporl the N~cessarilySelf-Existent Being,
wilhout adnlitting anything. else besides Ililn ; ; l r ~ t L il" any olhcr object
presented ilself f o his imagination, he rejected it with his utnlosl Sorce ;
and exercisrd hitr~selfin llris, nnrl persisled in il lo that dcgrcr Illat
sonlctirnes he did neither eat nor stir for a great marly days tugclhcr.
And whilst h e was thus earnestly laken u p in contenlplation, somctirnes
all manner of beings x\.hatsoover would he quite on1 of his mind and
tl~onghts,except his own being only
84. But he found lhat his own being was not cxcllldcd from his
thoughts, no riot ever1 a1 such times ~vlvltenh e was niosl deeply in~rnersed
in lhe contemplation of the First, True, Kecessarily Self-Existent Heing;
Which concerned him grcatly, for h e knew that ever1 [his >\,as a mixture
in this simple Vision, arid the admission of a a extraneous object in Lhat
contemplation. Upon which lie endcavored to disappear from himsclf,
and be wholly taken up in the Vision of that True Ileing ; till at last he
attained i t ; and then both the IIcavcns and the Earth, and whatsoever
is belwecn them, and all spil.ilua1 forms, and corporeal facollics ; and
all those powers which aar separate from hhttrr, and are those b e i n ~ s
which know the Necessarily Self-I<xislent Being, all disappeared a r ~ d
vanished, and were as if they had never hecn, arrcl aniongsl these his own
being disappeared too, and there reniainad nothing but this ONE, TRUE,
Perpelually Self-Existenl Being, who spolre thus in that Saying of his --
which is not a notion superaddcd to his essence - S To whom now
belongs Lhe kingdom ? To this One, Alrnighty God, wliibh words of his
2

onr self-taught philosopher, C)~iicLAlivrson of Wide-Awake, underslood,

and hcard his voice ; nor was his being unaeqnainted will1 words, and
not ]Icing able to speak, any hindrance a1 all to l~nderstariding Him.
LL'hereforc h e deeply immcrsed himself into this stale, and witnessed that
which neither eye hath seen, nor ear h e a ~ d ; nor 11;~th it over entered
into the heart of man to conceive.
85, And no\v, do not expect that I should give? lhee a dcscsiption
of lhat which the heart of man cnnnot conceive. For, if Inany of those
things which we do conceive are nevertheless liard to he explained, how
mnch more difficult rnust those be wltich canriot be conceived by the
heart, nor are circnrnscrihed in Lhe liinils <IS that world in \vliich it
converses. Now, W-hen 1 say the he:rrl, >, I do no1 n ~ e a n lhe sl~bstance
G

of it, nor that spirit which is contairled in Lhe cavity of i t ; hut I nican
by it thc form of that spirit which i s dillused by its faculties throughout
the wlzolc body of man. Non-, ever); one of these three is sometimes
called Lhc Iieart but it is impossible lliat Ihis thing ~vliiehI riiean should
be comprcircnded by any of these three; ncit,her can w e express anything
by words. xvliicli is not first oonceivc?d in the heart. And \\~liosoeverasks
to have il cxl~lained, asks an impossibility; for it is just as if a rnan
should have a riiind to lastc colors, quatenus colors, and desire that
Black sl~onldlie cill~orswc?et or sour. However, I shall not dis~nissyou
without so!ne liniils, wherehy 1 shall poir~lant to you in some mcasurc
what wonderful ll~ingslie saw when in this condition, bul all figuratively
and by way of par:rl)lc ; not prettinding to give a literal description of
t l ~ a twhich is impossible to be known hlit by coming thillier. Attend
tliereforc milh the ears of thy heart, and look sl~arplywith the eyes of
thy underslaiiding, upon that ~vliicli l shall show thee ; it niay be thou
rnayest find so mueh jn il as inay serve to lcad thee into tlre right way.
But I make this bargain, 1h;xl thou shalt not at presenl rcquire any
fi~rllicr explanation of it by ~ v o r dof nlouth, bill rest thyself contented
with what I shall co~nniil to these pnpcrs (leaves). For it is a narrow
field, and it is dangerous to attempt the esplaining of that with words,
the nature of which admits no explication.
86. I say lircii, when he Iiad alist,raclcd liinlself from his own and
all otlicr essences, and beheld nothing in Nature, but only that Ono,
Living and l'ennancnt Being : when lie saw whal he saw,and [lien aflerwurds
returned to Ihe heholding of other iliings : upon liis coming to himself from
that state w h i c h was like drunltenncss -lie began to think that his own
csaencc did not at :rIl differ from l i e essence of that TRLJEBEING,bnt
that they were both one and the salnc tliing; and that the thing ~.;iiicli
he had taken before for Eiis own essence, distinct lrom thal True Esscnce,

..
was in reality nolliing at all, and tlrat there was riothing in him bill t l ~ i s
l r u e Esscrlcc. And tliat this was lilic the lig11l ol the w n ~vl~ieli, when
it Pulls upon solid bodies, slzincs there; and thoi~gh it be attributed to,
or may seem to belong to th;it body upon which it appears, yet it is
nothing else in r c ~ ~ l i t bat
y tllc light of the sun. And if tliat body be
removed, ils ligl~t also is rer~lo\,eti;hnl tlre light of the s ~ rcmnir~s
~ n still
:rSter the sanic ni:lrluer, arid is neitlicr increased by tho prcscnce of that
body, nor dirninihhcd hy ils aliscrii!e. Now, wlren thew happens 1.0 he a
body which is fitted for such a reception of lighl, it receives i t ; if such
a body be ahsmt, then there is uo such receylion, a ~ i dit signifies nothing
at all.
67. He \v;r;i llie more confirmed in [his opir~io~i, becai~scit appeared
to him beforc, that lhis True, l'owerful, urld Glorious Boing was not by
ariy means cnrlahlc of Mnltipliuity, nnrl iliat liis kno:vlcdge cf His Esscuce
was his very esscsice, fro111 wlierice h e argued thus :
= Me fhat )?:IS the linowledge of this c:;scn(:e, has the essence itself;
Lint I have the kiioaledge of this essence. Ergo, I have the essence
ilself. 3
No\\,,this cssence can be prcsenl nowhere but with ilsclf, and its
very presence is essence ; and therefore hc concluded that h e was thal
very essenrc. And as to all oilier cs:cXnr:es, \~hiuli were separate from
blnller, which Ii:~d llie hno\\dt!dge o f 1I1:l Tmi. Enscrrcc, tl~ouglrlielore he
had looltcd upon lhcm as many, 11y Illis ~ : l yof il~ii~ki~i:., nppctlrcd to
him to bc orily one I h i n ~ . And this rnisgrour~drd conccil of liis had lilic
to 1i;ivt: firmly rooted ilsclf in his rr~ind, unless God had p ~ ~ r i l i chiin d
with his mercy, and directed hiin by liis gracious guidance ; and ll~enhe
perceived that it nrosc Iron1 f h e relics of that ohacnrity which is natural
to Body, and the dread of scti~ib!eol~jccis. Uec:mse lhal Mucl1 and i,illlc,
Unily arld Multiplicily, Collcclion :irld Separation, are all of llrcrri prope!.lics
of Body. But we cannol say of these sellarate essences:, \I-liicl~know
this TRUEHEISC (whose name b c pnriserl) Lhat they are many or one,
b ~ c a n s ethey are iri~rnatc?rial. Now, kliultiplicily is bec:iuse of the diffcrence
of one Being froin another, and Ilicrc can Le no Uriily hut by Conjunction,
and none of tl~csc car1 be und~rstoodwilllout co~nl)onndnotions which
are nlixcd will1 hfallc~.. Besides that, lhc cxplic:ttion ol things in lhis
place is very strail and dirficult ; bttcmlse, if y o l ~ go al~out to exprt:sa
\v11al bclol~gsto these scpart~tc rsselicrs 11y way of rn~~lliludc,or in the
plnral according lo our n a y of speaking, this irlsir~unles a notion of
Rlnltiplicity, xvl~erens they are far from heing many ; :md if you speak
of them by way of sepnmtion, or in the singul:ir, this i~isinnatesa nolion
of [Jnity, whcrcns they are far fro111 bcing one.
88. And here inctllinlrs I sec onc of those bats, wtrosc oyes the sun
dazzles, moving himself in t l ~ echain of his folly anti saying : e This
subtilty of yours exceeds all hourrds, for you have mifhdra~vnyourself
from lhe statc arid co~idilion of uiidcrst;tlldilrg men, a r ~ dir~ditcidthrown
away tlrc nature of irilelligihle ihings ; for this is n ccrtair~axiom, thal a
thing must be either one, or morc th:ln one -. Soft and fair; let Lliat
Gcnllcman he pleased to consitlcr wit11 liin~seif,and conlenlpl;~to+hi$ vilc,
scnsib!e w r l d , after the same mannrr wiliuh Hnyy ibn Saqzan did who,
when he considered il one way, fotuld sudl a rriultiplir.ily in it :is was
incomprehensible ; and tl~erlagain, conniricriirg il a n o t l i ~ rway, pci'ceived
tllatit was orlly one 11:ing; and thus he conlinlicd ilnctuatil~g,:rnd conld not
deterwine oil oxle side more lllarl another. Now, if iL were so iri 1his scnsil)le
world, wl~ichis the proper place of Multi!ilieity :in<! Singularity, and lhc place
where the Irnc ~ ~ a t u rofe thein is ~milcrstood,arid in xvliich are Separalion
a i ~ dUnion, 1)ivision into Parts, aud Dislinction, Agrce~ileriland Dilfermce,
\%,hat\\.o~lld he thinlt or tlie Divine \Vorld, in or conccri1il:g wllich \ve earlnot
jrislly s:ry all nor some, nor exprclss ;mything belonging to it by s11c.11
words :IS our ears arc used to, without insinualing sonie notion which is
cor~traryto the Irnth of Llic thing, which no man Lt~owshnl hc that has
seen it, 1101. u l i d ~ ~ ~ t : ~ rllnl
l d - ihc that has attained lo it.
89. And as for his saying ilia1 I linve \vil.lidrawn lu!-self from the
S

stnte and condilion of nndersl:~nding men, a ~ l dthrown away ihc ~rnture

o l illtclligiitlc tliings D : I gr;ttr! it, and lcrivc h i n ~ lo his IInth~rstanding,
and to his midcrstandii~p nieri Ire <peaks of. Far that ITnd:~rslandir~g
which he and such as h e nlean, is nothing else but that Kalional P'acdiy
which esarnincs the individl~als of sc!nsible tlriugs, and from Ihcnee gels
a Universal Notion ; and tht~sc~~ndcrxl;~nding men he means, arc tlioae
wv11ir:li rnakc nse of this su~,toi' Yc11al;rlion. Rut tliat kir~d,\~l~it:il\re ;[re
now speaking of, is above all Lllis ; and thevefore let evt?ry one that
knows r~oll~ing but sensih!~, t.hings and tlirir ilniversals, shut his ears, and
pack a\my to liis Cor~ipariy, v h o iino>v tire outside of l l ~ cthings of this
\\.orld, but t:~l<eno care of the next. I3111 il thou art one of them to
\vl~orii Llrcsc lirliits and signs hy wliictl \re describe the divine \~rorld are
snSfioienl, and dust (l) riot pnl [lint sense llpor~ nly words in which they
are comnrur~ly used, I shall girc t l ~ c esornc further acconnt of >vliat
IIak-yii~rifiqzansaw when he mns in LIIE st;~teof ll~ose\'ho h a r e ntlaincd
to l11c T1.ntl1, of w'rdcli \re have inatle nicntiori Ileforc, and it is thns :
91. Aflcr hc \\-:IS \vliolly imrr~r!rsed in Llie speculafion of these
thing?, ;lr~dperfeclly ahstractctd fron~all other ol)jccl$, arid in Ihe iicarest
A ~ p r o a c l[to ~ GOD]; h e saw in Ihe highcst sphere, beyond which there
in no Uody, :I Kcir~gfree from Mallcr, 1 1 i S not the being ol tllal
Oxa, THUEONE, nor the sphere ilsclf, nor yet any tllirig different Srorn
then1 both ; hnl was like the imazc OS the son \vhich a p p ~ a r sin a well-
poliylicd looking-glass, \\-hieh in ncilller the sun nor the looking-glass,
and yct not distinct frorn them. And t ~ t .s;I\\-, in the csspnce of thal
srparalc sphere, such perleciion, splcndor and bealily as is too great t o
be esprcsecd by any tongue, ;lnd too subtile to be cloll~ed in wvords ;
and l:c perceived thal it \\as i n Llle utrriost perfection OS drlighl and joy,
esulintion and gladness, by reason of its heholding that TRUEEisrnce,
whose glory be cxalled.
91. He saw also th:ll l l ~ cnext sphere to it! nliicli is that of l l ~ e
fixed stars? had an inlnlalerial cssclice, \vhich w:rs not Lllc essence of tliat
Tm:e ONE, nor the essencc of that, highest, sep:trnlcd sphere, nor the
sp11cl.e i t s ~ l f , and yet 11o1 diffcre~ltfrom these; l ~ u lis like tho iniapc of
Lllc sun which is rcllccted npon a looking-glass, Srolri ;inolhcr glass [niirror]
placed opl~ositeto the sllri; i u ~ dhe obucrvcd in this esscricr ;rlso the like
spler~dor,ilcnuty, lo\~elinessand l,lr;\snrr, \vhic.ii he had ohsc~vcdin t l ~ cessence
ol the other iiighcst splierc. He saw likewise that tlre ncst splierc, \vhich
is the sphere oC Salnrn, had an immaterial csscncr, ~rllicii W : L ~ none of
those essences h e had seen befort,, nor yel difSerenL rrorn them ; but was
like the image of the sun, which appears in a glass Lnrirror], npon \\-l~icli
it is reflected fro111 a glass wvliicli received that reflection from anollrcr
glass placed opi~ositeto Lhc sun. And lie saw, in t l ~ i sessence loo, llic
snrrie slrlendor allcl rleligl~t \c-l~icl~ lie had observed in t!ie former. And
so in all Lhc sl~tlcrcslie observed distinct, immaterial esueuces, every onr
of which Tvas not any or Illosc wl~ich\ ~ ~ e nbclorc l it, nol. yet different
Iron1 t h r i n ; but \v;~s like Ihe image of thv snn rcflc.c:ted rrorrl one gl:~ss
[ n ~ i r r o r ]1.0 anoll~cr,according Lo t l ~ corder of llie spl~rres. And he s:r\\-,
irl every onc of these esscnccs, such hca~ilp,splcndor, pleasure, and joy
-- ~
-
-- ~~ ~. - -p~ --

( l ) Ijecaase word> bol.rou,ed Dorn and used about sensible arid

rn:itt.rial tliin~s, would lead mcn into mistakes, when used to explain
things spiritual, if they be taltcn in a literal scnse. See Section 85.
8
 as eye hath not seen, nor car heard, nor hat11 it entered into the heart
of man to conccive ; and so down\~ards,till he came to the lower world,
suhjcct to generation and corri~ption, u,hich comprehends all lhat which
is contained within the sphere of the moon.
02. Wllicll lie perceived had an irli~natcrialcssence, as well as the
rest; not the same with any of those which 11e lrad seen before, rlor
different frorn the111; and that this essence had sevcllly thousand Saccs,
and every face seventy thousand mouths, :1nd every mouth severity
thousand tongoes with wllich it praised, sar~ctilicdand glorified incessantly
the essence of that ONE, TRUE BEING. And h e saw th:~t Illis essence
(which Ire had supposed to be rnany, though it was not) had the same
pcrfeclion and pleasure which h e had seen in the other; and that this
essence was like the image of the sun, wliich appears in fluctuat,irlg
water, which has that image refleded upon it from tlre last and lowcrmost
of those glasses to which the reflection came, accord~ng to the aforc-
mentioned order, from the first glass which was set opposite to the sun.
Then lie perceived that he hirnself had a separate essence, which one
might call a part of that essence \~liich had seventy thousand faces, if
that essenre had bee11 capable of divi5lon; and, if that essence had not
been cri,atcd in tirne, one rilight say it was the very s a m e ; and had it
not been joined to the body so soon as it was created, we should have
thought that it had not bccn crcalcd. And in this order he saw other
essences also, like his own which had necessarily bccn heretofore, then
were dissolved, and aherwards ~lcccsaarily existed togctller W-ith hirnself;
and that they were so many as could not be numbered, if we ~ r ~ i g lcall it
them many; or that. they were all one, if we rriight call them one.
And he perceived bottr in his own essence, and in tliose other essences
wliich were in the same rank urilh him, infinite beauty, hrighlncss and
pleasure, sncli as ncithcr eye bath scen, nor car heard, nor hath it
entered into the heart of m a n ; and wliich none can dcscrihc nor ur~der-
stand hut those which have atlained to it and c ~ ~ c r i n ~ e n t aknow
l l y it.
93. Thcn h e saw rilarly other irnm:~terialeysences (1) which resembled
rusty looking-glasses, covered over wit11 filth and besides turned their
baclts upon, and had their faces averted from those poliahed looking-
glasses that had the image of the sun imprinted upon them ; and he saw
that these easeriaes had so ~ n o c h filtl~incssadhering to tllen~, and sue11
manifold dcfects as he could not I~:i\re conceived. And he saw that they
were afflicted with infinite pains n~hichcaused incess:ml sighs and groarls ;
and that they were cornpassed about with lonncnts, as tliose who lie in a
bed are with curtains; and lhat they were scorchcd with the fiery Veil
of Separation. [ l have omitted the followirrg passage, because I could
not well tell liow to make it intelligible ; the meaning of it, in gross, is
still to express the miserable condition and llorrihle confnsion of lhose
~ -~~
-- ~

(1) Even as the Author has in the tliree [oregoing sections described
the condition of those glorified spirits who contiriually enjoy the Beatific
Vision, so in this h e describes the miserable state of Lhose who ate
deprived of it, i. e , the Damned.
spirits which are separated from the Vision of God. However, I shall set
it do~im in Latin, out of Mr. Pocock's translation, thns : -1 El ferris
discindi intcr rcpcllcndnm ct attrahenduni; vidit etinm hic alias Essentias,
praetcr istas, quac cruciabantur, qnae apparebant et deinde evanescebant,
et connexae erant et tlirn disso1veb:tntor; et hie sc: cohihuit illasque
ben6 perpendit, et vidit ingentes terrores, et negotia rnagna, et tnrbam
occupatarn, et operationem, efficacem, et complanationem, cl inflationem,
et productionen~, et destructionem. [The particulars of this passage
would he best explained by the commentators opon the Qur-an, which
each one may consult for himself]. Rat aftw a very little while his
senses rcturncd to him again, and he c:lnie lo himself oul of t,his st,ate,
as out of an exlasy ; and his foot bliding out of this pi:^^, he came
nilhin sight of this sensible world, and lost the sight of thc Divinc World,
for ltlere is no joining the111 both together in the same state. c For this
world in which wrB live, and that other, arc like two wives helonging to
the same husband : i f you please one, yon dii;plcasc thc other which2,

is a IIadith Nabawi.
94. Now, if y011 should ohjerl that i t appears, from what I hare
said concerning this vision, that these sc1)aratcd essences, if I.hey chance
to be in bodies of perpetual dnralion, snch as the l~cavcnly bodies are,
shall also remain perpet~~ally,but if they he in a body which is liable
t,o corruption (such an one as helongs to 11s reasonable crealores) that
then lhcy niust pcrish too, and vanish away, as appears frorn the siini-
litnde of the looliing-glasscs which I llavc uscd to explain i t ; because the
image there has no duration of itself, but. whal depends npon the duration
of the looking-glass; arid if you break the glass, the image is most
certainly dcstroycd and vanishes. In answer to this I must tell you that
you. hare soon forgotten the I3argain I made with you. For did not I
tell you before lliat it was :t narrow field, and that we had but little
roarrl for explication; and that words, however nscd, would most
certainly occasion men to think otherwise of the thing than really it w a s ?
Now that u~hiclihas made you. imagine this, is because yon thoiighl that
the similitude tr~ustanswer to the thing , reprc!sented in every respecl.
Rnt that will nol. hold in any common discoursc; how much less in this,
where t.he sun and its light, and its image, and the representation of it,
and the glasses, and the forms which apppar in them, are all of them
things which are inseparable iron1 Uody, and which cannot subsist bnt by
it and in it, and therefore the vcry cssences of them depend upon Body,
and they perish together with it.
9.6. Hut as for the divine essences and heroic spirits, {hey are all
free from Body and all its adherents, and removed from them at the
utmosl distance, nor have they any connedion with or dependance upon
them. And the existence or non-existence of Body is nll one to them,
for their sole connection and dependancc is with and opon tll:~t ONE
TRUE NECESSAHYSELF-EXISTENT BEIXG,who is thc first of them, and the
beginning of tl~ein,and the cause of their existence, and he pel-petnates
them and continues them for ever; nor do they want the bodies, hut the
bodies want them ; for if thcp should perish, the bodies would perish,
because theso essences are lhe principles of Lliche hodics. In like manner,
as if a. privation oC that ONE l'11r:e 0~1n-c; could hc supposed (Car be it
from Him, for tliere i3 no Cod but L-lin~), all tlrcse essences mould be
removed togclhcr with Him, and the bodics too, anti :tll the sensible
\\,orld, bccalrhc all these ~ L ; L V Pa ~nut,~ial connecLion.
!I(;. Xo\v, :rlll~ougIi lhp s e n ~ i b l en-ol.ld follo\\,s the divine ~ r o r l d ,as
a sliadow does the body, and tlie divine \\.orld stands in no rlsed of it,
but is Sree frotn il, arid independent of it, yet nolwithst;~ndingthis, il is
absnrd to snpposr n possiliility of ils being ar~nihilated, l i e ~ i u s eit follows
the 11ivi11eworld : llnt the corrupliori of this \vorltl c o n s i s l ~i r ~its being
changcd, tiol ailnihilalcd. Aud that glorious Book ( l ) spake, where there
is no rnenlion ritadc of moving the mountains, and making them
like the world, and men like fire-flies, and darkening the sun
and moon; and eruption of the sea, in that day when the
Earth shall be changed into another earth, and the heavens
likewise. This is Lhe substancil of what I can Iiinl to you a1 present
concernir~y what ()nick-Alive son o l Wide-Awake sa\v, when in that
glorious state. Do not expect tll;rl 1 shoulti esplairl il any farther with
\\-ords: for that is cven irnpossiblc.
97. Bnt as lor the finishing of his history, I shall tell it yo11, God
v i l l i i Aflcr his return lo the scnsil~leworld, when he had bee11 wilere
\ire have told ~ U I I ,he loatlrcd this psestlnt lile, anti irioit earnestly lunged
[or Lhe life Lo ro~~lt:;ant1 hc endcavorcd lo return lo the same st;rle, by
the snrne neari is tie hat1 sought il at first, till lie allai~led to it with less
tronhle than he did at first, and continuocl in il lhe second time longer
than at llic first. Then h r r e t ~ ~ r n ctod lhc sensihlc \vot.ltl; arid then agiin
enticavorcd to rocoirer. his station, \\-ltich k1e fonnti casier Llian :tt Lhc first
and second time, and that Ire cor~tir~ocdi r ~it longer; and thus it grew
easicr and easicr, and his continuance in it longer and Iol~ger,time afier
time, till a t last lie could attain il when hc ~iloased, ;tnd stay in il as
long as he pleased. In this slate h c firrnll; kept himsrlf, and never
retired I'rom itl bul \vlren the necc~ssiLics of liis body rciplired it, which
Jie lhad hronglit into as ii:lrrow a conqjass as \fits possible. And \\~hilsL
h e \v;ts ttins exercised, he nscd to wish that it wo~lld please God ta
deliter him allogrthcr from I.his body i l l his, \\-hicl1 cletaincd him from
that slat?; that he r r ~ i g l ~ 11ave
t nolliinx to clo hut to ~ i v chimself up
\vllolly Lo his d e l i ~ h t , and be Creed from all th;tl lorrtrrnt ail11 which h c
was :rfflicted, as often as he \\v,s force11 to avvrt his rtlirld from th;?l slalc,
11y atlending or] the iici:t~ssities of ~iatnre. All11 Lli~tshe conliiiued, until
h a was ~ i a s lthe sevc.n:h Septenary of liis a<+:; lliat i i , till he was a b o ~ t t
f i f t y years old, and Ihcn h r I I H ~ P C I I Cto
~ ~ P C O I I I C:tc:rl~~aiiited
with the
nnrl.at,i\,e of \vlliull meeii~rgo l tlrrir.: I shall now, God willing, rolale.
$113. They say tli:rt l1lcr.e w ; ~:tn isI:11111not f:rr from that ~vllcre
IIayy ihn Y ~ q z a nu:rs liorn ( n o nlnllcr acvo~u!in~to which oC Lhose two
4, 7: 8) into
tiiff.reiit n c : o ~ n i s tilt.)- give ul' his I)ii.lli, ~ t ' e S C C ~ ~ , )3,I I S
-- - ~ --p-..pp---
(1) S u r a l ~ s65, and i01.
which one of those good sects, which had some onc 6f the ancienl propheti
(of pious rncmary) for ils aulhor and fotuider, had retired. A s ~ c which t
used to disconrsc of all things in Naf.ure, 11y way of p:rr:tblc and sir~riliiude,
and by that, means reprcscnl the imapes of t l i c n ~10 the imagination, and
fix the irnpresaiorrs of tllcrn in men's minds, as is rustornary in snch
disconrses a? arcL nindc to the Vnlgar. Tliis sect so spread ithelf in this
islund, and ~~rc\rnilcd and grew so eminent, that at last tllc liillg riot ollly
embraced it Elinlscll, bul obliged his suhjocts Lo do so too.
!I!). Now, there were horn in this island two rrrcn of estrnordirrary
endo\\.n~cnts, and lovers of that \\-l~jchis gocd : Lhe n:irne o l the one was
AsRI, :~rrd L e r Sal,;lrrrn wvlio, ~riceling ~ r i l h this sccl, clnilmcod it
he;lst,ily, and ohliged thrmselves to the ~ ~ u n c l u aoliservancc
l of all its
ordin;rnce-i, and tire tlaily exercise of wllnl was p ~ i c l i s e d in i l ; and to
this end tllc!~ enlercd into a Io:~jiuc: of friends!.ip ~vith e;ii'lr olhcr. Now,
among olhtlr p;ts-;ogcs, or cxprcw~ioris arid \vords, conl.:liried ill Lhc Inwv of
th;rl sect, tlicy somotirrrcis rnode enqniry iulo these \vords, wherein it
trcala of the dcscriplion of t h ~mast l1ip11 arld glorious God, and liis
angels, and the rcsurrcclion, and the re\\-n~.dsand punishlnents o l a future
slate. Now :ls,al nscd to makt. a i i ~ e l ~ csoasclr
~r into Lllc inside of things,
and w:rs riiore inclinc:d to stndy rrrysti(:al nlcanings i111d inter~irelation~.
But as for his friend Sa13m&n, he kept close to the literal scnsc, and ncvcr
troubled llinrsclf \\,it11 soch intcrp?etations, bnt. refrairied fro111 such clrrious
rx:rrnis~atior~and sl)er*lil:rtion of lhings. Not\\-ithst:~ridiog this diKererrcr,
homt~w~rr, they bolh were consla~rlin performin# those rites arid cere~nnr~ies
reqi~ireti,and in c;~llirigtlicmucl!~ea to ;m aoconrit, and in oppo~irrgtiicir
affections.
1(K). n ' o ~there
~ were in this In\\, somc passages \zhich scenied to
exl~ortn ~ c n to retirc:mt:r~t a:ld a solitary lilc, inlirnating tli:rt l~xppiness
a l ~ dsalvation wwre to be attained hy i t ; and olhers wliich sccmed to
erlconragc mcrr fo con\,er5ation, and cmbmcing Hnm:rn Society. As%l gave
l~i~rlsclf n p xvliolly to rctircrncnl; and those exp~es?ioi~s wl~iclrl'avoretl it
wcrc of mosl wvoigtit \\.it11 hiin, 11er:lnse he \\-:IS n;xtur:~lly inclined to
contcmplalion, aud searching into lhe nle;iniilg? of tlliligs; and his greatest
hope \\.as t11:~t he sl~onldbest allain his rntl h\- a solitary life. Sa19rnBr1,
or1 the otlicr side, :~pl)licdl~irneelflo conversation; arid those sayings of
tllc lawv which tcndccl (hat \vay went the farthest \\-it11 liirn, 11ec;uise hn!
had a natural avrrsiori to coritcnr~)latio~~, arid nicr siftii~goi things. And
he t h o ~ ~ g l 1h:~t
l t conw.ersatior1 did cl.rivc away evil thoughts, and banished
fh:rt diversity of opinio~is\vllich offcrcd tlicnriel\-es to his rnind, ant1 k ~ p t
llir~ifl.0111 Ll~e ~nggestiorls or cvil tliouglrts. I11 shorl, lllcir disagreement
iri this l)ariicnlar \\-as tllc occusiorl of their pnvtilr@.
1 0 1 Nowv Asiil h:rd he:rrtl of that island ~ I I\vllicli we have told you
thiil, IIayy ibri Yarlz%rr 1i;ld Iris IJrct!di~rg. 11c knew also its fertility and
conreniencea, a r ~ dtlre lre:~lLlif!~ltc>ir~pr~ror tlrc air, ho tlhat, it w\-oulcl alford
him sii(.Ii a cornrnodioi~sreliromcrrl :L> Ilc 1i:ld in 11i-jv,.iil~~s.Thilher lie
~.esolvedto go, :\rid mitlrdrtau. 1 i 1 i l o r I a n of C O I I \ . C I . Z : ! ~ ~
tlrc remaining part of his days. So hc took wvliat substallcc llc had, and
with part of it he hired a ship to convey him thither, the rest he
distrihuted among the poor peoplc, and took his leave of his friend
SalBman, and went aboard. Thc rn:~rincrs tr;msporLed hirn to t l ~ cisland,
and set him ashorc and lefl llim. Tlicre he continued serving God, and
magnifying him, and sanctifying him, and niedilating ilpol~ liis glorions
names and attribnles, witho~itany inlerr~rptionor dist~~rb:tnce.And when
lie was hungry, he tool; what hc had occasion for, to satisfy his hunger,
of s n d l fruits as the island afforded, or \\,hat lic could hunt. In this
state he continued a while, in the mean time enjoying the grealcst pleasure
imaginable, and the most entire tranqnility of mind, arising Irom Ltic
converso ; ~ n dcornmtinication which he had wit.h his Lolin; and cvrry day
experiencing His benefits arid prccioils gifls, and His bringing easily to his
hand s ~ i c hthings as he wanted, :ind u7erc necessary for his snpport,
which confirmed his helief in Him? and was a gre;~lrefreshment to him.
102. Quick-Alivc son of LVide-Aw:tk~, in thr mean tirnr, was
tvllolly immersed in his snhlirne specnlations, and never stirrrd on1 of
his cell but once a 11-eek, lo take stich provi>ion as firsl. came to hnnd.
Sn that Aral did no1 light npon him at first, hul walked round the island,
and compassed the estrcmities of it, wilhout seeing any man, or so much
a s the fnotsteps of any : Upon which account his joy w;rs increased, and
his mind exceedingly pleased, in regard of his compassing that which he
had proposed to himself, namely, to lead the most retired life that ~ 7 ; ~ s
possible.
103. At last it happened one time thal Hayy ihn l'aqzan, corning
out to look for provision in the same placc whilher AsBl was retired,
they spied one another. A;RI, for his part, did not question but that .it
was some religious person who, for the sake of a solitary life, had retired
into tlval island, as lie had done himself, artd was afraid lest., if he stlonld
come up 10 him and make himself known, it rniglit spoil his meditation,
and hinder his attaining what he hoped for. Hayy ihn l'aqzdn, on thc
other side, coilld riot imaginc \rh:iL it was ; for of all the creatures he
had ever behbld in his whole life, he had never seen anything like it.
Now AsBl had a black coat on, nlade of hair and wool, which H a y ibn
YaqzBn faocicd was natural, and stood w,ondcring at i l ' a long time. AsB1
ran away as hard as he could, for fear he shonld disltlrh 11is meditation;
Hayy ibn l'aqzan ran nltcr him, out of an innate desire h e had to know
the tmlh of things. Bnt when he perccived Asal make so mnch haste,
he retired a little and hid himself from h i m ; so that AsBl thought he
had been quite gone off, and then he fell to his prayers, and reading,
and invocation, and weeping, and supplicalion, and complaining, till he
was altogether taken up, so as to mind nothing clse.
104. In the mean time Hayy ibn Yaqzkn stole npon him h? degrccs,
and Ask1 took no nol.ice oI b i m , till he came so near as to hear him
read and praise God, and obscrved his humhle heliavi~rr,and his weeping,
and heard a pleasant voice and dislinct words, such as he had never
observed before in any kind of animals : Then he !ookcd upon his shape
and lineaments, and perceived that he was of the same form with himself,
 and was satisfied that the coat he had on: uras not a nalural skin, but
an artificial gown like his own. And when h e observed the decency of
his 11ur11hlc behavior, and his siipplicalio~~ and weeping, he did not a1 all
question bul thal he was one of those essences which had the kno\vlcdge
of the TKUEONE; and for tllat reason he had a desire lo be acquainted
wilh hirn, and to k ~ i o ww h d was the malter with him, and what cansed
this weeping and supplication. Whercnpon h e drew ncarer to hinl, till
As81 pcrcciving it, betook l~irnsclfto his lreels again, and Hayy i b r ~I'ayzgn
(answerabll- to his vigor and power, both of knowledge and body, which
God had bestowed ilpon him) pursued hirn with all his might, till at
last he overtook him and seized on him, and held Eiim fast, so that he
could not get away.
106. When As81 looked upon hirn, and saw him clolhrd X-ilh the
skins of \\rild bcasls with the hair on, and his own hair so long as to
eovcr a grcat par1 of his body, and observed his great swiftness and
strength, he was very much afraid of him, and began to pacify him with
stroking him, and crltreating 11irr1, hut Hayy ibn YaqzRn did not under-
stand one word h c said, nor knew mything of 1:is meaning, only he
perceived that he was afraid, and cndeavored to allay his fear with such
voices as he liad learned of solric of the bcasls, and slroked his head,
and both sides of his neck, and showed kindi~ess to him, and expressed
a great deal of gladness and joy; till a1 last AsBl's Sear was laid aside,
and he knew that he meant hiru no h a m .
106. Now Asjl long before, on1 of his earnest desire of searching
in10 the meaning of things, had studied most languages, :rnd was well
skilled in them. So he began to speak to Hayy ibn 'aqz8n in cl1 the
languages which he understood, and ask hirn qnestiorls concerning Iris
way of lire, a r ~ dtook pains to rnake him undcrslarid him ; but all in
rain, for ITayy ibn YaqzBn stood all t l ~ e while xvondering at what he
heard, and did r ~ u tknow what was the lnear~ir~g of it, only he perceived
that Ask1 was plensed, and well-affected towards hilli. Thus they stood
wondering one at the other.
107. Now AsaI had by him sullle remainder of Ihe provision which he
had brought along with him from the inhabited island \vhence h e came; and
11e offered it to Hayy ibri Vaqzaii, wllo did not know what to nlalre of
it, [or he had never seen any sucli before. Then As81 ate sorne of it
himself, and invited Hayy ibn L'aqzan by signs tu eat too. Hut the latter
bethought himself of tliose rules which he had prescribed to himself, as
to matter of diet; and not knowing Lhe nature of that which the forrr~er
offered him, nor whethcr it via? lawfnl fur. him to partake OS il or not,
lie refused il. Asal still eonlinued urgcnl, and invited llirn kindly. Now
Hayy ibn Yeqzan had a greal tieeirc Lo bc acqiiainted will1 him, and was
afraid that his contii~uingtoo stiff in his rcfnsal rnigl~tulienaie Ihe affec-
tions of As81 from hirn ; so lie ventured upon it, and atc some. When
he had lasted of it, and iiked it, h e perceived t t a l he had done amiss in
breaking llrose prornisrs which lle had rnade lo l~irnselfconcernillg diet;
and he repented himself of what he had done, and had thoughts of
 - 64 -
withdrawing l~imsclf from hsB1, niirl retreating to his former state of
co~ile111~11:1lii11~.
3CIO,. I!irl Ihc T'isioi: did not cX;l.ily :ppenr lo llilrl 31 firs!, upon
\\-l~ii.llIlc resol\-cc1 to c o r ~ t i r ~ u~villl
r ~ AsAI i l l llrc ~ c ~ r s i i i\\,orld,
lt~ till lrc h;td
Liroroup1rl~-s:~lisficd l i i r ~ ~ s ~concerning
lf Irim, Lli:~t so x~hcil hc had no
Snrtl~crdtlsirt? lomards him, 11e rnipht apply hirnsclr to llis for~nercontcm-
pintions wilhout :ill?. i l ~ l ~ r r n p t i o r ~\I'hrrofurt!
. hc qrplicd lri~nself lo lhc
socicty of A d , ~ v h opctrceivilig lhnl lrc could not spcnk, \\.as secure of
:rrly d:rln;~ge that niigllt coinc 10 11is r('ligi~rl 113 licc1)illg cornpany with
11ilr1; ilrrd, besides, Il::d llopes of Lcilcl~ilr~ !rirri speer;ll, klio\\~ledgeand
religion, ;rlld, by Ilr:it, riicx:lns, of olilnii~ing a grr;rL rc\rard and rlc?:rr
:~pl]ro:1~11 to (iod. He l~(:gnn Ihe~.eforc lo tclrcl~11i11r IIUIT to speak; first,
by shux~ingliinl p;rriicu!:~r (hings, and r~rono~ini:i~~g Lllcir rl;rlrles, and
r e p e a t i ~ ~tl~errl
g oflerr; a ~ r dpi+rsuatling l~irn lo s11c:ik tlrern; x\.liich Ire did,
apldying every word to the thing by il siq'~iIied : I I I ~ ~Ienoled,till 11c liad
tauglrt l ~ i n lall tllc nouns, a r ~ d so iniprored hi111 hy drgrees thal he
conld spcnli in a very short time.
109. Then Ad11 hegan to tmclnire of lrini coricerrii~lg his way of
living, and Iroin wllcnce Ire came inlo tlial island'< H:~yyi h ~ iYaqzir~
told l ~ i mtlinl h r linew noiliing o l his oxvn origin. nor :lny fnthrr or
~riollrertllat 11e lr:irl, hiit only lhtrl roe \\-lriolr hronglit Irinr 1111. T l ~ c n11e
describer1 ta l~irir 11is Iniirl1ler of living, ~ I . O I I I first to last, and by what
degrees 11e Ilnd ailvanccd i r ~I~nomledgc Lill 11e ntt;lirletl [the] Union \vitir
God. W l ~ c nAs21 lrcard lri~n give :In nrconnt of thosc? t r ~ ~ l h sand , tllose
esserlccs ~vllicllarc scjrarat~fronr the srnsible world, and which lra\rc tlrc
knowledge of Ihnl TKUEOSE, wllosc! I ~ ; I I I I ~Irc ~iraised; arid 11eai.d him
give all account of lhc csscricc of tli:il 'I'nri~ ONE, and dt~scribe, as far
as \v:rs possible: wllnt l ~ e11:id >I-itrresscd - \vlren lie 11;id :rtt:rincd 10 lhat
Union - oS tlrr: joys o l t,lioi;e who :rrc near [close] united to God, and
111c iorn~cnts of thost: ~ ~ l :rre r o sr1);lr:rlcd Rorn 1Iir11; h c mntie no doubt
hrrt lllal all Llrose things x1-11icli arc contnirlcd i i r ihc law of Cod [i. e. the
Quriii] concerning llis coinmand, IIis angels, bi~oks,a i d messengers, the
d:ly of jndgmcnl, pnrndisc and hell, \rcre rrxeirililance~of what Hayy ibn
YlclzBr~ had sccn; and Llrc eyes ol' his ~indorslantlingix-crc <iperlcd, :md
I r c ~ fouild t11nl Llrc Original and tlrc Colry ( l ) did esaclly agree togcllicr.
And t l ~ en~clliods o f myslicnl inicrprctaliol~ l!ecame easy to him, and
t11el.c appcnred riothiilg diffil:nll lo lritn, in t l ~ o s eprrccpls wllioh he lrad
- ~ - ~ - -- - ~ p ~ ~ p - -
~
~
- .

(Ij. 01., ancl t11:lt tvlririi 11c lrnd corict:ivcd b y lris rrli~lti and rpasorl
coir~cidcd r i l l 1 111:it \vllich h:111 ljceri handcd down by rcvc1:ltion and
ii~spi;aLior~. Tlrc scnsc is, tlrnt IInyy ibn Yac~zin having no ;~dvanta#es
of e d u c a l i o ~ ~had
, acqnircd all Iris Itnowledgc liy sirlgulnr indnstry and
applicalion, till at last lie attairred to the Vision of Cod himself. 11). \\.hich
me;rns Ire raw ;ill tlrir~gsri~laling lo n laltirc statc, viz., hy hcl~oldil~g in
God Lhta ilrciriiypnl ltle:ls, of whir11 all lhings crc!ated, :nld w h a t s o e ~ ~ eisr
~ c v c a l c dbo nr, are stll)posed lo he copios. Now A s 8 l , hy conversing with
Iiim, fourld that Lire trr:ripil p , i. c. ~r-liat IIayy b. B:rclzRn raw h? this
sort of specnli~tion: and llre manyfil *, i. e. xvllal Bsdl had learned out
of the revea!ed Qurfir~,a ~ ~tlied traditiun of the prophets, did exactly
answer to and coir~cideone with the other, as a copy doe8 its originnl,
received, but all was clear; nor anything shot up, but all was open;
nor anything profound, but all was p1::in. By this means his inlellcctual
faculty grew strong and vigorous, and he looked npon IIayy ibn YaqzrZn
with admiration and respect, and assured himself that he was one of the
Saints of God, which have no fcar upon them, neitllcr sliall they suffer
S

pain ,. Upon which he addressed hirnself to wait upon him, and imitate
him, and to follolv follow his direction in the pcrCormanoe of such works
as he had occasion to rnake usc of, namely, those legal ones u~hichhe
had formerly learned from his own sect.
110. Then H. b. YaqzrZn began to enquire of him concerning his
condition and manner of living, and Asnl gave him an account of the
island from whencc he came, and what mariner of people inhabited it,
and what sort of life they led before that religions sect, which we men-
tioned, came among them, and ho\v it was now, since the coming of that
sect. He also gave him an account of what was delivered in the Law
[Quran] relating to the description of the divine world, paradise, and
hell, and the awakening and resurrection of mankind, and their gathering
together to judgment, and the baiance and the way. All which things
Hayy b. YaqzLn understood very ~vell, and did not find any of thein
disagreeable to what he had seen, when in that noble station ; and he
knew that he who (1) had described these things, and given an account
of tliem, had given a true account, and was a messenger sent from his
LORD;and he believed him, and affirmed his veracity, and bore witness
to his message.
111. Then he began to ask him concerning the precepts which the
Messenger of God had delivere2, and the rites of u.orship which he had
ordained. And Asal told him of Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrin1:~g.e.
and such other exlernal observances, which he received and practised,
and took npon himself, in obedience to his command, of urhose veracity
he was very well assured. Only lhere were two things stuck in his mind,
which he wondered at, and could not comprehend wherein the wisdom
of tliem did consist : The one was, why this messenger of God, in
describing most things which relate to the divine world, used to express
them to men by parables or similitudes, and waived a perspicuous
explication of them ; by which he occasioned men in a great mensure to
fall into that error of asserting a corporeity in God, and believing things
of that TRUE BEING, from which he is absolutely free; and so, in like
manner, concerning those things which relate to the rewards and punish-
ments of a future state. - The other was, why he went no farther than
these precepts and rites of worship, but gave men leave to gather riches,
and allowed them a liberty as to matter of food; by which means they
employed themselves about vain things, and turned away from the truth.
Whereas his judgment was, that nobody ought to eal anything, but only
just [enough] to keep him alive; and as for riches, he had no opinion
of them a t all. And when he saw what was set down and prescribed in
the Law, with relation to wealth, as Alms and the Distribution of them,
(1) The Apostle Muhammed,
0
 and Tradlng and Usury, Mulcts and Pumshments ; these things seemed
all vcrl odd to him, and he judged ttie~nsuperfluous ; and said that, if men
underalood thmgs alight, they \vobld lay aside all t!ieze vain things, and
follow the truth, and content lhen~selves \\~thout anything of all this; 1
l
and that no man would challenge such a propriety in riches as to have
Alms asked of him, or to cause his hands to be cut off u.ho privily stole
them ; or their lives to be talren away who had openly robbed him.
112. Now that which prompted him to lhis persuasion was this,
that he thought all men were indued wilh an ingenuous temper, and
penetrating understanding, and a mind constant to itself; and was not
aware how bloclr~shand stupid they were, how ill-advised, and inconstant
in their resolutions; insomucli that they are like brute beasts, nay more
apt to wander out of the way. Since therefore he was greatly affected
with pity towards mankind, and desired that he might be an instrument
of their salvation; a resolution came into his mind of going over to them,
to declare and lay before then1 the trulh. This intention of his he
communicated to his friend Asal, and asked him if there could possibly
be any way contrived to conic at them.
113. Bat Asjl told him what sort of people they were, and how
far from an ingenuous temper, and how averse from obeying the commands
of God; but he had no notion of that, but still his rnind %.as intent upon
that which he hoped to compass. And Asal desired that it would please
God, by his means, to direct somc persons of his acquaintallce which were
were of a more pliable temper than the rest, and had more sincerity in
them, into the right way. So then he was ready to further the design
and endeavor of Hayy ibn I'aqzBn. Upon which they resolved to keep
close to the sea-shore, without stirring from it either day or night, till
God should please to afford them an opportunity of crossing the sea.
And a11 the while they were intent upon this, they continued praying to
God to direct them in this their business, and bring it to a happy issue.
114. At last, as God - whose name be praised - would have it,
it happened that a ship which had lost her course, was driven by the
wind and water upon the shore of that island, and as it drew nearer to
land, they who were in it, seeing two men upon the shore, made towards
them. Then Asal spoke to them, and desired them to carry him and his
companion aIong with them in the ship ; to which they consented, and
took them into the ship, and it pleased God to send them a fair wind
which in a short time carried them to the isle which they desired. There
they landed, and went into the city; and Asal's friends carrie all about
him, and he gave them an account of Quick-Alive son of Wide-Awake,
and his manner of living ; so that people flocked to him from every side,
and admired and reverenced him. Then Asal told him that this sect
was superior to all other sorts of men in knowledge and sagacity; and
that, if he could not work upon them, there were much lesser hopes of
doing any good upon the Vulgar.
116. Now Salaman - AsBl's friend who, we told you, chose con-
yersation rather than solitude and retirement, which h e judged unlayful-
was prince and sovereign of this isliind. So Hayy b. Yaqzan began to
teach theni, and explain the niyslcries of ~visdomto them; hut so soon
as ever h c hcg:~n to raise liis discourse above external things a little, and
to inculcalc that the contrar!: whereof had been settled and deeply
rooted in their rr~inds;they lxgan to xvittitlraw thernsclvcs from him, and
their minds h:td an abho~~j~cncc for \\-hat he spake. And, altilo~~gh they
carried t,liernsclvr~~civilly to him, both because he \\,as a stranger, and
out of the observance \vhich they thought d ~ l cto lheir friend AsB1, yet
they were angry with hirn inwardly in their hearts. Ilowever, he
continued rcasoning with thcrri niildly nigh1 slid day, and teaching them the
TKI;TII,both in private and public, which only incrcascd their hatred towards
him, and made the111 avoid his conipany, though otherwise they were
lovers of goodness, and di~sironsof truth. Tfoxvever, throngh the defect
of 1,heir n;~turc, thcy did not search for it afler the rizht manner, uor
;~~~prkhhc.r~d
i l as thcy sllould do; hut sougllt tlic ltno\vledge of it after the
conrmon 7val7, like tlic rcal of i11c world. So thal he despaired of doing
any good upon lhem, and all his liopes of amencling the111 were deft:alcd,
hecallse they were not 11-illing to receive \c-hat he tanght then^.
116. And alterwards, takiug a view of the several ranks and orders
of men, he perceived th:tl crery sorl of Ihcm placed thcir delight in
those things wliich they possessed at present, and thal their appetites
\\we their Crod[s], and that they losf, thrmselvcs in gathcrina np the little
I.bings of this world; aiid that ttle tiesire of gcttirlp more, kept them
cmployed till they came to their graves; and that all good counsel was
lost upon t h e m ; and that disputing. xvith ilicm had only Ihis effect, that
it made them all the more obstinate. And as for Wisdom, tllcrc was no
way for them to attain it, neilhcr had they any sliarc in it. G For folly

Ilas overwliclmed lhern, and what thcy havc sought after has covered
Lheir hearts like rnst ; God lins scalcd up thcir hcarls and lheir ears, and
their eyes are dim, and they shall have sore punishment P . (Surahs 2
and 83).
117. \Then Lhereforc he saw thcnl cornpassed about with the
curtains of punishment, and covered will1 lhc darkness of the veil ; and
that all of them -- a few only cxccptcd - minded their religion no
otherwise, hut with repnrd to lllic present world ; and cast the observance
of religious pcrfor~nancles behind their b;tclts, notwithstanding the easiness
of them, and sold them for a sniall price ; and lhal their merchandizc
and trading diverted them from thinking npon God, so that they ha& no
fear of = that Day (l) in which both their hearts and eyes shall be turned
round S ;he \%,asSully satisfied that it w ; ~ sto no purpose to speak to tllem
plainly, lieither that il was erpedienl any works should be enjoined
[upon] them beyond this measure; and that the greatest benefit which
accrued to the conlmon sort of men by the Law, was wholly placed in
relation to things of this world, viz., that they might be in a comfortable
way of living, and that no man might invade another's property; and
(1) Also- a quotation from the QurBn, and designed t o express the
confusion which the Wicked shall be in at the Day of Judgment.
 that there was but here and tllare one that attained to happiness here-
after; namely, such an one as n ~ a d e it his business in this world to
provide for anolhcr, and look due care a l ~ o n lit, and was a believer :
liut that hell wab lhe pl;~ce for hirn that erred from the 1.roth; and
preferred the life of' this present \r-orld before it. And W l ~ s tlabor can
be greater, cir whal n~iscry rrlore co~nplclothan I~is, who \vorlis, if you
ol~seive,fro111 the time lic awakes, lill lie gocs to sleep :lgain, you will
find that he does nothing l ~ u t what tends to the altnining of sotne one
or olher of these vile sen~iblclliings ; natneiy, either riches, to heap them
up ; or pleabl~re,\viricll he nlay take ; or l u ~ t ,which he Inay satisly ; or
rerengc, \vilereby he rnar pacily his mind ; or power, to defend himself;
or some outwnrd work commanded by the Law, whereof he rliay niake a
vain-glorions show ; or ml~erebyhe may save llis own neclr ? Now, all
these things are darkness upon darkness ill Lhc depth of the sea? neilher
is there any of you that doth not enter in thilher, [or such is the un-
changeable decree of the I.OHU r . (Surahi 2.1.; 10).
118. And ~.11cr1he understood the condition or* mankind, a r ~ dthat
t,krc greatest art of then1 were like brute heasls, hc line~vthat all \visdom,
direction, arid good sacccsts, cor~sistedin what Ihe nlesscngers of God had
syokcn, and t!~e Z ~ I V delivered ; and that there \\,as no oliier way bcsidcs
this, and Lhal l h e ~ ecould be nothi~igadded to i t ; and that there were
nierl alipoint,ed to every work, and that every one was besl capable of
doing that urlto which Ire was appoifited by [his] nntu1.e. That this was
GOD'S way of de:tling with llrosc wl1ic11 \yere polls before, :md that there
is no change in His \\,ay. LVhereupon rctui.niiig to SaItn~Bn and his
friends, he begged their pardon for whal he h;rcl said to lhern, and desired
to be excused, and told them tllat Ire \\.as of fhe same opinion with them,
and wertt 011 ill I l ~ e sanie way, and persuaded thc!lr~ to stick fir~nly to
their resolution of keeping within the bounds of tlic Law, and the per-
formance of the external rites, and ihnt they shonld no1 mucl1 dive into
the things that did not concern them : and tl~atin doubtful thing6 lhey
should give credit, :~nd yield lheir assent readily; and Lhat they should
:ibstain fro111 novel opinii,ns, ;tud !'I-cnn ll~eir al~peliles, and follow the
examples of their liious anceelori, ;11id Sura;~ltcnorcllics, and tllnt they
should avoid thal neglect of religions pel.fortnnnce6 which was seen in
the vulgar sort of men, and the love of the world, which he [~rinoipally
cautioned thcrn againsl. For both 11c and his friend A ~ j lknem that tliis
tractable, hot defective sort ol rrlcrl, had no uihcr way in the world to
escape, but only by this means ; and thal if llicy sl~ouldbc raised a11ove
this t o corious speculations, it m n l d be worse wilh thcm, and they
would not be ablc to attain to the degree of the Blessed, but wonld
flocl~iateand hc tusssd 111) and dowr~,and ~n:tlre a bad end. Hnl on the
contrary, if they continued in that state in which they were till dealh
overtook thern, they should be happy, and stand on the right hand:
But as for those that oul-went them, thcy should also take place of
thern, and that they should be the next.
119. . So .they took their loave . a n d left-.them, ..and soy'ght. fox an
opportunity of returning to their island, till it pleased God to help them
to a convcniency of passing. And Hayy b. k'aqzan endeavorcd to attain
to his lofty station, by the same 1iie;ms he had sought it at first, till h e
recovered i t ; and As%l followcd his steps, till he caiuc near him, or
wanted bul very little of i t ; and lhns they contiriued serving God in this
island till they dicd.
120. This is that - God help thee and us hy His Spirit - which
we have received of the history of Quick-Alive son of Wide-Amakc, A d ,
and SalBlnBn; which comprehends such choice of words as are not found
in any other book, nor heard in common discourse. It is a piece of
hidden ltriowledge which none can reccire but those which have the
knowledge of God, nor can a n y he ignorant of it but those which have
not. Now \v-e have taken a contrary method to our pious ancostors, as
to their reservedness in this matter, and sparingness of speech. The
rcason which did the more easily persuade me to divulge this secret, and
tear the veil, was because of the false and corrupt notions which some
pretenders to pl~ilosophy in our Age have broached and scatlesed
[disscminatedl, so that thcv are diffused throughout several countries,
and the mischief which arises from thcnce is become epiden~ic. Fearing
therefore lest those wcxk ones, who rejtvt the Tradition of the prophets,
of blessed memory, and niake choice of that which is delivered them by
fools, should imagine that ltiese opinions arc lhat Secret which ought to
ho wilh-held from those who arc not worthy or capnhle of it, and so
their desire and sludy of these opinions should he increased, I have
thought good to give thcni a glimpse of this secret of secrets, that I
might draw thcm into the right way, and avert them from this other.
Nevertheless, I have not so delivcrcd t,he sccrets, which are comprchended
in lhese few leaves, as to leave them without a thin veil or cover over
thcm, wliich will be easily rent by those who are worthy of i t ; bnt will
he so thick to him tlial is unworthy to pass beyond it, that he shall not
he able to get throngll it. And I desire of those of my brethren who
shall see this discourse that they would excuse me for heing so easily
induced to explain il, and so free in lhe descriplion of i t ; seeing I had
not done bo, if I had not hcen elevated to ,such heighls as trailsccnd the
reach of h i u ~ ~ asni ~ h t . And I was willing to express it in easy tenris,
that I rniglrt dispose men, and raise a desire in them to enter into the
right way. And I beg of God parclon and forgiveness, and tl~al.Hc n7ould
~ d X-non-ledge of Himself, for h e
please to bring us to the t r r ~ e a ~ certain
is gracious and 1ibcr;il or IIis farors.
*Peacc be to thee, my Brother, whose promotion is decreed, and the
mercy and blessi~~g. of COD he upori thee.

Praise lie to GOD alone

 WHAT IS A FUFY?
[Extract from T. H. Weir's a The Shaikhs ol Morocco In the XVIth
Century Edinburgh, George A. Morton, l904 : Introduction, pp. 32 -351.
A Soofee is one who seeks to kr~ow God directly, not through a
third person nor throng11 a book. No person who is content with the
theology of tlic s h o l m e n , or who is satisfied lo accept his f;rit,h on the
authority of others, will fccl the need of anything higher. IIe \%-harefuses
t o accept the popular iaitb on rnere credit, and demands a personal
knowledge of religions matters, before they are anything to him, is called
a U mnrid ., which is the equivalcnt of the Latin < stude~ls i. e. onc who
2,

wishes to know, an enquirer; or else s * t8lib B, or seeker, student. He

is represented as having set out upon a jourriey or path, the goal of
which is the knowledge of the Truth - that isl of God.
The first care of the seeker after truth, who is setting ont upon this
journey, is to find ;t sbaykh who will act as gnidc. Having found his
shaykh, thc disciple or companion rnust cettse to have any will or
S

initiative of his own, becoming in the hands of his shaykh - to use the
grim formula - like a corps in the 1i;~nds of lhc \vashcr ., [sicut
c:~davcr]. IIis obedien~emust be absolote, and he mnsl be a1Ae l o
endure any tcst to which his sliaykh chooses to sul~jcclhitn. The in-
struction of Lhe shaykli is g i ~ e nby means of tcxt-boolcs, or orally, or by
a sort of hypnotism. The object aimed at is not to impart information,
al1ho11g.h that is implied, but to produce an elerated and semi-ecslatic
condition of mind ; and the knowledge of God \vhioh is hoped for is not
so rnuch a nienlal or sensuous perception as a sense of uriion of soul
with God. Union with God (wic81) is (he highest airn of thc Myslic, and
h e who attains to a sense of it is said to a know God *, or siinplp to
Know.
In Soofee parlance pticno~lienalexistence is conceived of as a veil,
which conceals the Truth froni mnn's view. What Ihn 'Askar saw \vhen
the veil was relit was that Archetypal Beautv, of which every impression
of the beautiful which lhe mind experiences in this life is only a rerni-
niscence. I n the realm of dreams, too, i l is possible for the soul t o adst
off this veil of existence, and to hchold reality with uncloudcd eyes.
According to a traditior~alsayin8 of the Prophct Mnhammad: the only
revelation v o ~ ~ c l ~ s a f etod men after his tiiiie mas to take Ihe form of
true dreams 3. And, ;~ccordinglp,certain kinds of dl.carns are accepted
s s equi.~alc'nt to visions or revclalio~~s.
The highest station on the nlystic palh is named poleliood B, and
..
S

he who attains to it is called a pole or axis

A Many ~rlyslics are
recognized ill differcnt connlrics as having reached this st;\tion.
 APPENDIX,
in which the

AUTHOR'S NOTION c o ~ ~ c e r i ~ ithe

n g Possibilily of a Man's Attaining
to the True Knowledge of GOD, and Things Necessary
to Salvation, without thc Use of External Means!
is briefly considered :

by SIMON OCKLEY, M. A., Vicar of Snavesey in Cambridgshire,

Reprinted, from the LONDON Editioa

of 1708,

with slight changes,

BY

Edward A. van Ogck,

For the Use of his P q i l s , at

CAIBO, Egypt: 1905

The Occnsion and Design of this D i s c o ~ i l . ~ ~ .
God's \lra!~ of Teaching IIis People was by Prophefs.
Prophecy no1 attained by any Application or I ~ ~ d ~ ~ sbut trg,
depcndcd npon the Positive Will of God.
And consequently the VISIONOF GOD, or beholding the Divine
Being, which is superior to Prophesying, cannot be so at-
tained.
That it was never menlioncd as nttainahle, nor the Search of
it recommended by the Prophet Moses,
Nor any othcr Prophets that succeeded him.
What was no1 enjoyed in the early times of Christianity, when
Gifts of the Spirit were more plentif~~lly ponred out, cannot
be expected now.
But such a Power, xvhcrcby a inan might, xvilhout External
Helps, atlain to the true knowledge of God, and things
necessary to Salvation was nowhere promised by Josus
Christ onr Saviour,
Nor enjoyed hy devout persons in llre first timcs of the Gospel
Dispensation ; which is proved from the example of the
Eunuch,
And Cornelius.
The whole Tenor of the Apostles' Doctrine forbids us to expect
the VISION OF GOD in this life ;
From all xvhich is illferred that those Scriptures, which speak
of the plentiful Effusion of the Spirit in the Gospel tirlies,
are rnisur~dcrslood by enthusiasts.
U7hy we are not to expect Prophets now.
If these things are denied to Christians, they are not to be
found amongst Heathens, nor even amongst Muslims.
The enthusiasm of our Author, Ibn Tufayl, and olhers censured.
Conclusion.
 1. Though the prccedlng hi~tory, up011 the account of the lively
image and representallon n~hich 11 plces of unspotled virtue, unfeign
love of God, and contetnpt of tile things of t h ~ sIlfe, does very well deserv
to he read : So, as it eorita~nss e ~ c r a lthlngc, co-~ncldent7 ~ 1 t tlic h errors
of some enthui~astsof ihesc present tllnes, it deserves to be consldeked.
Upon nrh~ch,icconnt. I had no sooner suffetrd mjrclf to Le per5
t o undertaho thc tianslaliori 01 Illis book, t1ln11 1 dcternnned 10 s
some rcfleclions npon snch j~arl of 11 nz s e c ~ r ~ eto d nlc most wor
consi$eration. Lest ollier\+isc, Llial bool, \~h:c'l was by ltie deitgned for the
~nnocent, and not altogclher unprofitable di\ei.~on of the reader, mlglit
acc~dentally prolr ;1 nlc:.na ol l r a d ~ n g co~iic Into erior. \\ho are not
capable of ludging a n g l ~ l; arid ot c o n f i ~ n ~ l ~olhers
lg 111 Ilierr mislakes,
who through lllclr onrl rnedkne,~, or t l ~ eprejrtd~ce r,f a bad education,
have the misforlune to be led ont oC (he var And 1 was the more
u~illiilgto do ~ t , h e i a n ~ etI:c~e ha5 been a bad lise made of tht% buolc
before
2 . There are ir gleat illany errori both i n lnq Ph~losophy and
D ~ \ ~ i n ~ t Arid
y . i t \%,as imposstl~le i t shollld 1,e o t l r r ~ h i i c , the one being
altogether Arlstotellan, the other h!l~l~nnrrnadan I sltall pas? over the
grealest part of them, a3 not beliig 1 1 1 ~ ~to1 do ~ an1 harm , arid confine
myself chiefly to the examinahon of Ilu, 1~undnment;rlErtor of m) Author,
namelv, (*) Tl~,itGod has glvcrl w c h :L poner or f:1~11111to man, whereby
h e may, without any csternal means, hll.irn to the knowlctlge of all th~iigs
necessary to S a l ~ a t i o n , ~ n deven to the ncat~ficV ~ a o n~tbclf, \vh~istm
thls (l) stale . In dolng \vlnch I shall 91111 li,ivc ~ e g a r d to the crrors
received concerning thesc thinqs In thc preqent Aqc
3 In mder lo this I shzll c\nmlnr the \cajs and mean. hp which
the People of G6d, In all Agcs, caiiie to the n~idcrstand~nq of Rls W111 NOW
~t is e v ~ d e n t ,from the absilld n o t ~ o r ~which
s tlle ancient heathens had of
the Dell\ and tkielr idola(ry, (11;it lrtnokind naq so f ~ degenerated r and
depraved, that they had lost the true kno~vledge of God, and of HIS
I ~ ~ ~ noran ant of their d u h towards Ihm ;
attributes, and C O I I C C ~ ( I ~ I ITCI'C
for which rrason God jras pleased, ont of 111s Infinite love and mercy
toward- mzcnlitnd, to send a t silndry t ~ n l e sP n o ~ r ~ r:r thal s is, nlen tvho
n ere insplred bl the 1101v SPIIIIT,and had the f i l l or God immediately
revealed to Ihem; lo the end that (he! llllght 112~irtlrtother., how to
serve I11m (Ihe [~ncicntTradition received froin our First Parenls, and
those good men a h ~ c hs~iccceded them, being now almost worn out and
over-giown by the incrcas~cg \vlckedtie5s ot the norld) and thereby
avoid thnse judgments a h i c h would otherwise ~nfall~hly ovrrtake them, ~f
they continued in 1mpen1:ence and dlqobcd~en(e [to HIS Iloly IVlll].
4. This was the lilcana whlcli the General~ty of the Prople of God
- -
P- -- - --
(*) Note : See 84, 85,etc.
(1) This state of our life here on earth before death of body.
10
' ,were not.
5 . And when it had pleased God to give a clearer and foller Revelatio
, of His Will to the prophet Moses; what was delivered to him
, . committed t o the care of the priests, of w!iorn both king and people wer
obiiged to learn their duty. Denteronon~y, chap. 17~!v . 18 : And it
shall be when he sitieth upon the tllroiie of Ibis Icingdom, that he shall
write him a copy of this Law in a book, o ~ i tof that which is before the
-priests the Letrites, and it shall he with him, and he shall read therein
all the days. of his life, that he may learn to fear tlie Lord his God, to
.keep.all the words of this Law, and lllese stalntcs, to do thein 3. And in the
~. book of the prophet Malachi, chap. 11, v. 7 : % The priests' lips shoilld
preserve knowledge, and they shonld seek the Law at his Aloulh, for 11e
is the messenger of the Lord of hosls a . So that t h e i yere not to seek
after any other more perfect 'manner of vorship than what was delivered
. - i n that Rook, nor to expect Illat those truths or precepls, which were
ntained in it, should be revealed to them anew, either by any prophet
ving in their Lime, or by Ilrin~ediate Revelation ; but to draw all their
structions from the aforesaid helps. And accordingly, we never find
any of the prophets making any alteration in tlie Law, or calling the
people to a more perfect way of u,orsl~i[~. From \v-l~encoit is plain that
they were well assured of its snfficicncy, till the MESSIATT, who T V ~ St
- complete it, should .come ; and their ncver bidding the people to look for
any-other way of teaclling than what was to bc ha? from that Book and
the mouth of the priesls, proves evidently that they knew those means
to be sufficient.
6. Thus ure have seen which way the generality of the people of
God were taught ; let us nom examine hp what means the prophet5 attained
.- their faculty of prophesying, and u~hereinit did concist. Now it is most
certain that the faculty OS prophesging . cannot. be rltained by any Appli-
cation or I~nproveinent of our [natural] Abilities \vhatsoerer, but depends
wholly and entirely upon the Positive Will of God, ~vlloupon importan
and weighty occasions, in his o w n ' d ~ l etime, and to such., persons a
eem' best in his infinite wisdom, does send such as hc is pleased to s
art and qualify for that service, bp the lnspiration o
and Epistle of Peter, chap. 1, v. 21 : < F o r Prop
time by the will of m a n ; but holy men of God s p
moved ,by the Holy Ghost D. It must not be denie
iteous and godly lifv, a beayonly conversation,
selves pure both in body and spirit, are excellent
y Spirit to dwell in and abide with us. And this is agreeable t
of the Purity of God,' and his love of that which is
 ony of ancient Churches, and Holy Scripture itself. B a t -
eslion is, How does God dtvell in those that are His? Certainl
s o a s to make Prophets of them, bnt to strengthen them In their Ho
Resolutions, and cnablc them t o pcrfo~ni such things ss tend most lo H
Glory, and tlielr own Salvation And upon a due examrnat~on,we sh
find that this is all which tlic greatest number by far o! godly men ever
a t t z ~ n e d ; who not\\lthstanding must by no means bc accused of sloth
fulncss In not approving tbelr talent, nor of h e ~ n g wanting in
endeavors to make tlre n e a ~ e i l App,oacl~~;.to God that tlicy
capable of.
7. T l i ~ sw~llappeal further, i f a e cons~dcrthat lhose mean
were used by holy persons of Old, in order to the lruprovem
thcmsclves or o l h c ~ s ,in Lll~exerclbe of plety and r e l ~ g ~ o ncann
,
- ally account be reckoned as means of t h ~ i rbecornlng prophcts Thou
Samuel was dedlcatcd to the servlcc of God from his b ~ ~ t arid h , ~t
God to choose him for a prophcl: yet there 1s no question to be made,
but that therc were several others 30 ded~catcd,wlncb d ~ dne\er prophesy
Though Daniel (l) was heard from the firit d a j Ll~at lie did set h ~ s
heart to understand, and to chaitcn himself before God *, and bad an
angel sent to hlm with a revelat~on,1et cannot that dlsc~pl~ning of himself
be In any nise acconntrd a Cans? of that reveiat~on,for if it were, the
same method would produce the same effect In another man. And
although there weic parl!cular adv,lntdges In Lc~ng a n~emherof the
College of I'rophets, as the Prophbt Arn0.i lntrrnales In cha. 7, v. 14,
wl~erehe >ays, . I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son* - ~khichmust
be lnlerpreted The Srholar o l a prophet, for the ccholars of the prophets
are always called Sans of the Prophets in Scnptnre - yet none of these
means were snffic~ent lo liclp men to the C ~ l tof Prophecv The plous
parents thougllt it a very good way of irnproring thcir children in the
fear and lore of God, and the knowledge of His M'ill, to have them
hough1 up under those holy arid exemplary men the prophets ; and
accor.lingly, they \I-aiicd upon Iliern, wcnt on t:rrands, and did their
service; at Lhe sarne lime er~jopingthe great advar~titgoof their example
scoltrse. And according to their example, cvcn after Proyhesy lrad
, among the Jews, the en~inentmen and clrief 1)octors of the Law
ad their scholars ;md disciples, more or fe\ver, ;~ccording to the credit
d esteem of the maslcr. So thnl our Blessed Savior's ohoosing his
twelve disciples, was no new thing among the Jews, but had been
practised all along, since lhose Schools of t h Proptiets.
~ But never did
y one irnaginc that these means of disciphne, or any other, were steps
the attarnrng the G ~ f tof Prophecy, ,which always depended, not upon
en's acqunrements or lmprovcrnents 111 that ul~h~eh 15 good, bul upon tile

Positlve Will of Gcd

R Mow if, as appears fro111 what is already said, God has
afforded to man any means wheieby he can attaln to the more lnfe
-- ----
U) Daniel, chap. 10, v. 12.
 I h n ~ i n gonly some part of his

him..a Capacity of errjoying His Pre.scnce as He is, and of Sceing(1) a

things in Him? Which is as ~niclchahove the :rttainments of the gre:c

we shall find thdt the prophetb' bubincbb ('onilbtcd 111 dellbering a

particlclar niesage Lo one or rnore : the conicnts of \\i11~hbonict!~nes they
recc:ved by d;y v;'), \vhich sort of vision is c:tlled in Ilcbrew 6;s' ~ a

machazeh, or *I,* rnn:.oti, or else Ly 11ig11t ill a dreilnl, i111d t l ~ i s s ~\"as rt

ca!led halhcn, :L drc:lm, or J$ 29;- Ii:izyon I~;rll;ryclah, a nocturnal
visio~i. Dttt what is either or both these to Lhe Intuition of the Uivine
Presence'? There is 11s r~iucli difference as there is between a great
Courticr and a Favoriie wlro, wlicn lie lrlr;~scs,enjoys the prescncc of his
Princc., and one who is o~ilynow :tnd tlit!r~ sent by him on an errand.
And y r t to such a d e g r e ' ~of enlh~irja4111Ilii\-e sonle gone, as our bothor
here in particular, :nid scx\,cl.al lnore of llie sallie, strain in those former
A g ~ s ,and the Qnielists anrl oilic~rniyslics a i ~ dc~ilthn~iasts in our tirnes,
that ~cotiringwill down with hirrr lcss tl;all Ill(. Iciluifio~~of the Divine
Heircg, aild they despise R1edit:rtion (3) as :L niean Ll~irig, : ~ n dtoo much
below one that ;[spires to l'crfection. And, t l ~ i < ,il seems, -is attalnahle
by applic:ation and continned escrcisp ; whereby the). have at oncc sct
all mankind in a capacity of onl-doin:: infinitrly L11e a~ccienl prophets
who, if 'Illcry had l i ~ ~ o wa~rytliing
n of tliis vay. ~ o u l dcertainly not have
hecn so sparing of i t in tlicir Writings, e?pc.cially when their business
was to lu?~orfor Llic I)cnrfit and instrt~ction of mnnkind. But there is
not one . \ ~ o r di n all t l i ~ i rwri1inx.i \s:~;cl~f:lv,)rs t!~isopinion, from whence
we may safely conclcctle I.liat tbcy h.id no such notion; a11d yet it must
not be in lhc least douhted but th:li they were tlloror~#hly :rcquainted
with the I&'ill of God, and knew more of His secret coansel than any
other men in thr: world whatsoever.
9. It mnst needs bc aclino\:.lcdped I J ~11s Christians, as \veil as by
tha J e w s , that hloses was \\.itl~outconlrorrer::y t!le greatest prophet that
cvcr appcared upon earth hefore our Snvior's time, and had the most
freqncwt arld grcxal.obt revcl;iliiir~i of Ilic Ilivine \Vi!l. For nlthotcgh it,
6 . a ~a singitlar fa\-or which God rooi.hsaft.d tile o t l ~ r rprophels, in c.or~)-
municating to them sonic ol i l i ~secrcis ol Ilis I)nrpor;eq; yct RIoses M ~ R S , . ,
the man whoin Goti chose to bc tlic instrun~cnto f the debverance o f
IIis people Israel, hy snch convincinz sign9 2nd \venders as wcrc
undeniable qvidriices ef thc L)lvirle Powcr by \~,li:c!~tllcy were wrought,
and who was not only to he God's rlressc,n:;t+r 1.0 llis people in soinc- Icw
parl;.culprs, hut LLc ii~irnedialerecclver of thxt Law and afl tile Emno:ny,
both ecclesias!ical and civil: I)y mhlcli God" people wcrc to be govcrncd,
~vithtnil, any addiiio:~ or dirn'riic~.ior\, so rn::l]y !runtli.vd ycars, till the
- -pp-.--

(1) See sections 00 etc. ('2) M:iicnunities in Pocockii Porl:i Mosis;

p: 171. (3:) See the 1,eiter coricerr~ingthe Qnieiisls, prinled wilh the B.
of S a m n ' s Letters,
. ~
 yotr, I tile 1.ord ill make Aly?elf known unto him in a vision, a
speak unto him in a ' d r e a m . My servant kloses is not so. who is
111 all m 1 1 ~House \l'~th him 1~111 I ipenk niouth to mouth. even ap- '

parently, and not in d a ~ ks p e ~ ~ h o hand , the Slm~lltnde of the Lord shall

' h e behold.. No\\ M o s e ~had not been fmllrfnl In God's House, if he had
not rcvcalcd tlip whole W111 of Cod lo His peol le, as 11 was delivered to
him ; a h i c h n-osl certaillly he did. But how 7 Why, h e commands the
pcople lhuh . Dcuterono~ny chap. 6, v. l 7 . You shall dillgently k e g
the cornrn:~ndmcnts of the Lord >our God, and Ills testimonies and Ilis
statutes w l ~ i c hIIe hnth commanded thee : which weie no doubt the very
same which lip had r r c e i ~ e dupon Mount Sinai. Nor dld this holy' man,
this .; Diitlful servant in God's I-Joi15e ., eber recommend or $ 0 much as
hint any srrch service of Cod a > is d r e m e d of by our Dlystica, or give
the least encouragcmcnt fur any to hope for the the G ~ f t of P~ophecy,
or an Intu~tion or Eehold~llg the Dlvinc Being In this state [of our life
t h ~ silde illr crnle]. And vet ~t 1s cert'iin that both Moses himself, and
m u l t i l ~ d e sof others after him, a c r e freaverily-m~ndetimen, and d ~ dthat
w h ~ c hwas ncceptab'~ in the sight of God, and slinll be pa~taltersof
Everlastmg Glory
10. Xor c11d any of the prophets 11111ch came after him ever advance
any such rrfinrd way of v,o-ship; but constantly blamed the people for
not observing the law of 1Wos~5,and neqlect~ngthe statutes and ordinances
a h l c h h e had 1f.R them And the suri~of lhctr prophcc~csconsists either
In Exhorting, Reprorl~lg, Promising, or Thrcatenlnq, and some Hlnts of-
ttie ~ ~ E S ~ I A I But T not olie sjllablc conci~rnlrlg any quch :.bstracted
~vorship 1ic.r an) mcnt~on rllade of men's altalmng the Bc'it~fic V ~ s ~ o n .
Kotw~ih~tanclulg- which, thrrr have been, and still arc, ~ ~ ~ adeltlJc\d iiy 5buls
n b o lrnap~rlet h i t Ihc urarm conceptluns of d1qternpercd brarns arc a great
niea?nrc of 1h:it Hcl\ qpirlt h \ n l i ~ c hthr o!tL prophet? -palte; :tnd pretend
to sue11 a f , i r n ~ l ~ a i ~and
l ) inllrndte co~~ver-ation111th God, to buch an
cntue uomrnnn~rat~on a,id ~ntc,~conr>e, (ha1 lhev might, ~f uliat thev said
were true, seem to hc g,lurlfiecl sprril*, ralher than prophets subject to
the like ~ n f i r ~ n i f ~\\ill1
c s other Incn ; and to have left the Church Mllltant
to lake Lherr place in tiics TI ~uiill)ha~it Not considcl~ngthat all 1111s 15
only a plenflng bort ol all nr~i~~senienl, a Cool's ~ l a r a d ~ s eand
, grounded
opon no hetler ream1 or f ~ u i i d ~ ~ than t ~ o n the ninn that wds d~.trac/ed
had to faiulg-cy liiiniclf : I ~ Iempclor, and all that crime nhoul 11im his
subjects 'I'hsac n ~ c ndo not conaLdcr th:it \\c 11\c 111 ill(*h an l g e of the
u ~ o r l ~a,l we ale not to p>.pect illill e ' i t r z o r d ~ n ~Efr~~i~oriy
~~y of the Spirit:
All that a e (-all rcaion~hly expert, or that Gorl hna p r ~ l i ~ i s c die, to glve
111sIIoly Spn-~tto those Lliat ask 11 of H I I ,~ tllat I\, U , to g u ~ d ethem by
111s graclollz a % i ~ t a ~ i c,tsr fti,tl t h y 1lirl) o\etCo:lle tIi('11 9~1ltlIllalcnemiey,
and b e crouncd l ~ e r c a l c r nit11 glory and ~lnn~orfallty,which ccrtdinly
oughl to conlent any ic~rzonablc~ man, w~thout asplilng to Immed~ate
Revelation, Prophecy, obtaining the V ~ s ~ oofn God, and such like th~qga,
 first, and are afterwards irnproved proportionably to the industry
capacity of those who cultivate t h c m ; and therefore we rnay reasona
- e ~ p e c t that the longer they continue, the more they will be advan
But;the case is vastly different in Religion, which is a l \ ~ a y sbest
purest at its first setting out. And there is a very good reason t
' . .given-why it should be so ; for after the first Covenant rnndc by God
,, with mankind in the person of Adam, every olher Dispensation has found

men under .a state of corruption, and in tlie actual profession of errors

diametrically opposite to those truths which it came to instruct them in;
a n d therefore it was reqnisite that the nleans to remove these at first
, should bear p r o p o r t i o ~with
~ the difficulties they were to encounter. Upon
which account, at the beginning of any new I;ispensation, those persons.
whom God was pleased to employ to publish it to ~nankind, havc been
endued with more zeal and grealsr ahililics than the professors of t h e '
same religion in aftcr Ages. And as no person can doubt hut that the
Jewish religion was much more perfect in the dnys of lloscs, and those
which immedialcly sncceeded hinr, than in nflci tirnss, when it was

-
obscured and miiddcd b!- Pharisaical invenlions a t ~ dLrnditions : So must
H also he confessed that, t l ~ cChristian re!i.rion \vns 1uuc11 rriore
i n the days of tho Apostles, ancl the ages inlnlel!intcly snci,eeding them,
than since it has been ohsciired by the intrresl of tile designing on the
onr hand, and the prej~tdice and i g n o ~ n n ~ of e the En1c;imed on the
other. And this is 1111at is plainly con!cssed t)y tho p r a ~ t i c c of nlost
contending Parties amongst the professors of Cbrisiinnity; \ ~ l l oconstantly
1
make their appeals lo the earliest Writers of thc Priniitive Christian
"

' Church, and use all means to brir~gtllcnl ovf!~. to thcir own side ; wllich

is W' evident concession that they value thcir anthority, arid look upon
thern as the most competent judges of their c;:ntroversies. Non-, if I
. shall make it appear that there was no such thing as is conlcnded
hy our enth~isiasts, in thos:: cnrly titries, wllen tho Italy Spirit. nlust
: confessed on all hands to he more plcntilully ]?our?d out than in t
succeeding Agos; I hope it will appear evidenlly to any unptejudic
person that it is not at all to be expected undcr lhc Christ'
- Dispens~tion.
. 12. To begin tkierefure with our Blessed Savior himsclr. It
-dent that hc never recommended arty such way of worsl~il~ping
: is codtended fc,r by thb Mystics, nor promised to reward the ~ n o s tsincere '
. ' of his followers with lhc Vision of God whilst i r ~this stale (oI sinfol
- ' As for his own life, which is certainly the most perfect pattern, i
'- ' Active to the greatest degree ; and hating s o m e times or retire
pray or the like, was wholiy spent in conversation and doing gdo
 how mightily t h e i were mistaken in their interpretations of the pro
concerning him. He let tllern know that, contrary to their expect

to the liberl,y of O)c sons of Cod. He tnnght them to abando

I ~ s l s ,and Lo sel their hearts upon things ~ b o v e; assuring th
. they continued in ,his love, they should Ilc rewarded with e

planted by thcir nrinistry, should l ~ edostitok of necessary cncoura

and help; lle asbures Ihcni, in most endearing lerms, of his lore
. and care over Ibc~n,and l:,ron~iiesspeedily to send them the Co
. t l ~ eSpirit of Truth (John's G o s p ~ l , cliaptcrs 13 to 18) which shou
only assure them of his own and the Fafiler's love lo\virds the
also enahlc t!rem to work such mil:aclcs as ahoirld !)e sufficient to
the truth of their mission. Bid r ~ o \ ~ h e promises
re the enjoymen o

'. should follow l i i ~ nafteru,al.ds

n ; and that he went to preparc a plac
S

for them.. Nor did , h e even mention his having purchased for mank
a privilege as that they might, 117 diligently improving what

ontrary : for he says, John's Gospel ch. 14, v: 7, and Epistle to

Romans ch. 10, v. 17, 18 : c No' nlan corneih to the Father but by

13. And as our Blessed Saviuur did never promise to reward t

neither d o we find that they either expected or enjoyed it.

od of God in teaching his people was still the same as it ever h

d by their ministry to Athers. And I desire any one thab

tberwise to produe? me one' single instance of any person t1iat"oam
trne knowledge of God and the necessary means of shlvntion;
 sppljtng ourselve~ to such as He lids appoir~ted to teach JIrq peopl
Accordingly \\c find that Coriielias'~ al,ns end dcvot,on<, and incessan
na111ng upon God, clid neilher ddvnitce 111111 to the Iiealific Viqon, nor
so far as to I t a ~ c thobe t r ~ ~ t l l presenteds to him bp \rrq of object,
immediately, which were neccysary to be he!ie\eil 1,) 11tt11 111 order tc
his salvatton ; nerther is h e nl all cncolimgcd to Ioolc f o ~or depend upon
Ois~onpr Intultron, I,nl 15 bent to a rlt,rn 11l~eIrtnisilT, to he:'r n11h 111s
outnard ears those tliingi w\.hrcll conecrned his Eternal IZ'elfaie Whrreas,
1-f God Itad ever granfcd to inank~nc!a pow\w ul>elcbl he n ~ ~ g hbp t , dne
applical~on and aLlenlion, altar11 to a -ufficienl knoxledge of God and
things u e c e ~ s a i yt o i a l ~ a l i ~ i or,
i , I L i n ~ ha pnc~lc:~., tliouglt ~ v ~ t h e land
d
danied berore, had ],cc-n pnri.t~,l\ed fur men 11) Jcsu, C i i i ~ i t ,t h ~ r eIS no
quest~otibut per~ori;, str e\tiaoid~tidiilg nel! qunliGcd LS thew tn-o good
men, Corneliu, and tlic. En~niclr,a e r r , notlld l ~ a v ecnloged the benefil trf
i t ; and then the 'r,eirt nould h , n c been th.rt. Ily theii cor~stantattcndlng
upon God and thc.1~ ullwed~~erld~hgcnce 111 ~ned~tutingand practising
good things, they nonld h,tve increaie~lin S J J I I I ~ UI ~ I I ~ ~ T - l r tand i g e ,made
doarer appioachcs to God, 1111 the? h.td alinlncd to l ' c ~ i c c t ~ o nBut we
find n o t h n g like 11115,but that on t I ~ econt~ary Lhcy wrtre obliged to be
instructed by the earile means wv111cli God had appoir~tedfor other men.
15. And then as to mnltcr of V ~ s ~ o nllie , wzhole tenor of tlre
' Apostles' doctrti~eiuns ~ c u n i e r to r t . Sntnt Pat11 te!li us (hat all those
noble actions n h i ~ hw1cr.e pt,rfor~l!<d 11y the Ancicnt \TTortll~c>s(1Sp1stlc to
the I-iebrett.J chap. 11) n n l e dor~et l i t u i ~ g lFnllli ~ ; i 1 1 , :IS he himself .
defines 11 In verse 1, is ~ I l t eSnI~~t:in(~c or thing5 hoped for, the Evidence
of ihnngs not seen; 11 1s all assent nLiicli Tve give to lhing5 a\ t ~ l r e
yhrch we can neither apprehend by our senses, nor demonstrate by our
reasoning: so that the otlly objects of our f a ~ t hart, such tliings as rse
'recerr~e upon tlie c r e d ~ tof another; which how far 11 IS from Vrbion, I
evident to common 5ense. And tlic same Apoqtle tells us h a t R non t
see through a g!ass darkly a ; and that ;we kriom In part, and prophecy
in part B: - see EplsLlc to the Conritl~ian.;,chap. 13, eeraes 12 and 9.
16. IIernce 11 1s plan1 that all tliose texts w%-li~chspeak
plrntifal effusion of the S p ~ r i t In the t ~ a ~ eofs the Gospel, are
rnisuilderstood by all those nlio ~nterpret tllptn ailer inch a man
~f God liad glven suc11 a measai'e of 11 to all ~ i ~ n n k i ~Illat, i d olron
improvement of 11, they mtght attain to the knowledge of I111ii and of
things necessary to salvation. Nhereac it appears t l i ~ t ,
- -earllest times of tile Gospel; there \\-as no such thlng , but
Churches \\ere planted bl the niinr4ry of the Apostles;
other; to sncoeed them in their oflice If 11,erefore ~n those t l i ~
not granted. rt 1s a r~cllrnlou~ ahsurdlty to expecl ~t in thrs Age
@=all degree either of impudence or tnadness to preiend to ~ t .
17. Blnse ~ is not foreign to the matter in hand, the
I hope, pardon me if I digress a littlc, to show why we cannot reasonablbly
expect prophets now. It seems to nie that there are several reasons t o
be given why there should be prophets during the time of lhe Mosaic
Dispensation rather than after the Gospel had taken root. For, the
promises nxide to the Jews having relalion to lheir possensirig thc Land
of Canaan, God plcascd to send to them prophets to quicken their
memories, and keep them in riiind of tlicir duty, that tllcreby His
judgments might he averted from then1 ; ( a n d especially, bccanst~of the
prevailing idolatry of those times; for after they mere ~ ~ fiscd 1 1in t,he
practice oS lhe ti.uc reli~ion,znd out of that danger, we find rli, ;)rophcls);
and wc find that most of the ancient pruphccies tend that =:l?. Ilnt now
we arc qnitr upon another bolton] ; W C are twugllt tlral * we h a r e here
no continning city.; that wlien these tabernacles shall Le dissolved, we
have a 1ial)it;~tion not made wit11 hands, eternal i11 the heavens.*. That
we arc to set our minds on things above, not on things on the Earth e ;
that we ;Ire to deny ourselves, and take u p our cross and follow
Christ * ; tll:rt ' Illrough riiany tribulations we niust enter inlo tlre kingdom
of h e a v t : ~ ~ a!ld
~ , nlany 11nss:iges to the same effect. So that to have
propllcts forctclling filturc .vents, relating to llie wellarc nn:l ~ r e s c r ~ n t i o n
of our lernporals. or the c:inil.ary, seenis not so proper for. n proplc wllose
very profession sopposes il!orii to have laid aside all solici!l~dcconcerning
therri. Ag;lir~, bcfore tho Coming of Christ, God's will was hilt irnperlcctly
revealed; :rnd il was ~~uecssarythat lhere should h r fore-runncrs to
prepare llw way against IIis Coniing, and raise or axvdrcn lhe (+spectation
of hiln in the people, that t l ~ c yniight be better prepared Lo receive Iiirn.
But arter fie was once cornc who was to cornplele and fulfil a l l ; after
a God, w l ~ oat sundry times and iri divcrs rnanncrs spalte in time past
unto the S:~lhors by the prophets, had in these last days spoken unto 11s
by His Son, WIIOIII IIe has appointed heir of ail things, etc., who was
the hriglil~~ess oC IIis glory, and the express image of His person,>,c~c.,-
I say, after God Ilad, by this Glorious Person, manifesled arid rcvealed
His Wliole Will 10 ns, and declared whatsoever He required to be l>elievcd
and done by 11s whilsl in these Mortal I3odies ; there was no longcr need
of Revelation to those who had received .the most perfect one that could
be delivcrcd. So that all those reasons bcir~g rcnroved, wl~ich were to
be given for a succession of immedBtcly-inspired prophets before the
conling of Christ; it is altogether gl~oondless, 10 say no worse of it, to
expect any now that h e has come. What methods God urill hereafter
use, when His tirne is come, to bring ill the Fulness of tlic Gentiles; and
to coriverl the Jews; or what endowments He will bestow upon those
persons whom He shall please to make use of as His instruments to
complcle that great work, will Lhrn be best known wllcn it is corn6 to
pass. There is no yuestion bnt that I-Ie will use snfficient means. All
that I here coiltend for is, that lhose means ~vllicliIIe has already afforded
are al~nndatrtlysufficient for those \vho have the happiness to be baptized
and brougiit irp in the profcssion of the Ctirislian Faith ; and consetl~tenlly
that it is onrc!asonablc to expect any other helps, or to seek any olher
11
means of serving God than what are delivered in His IIoly Word, and .
made use of in His Church.
18. To return to our argument. If these things, contended for by
enthusiasts, were not granted either under the Jewish or Christian
Dispensation, as I hope has been sufficiently proved ; it follows, a majori,
that those who a r e deprived of those advantages, which both Jews and
Christians enjoyed, cannot have them : And therefore in vain do we
search for persons so endowed amongst Mllslims or Heathens. For,
w i t l i o ~ ~any
t breach of charity in respect to those persons ~ v h o never
wcrc so happy as to have the Gospel pre:~ched to them ; \VC may assure
oi~rselvest,hat they do not enjoy equal privileges wil.h ns, \v110 by our
baptisrn have a federal right to all those helps oS the Holy Spiril promised
t o the Church in the Iloly Scripturcs. And yrt there wollld 1101be much
difference if, by their diligenlly adhering to :tny principle or light which
God has bestornod upon mankind in gencral. they might attain to truc
saving know:cdge. And for this reason, our ,\nlhor who was hiniself a
hlusli~n seems as little to have consulted thc honor of his Prophet
Yuha~rrmad, and the necessity of believing his doctrine, in ft:igning a
person, brought u p by himself, to have by his unaided application and
indilstry attained to t l ~ cknowledge of all things rcvcalcd to tlrat Arahian
prophet, as onr enthnsinsls do value the means (l) which God lras always
used to convey His Will to mankind. Whilst out. of a groundless charity
they do in a manner put all men upon the sarne level ns to the rneans
of salvation. Which opinion of theirs, hou~cverplaurible at first sight,
upon account of that specious show of Universal Charity to niankind, does
rnosl ccrt:iinly tend t o the undersaluing and lessening of iilosc incstirnable
benefits which our Blessed Savior has p11roh;lsed for, a r ~ dprorniscd to his
Cllurch ; and ouzht no more to be received than that cllaritablr opinion
of the early church doctor (teacher) Origeri \vho hbccved that after a certain
time of punishment not only the wickedcst of rneri hut also the devils
thernsel~essliould be saved.
19. 1 liavc now shou.11 that what is here hcld by our Author, and
by too many others in our obvn tiroes, has no manner of foundation.
That it was never promised nor expected, eilhcr under the Mosaic or
Christian Uispensation; from \r-llence I have inferred that it cannot be
expected anyvherc clsc, and consequcritly that there is rlo such thing at
all. If 1 l ~ a v enot spo1;en all the mhilc particularly to my Author, the
reason is because I wrilc to Christians, and have cliiofl\- regard to those
errors, 11;.ld by noinr of that Ile~r~rninnlion, \\-liich are common wit11 those
of our Xnlhor. Besides, if that were requisite, i t is only allo\vin~foi-
argiimer;t's salic that the Q u r h m:rs written Ly inspiralion, and t11;~t
Muharrnnad was s prophet? and then the sarric way of argninz proves the
e r ~ t h u s i a i ~of
n . our iluthor who, bci~iga prol'cssed Muslim, and they being
obliged to bclieve that Muhammad is the S I<liBtir11atn-l-a1ihij~B , i. e.,
The Seal of the Prophets, and illat theirs is thc last Dispensa.tion \vtlicll
r~iankind sh:rll cvcr receive f r o ~ nGod, has venturetl io suppose tbe
. . . .- -. ~ ~~
- ~ ~

(l) Sce section 109.

 possih~lityof a man's attaining to the true knowledge of God, and things
necessary to salvation, and all other things both sp~ritoal and natural
belonging either to thii world or ttlat to come, ~vitlioutthe Help of any
Outward Iriatruction
20. I need not insist upon this any longer; I shall only remark
that as true Piety is the same in all ages' and climates, and good solid
ycusc loo, so is also Enlhusiasm. And 1 have sometimes wondered,
?hen I Iiave read the wllimsies and conceits of the Arab enlhusiasts
(whose nunierous sects equal those heresies mentioned by Epiphanius (l),
or even L11;tt p!entifiil crop which the Devil llas sowed of lhem in our
times) to find snch a harmony bct,wern thorn anti ours at present. Such
a perfect agreement in their wild rrotions, and these expressed in the
very self-same Cant, Illay e:rsily col~vincc :my one tliat the irrstri~ments
,of both were s t r u n ~ and tuned by the Fame hand. Anot,her thing
obscrvablc is this : Lct the Enthusiast haye never such great abilit,ies,
there is always so~ncthing 01. cthrr wliich proves his pretensious to
Revclslion to be false ; and as they tcll us that, let the Devil change
hiinsell' into what shape he will, hc c:ln ric!ver conct:al his Cloven Foot,
s o neillicr can tlie Enthusiast rnake liin~self pass for Inspired, with any
person of Iolerable discerning ; hut there will appear some very conside-
rable naiv which rh:ili manifestly prove him to be a dcccivcr, or at least
a person deceived. This is the fate of t h e m ; and our Aulliov conlcl not
avoid it. He has indeed carried liis Philosopher hcpontl the Orb of Saturn
(seclion 90); lint he might as xvell hnve saved hini tliat trooblc; for lie
bronght nothing down wi!h him hul \vlrai he himsclf was ahlc to lunlish
hirn witli;~l before he urer~t, namely J f ~ ~ r i i i nDivinity, and Arislolelian
Philosophy. As to the furiner of these, I shall not need to sap anything;
but I ain well assured that when lie talked of those discoveries in the
latter, made by him when he was in that glorious state, he never dreamed
i n tlie least of those more cerlain discovcrics which shollltl be made
aflerwards by the sagacity of our asirono~nersand pliilosophcrs; and that
t h e contrary of what he bclicvefl, as to those things, shouid be proved
by undeniable demonstration.
21. Nor does it succccd 11ctLer with such prclcnders in our Age;
who, taught hy woful experience, have of late grown more wary, and
have rarely pretended 10 inspirations, excel31 in such matters as they
might he well assured of by otlicr rnrar!?. Tllo safcal way for thern, I
confess, Lhoirgh at the same tinlc cxtrer~~r~iy :rhsurd and ridiuuious. For,
if n rrl;in prclerids to kno~l-a thing by divine irrspiration, wlier~th('re are
other rneans of attaining ii : I Iiavc ~rin(.lr !nore rcnsorl to think, c>ilher
tli:~t he is i:npostur and dcecivei, 01. else Lh;il, Liirougli marint!~ of
conceit o r Ihe dc1u:iiurr o l tlie Ilevil, 11:: il~ra@ncshimsell' to he divinely
inspired wlieri he is riot; ral.tier !I~an to ht.iii.ve lhal God, \~11odoes
nothina but for rirost \,rise :~ildexccilen! ciids arid purpose; ,ihoalil reveal
-
- - ~- - -. -
P
P-P - -
P p-
- ~ ~ pp

(1) A Greek ecclesiasiical xvriler, horii in I'i~lcstinc of Jewish

parcnis, and bro:~gtil 1111 l ~ yJigypti:!~~rnorik~;. Bisliop in Cyprus, died
403 A.D.
 2 thing to any person immediately, when He had before afforded him
sufficient means of knowing it otherwise.
22. 11 remains that we beg of God to give us His Gracc, and the
assistance of IIis Holy Spiril, that we may sincerely and heartily apply
ourselves to the diligcnt use ol those means \\,)rich I-lc has appoint,ed for
our instruction, in IBs C t r ~ ~ r c; hthat we seek for the %no\i-ledge of Him
in His IIoly Word, and approach to Him i n His ordinances, and by a
holy pious convers:~tion. These :1rc ttie ways whicl~ He has chalked out
for us ; and i l ;my person. will nol be eonlenl. with these means, but
will ~1-;rlkin by-i)nLhs, and follo\v crery ignis fatuus thal prt:senLa itself;
if they bc at tlre 1;tsl convinced of lhcir fatal mistake when i t is loo late,
they musl blatlle Ihcmselves. God of His il~iinilerllercy lead thern out
of their crrors, and guidc both them and 11s Lhroug.11 this impcrtecl slate,
till at lasl wc attain to the Perfect Vision and F1111Enjoynerrt ol Himself,
through JESUSCHRIST 011' Lord. - AMEN.

PLEASURES OF PIETY
A Ileity believed: is joy beg1111;
A Dcity ador'd, i:: joy ndvaoc'd ;
A Deity belov'd, is joy matur'd.
Each Lrani.11 oi' piely delight inspires :
Faith hnilds a hridgc from this world lo t l ~ e~ l e s l
O'er death's dark gull; and all ils horror 11idt.s ;
Praise, the sweet extinlalion of our j o y ,
That joy esalls, and lnakcs it sweeter-still;
l'ruy'r ardent opens hcav'n, leLs down a. slrcanl
01 glory on thc corlsecratcd hour
Of nran in xndiencc with lhc Dcity.
 BENT EL KHASS
PAR

RENE BASSET
--~ CORIIESPORD,1NT D E L'INSTITUT
DIRECTEUR D E L ' ~ ~ O LEUPERIEURE
E DES I'ETTRES D'ALGER

ALGER
TYPOGRAPHIE ADOLPHE JOURDAN
IMPRIMEUR-LIBRAIRE-EDITEUR
4, PLACE DU GOUYERNEMENT, 4

1806
 LA LEGEWDE DE BENT EL KHASS'"

Lea traditions des Arabes du Sat~ara algdrien, issus de fa grande

famille des Beni HilBI, ont conserve le souvenir d'une fernme appelde
tant6l Bent el Khass, tantbt Embarka bent el Khass. Elle personnifie le
bon sens nature1 et la sagesse populaire, aussi lui a-t-on attribu6 u n
cerlain nonlbre de rnaximes applicables B la vie quotidienne : d e l&, s a
reputation d'habiletd a fait d'elle I'herolne d'un stralageme ingknieux, grace
auquel un ennemi dupe se retire au moment oh ses adversaires sont prl.s
de succomber; enfiu, elle a BtB repr6sentCe comnle ayant construit des
ouvrages dont il ne reste que des ruines.
Son p&re, toujours suivant la legende, gtait cultivateur et trl.s gdnd-
reux. Elle avait pour cousinc la fillc d'un t~olnade, propridtaire d e
ckameaux. Cette deruiere dit un jour ZI Bent el Khass : Celui qni est
riche possl.de des chameaux et non des cultures. La jeune fille rapporta
ces paroles B son pire qui lui dit : RBponds-lui ((Le fumier rend fou;
s'il vient, il t'emporte et emporte les chameaux. v

(c'est-A-dire qu'une culture qui reussit permet de tout acheter). En effet,

une honne r6colte survint et le pBre d s Bent el Khass acbeta tous les
chameaux d e son frere.
Une autre fois, Bent el Khass se disputa encore avec s a cousine. Celle-
ci lui dit : hlon pere est un brave, ohaque jour il tue dix hommes ; qu'a
tud ton pkre? - Bent el Khass lui redit ces propos. Uu jour qu'il etait
chez lui, cinquante cavaliers vinrent lui demander I'bospitalit6. I1 les fit
entrer, les hkbergea, les debarrassa de leurs fusils (sic) qu'il remit B sa

11) J e tiens 1 remercier ici deux de mes ancicns BIBves, !VIM. Bcl, direc-
teur de la Medecsa de Tlemcen, et Mohalnrrlcd ben Chencb, proIesseur t~
la MBdersa d'Alger, qui m'ont fourni plnsieurs des documents que j'ai
utilisbs danscette etude.
 lille en luf disant : Va les monlrer a ta cousine ct dis-lui : Ton p&rea-t-il
jamais rapporte un pareil t r o p h i . ~ ?-- A cctte question, la cousiuc
demeura muette et fut obligde de r:coonaltre la sup6riorite de son oncle.
::Dans les rdcits pui prBtkdent, la sagessegppartient a;'p'ereTleBent
el Khass ; dans ceux qui suivent, c'est celle-ci qui se distingue-par son
esprit de repartie.
Son p&re lui demanda uu jour: Les'nuits sont-elles plus ~lombreuses
que les jours ?
- Les jours sont plus nombreux que les nuits.
, - Et ,pourquoi 7 .
'
- Parce que les nuits de lunc sont (semblablcq 8) des jours.
Une autre fois, elle dit a son p&re : il y a trois choses qui. jaunissent
.
' l a face et trois choses qui la rougissent 12).
' Quelles sont celles qui jaunissent la face 7
-
'
- Marcher pieds nus, avoir le dos charge et une femme dCpensi8re.
Et quelles son1 celles qui rougissent la face ?
Connaitre le lignage, connaitre les filles illustres et se contenter de ce
qu'on possede (?).
Un jour qu'elle Ctait avec son @re, elle lui d i i : e La generosite se fait
gvec ce qu'on trouve (J&\ ;P&\). I1 repondit : La gtnerosite est
. superieure (&l +g\). Des cavaliers vinrent lui demander l'hospitalit6.

(1) S u r des proverbes analogues ou les choses vont trctis par trois,
cf. Mohammed ben Cheneb, Proverbes arabes de llAlgkze et du Maghreb,
t . 1, Paris, 1905, in-8",proverbes 538-544, p. 267-169.
Cqmme il etait pauvre. il se cacha. Sa fille lui dil : Va trouver tes hakes
et ne crains rien. I1 sortit au devant d'enx, les introduisit chez lui e t ,
les fit asseoir. Pendant ce temps, Bent el Kh$ss allait tirer des b i t s dgs
chameaux les &pisde blB avec lesquels ils Ctaient remhourr6s. Elle s:en
s'ervit pour prPparer du couscous pour ses invites. Qnand ils enrent fini
d e manger, elle dit h son p8re : La gen6rosite n'cst pas superieure
(,&l 2 L). 11 comprit I'allusion ef ripondit: La g6n8rosite se fait aveo
ce que I'on trouve.
En se promenant avec son @re, elle lui diten passant pres d'un champ
de hle :
Une belle culture ! Que son proprietaire ne la defend-il I
Son pere lui demanda : Pourqooi cette culture est-elle pr6te '?
- Que ne la dCfend-il de la dette (1)?
On cite encore d'elle ce dicton sur I'agriculture :

Tousles fruits prkcoces sont bans.

Saof le h16 et I'orge - jc ne sais (2).
-
Vint le moment dc La marier. Un jour de printemps, elle alla se prome-
ner avec son pkre dansles cultures. L'orge verte avait une coudke de long;
il a v a ~ tplu pendant la n u t . Elle dit h son pere : La terre a passe la nuit
avec son &talon (M&c L.:: dl%') I1.comprit que sa fille, jusque li!
hostile au rnariage, s'etait decidee h acccpter un mari.
La tradition ne nous 8 rien conserve sur cc mari, pas mbme son nom ;
mais ellr* nous apprend que Bent cl Khass eut un fils B qui elle ne mdna-
gea pas les sages m a x i m ~ squi I'ont Tendue c616bre.
Quand il se prgpa~aith monter a et~cval pour aller B la chasse ou en
expddition, cllc lui disait : Mon fils, dejerlne le matin Si on ne t'invite
pas (en route), ku nc defailliras pas, et si a n t e repo,usse, on ne t'attein-
dra pas (3).
 ' U I I jour, il lui dcmauda do I'argcnt pour achctcr dcs chevaux. Elle Iui
dit :
- Quelle sorte de chevaux acheteras-tu ?
- J'achetcrai un cbeval repandu, dont la croupe soit rembourr6e sous
les tapis de la selle, dont I'aeil ne voie pas et Soreille n'entende pas.
qu'une musette nourrit et qu'un sac couvre.
Etle lui r6pondit : I1 est impossible clu'on en introduise un pareil au
march&: Ies jurnents des pauvres n'en portrnt pas et le riche n'en
vend pas (1).
Elle lit la rn@e reponse son fils qui lui demandait de I'argent pour
acheter des baeufs.
Lesquels veux-tu acheter ? lui demanda-t-elle.
- Rouge-prune, ou noir foncd, ou gris avec les lhvres blanches.
Elle lui repondit : (1 On n'en amhne pas de tels au march6 : la vache des
pauvres n'en produit pas de pareils et le riche ne les vcnd pas a (2).

Dans les Gn6~nesde Sidi Abd er Rahman el Medjedoub (sic) (Paris 1886,
in-l?, p. 83) M. d e Castrics cite un dictou de Bent el Khass sur les che-
vaux, mais il est diff8rent :
0 vendeur de blb, qu'achbteras-tu? - J'acheterai des chevaux. -
Achetes-en, mais en petit nornbre ; sur leur dos, on va vite, mais leurs
ventres sont ruineux.
 Ce fils, dont le nom est inconnu, ~ndritales eloges de sa mere qui
disait de lui :
hlon fils est toujours s u r pied,
11 ne soupe pas la nuit ou il a dos hetcs,
11 ne dart pas la nuit ou il craint (l).
On cite encore les maximes suivantes de Bent el Khass :
Un szclt'dni (piece d'or) dans la main
Vaut mieux que dix dBpenses (2).
- LBve-toi le matin, tu accompliras ce que tu as a faire ct Bcoute GB
que dit Ie presage (3).
Donne ta fille (en mariage) avant le j e h e (avant qu'elle ait a t t e i n t l ' k g ~
d u jebne) ; on ne tiendra pas de propos sur elle.

+JjL-Jt .. . d)jt'x,
L I;h *J d b
d - J ,m 3J4 L q d l b*
3-L('?.'.::! L S',W1S
M. dc Castries (op. laud. p. S') cite un dicton sur les chameaux
U 0 vendeur de bld, qu'achkteras-tu 7 J'acbkterai des chameaux. -
Elle reprit : Achetes-en beaucoup ; leur dos est fort et leur lait est un
trksor. 11s t'emporteront du pays de I9abaisse.nent et te d6poseront daus
le pays de la consideration. o

d t , (sic) JLL
' - Sur Tlemoen :
Salue les gens do Tlemceii et dis-leur :
Leur printernps est leur hiver.
11s soignent leur graisse et leurs conserves de viande (1'.
Lorsque I'cpoque des labours arrivait, elle disait h ses kharnrnks : B Les
labours ne doivcnt durer que quarante jours ; hiter-vous pour he pas
labourer pendant trois mols. - Pourquoi? - L'h~verdure deux mois et le
troisiemc lnois fait partiedu printcmps~,(& +
,.
- -
U!).
Aux autrrs cultivateurs qui demandaient des renseignements, ellc rdpon-
dait : n\'ous avcz du temps ; l'hiver dure trois rnois n.
C'est en raison de cette rdputation de sagessa q;'ou lui attribua I'in-
Yention d'une rusede guerre qu'on retrouve sous une forme difidrenle
dans les traditions d'un grand nou~brede peuplcs. Uneville assifgeeest B
bout de ressources :11s'agit dc dCcourager l'ass16geant et de lui fairecroire
qu'ona des vivres ct de I'eau enabondance (a.TantOt, on chassc danslecamp
ennemi un baeuf, un veau, une chkcre ou un porc nourri avcc ce qui reste
d e grqins 13) ; tantbt, on cxpose aux Teux d'un espion nu d'un parle-

' (2\ 'C[. PitrB, liebe? 'eine sagenkafte ~riegslist:bei ~ e l a ~ e r k n g e n ;

Zeilsch9,ift fur die Volkskunde, t . Ir. Leipzig, 1889, in-8" p . '37-102: Ziu-
garelli, Stralagemmi leggendarii d i eittd assediate, Ai.chirio per le tradi-
aioni popolari? t . xxrr. Palerme, in-8" ; Pitrd, St~alager,bmilcggendarAiidi
citld assrdiate, Palecnre,.lYO&, in-8" ; id. La leggenda delle citld assediale -
dans les Slzrdi d i leggenda popolari i n Sieilia;[t: XXII de la Biblioteca
delle tixtdizioni p ~ p o l a r siciliane),
i T u ~ i n1904, in 8" p. li6-1'30. Cf. aussi
nomania t , xxr. Paris, in-8". 478. .
(3) Cf. $I propos du siege de Tlemccn, la ,ldgende de Lalla Setti, (E de
Lorral, Tlemcen, Toul d i ~monrle,?8i5. 2' scinestre, p . 308) ou, suivant
d'autres, d'une vieillc femine noin~ndeAIcha. (Guiler, La mosquCe de
Mansout,ah et le siege de Tlemrin, Ileoue africaine, t . IV 1830-18 i0, Alger,
1860, in-^,..^. 312-319) - ou cclle du clliteau de'Ko~issillonassifge.par
les Wandres ( P . Meyer, La llger~dede Girhrt de Hounsillon, Vie latine
5 140-115, Romania t. ~ I I 1678
. p . 196-1981 - celle dcs Thraces rdduils
aux deroiercs eslrCniitCs (Frontin, Stratagdmes, I 111, ch. xv, 6) - cclle
dcs l~abilants d'til'exandric serrds de pres par FrL'de1.i~Barberousse
(Jachioo, 'l1 Eibro della Croce, citi! par Pitre, Sbudi, p. 841- celle du
oolnte Alto11 et de la reinc Adelheid: il s'agit d'unsinge (Pitre, lac, laud.)
nlentaire des monceaux de sable couverts d'une mince couct~ede blE ou
des tables largemen1 servies (I);ou encore, on jette des pains par dessus
les murs (2). C'est une ruse selnblablc qui sauve Ics habitants $El-
Golea. (( On pretend quc Guelea a 6tB assieg6e pendant sept ans par les
a Tonaregs qui s'cntCtaient A vouloir la prrndre par la famine. Les pro-
)) visions cornmenpaient, cn effet, B s'epuiser, mals unc ruse sauva les

o assitgds. Un matin, les Touaregsvirent les nlurs de la place tapisses a e

1) burnoas blancs fralchement lavds qui sdchaient au sole11 ; donc elle ne
u manquait pas d'ean (3). La nuit suivante, de grands feux aliumes s u r
o divers points L'eclairaienl tout eutibre ;donc elle ne manqunit pas d e
n bois. Le lendernain, ils trouv$rent, sous Ics murailles et presque anx
1) portes du camp, des galettes de belle farine, desdattes, du kouskouqou,
dernieres ressources que les assieges avaient sacrifiees pour faire croire
B leur abondanee. Les Touaregs y crurent et se retirerent ('1).
Le n o ~ nde Bent el Khass n'est pas prononc8, mais sa reputation de
sagesse etait trap bieu etablie pour qu'on ne lui flt pas honncur d'un
stratagAme qui courait dams les IGgendes du dPserl. a On raconte
a qu3Embarka bent El Khass f u t assiCgde sur larive gauche de 1'0. Seggar,

- celle de la comtesse Mathilde, cnfermke ?I Canossa (Fcrraro, t l mito

solare d i Gioaa Pistove, citd par Pitre, op. laud., p. 183), - celle d'une
femme d e la ville de Carcassonne, assidgde par Charlemagne (Pitre, op.
luud., p. 183).
(1) Cf., a propos de Milct assi8gBe par Alyatte, roi de Lydie, la ruse
de Thrasybule (Ildrodote, I, 19-BI, Frontin, Str~atagdrnas.I. 111, ch. xv,
56, nu de Bias (Dioghne Laerce, I, 81) - ou do Mygdouios (Polyen, Strata-
gdmes, vn, 36, p. 3i6-3i7, Pd. hfelher, Leipzig, 1887, in-12) - celle
de Manuel Comn&ne, bloqud par Bardas Skldros (Jean Scylitzbs, cit&
par Schlurnberger, L'ipople byzanline, Paris, 1896, in-P, p. 392) - celle
des gens dc Castro-Giovanni. assieges par.le comle normand Roger (Vetri,
cite par Pitrd, SLudi, p. 179).
(P) Colnnle lcs Rotnains assiPges dans le Capitole.par les Gaulois (Tile
Live, 1. v, ch. 48 ; Ovide, Fasles ; Eutrope, Ilisloire ronzaine, 1. I, 23 ;
Frontin, Stratagdmes, 1. 111, ch. xv, I ) et le conle insere par Francesco
del Tuppo dans so11 Esopo, fab. xxxr (il manquedans L'Esopo di Francesco
del Tuppo, publie par C. de Lollis, Florence, 1886, in-8" Cf. G. Rua,
Di alcune no~lelleinscrite nell' Esopo d i Fvanceseo del Tuppo, Turin, 1869,
in-S; p. l?.
(3) Ce stratagPme fut rdelle~nent employ6 par JosCphe, d'apres son
propre tkmoiguage, quand il defendait Jotapata contre Vcspasien; pour
faire croire aux Rornains que la ville etait pourvue d'eau, il fit accrooher
aux crBneaux des niurs drs vetements mouilles comme pour les secher
(Jostphe, Guerre des Juifs, 1. 111, ch. xrrr).
('I) Daumas, LeSahara alg!rien, Paris, IS&, in-@, p. 318-419.
>) au Sud du qsar de Brezina, par un sultan de Gharb dont elle avait
s repoussB les avances et qui, en la bloquant, comptait la prendrc par
a le manqne d'eau. hfais, voyant un jour les fcmmcs des assidgds Btendre
I) au soleil du lingc mouille pour le iaire secher, il s'imagina qu'ils
I) avaient de I'eau en abondance et leva le siege, tromp6 par la ruse
1) d'Embarka (l) e.
Nous voyons que Bent el Khass finit par &treconsiddrt'e comme la sou-
veraine de sa tribu' Une forme postdrieure de la ldgende rapporte qu'elle
etait la fille d'un roi dcs Arabes. Celui-ci. dcvenu vieux incapabic de se
tenir debout et se faisant porter en litiere, laissa tout le pouvoir a sa fille
de qui ses sujets appreciaient la sagesse. En cons(.quenccs, on lui attribua
la fondation d'une ville As'bih', pres d'El Beyyodh (GBryville!, d'une h
Banaqt (P %) au sommet de la montagne d'Arbi (&l), d'une
B 'Afn el 'Amri (>&I &), enfiq des constructions que les nomades
s o n t incapables d e rdparer, bien loin d'avoir pu les dlever (1). Ainsi la
saguia situBe au S. E. de Lioua et parallelc au conrs de 1'0. Djedi.
Elle est aujourd'bui bouleversee, nlais paralt avoir une origine
romaine.
(( A unc epoquc fort reculBe, d'apres la traduction, les Arabes etaient

)) commandi.~ par unc femlne nolnruee Bent el Khras (lisez Bent cl Khass) :
a celle-ci avait dh souvent lutter contre scs sojcts qui nc voulaicnt pas
a reconnaitro la souvcrainetd d'unc fcmme. Pour lcur etre agreable, et
)) aussi pour rehausser son prestige, B , a t el Khras fit construire une

(1) Trumelet, Les Franeais dans le dlsert, Paris, 4803, in-18 ji.s.,
p. 213-214 ; De Colomb, Ezploration des K'sours d u Sahara de la province
d'oran, Paris, $858, in-9, p. 51-5'1. C'est de 18 que M. Hugues Le Roux a
pris le sujet d'un recit qu'il a intercalk dans son ouvrage Au S a h a ~ r c
(Paris, S. d. [L8911 in-18 j6s. p. 136-14'1) et. qu'il a agrementi., tout cn le
delayant, avec des vers d'anciens poetes arabes ernpruntds B ma PoPsie
arabe antdislamique (Paris, 18S0, in-18) et rnis dans la boucllc des chan-
teurs du Sultan lyoir. Cf. rnon article sur Gn pi+tentlu chant populaire
arabe. Reaue des Li~aditionspopulaires, t. vrr, l'aris, 1832, in-P, p. 219-2?2
La tradition d'ailleurs rapporlc quc Ucnt cl Khass vCcut au temps du
SuItan Noir de Tlemcen (sic) avec qui elle fut en guerre. Cf. sur ce pcr-
sonnage I'appendice ~v dc mon ouvrage, ACd~ornahe t les Tr,aras, Paris,
1901, in-P, p. 266-211.
(2) (( Demandez qui a fait creuser les pnits de Teldja, d'Achea, dc
Zirara, de Taquir et tant d'autres qui sont dispers6s dans les Areg et
qui indiquent qu'autrefois une sollicitude kclairde, une action puis-
r sante s'dtcndircnt sur ce pays abandonud dc Uieu, le berger vous
a repondra toujours : Ucnt cl Kbass. 11 .n'en sait pas davantagc n (Do
Colomb, loc. laud .)
n immense sdguia jusqu'a la Mecque, afln que les pelerins puissent avoir
D toujours de I'eau B leur disposition ( I ) n ,

A quelle Bpoque peut-on placer I'existcncc de cette hCrolno visiblement

lggendaire, meme dans la tradition algdriennc ? M. de Castries, sans citcr
de sourccs, nous dit quVEmbarkabent el Khass (u$d) , celebrc de
femme
la tribu des B. Amer, vivait dans le Sahara oranais au X \ ' sikcle ('). llais
la oonnaissance de la littgrature arabe classique nous permet de remonter
plus haut : l'existcnce de Rent el Khass est meutionnde, sans en ktre
d'ailleurs le tnoinsdu monde plus cerlaine, par des auteurs bien antmieurs
au xv' sii.cle et c'est 18 une preuve de plus qu'on ue saurait ktudier d'une
fagon serieuse et complete le folk-lore arahe du Maghrib, si I'on n'a pas
une counaiasance suffisante de la IittCraturc ancienne.
La premierc mention q u ~soit faite d'elle se trouvc dans un vers du
poete El Farazdaq, nB en l'an 20 do I'hBgire (6hl ap. J.-C.) et mort vers
110 (728 do J.-C.), c'est-a-dirc sepl siEclcs avant 1; date supposBe plus
haut.
Tu as et6 bonorablement fidele a un serment, cornme Hind fut fidblc a
Bent el Khoss (3) El lyidi.
Certains con~mentateursont cru que la IIind dont il s'agissait ici Ctait
la fille du dernier roi dc IIira, Eu No'mhn, mais cette opinion est com-
battue par Ibn Nobata qui voit avec vraise~nblancedans cette Hind (nom
tr&s rBpandu dans l'ancienne Arabie) une autre femme que la princesse
do IIira (4). En Orient, elle est appelie Hind et on lui donne pour s a u r
une certaine Djom'ah contrc qui elle plaida dcvant un juge des Arabes,
E1 Qalmas ( -\L!\). Celui-ci rendit un jugemcnt cn sa faveur, si l'on
L.
en croit un vcrs attribud a Bent cl Khosr:

(1) Rapport du lieutenant Verdier, ap. Gsell, Enqudte adminislralzoe

s u r les t r a c a u n hydrauliques des anciens en AlqC~.ze, Paris, 1902, in@,
p. 124-129.
(?) Les GnBmes de S i d z Abd e r R a l u n a n el ,!iedjedoub, p. VIII-rv,notc 4.

(3) La lecture adoptee en Oricnt est ,,-21 et en Occident, , ,d~

mais
elles no sont pas plus cerlaincs I'une que I'autrc. Ihn el A'rab~,dans srs
N a o u d d t r cite par Abou Zeid, I<&l.~ben. il'aouudtr (Bc)routb, 1894, ~ n - P ,
p. 210), donne les formcs suivanles : +I, 4<1, &L\, L,.A%.
(4) Cf. Ibn Nobata, Sirh' el 'Oyoun, Boulaq. 12i8 hiq. in-P, p 222.
 Si Dieu rdcompense I'hornrnc bienfaisant pour sa tidilild, qu'il recom-
pense gdn6reusernent Qalnias de ma part (1).
On voit que partout son pCre est nom1n6 El Khoss (ou El Khass). Ibu
el A'rabi lui donne le noln d'El Khoss ben Djabir ben Qoralt* el lyidi,
d'ou le surnom d'El ly8dyah, port6 par s a fille. hlais cette liste a'ascen-
dants dc Bent el Khoss est inconnue aux gi.nCalogistcs Ibn Dorald (?) et
Ibn Qotaibah (3). Cc dernier rrlentionnc seulemcnt un QoraitV(&,3), frkre
d e Qort' (1.4)O1s d'Abou Uckr, ren~ontantpar KilBb, Haaukin et Nizir a
'AdnBn, I'ancktre des Arabes, taudis qu'lyid, de qui scrait descendu
Iihoss, etait lefrbre de Nizir. Le Qoralt' d'lbn Qotaibah ne peut donc pas
6tre l'anc6tre de Bent el Khoss (4).
Du reste cette ddsignation d'lyadyah a-t-elle qaelque valeur? J e n e le
crois pas, et les auteurs arabes semblent avoir partage cette opinion, car
quelques-uns font de Bent EL Khoss une 'Amaliqa (Amalkcite). issue des
debris du peuple de 'Ad, ce qui nous rapporte aux temps fabuleux (5) c l
nous donne lieu de croire qu'elle n'a jamais existd, pas plus en Arabie
que dans le Sud algtkien.
Mais en Orient, comme en Occident, les traits caractiristiques de sa
l6gende sont idcntiques et les maximes r n prose rim& qu'on lui atlribue
out Le meme cachet. Elle est appelde a donner son avis sur les chevaux,

( I ) Ibn Nobata, Sirh' el 'Oyoun, p. 2?2.

(2) Kitdb el Ichtiqdq. &d. Wiistenfeld, Gcettingen, 1854, in-go.
(3) Kitdb el Ma'drif, dd. Wustenfcld, Gcettingen, 1850, in-8O.
(4) J'ajouterai que d'apres le Tadj el 'il?.ous, citant Ibn Uorald
(S. v"!), il y aurait eu deux autres IyBd : l'un fils de Nizir, mais on ne
peut le compter parmi les anclttres directs de Qora~t'quidescendait de son
frkre Modhar, I'autre, fils dc Sa'oud ben El H'adjar ben 'Amar. Un vers
de Daoud el Iy&di rnentionne I'existence du premier.

Parmi des hdros aux beaux visages, issus d31yid,Ills dc Nizbr, fils de
Modhar.
On pourrait supposer que cettc Bpithkte s'applique h un membre de la
tribu des B, ly'kd, qui s'htablit a Sindid, fit la guerrc B Khosrou Parviz,
roi de Persc, prit part a la bataille de Dzou-QBr et envoga une ambassade
an Prophete (cf. Naldeke, Geschichte der Perser und der Amber, Leiden,
1879, in-@, p 237 et note), mais rien ne justifie cette hypothese.
(5) Ibn el A'rabi, Raoulldzr ap. Es Soyouti, Nozhzr el 'Oloum, Le Qaire,
128? h8g. 2 v. in-8" t . 11, p. 2i0 : Aboud Zeld, Naouddw p. "0.
les cbameaux, le mapiage, et ses sentences ont le mbmc caract&redesim-.
plicite du fonds a t d e recherche de la forme (11.
On lui demanda : Quel est I'homme que tu prdlbres ? Elle rdpondit :
1;homme facile et gdndreux, bienfaisant et illustre, habile et intelligent,
le seigneur redout&. - Y a-t-11 quelqu'un qui surpasse cclui l a ? - Oui,
1:homme svelte et mince, fier et elegant, bienfaisant et prodigue, qu'on
craint e t qui ne craint pas. - Et quel est I'homme le plus halssable
ton avis? - L'homme lourd et endormi, qui se decharge des affaires
sur les autres, indiffi.rent, faiblede poitrine, cil et bl8rnable. - Et y a-
t-il quelqu'un de pire? - Oui, le sot querelleur, negligent e t negligd,
qui n'est ni craint ni obei. - On lui demanda encore : Quellc fenme est
-
prefCrable suivant toi i' Cclle qui est blanche et parfun~de.- Et celle
.
pui ddplalt le plus ,2 - Celle qui se tait si on veut la faire parler et qui
parle si on veut la faire taire (3).
Un homme alla trouver Bent el Khoss pour la consulter sur la femme
qu'il devait e p o u s e ~ .- Cherche-la brune et belle de visage, lui dit-elle,
d a m une farnille brave, ou dans une famille noble,, ou dans uno famille
puissante. - I1 ajuuta : Tu n'as l a m e de cble aucune sorte de femme ?
- Si fait, j'ai laissk de cdtd la pire de toules : la noiraude toujours
malade, aux menstrues prolong~es,querelleuse ( 4 ) .
On demanda a Bent el Khoss : (I Qnellc est la femme la plus mdritante?
- Elle rdpondlt : Celle qui demeure dans sa cour, qui pemplit les vases,.
qui melange d'eau Ic lait qui est dans I'outre. - Quelle est la femme la
plus mPprisable? - Celle qui soulbve la poussiere en marchant, qui a
une voix aigue cn parlant, qui porte une fille dans ses bras, qui e s t
suivie d'une autre et qui cst enceinte d'une troisieme - Quel est le jcunq
homme preli.rable?- - Le jeune hou~meaux longues jambes et au long
cou, qui a grandi sans malice. - Et quel est le plus meprisablel - Celui

(I) Les rBponscs cit6es dans le Jfozhir el 'Oloum d'Es Soyout/ ont et$
traduites par Perron ,'Femtnrs arabes aoant et d e p u ~ sl'tslamume. Paris
et Alger, 1898, in-8". p. 43-46) sans indication de sources et avec une
liber16 qui facilite, sans les excuser, de nombreux contre sens.
(2) Ces mots manqueut dans I'edition dn texte a r a h d'Es Soyouti,
evidernment incomplet. J'ai comble cette lacune d'apres Perron.
(3) Es Soqouti, Mozh~rel 'Oloum t. 11, p, 268. La source citte est Abou
Bekr, d'apres Ah'rned ben Yah'ya, d'apres 'Obeld Allah b. Chebib, d'apres
Daoud bcn Ibrahi~ilI I I)ja'fari, d'apres un Arabe du desert.
(4) Ibn es Sikkit, Tuhdzfb el Alfdzh, Beyrout, 1836, in-8" p. 393;
Es Soyouti, Mozh~r, el 'Oloum, t. 11. p. 26'3. Les sources citees sont
Tha'lab (rnort cn ?91 h., 'JOi de J . 4 . cf Brockelrnann. Gesch. der arab.
L t l l e ~ a i ct.~ ,I . p. 118) dans ses Diclees d'apres Bahdal ed Dobeici.
qui a le cou enfonc6, les bras courts, le ventre enorn~e,qui est couvert
de poussikre, qui a des vetements dCchires, obeit a sa mkre et se revolte
contre son oncle paternel s (1).
' Comme daus les traditions du Sahara, elle est consultt5e pour I'achat
d'animaux domestiques. Son pere, voulant acbeter un Btalou pour son
troupeau de chamelles, lui dit : n Indiquc-moi comment je dois I'achcter n.
Elle repondit : U Achbte-le avec le bas de la jouc marque, les joues
douces, les yeux enfoncfs, le cou epais, le milieu du corps d8velopp6,
tres haut, trks genkreux, qui regimbe qaand il est frappe du biton et
allonge la tete quand il est charge entibrement u (2).
Les chameaux paraissent avoir eu sa predilection, ce qui n'a rien
d'etonnant chez des nomades, si on en juge par les reponses qu'on lui
ttribuc : n Quelle est la chamelle la plus vive? - C'est, dit-elle, celltr
qui mange tout en marchant et dont les yeux sont brillants comme cenx
d'un fidvreux. - Et quellc est celle qui a le moins de valeur? -. Celle
qui est prompte a aller au piturage de boune heure et qui ne donne que
peu d e lait le matin. - Quel est le meilleur des ehauicaux ? - C'est
I'etalon au corps enorme, robuste, habitue aux voyages, vigoureux. -
Quel est le chameau de moindre valeur? - C'est celui qui est court de
taille et qui a une bosse aussi pctite que le dos d'une autruche )I (3).
El Khoss demanda ti sa fille : (( Est-ce que le chamcau de moins de
cinq ans fdconde la femellc? - Non, et il ne laisse rien. -Et le chameau,
dans sa sixieme annde, la feconde-t-il? - Oui, dit-clle, mais sa fkcon-
dation est lentc. - Et celui qui a perdu deux incisives? - Oui, et de la
largeur d'une coudee. - Et cclui B qui pousse sa prcn~ieredent de
devant? - Oui, mais il est sans force P (I).
Un jour elle dit B El Khass : (( Une telle Bprouve les douleurs de la
parturition, en parlant d'une chamelle de son pere. - Qui t'en a iufor-
mee? - Elle a un tressaillement dans les as de I'uterus, son regard est
vif et elle marche en ecartant les jambes. - Ma fille, elle va mettre
bas a (5).
( I Quel cheval prefkres-tu ? lui demanda-t-on. - Celui qoi a un toupet,

' ( I ) Ibn es Sikkit, Tahdzib el Alfdzh p. 353; E$ Soyouti, Mozhir

el 'Oloum, t. rr, p. 269-270.
(2) Es Soyouti, Mozhir el 'Oloum, t. 11, p. 270
(3) Ibn es Sikkit, Kildb el Alfdzh, 353-351.
( I ) Abou Zeld, Naoubdir p. YY1. Le meme recit est don116 en abregepar
Es Soyouti, Mozhir el 'Oloum, t. 11, p. 270.
(5) Es Soyouti. Mozhir el 'Oloum, t. 11, p. 270 d'apres les Naouidir
ci'lhn el A'rabi.
qui est bien soignd, robusle, d e forte encolure, solide, vigoureux, a r d ~ n t
et rapide o (l).
On h i demanda : ' U Que dis-tu d e cent chbvres? a . Elle rdpondit :
C'est un petit bien derribre lequel s'attache la pauvrete, richesse de
faible, gegne-pain de miserable. - Et cent brebis? - C'est une ville
sans dCfense. - Et cent chameaux? - Quelle cxcellente richesse que
les cbameaux ! C'est cc que ddsirent les hommes. - Et cent chevaur 1
- C'est I'orgueil do qui les possCde et il ne s'cn contente pas. - Et cent
Bnesses? - ~ 1 o i g n i . ela~ nuit, honte de la rduniou ; elles n'ont pas de
lait qu'on puisse traire, pas de laine qu'on puisse tondre ; si on attache
leur mble, il est interdit : si on le Iiclle, il s'en retourne r (2).
On lui atlribue aussi une riponse un peu differenle au sujet de la
valeur des diffdrenls biens. Le pere de Bent el Khass lui demaoda: Quelle
est la meilleure richessc? - Des palmiers sol~denrcntplant& dans des
terrains humides, qui nourrisscnt en temps dcdisette. - Et quoi encore 7
- Des brebis l'abri de l'epiroolie, qui te fournissent des agneaux, que
tll trais plusieurs fois par jour et tc donnent des toisons ; je oe connais
pas de richesses conime celles 18 - El les chamcaux ? - Ce sont leu
montures des guerriers, le racbat dn sang vcrs6, le douaire dcs femmes.
-- Quel est I'homme le meilleur? - Le plus visit&, cornu~e les collines
d'un pays sorit les plus fnuldcs aux pieds. - Qui est-il? - C'est celui b
qui on demande et qui ne dcmande pas, qui donne I'hospitalit6 et ne la
reGoit pas, qui rdtablit la paix et B qui on ne I'impose pas. - Quel est le
pire des holnnles? - L'imberbe bavard qui tient un petit fouet et qui dit :
Retenez-nloi loin de l'esclave dcs Benou un tel, car je le tuerai ou il me
tuera. - Et quelle est la meilleure dcs femmes? - C'est celle qui a un
61s dans son sein, qui en pousse un autre devant elle, qui en porte un
troisieme dans ses bras, tandis qu'un quatrikme ma-che derribre elle (3).
On lui demanda un jour : Qu'y a-t-il de mieux? - Le nuage du matin
qui suit le nuage de la nuit s u r une terre Blevke (4).
On lui altrihue aussi un grand nombre de dictons en prose rimde

(1) 1bn Nobata, Sirh' el 'Oyoun, p. 2?2-223.

(?) Ibn Nobata, Sirh' el 'Oyoun, p. 2?3; Es Soyouti, Moahir el 'Olouw,
t. rr, p' 270.
(3) ER Soyouti, Mozhir el 'Oloum, t. 11' p. 268-269, d'aprks les Dietips
d E l Qili tmort en 356 hdg., 967 dp J . -C. Cf. Brockelmann, Gesch. d e l arab.
Lit. t. I, p. 13?), d'apr0s Abou Eckr ben AboG 1 Aahar, d'apres E' Zobeir
ben lbrahim es Sa'di, puis El Ghoulthi.
(I') Es Soyouti, M0:hi~ el 'Oloum, 1. 11, p. 270, d'apres les Naouddir .
d'lbn el'Arabi (mort en ?31 hdg., 8bt deJ.-C. Cf. Brockelmann, Gesch. der
arab. Lit., t. I, p. 116-117). L
(FT) entre autres ceux-ci clui sont devenus proverbes : Le piredes.
l h p s est le loup du ghudha (arbuste Bpincox) ; le pire dea serpents cst
celui d'un sol aricle, la plus rapide des gazelles est celle rlui palt la
h'allabuh; le plus fort des hommcs est celui yui est mince; la plus belle
des femmes est celle qui a des formes potelCes et le visage ovalc ; la plus
laide est cell? qui est renfroguee et stche ; la plus vorace des ~nonturcs
est celle qui allaite; le meilleur morccau de viande est celui qui cst prCs
de 1'0s ; Ie plus dur des endroils pour la rnarche est celui oh Ics cailloux
sont sur les rochers; les pires des troupeaux sont ceux qu'on nc peut
clonner en aumbne ni c'gorger (comn~eIes hnes) ; la nleilleure des richesses
efit une jument sournise ou une serie de pal~niersfecondes (1).
On lui demanda : Quel cst le nuage que tu prelcrcs 1 -. Celui dont fe
hord retombe comme une frangc, qui verse la pluie a torrents, 6norme,-
sillonnd d'dclairs, bruyant et qui envahit tout (2).
- Quel est l'homme lc plus important a tes y e u x ? - Celui dont j'ai
besoin (3).
Elle aurait eu aussi, suivant certaines traditions, I'hahitude de poser
ctes enigmes a ceux qu'elle rencontrait, c'est ainsi qu'lbn Nobata, dans
san cornmentaire de l'Cpilre d'lbn Zeidoun (4) lui attribue la sBrie
d'enigmes que, d'aprds Hariri (5) unc cljinnuh (colntne la Sphynge des
Grecs) proposait aux passants. Tout comme la djinnab, elle n'aurait ccss6
ses interrogations qu'apres avoir et6 touserte de corifusion par la
r6ponse d'un dc ses interlocut~ursc~uidevait compldter une sdrie do
phrases cornmencant par (( je m'6tonnc a -@.
-On a vu plus haut conlment elle apprPciait I'homme et la femnle a u
point de vue du rnaridge. I1 semblcrait que, malgre: son ddsir de , s e
marier, indiqu6 aussi dans la legencle satrarienne, elle en ait Cte empt!chBe
par son pere et qu'clle ait cherche des consolations en dehors d'une.
union Idgitime. Surprise avec un esclave, elle se contenta de donner
pour excuses a ceux qui lui reprocbaient sa faute, ces mats devenus

( I ) Zamakhchhri, El Mostoqs'd, manuscrit de la b~bliothequedo la

MCdersa d'Alger B l'arlicle a' ; .Weldhi, illedjrnQ el Amlhiil, Boulaq,
l?$&, h6g., ? vol, in-i\ it.n, p. 227; Rc~ske,Tnraphcc! Yoallakah, Leiden,
1742, in-'l; p. 111-112 Dans ses 1'1.ooe1bta Aiuburn (Bonn, 3. vol. in-8'?;
1838-43). $i incomplets B tous Bgards, Freytag a simplen~entsupprim6
cette partie du com~neutairedu proverbe (t. r, p . 163-466).
(2) lbn Nobata, Swh' et 'Oyou*, p. ??3.
(3) Ibn Nobata, Sirh' el 'Oyoun, p. 213.
(4) ... Sirh' el 'Oyoun, p. 722.
( 5 ) Doi'raC el Ghaouas'a', &d. Thorbecke, Leipqig, 1Q71, in-8", p 91-92,
 La plupart des commentateurs attribuent ce calcul a la cdlbbre ZarqB
El YemBmah, de la tribu de Djadis, et elle aurait dit en prose rimee :

Ce sont ces paroles qu'aurait reprises En NBbighah, d'aprbs Moh'ammed

ben El 'AbbBs El Yezidi, citant Abou 1 'AbhBs Moh'ammed ben El H'asan
El Ah'oual (l),Et Tebrizi (?), Abou Hilal el 'Askari (3). MeIdBni (bj et Ed
Demiri (B) Moh'ammed ben Et' Tayeb' el 'Alami (6). El Asma'i, cite par El
A'lam (7), Ed Demiri (8) et El Baglididi (9) rempla~aitles pigeons par les
qat'as.
Mais El Asma'i rapportait avoir entendu des Arabes dudBsert attribuer
la solution de ce probleme Bent el Khoss, dont ils citaient ainsi les
paroles (metre radjaz) :

Boulaq, 1299, bhg., 4 vol. in-4; t. rv, p. 298-299 ; S. de Sacy, Chresto-

mathie arabe, 2' Bd., Paris, 1826, 3 vol. in-S", t. 11, p. 146 du texte;
Guirgass et Rosen, 4rabskaia Khrestomatiia, St-PBtersbourg, 1876, in-S*,
p. 195.
(1) El Isbahani, Kitdb el Aghdni, Boulaq, 1285 hBg , ?O vol. in-in,
t. IX, p. 175.
(?) Ap. Lyall, A Coinmentar, p. 156.
(3) Djamhal-at el Amthdl, Bombay. 1301, in-@, p. 10'1.
(4) Medjma' el Amlhdl, t. I , p. 100, 196.
(5) H'azat el H'aioudn, t. I, p. 190.
(6) Anis el Mot'rib, Fas, 1305 hdg , in-l', p. 209.
('7) Commentaire d'En Nabighah, f' 71 de mon manuscrit (provenant
d e Khenadsa). I1 cite aussi Abou 'Obeidah et Abou H'atim.
(8)H'alat el B'aloudn, t. rr, p 2 % ; Ahlwardt, Chulef el Ahmar's
Qasside, Greifswald, 1859, in-V, p. 193-196.
, (a) Khirdnat el Adab, t . 11, p. 259.
ALQER. - TYPOGRAPHIE ADOLPUE JOURDAN.