III.

MOSES ON MOUNT SINAI.

THERE is a Hebrew tradition that the Israelites asked two things of God, -to hear his voice and see his glory: these were granted them, and in consequence they fell down dead: but the Law (which is here a personality) addressed God, saying, “Shall a king give his daughter in marriage and destroy his own household? Thou hast given me to the world which rejoices in me, and shall the Israelites, thy children, perish?" Upon this, the dead were restored to life; for "the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." Ps. xix. 7. The Kuràn limits the vision of God to Moses. The leading events of that Prophet's life are there given with little variation from the Jewish scriptures; the events connected with the departure of the Jews from Egypt have, of course, afforded much scope to traditions of the marvellous. One miracle ascribed to him, as being exhibited for the terror of Pharaoh, is very picturesque, viz., that he was a most swarthy man, but when he placed his hand in his bosom, and drew it forth again, it became extremely white and splendid, surpassing the brightness of the sun.

Up a rough peak, that toward the stormy sky
From Sinai's sandy ridges rose aloft,
Osarsiph, priest of Hieropolis,

Now Moses named, ascending reverently
To meet and hear the bidding of the Lord.
But, though he knew that all his ancient lore
Traditionary from the birth of Time,
And all that power which waited on his hand,
Even from the day his just instinctive wrath
Had smote th' Egyptian ravisher,* and all

* Not just according to the Kuràn, which makes Moses repent of it. Chap. xxvi. v. 19.

The wisdom of his calm and ordered mind
Were nothing in the presence of his God;
Yet was there left a certain seed of pride,
Vague consciousness of some self-centred strength,
That made him cry, "Why, Lord, com'st thou to me,
Only a voice, a motion of the air,

A thing invisible, impalpable,

Leaving a void, an unreality,

Within my heart? I would, with every sense,

Know thou wert there-I would be all in Thee!
Let me at least behold Thee as Thou art ;
Disperse this corporal darkness by thy light;
Hallow my vision by thy glorious form,

So that my sense be blest for evermore ! "

Thus spoke the Prophet, and the Voice replied, As in low thunders over distant seas :

"Beneath the height to which thy feet have striven, A hollow trench divides the cliffs of sand, Widen'd by rains and deepened every year. Gaze straight across it, for there opposite To where thou standest, I will place myself, And then, if such remain thy fixed desire, I will descend to side by side with thee."

So Moses gazed across the rocky vale; And the air darkened, and a lordly bird

Poised in the midst of its long-journeying flight,

And touched his feet with limp and fluttering wings And all the air around, above, below,

Was metamorphosed into sound—such sound,
That separate tones were undistinguishable,

And Moses fell upon his face, as dead.

Yet life and consciousness of life returned;

And, when he raised his head, he saw no more
The deep ravine and mountain opposite,
But one large level of distracted rocks,
With the wide desert quaking all around.
Then Moses fell upon his face again,

And prayed-"O! pardon the presumptuous thought,
That I could look upon thy face and live:
Wonder of wonders! that mine ear has heard
Thy voice unpalsied, and let such great grace
Excuse the audacious blindness that o'erleaps
Nature's just bounds and thy discerning will!"

IV.

SOLOMON AND THE ANTS.

SOLOMON is the Hero of Wisdom all over the East: but wisdom there must be manifested by power: he is therefore the great Magician, the ruler of all the spirits of Creation, and to whom all inferior creatures do homage. The Targum to the Book of Esther, i. 2, relates: "that Demons of the most different orders, and all evil Spirits, were submitted to his will." The 8th verse of the 2nd chapter of Ecclesiastes has been interpreted to have a similar meaning. One of the singular uses to which he applied his power, according to the Mohammedan commentators, was to get the demons to make a depilatory to remove the hair from the legs of the Queen of Seba before he married her. The following story from the Kuràn is evidently connected with the mention of the wonderful instincts of the ant, Proverbs, vi. 6, 7, 8.

Of all the Kings of fallen earth,

The sun has never shone

On one to match in power and worth
With ancient Solomon.

Master of Genii and of Men,

He ruled o'er sea and land;

Nor bird in nest, nor beast in den,

Was safe from his command.

So past he, gloriously arrayed,
One morning to review

The creatures God on earth has made,
And give Him homage due.

VOL. I.

N

Well busied in a valley near,

A troop of Ants perceived

The coming pomp—and struck with fear
Death close at hand believed.

They cried : "What care the Kings and Priests

That here in splendour meet,

What care the Genii, birds, or beasts,

For us beneath their feet?

For what are we to them, and who
Shall check their mighty way?
Fly to your inmost homes or rue
The glory of to-day."

The son of David's wondrous ear

No haughty mood beguiled;

He, bent the Ant's small voice to hear,

Beneficently smiled;

And prayed: "Oh God! the great, the good,

Of kings Almighty King!

Preserve my progress free from blood,
Or hurt to living thing!

"Comfort these humble creatures' fear; Let all thy servants know,

That I thy servant, too, am here,

Thy power, not mine, to show.