of their acquaintance with which it would be impossible to bring any other proof from the books of the rabbis than this far-fetched allegory? The Talmud and the Arabian Nights Entertainment drew from the same systems of ornithology. The In an etymological point of view, Mr. Hurwitz's derivation of the word from wxɛavos is not at all probable; nor can we conceive how he spells it in Roman characters Ioceane,' unless for the purpose of making it look like the English word ocean. Latin o, and the Greek or w, are expressed, when adopted into Hebrew at the beginning of a word, by 18, not by ", which expresses w. Thus oyxos is profesor, 28, or its equiva Dipas—obgušov, ovn, &c. &c. K or c,אוני ovros אונטוס-אולון,olovאבריזין,lent is, in nine cases out of ten, expressed by p not 2, which more pro- would thus יוכני .c& היולי דלפקי,Delphica אפרוריטי,Appodion represent Ioχνη, not ωκεανος. We, therefore, à priori, would reject Mr. Hurwitz's derivation as being contrary to usual etymology; but the question is beyond doubt, when we find that in rabbinical Hebrew the word actually occurs written as the rules above laid down would incline us to write it. So Aben Ezra, in his Commentary on the Psalms,' lxxii. 8, writes, p, certainly not ים אוקינוס ; in which very passage he gives another blow to Mr. Hurwitz's hypothesis, by distinctly stating that the oceanus, the op was the Northern Sea, i. e. the Mediterranean, as distinguished from the Red Sea, the sea of the south. Nor would a man, writing in Babylon, or, indeed, any ancient Hebrew, be inclined to attribute an oceanic origin to a fable from Hindostan : it would have come to him, if at all, over-land. As for Rabba Bar Bar Channa, who vouches for his personal knowledge of the bird Ziz, we have the following comment on one of his philosophical opinions : With the same candour have these literary traducers treated the philosophical opinions of the Talmudist. Rabba, the grandson of Chana, in order to communicate to his readers the surprising fact, concerning the luminous appearance of the sea, (observed with admiration by most navigators, and so beautifully described by my friend, Mr. S. T. Coleridge,†) and to express the won ders *Mr. Hurwitz doubts whether this be meant for Terentius or Tinnius Rufus. Schoetgen and others interpret it Turanniús Rufus. This was the person to whose widow Akiba is said to have been married. The beginning of the courtship is odd enough. "A beautiful white cloud of foam, at momently intervals, coursed by the side of the ders of God, who, by the divine ray with which he animated man, has enabled him to subdue the raging billows of the sea, by means of a few planks and sticks-related the following allegorical tale: "Those that travel on the sea have told me, that on the head of the wave that threatens destruction to the ship, there appear sparks of white fire: that they beat it (the sea) with sticks, on which is written the name of the Almighty, and it rests, or is subdued." Further, to explain the cause of day and night, he invented the following narrative:-"An Arabian merchant said to me: Come, and I will show thee where heaven and earth join.' I took my bread-basket, and put it into the window of the firmament. I then said my prayers, which I finished in due time. Then I looked for my basket, but found it not. 'What!' said I to the merchant, Are there thieves in this place?' 'No,' answered he, 'it is the heavenly sphere that turns about which took it along with it. Wait till to-morrow, at the precise time, and thou wilt find thy basket again." It is generally supposed, that the grandson of Chana accounted for the phenomenon by supposing, according to the Ptolemaic system, that the heavens turned round the earth. But it is not improbable that, by the expression, "Come, and I will show thee where heaven and earth meet," he intimated, that the phenomenon may be explained in two ways; either in the manner just stated, or on the Pythagorean system of the earth's turning on its own axis: for the disappearance and re-appearance of the fictitious basket would take place on either supposition.' Nothing can be finer than the quotation from Coleridge in the note, and the ingenuity of the interpretation may be readily admitted; but we should think that Rabba Bar Bar Channa would hardly understand his apologist. This respectable gentleman is one of the hardiest travellers that we happen to have met with. He saw a fish on one occasion dashed against the shore, and it overthrew sixty cities; sixty more fed upon its flesh; and yet there was enough left to supply a third sixty with salt provisions. On his return next year, he was happy to perceive that the sixty overthrown cities had been rebuilt with the bones of the fish. One of its eyes yielded three hundred vessels of oil, which, however, is but an inadequate proportion. On a different occasion he disembarked on the back of another sea-beast,' which was covered with earth, and produced grass, &c. ; and 'deeming it some island,' (Milton did not forget this in his description of Leviathan, which is altogether rabbinical,) landed on it, kindled a fire, and began to cook, which naturally alarming the fish somewhat, the fish moved himself, and the veracious rabbi escaped with great difficulty. He also saw a frog as big as the village of Akra, which contains sixty houses-a favessel with a roar, and little stars of flame danced and sparkled, and went out in it; and every now and then light detachments of this white cloud-like foam darted off from the vessel's side, each with its own small constellation, over the sea, and scoured out of sight like a Tartar troop over a wilderness." -Biographia Literaria, vol. ii. vourite vourite number:- -a serpent swallowed the frog, and then came a raven which ate the serpent up as easily as a fox eats a pear, and then perched upon the next tree-the dimensions of which (more is the pity) the rabbi does not give us. After this, we do not wonder that his name is as highly reverenced even among his brother rabbis, as that of Ferdinand Mendez de Pinto is among ourselves. They have a saying, that 'every Abba is a drunkard, and every Barbar Channa a fool;' a more satisfactory way of accounting for his travelling adventures, than by resolving them into philosophical opinions. Channa, in fact, is very much such a philosopher as Sinbad; and his adventures are in place amidst writings which tell us of cabbages that must be scaled with ladders, turnips in which foxes whelp, and wheat as tall as palm-trees, containing grains each as large as a .(כשתי כליות של שור הגדול) baron of beef Mr. Hurwitz has done well in not pressing such tales into his collection, which generally consists of anecdotes of various distinguished Jewish characters. Some of them are highly interesting, and they lose nothing but some, perhaps, unpreservable touches of simplicity, in the hands of their translator. We subjoin a specimen : Compelled by violent persecution to quit his native land, Rabbi Akiba wandered over barren wastes and dreary deserts. His whole equipage consisted of a lamp, which he used to light at night, in order to study the law; a cock, which served him instead of a watch, to announce to him the rising dawn; and an ass, on which he rode. 'The sun was gradually sinking beneath the horizon, night was fast approaching, and the poor wanderer knew not where to shelter his head, or where to rest his weary limbs. Fatigued, and almost exhausted, he came at last near a village. He was glad to find it inhabited, thinking, where human beings dwelt, there dwelt also humanity and compassion; but he was mistaken. He asked for a night's lodging-it was refused. Not one of the inhospitable inhabitants would accommodate him. He was therefore obliged to seek shelter in a neighbouring wood. "It is hard, very hard," said he, "not to find a hospitable roof to protect me against the inclemency of the weather; but God is just, and whatever he does is for the best. He seated himself beneath a tree, lighted his lamp, and began to read the law. He had scarcely read a chapter, when a violent storm extinguished the light. "What," exclaimed he, "must I not be permitted even to pursue my favourite study!—But God is just, and whatever he does is for the best." He stretched himself on the bare earth, willing, if possible, to have a few hours' sleep. He had hardly closed his eyes, when a fierce wolf came and killed the cock. "What new misfortune is this?" ejaculated the astonished Akiba. "My vigilant companion is gone! Who then will henceforth awaken me to the study of the law? But God is just; he knows best what is good for us poor mortals." Scarcely had had he finished the sentence, when a terrible lion came and devoured the ass. "What is to be done now?" exclaimed the lonely wanderer. "My lamp and my cock are gone-my poor ass, too, is gone--all is gone! But, praised be the Lord, whatever he does is for the best." He passed a sleepless night, and early in the morning went to the village, to see whether he could procure a horse, or any other beast of burden, to enable him to pursue his journey. But what was his surprise, not to find a single individual alive! It appears that a band of robbers had entered the village during the night, killed its inhabitants, and plundered their houses. As soon as Akiba had sufficiently recovered from the amazement into which this wonderful occurrence had thrown him, he lifted up his voice, and exclaimed, “Thou great God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, now I know by experience that poor mortal men are short-sighted and blind; often considering as evils what is intended for their preservation! But thou alone art just, and kind, and merciful! Had not the hard-hearted people driven me, by their inhospitality, from the village, I should assuredly have shared their fate. Had not the wind extinguished my lamp, the robbers would have been drawn to the spot, and have murdered me. I perceive also that it was thy mercy which deprived me of my two companions, that they might not by their noise give notice to the banditti where I was. Praised, then, be thy name, for ever and ever!' There are many fine apologues in this collection, of which we can make room for but one. In it due justice is not done to the character of Alexander the Great; but that is too common a case, to be complained of. 6 Pursuing his journey through dreary deserts, and uncultivated ground, Alexander came at last to a small rivulet, whose waters glided peaceably along their shelving banks. Its smooth unruffled surface was the image of contentment, and seemed in its silence to say-this is the abode of tranquillity and peace. All was still: not a sound was heard save those soft murmuring tones which seemed to whisper into the ear of the weary traveller-" Come, and partake of nature's bounty!"-and to complain that such offers should be made in vain. To a contemplative mind, such a scene might have suggested a thousand delightful reflections. But what charms could it have for the soul of an Alexander, whose breast was filled with schemes of ambition and conquest; whose eye was familiarized with rapine and slaughter; and whose ears were accustomed to the clash of arms-to the groans of the wounded and the dying? Onward, therefore, he marched. Yet, overcome by fatigue and hunger, he was soon obliged to stop. He seated himself on one of the banks of the river, took a draught of water, which he found of a very fine flavour, and very refreshing. He then ordered some salt fish, with which he was well provided, to be brought to him. These he dipped in the stream, in order to take off the briny taste, and was very much surprised to find them emit a very fine fragrance. "Surely," said he, "this river, which possesses such uncommon 66 uncommon qualities, must flow from some very rich and happy country. Let us march thither." Following the course of the river, he at length arrived at the gates of Paradise. The gates were shut. He knocked, and, with his usual impetuosity, demanded admittance."Thou canst not be admitted here," exclaimed a voice from within; "this gate is the Lord's." "I am the Lord-the Lord of the earth;" rejoined the impatient chief-" I am Alexander the Conqueror! Will you not admit me?" "No," was the answer. "Here, we know of no conquerors-save such as conquer their passions: None but the just can enter here." Alexander endeavoured in vain to enter the abode of the blessed; neither entreaties nor menaces availed. Seeing all his attempts fruitless, he addressed himself to the guardian of Paradise, and said:"You know I am a great king-a person who received the homage of nations. Since you will not admit me, give me at least something, that I may show an astonished and admiring world that I have been where no mortal has ever been before me." Here, madman!" said the guardian of Paradise, "here is something for thee. It may cure the maladies of thy distempered soul. One glance at it may teach thee more wisdom than thou hast hitherto derived from all thy former instructors. Now go thy ways." Alexander took it with avidity, and repaired to his tent. But what was his confusion and surprise to find, on examining the received present, that it was nothing but the fragment of a human skull! "And is this,” exclaimed Alexander," the mighty gift that they bestow on kings and heroes! Is this the fruit of so much toil, danger, and care!" Enraged and disappointed, he threw it on the ground. "Great king," said a learned man who happened to be present, "do not despise this gift. Despicable as it appears in thine eyes, it yet possesses some extraordinary qualities, of which thou mayest soon be convinced, if thou wilt order it to be weighed against gold or silver." Alexander ordered it to be done. A pair of scales was brought. The skull was placed in one, a quantity of gold in the other; when, to the astonishment of the beholders, the skull over-balanced the gold. More gold was added, still the skull preponderated. In short, the more gold there was put in the one scale the lower sunk that which contained the skull. 66 Strange," exclaimed Alexander," that so small a portion of matter should outweigh so large a mass of gold! Is there nothing that will counterpoise it?" "Yes," answered the philosophers," a very little matter will do it.” They then took some earth, covered the skull with it, when immediately down went the gold, and the opposite scale ascended. "This is very extraordinary!" said Alexander, astonished. "Can you explain this strange phenomenon?" "Great king," said the sages, fragment is the socket of a human eye, which, though small in compass, is yet unbounded in its desire. The more it has, the more it craves. Neither gold nor silver, nor any other earthly possession can ever satisfy it. But when it once is laid in the grave and covered with a little earth, there is an end to its lust and ambition." this We must come to a close, but cannot do so without expressing our |