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[page 166, column 1, continued:]
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A Tale of
Jerusalem.
Intensos rigidam in frontem
ascendere
canos
Passus erat —————
LUCAN
— De Catone.
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————— a bristly bore.
Translation.
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"LET us hurry to the
walls," said Abel-Phittim to
Buzi-Ben-Levi and
Simeon the Pharisee, on the tenth day of the month Thammuz, in the year
of the world three thousand nine hundred and forty-one — "let us
hasten
to the ramparts adjoining the gate of Benjamin, which is in the city
of
David, and overlooking the camp of the uncircumcised; for it is the
last
hour of the fourth watch, being sunrise; and the idolaters, in
fulfilment
of the promise of Pompey, should be awaiting us with the lambs for the
sacrifices." [column 2:]
Simeon, Abel-Phittim, and Buzi-Ben-Levi, were the
Gizbarim, or
sub-collectors
of the offering, in the holy city of Jerusalem.
"Verily," replied the Pharisee, "let us hasten: for
this
generosity
in the heathen is unwonted; and fickle-mindedness has ever been an
attribute
of the worshippers of Baal."
"That they are fickle-minded and treacherous is as
true
as the
Pentateuch,"
said Buzi-Ben-Levi, "but that is only towards the people of Adonai.
When
was it ever known that the Ammonites proved wanting to their own
interests?
Methinks it is no great stretch of generosity to allow us lambs for the
altar of the Lord, receiving in lieu thereof thirty silver shekels per
head!"
"Thou forgettest, however, Ben-Levi," replied
Abel-Phittim, "that
the
Roman Pompey, who is now impiously besieging the
city of the Most High,
has no assurity that we apply not the lambs thus purchased for the
altar,
to the sustenance of the body, rather than of the spirit."
"Now, by the five corners of my beard," shouted the
Pharisee, who
belonged
to the sect called The Dashers (that little knot of saints whose manner
of dashing and lacerating the feet against the pavement was
long a
thorn
and a reproach to less zealous devotees — a stumbling-block to less
gifted
perambulators) — "by the five corners of that beard which as a
priest
I am forbidden to shave! — have we lived to see the day when a
blaspheming
and idolatrous upstart of Rome shall accuse us of appropriating to the
appetites of the flesh the most holy and consecrated elements? Have we
lived to see the day when" ——
"Let us not question the motives of the Philistine,"
interrupted
Abel-Phittim,
"for to-day we profit for the first time by his avarice or by his
generosity;
but rather let us hurry to the ramparts, lest offerings should be
wanting
for that altar whose fire the rains of heaven cannot extinguish, and
whose
pillars of smoke no tempest can turn aside."
That part of the city to which our worthy Gizbarin
now
hastened, and
which bore the name of its architect King David, was esteemed the most
strongly fortified district of Jerusalem; being situated upon the steep
and lofty hill of Zion. Here a broad, deep, circumvallatory trench,
hewn
from the solid rock, was defended by a wall of great strength erected
upon
its inner edge. This wall was adorned, at regular interspaces, by
square
towers of white marble; the lowest sixty, and the highest one hundred
and
twenty cubits in height. But, in the vicinity of the gate of Benjamin,
the wall arose by no means from the margin of the fosse. On the
contrary,
between the level of the ditch and the basement of the rampart, sprang
up a perpendicular cliff of two hundred and fifty cubits; forming part
of the precipitous Mount Moriah. So that when Simeon and his associates
arrived on the summit of the tower called Adoni-Bezek — the loftiest
of
all the turrets around about Jerusalem, and the usual place of
conference
with the besieging army — they looked down upon the camp of the enemy
from an eminence excelling by many feet, that of the Pyramid of Cheops,
and, by several, that of the temple of Belus.
"Verily," sighed the Pharisee, as he peered dizzly
over
the
precipice,
"the uncircumcised are as the sands by the sea-shore — as the locusts
in
the wilderness! The valley of The King hath become the valley
of
Adommin."
"And yet," added Ben-Levi, "thou canst not point me
out
a Philistine — no, not one — from Aleph to Tau — from the wilderness to
the
battlements — who seemeth any bigger than the letter Jod!"
"Lower away the basket with the shekels of silver!"
here
shouted a
Roman
soldier in a hoarse, rough voice, which appeared [page 167:] to
issue from the
regions
of Pluto — "lower away the basket with the accursed coin which it has
broken the jaw of a noble Roman to pronounce! Is it thus you evince
your
gratitude to our master Pompeius, who, in his condescension, has
thought
fit to listen to your idolatrous importunities? The god Phœbus, who is
a true god, has been charioted for an hour — and were you not to be on
the ramparts by sunrise? Ædepol! do you think that we, the
conquerors
of the world, have nothing better to do than stand waiting by the walls
of every kennel, to traffic with the dogs of the earth? Lower away! I
say — and see that your trumpery be bright in color, and just in
weight!"
"El Elohim!" ejaculated the Pharisee, as the
discordant
tones of the
centurion rattled up the crags of the precipice, and fainted away
against
the temple — "El Elohim! — who is the God Phœbus? — whom
doth the
blasphemer
invoke? Thou, Buzi-Ben-Levi! who art read in the laws of the Gentiles,
and hast sojourned among them who dabble with the Teraphim! — is it
Nergal
of whom the idolater speaketh? — or Ashimah? — or — Nibhaz? — or
Tartak? — or Adramalech? — or Anamalech? — or Succoth-Benith? — or
Dragon? — or Belial? — or Baal-Perith? — or Baal-Peor? — or
Baal-Zebub?"
"Verily it is neither — but beware how thou lettest
the
rope slip
too
rapidly through thy fingers; for should the wicker-work chance to hang
on the projection of yonder crag, there will be a woful outpouring of
the
holy things of the sanctuary."
By the assistance of some rudely constructed
machinery,
the heavily
laden basket was now carefully lowered down among the multitude; and,
from
the giddy pinnacle, the Romans were seen gathering
confusedly round it;
but owing to the vast height and the prevalence of a fog, no distinct
view
of their operations could be obtained.
Half an hour had already elapsed.
"We shall be too late," sighed the Pharisee, as at
the
expiration of
this period, he looked over into the abyss — "we shall be too late! we
shall be turned out of office by the Katholim."
"No more," responded Abel-Phittim, — "no more shall
we
feast upon
the
fat of the land — no longer shall our beards be odorous with
frankincense — our loins girded up with fine linen from the Temple."
"Raca!" swore Ben-Levi, "Raca! do they mean to
defraud
us of the
purchase
money? or, Holy Moses! are they weighing the shekels of the
tabernacle?"
"They have given the signal at last," cried the
Pharisee, "they
have
given the signal at last! — pull away, Abel-Phittim! — and thou,
Buzi-Ben-Levi,
pull away! — for verily the Philistines have either still hold upon
the
basket, or the Lord hath softened their hearts to place therein a beast
of good weight!" And the Gizbarim pulled away, while their burthen
swung
heavily upwards through the still increasing mist.
"Booshoh he!" — as, at the conclusion of an hour,
some
object at
the
extremity of the rope became indistinctly visible — "Booshoh he!" was
the exclamation which burst from the lips of Ben-Levi.
"Booshoh he! — for shame! — it is a ram from the
thickets of
Engedi,
and as rugged as the valley of Jehosaphat!"
"It is a firstling of the flock," said Abel-Phittim,
"I
know him by
the bleating of his lips, and the innocent folding of his limbs. His
eyes
are more beautiful than the jewels of the Pectoral, and his flesh is
like
the honey of Hebron."
"It is a fatted calf from the pastures of Bashan,"
said
the
Pharisee,
"the heathen have dealt wonderfully with us! — [column 2:] let
us raise up our
voices
in a psalm! — let us give thanks on the shawm and on the psaltery —
on
the harp and on the huggab — on the cythern and on the sackbut!"
It was not until the basket had arrived within a few
feet of the
Gizbarium,
that a low grunt betrayed to their perception a hog of no
common size.
"Now El Emanu!" slowly, and with upturned eyes
ejaculated the trio,
as, letting go their hold, the emancipated porker tumbled headlong
among
the Philistines, "El Emanu! — God be with us — it is the
unutterable
flesh! "
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