The Dabistan

, • 71

" ing and ill using of animals. And Mohammed
^ himself attacked the forces and caravans of the
" [{.oreish; he shed blood, nay, with his own hand
" put to death animated beings. He besides ex-
" ceeded all bounds in sexual connexions, and in
*' taking the wives of other men; so that, on account
" of his gazing, a wife was separated from her hus-
" band, * and the like are notorious of him. With
" these perverse qualities, how then shall we recog-
u nise a prophet?" All concurred in declaring :
"• By miracles." The philosopher asked: " What
tc are the miracles of your prophets?" The Jew
answered: " Thou must have heard of Moses's
tc wand, which became a serpent." The doctor
immediately took up his girdle, breathed upon it,
and it became a great serpent, which hissed and
turned towards the Jew ; but the philosopher
stretched out his hand, and took it back, saying:
" Lo, the miracle of Moses !" whilst the Jew, from
fear, had scarcely any life left in his body, and
could not recover his breath again. Now the Chris-
tian said : " The Messiah was born without a fa-
*' ther.'1 The doctor replied: " You yourselves
" say that Joseph, the carpenter, had taken Mary
" to wife; how can it be made out that Jesus was
tc not the son of Joseph?" The Nazarene was re-

1 See p. 59. note 1, relative to Zaid and Zcinah.