made fair, his stature erect, his hands and feet excellent, and (all) of the most perfect elegance." Yet one more signification is apparent in this verse, (Arabic)—“ God Almighty created man in the happy medium 1-He did not make him very tall nor very short." 2

The King said this amount of symmetry and suitability of the members suffices (to establish) pre-eminence. The animals represented, "This is the case with us also. God Almighty gave us every one of our members in the happy proportions that were suitable; in this pre-eminence we and they are equal." The men replied, "Where is this suitability of members among you? Your figures are exceedingly disgusting, your stature clumsy, your hands and feet ugly. There is belonging to you the camel, of large form, long neck, and small tail. And there is the elephant, whose form is very large and heavy, two long tusks stick out from his mouth, his ears are very broad and his eyes very small. Bulls and buffaloes have large tails, thick horns, and no upper teeth. The horns of the dumba (sheep) are heavy and its buttocks fat. There is the goat, who has a great beard and no buttocks. The hare is small in size, but has great ears. In this way there are many carnivorous and graminivorous beasts, and birds whose form and stature are clumsy, one member having no conformity to the others.”

"Alas!

We are

Upon hearing this speech one animal began to say, thou hast not at all comprehended the Divine art. (His) creatures, the beauty and perfection of our members comes from Him; therefore to find faults in us is in fact to set forth His deficiencies. Dost thou not know that God Almighty in His wisdom created each individual thing for some special good? No one, however, knows this mystery, with the exception of Himself and men of science."

That man said, “If thou art a sage among the animals, Kurán, Súrat lxxxii. v. 7.

1 Hadd i itidál.

2

then do thou make known what advantage there is in making the camel's neck long." He said, "Because his legs were long, and therefore if his neck had been short, it would have been difficult for him to graze the grass. Hence he made his neck long that he might graze at ease, and raise himself up from the ground by the strength of that neck, and be able to carry his lips over his whole body and rub himself. In the same way He has made the elephant's trunk long instead of his neck, and (He has made) his ears large that he may drive away the flies and mosquitoes, so that none may be able to get into his eyes or mouth; for in consequence of his tusks, his mouth always remains open, and does not shut. And his tusks are long in order that he may defend himself against the ferocity of rapacious animals. And the hare's ears are long because his body is very tender and his skin fine—he can wrap round him those ears in cold weather, and spread them out in warm.

"In fine, God Almighty has bestowed upon every animal such members as He deemed suitable. And thus He has spoken by the mouth of the holy Moses, saying, 'God bestowed an individuality1 upon every thing, and after that He prescribed their respective courses. The meaning of which is, that He gave to every one such members as were appropriate, and showed them the path of rectitude.

22

"What you consider beauty, and boast about, and (when) in your vanity, you consider 'We are the masters, they are the slaves'—this is (all) a mistake. Beauty, in every species, is that which makes (its members) agreeable to their fellows, and through which they show affection to each other; and

2 Sales' translation of the Arabic is, "Our Lord is He who giveth all things: He hath created them and directeth them (by His providence).” -Kurán, Súrat xx. v. 52.

this is the cause of procreation and propagation of offspring. For the beauty of one species is not agreeable to another species. Every animal fixes its heart only upon a female of its own species, and does not desire the female of any other animal, however much better she may be than its own. In the same way also, men have affection for their own particular species. Those people who are black do not like people of white bodies, and those who are white do not set their hearts upon the black. . . . . Therefore, your beauty is no ground of superiority that you should consider yourselves to excel us.

"And when you say that you have great acuteness of sense, it is also a mistake. Many animals have better understanding and sense than you. Thus there is the camel, who has long legs and a long neck, and whose head contends with the air; but notwithstanding this, he, in dark nights, descries the place on which to set his feet, and passes along roads of which the passage seems impossible, while you require torches and lamps. And the horse hears the tramp of the traveller from afar, and it has often happened that having heard the steps of the adversary, he has aroused his rider, and saved him from his foe. If a person takes an ox or an ass once along any (previously) unseen road, and turns him loose, he escapes from that place, and comes back safe to his own home; he does not at all forget it. But if you have passed along a road several times, still, whenever there is occasion for you to pass along that road (again), you are bewildered and forget it. Sheep and goats give birth in one night to hundreds of young ones, and in the morning proceed to the pasturage; and when they return from thence in the evening, the young ones severally recognise their mothers, and the mothers their young ones. But if one of you remain for some time abroad, and then return home, he forgets mother and sister, father and brother. Then where is the judgment and acuteness of sense of which you have made such great boast?

"If you had any sense at all, you would not boast about those things which God Almighty has given you without any labour or trouble (of your own). For the wise and prudent consider that to be a (ground of) boast which they have acquired by their own industry and labour, as when they master the theological sciences, or acquire great qualifications by their own efforts and exertions. But you have not even one of these things to boast of over us; your claim is without evidence, your animosity without meaning."

CHAPTER IV.

Setting forth the complaint which every Animal brought forward separately against Mankind.

TH

66

HE King, turning towards the men, said, "You have heard his answer; now say whatever else there remains for you to say." They replied “ There are still many proofs remaining by which our claim is established; these are some of them :-Buying and selling (the animals), feeding and giving (them) drink, putting garments on them, preserving (them) from cold and heat, shutting one's eyes to (their) faults, saving them from the ferocity of wild beasts, tenderly giving (them) medicine when they are sick. These kindnesses 1 we show them out of 2 compassion and mercy. The same practice prevails among all masters, of keeping an eye of compassion and mercy upon their slaves."

The King having heard this, ordered the animal to give him an answer, and he said-" This man maintains that they buy and sell animals, but this practice prevails also among men; thus the inhabitants of Persia, when they gain a victory over Turkey, sell the Turks, and when the Turks prevail over Persia; they deal out the same treatment to the Persians. The inhabitants of India observe the same practice towards the 1 Sulúk-lit. "treatment," but frequently used, as here, for kind treat

ment.

Ba-nazr-with the view or intent.

3 Rúm--Rome, Turkey, Asia Minor.