and he said, "It seems to me advisable that the King should direct all the animals to act in concert, so that in one and the same night they might flee from captivity, and go far from the dominions of men--just as deer, hog-deer, and many other harmless and rapacious beasts have left their dominions and have fled. In the morning, when the men do not find them, on whom will they lade their goods, and on whom will they ride? Being helpless from their being so far away, they will not be able to go after them, so they will sit down in silence. In this way the deliverance of the animals will be effected."

The King approved of this proposition, and asked them all for their opinion upon it. There was present a wise man of the descendants of Lukmán, and he said-" This proposition is not at all a good one, and this course is very much opposed to sense. It is by no means possible, because many of the animals are fastened up in durance all night, the doors of their prisons are closed, and sentinels are placed on guard: how can they all run away?"

The Sahib-i’azímat said, “Let the King give his commands for all the Jins to go this night to open the doors of the prisonhouses, to untie the heel-ropes of the animals, to make prisoners of all the guards, and not to release them until all those (animals) are far away from their territory. There will be very great merit to the King in doing this. Feeling pity for the condition of those (animals), I have offered my sentiments by way of advice to his Majesty. If, with benevolent intentions, the King shall resolve upon this work of kindness, the Lord Almighty will render him aid and assistance. Gratitude for the favours of God is shown in giving help and deliverance to the oppressed. People say that it is written in the books of several prophets that God Almighty says 'O king, I have not made thee ruler over the face of the earth in order that thou mayest amass wealth and devote thyself to the greed and lusts of this world, but rather that thou shouldst give redress to the op

pressed, for I indeed avenge them, even though they be in

The King again asked them all what they had to say to it. They all approved, and said it was very proper. But a certain Kaiwání sage was not satisfied with it, and after offering his blessings and reverences, he represented that it was a very difficult matter, and could not in any way be accomplished; must be attended with many evils and dangers which afterwards will in no way be capable of rectification.

The King asked him what he had to fear in the matter, and told him to explain so that he himself also might know. He said, "Your Majesty, he who proposed this way of deliverance for the animals made a great mistake. When the men rise in the morning they will not find the beasts, and will become apprised of their flight. They will then think for a certainty that it is not the work of any man, and that it cannot have been effected by any scheme of the animals, but must rather be attributed to the cunning and trickery of the Jins." The King said, "That is true-there is no doubt about it; they will suspect us."

The sage continued, "Asylum of the world! when the animals have escaped from their hands, and the services rendered are interrupted, then the men will be very sorrowful and anxious, and will become enemies of the Jins. From of old, indeed, they have been our foes, but now more than ever they will show their malice and animosity." The sages observed that he indeed must be a wise man who, making peace between the enemies, would preserve his Majesty from their animosity. All the Jins, when they heard this, said he spoke the truth.

After that another sage enquired, "Why should we fear their enmity, for it will not avail against us. Our bodies are fiery, and are very subtil and light, so that we fly up to the skybut the bodies of men are of dirt; they remain below, and

cannot ascend. We wander and look about among them without ceremony, but they cannot see us; so what have we to fear?"

The Kaiwání sage answered him saying, “ Alas! thou dost not know anything about it. Although men are earthy, still they have in them celestial souls and angelic spirits, through which they hold the pre-eminence over us; and besides, they are acquainted with many wiles and stratagems. In ages past there have been many battles between men and the Jins, the hearing of which should be a warning to us." The King desired the sage to inform him of those matters, and how the truth stood, so that he also might understand it. The sage replied that a natural hatred and an innate animosity between men and the Jins had come down from of old time, the narration of which would be very prolix. But the King ordered him to recount a little of it from the beginning, so far as could be recounted.

CHAPTER VII.

The Dissensions of the Men and the Fins.

IN obedience to the orders of the King, the sage thus set

forth the facts of the (matter) :—

In the earliest age, before God had created Adam, the Jins were dwelling over the whole face of the earth—wood, field, and water were all under their rule. When many days had passed, prophecy and law, religion and dominion, and numerous blessings were received. But they began to exhibit disobedience and error-they heeded not the testaments and precepts of the prophets, and set wickedness on foot over all the face of the earth. Through their tyranny, the earth, and all the dwellers on the earth, went complaining to the court of God, and began to make their plaints and lamentations.

When another age had passed, and their animosity and tyranny day by day increased, then God Almighty sent an army of angels on to the earth. They accordingly came here, and having beaten the Jins, expelled them, making many of them prisoners and captives. They then began to live upon the earth. It so happened that 'Azázíl, the accursed devil by whom the patriarchs Adam and Eve were deceived, was among those captives. His age was but little, and he knew nothing. He was nurtured among those angels, and he adopted all their rules and customs. When he had acquired their science, and had come to maturity, he was made head and chief of the tribe, and used to issue his edicts of command and prohibition.

When yet another age after this had passed, God Almighty said to the angels who were dwelling on the earth-"I will make one, who is not one of you, ruler of the earth, and I will call you up to heaven." The angels, who had been living here for a long period, through having to depart, deemed this a most disagreeable command, and thus replied to God— “Will our Lord create a person who will work evil and bloodshed upon the earth, as the Jins were doing, whilst we praise Thee, and consider Thee holy." God Almighty said, "That advantage which I know of, you know nothing about, and I have sworn an oath to myself of not keeping any angel, Jin, or animal upon the earth after Adam and his offspring."

2

In fine, when God, having created Adam, breathed a soul into his body, and when from him he formed Eve, he commanded all the angels to meet and pay him homage. In obedience to the divine command, they paid homage, and became subject to Adam. But 'Azázíl did not bow down; through his obstinacy and envy he was opposed to the commands of God. He reflected, saying, "Formerly I was chief and master; shall I now become his subject?" So, through envy and malice he became the enemy of Adam.

God Almighty then directed the angels to bring Adam into the garden of Eden. When Adam came into paradise a command was given by the divine Majesty (Arabic verse, of which the meaning is)—“ O Adam, do you dwell with your wife in this garden, and eat at your pleasure whatever your heart desires, only do not go near this tree, for if you do go near it, you will be a sinner."3 This paradise, which God Almighty bestowed upon the patriarch Adam for a dwelling-place, is a garden towards the East, on the Ruby mountain. No one has the strength to ascend it. The land of that place is good, the air temperate, the days of spring are there perpetual; 1 Kurán, Súrat ii. v. 28.

2 Ibid.

* Kurán, Súrat ii. v. 33.

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