צה THE ROOT OF PRAYER. 187 "inherit their possession; and upon this it is said, "The strength* of his works he told unto his 66 66 people, to give them the inheritance of the Gen tiles.' And now we are in the time of love, "when the Lord will verify among us what is 66 written, I have loved thee with an everlasting "love, therefore with loving kindness have I "drawn theet.' Verily, I fear, lest sinfulness "should prevail, God forbid‡, and lest mischief "should befall me in the place of dangerous herds "of beasts. I thought to intreat the face of the "dwellers in the pleasant land, that they should 66 pray for me towards our glorious and holy "temple, which is the gate by which prayer "entereth the heavens, and they may ask of the "blessed God, that He would always be with me, “and keep me in every way I shall go, and be a helper and supporter unto me every where. "For the root of prayer is in the Holy Land, and "there it is accepted, and is more valued before "God than the prayers of angels. 66 834. "And behold, I will reveal a great mystery "respecting that. Know, that the angels which sing before God have their voice in their wings; "and thereupon it is written, And I heard the 66 6 *"strength, is here taken again numerically for 28, in allusion to the twenty-eight repetitions of time in Ecclesiastes. † Jer. xxxi. 3. bon, protection and peace, i. e. absit, un yevoLTO, Far be it! God forbid! 188 PRAISING WINGS. צה "voice of their wings;' and the Holy One (blessed "be He!) made six wings* to each of them, and "with them they praise him all the days of the "week, every day with one wing; and they say "one to another, Sing unto the Lord a new song, "for he hath wrought wonderful things; for day 6 by day, in the beginning of the creation, were "made new works; and when the Holy Sab"bath Day came which the Lord blessed and "sanctified, and which is a great day before “him, the ministering angels said, 'Lord of the "universe, with what shall they praise thee on "the Sabbath-day, as the number of wings is ex"hausted on the sixth day?' And the Holy One 66 (blessed be He!) replieth, From the wings of "the earth have we heard a song, the glory of the 66 righteous; and ye shall praise me with my sons "which are in the Holy Land.' Then the angels 66 66 66 go and say together with Israel, The glory of "the Lord shall endure for ever, the Lord shall rejoice in His works.' Then the Holy One, (blessed be He!) saith, saith, My leanness! my "leanness!'. But I have no permission to re"veal more; except that though there be some new song every morning, the greatest of all is the song " of the righteous nation who keep the faith;` and therefore it is said, ' Great is thy faithfulness !'‡ † Is. xxiv. 16. 7, i. e. Woe unto me! 66 66 * Isaiah vi. 2. Lam. iii. 23. צה ELIAS, THE PHYSICIAN.. 189 835. "I will not enlarge more at this time: "but know, that from all the good that the Lord "hath dealt out kindly to me, I have done good 66 unto you, to let you hear news and wonders; and "I will send the writings by the way of Venice, by the hands of the faithful man of the name, "Master Elias, the physician, the son-in-law of "Master Calo*, the physician. So shall ye also "write often, and send the writings through his "hand at Venice. 836. "And because that many say vain things, "and make false writings, and tell words which "I did not speak, and which I have not commanded, neither came they into my heart; 66 66 therefore I warn you, that ye turn not your "heart, except unto the writings which are writ"ten with mine own hand, and signed with my 66 66 66 name and sealed with my seal; and this will be perfectly true judgment, and ye shall not regard lying words, but only the words of truth, which "I shall let you hear: ye shall stand fast, and 66 66 your hearts will be strengthened, all ye which hope in the Lord. Blessed be the Lord for ever"more! Amen and Amen!”. * 837. And Solomon would speak unto the ti.e. Not to attend to any thing but, &c. .קאלו Exod. v. 9, 190 SOLOMON AND DAVID AT RATISBON. צה emperor about the faith, well explained. And he went his way when the emperor was in Ratisbon, and he spake unto him there. And the heart of the emperor was hardened, and he hearkened not unto him for anguish of spirit*. And he commanded, and they put him in prison, and his friend Prince David, and his men; and they remained there several days. 838. Now when the emperor saw, after the Turk returned from him, that there was respitet, he removed from that place. And he returned unto Italy, and brought them bound in waggons unto Mantua, and set a watch over them. Then the emperor spake to the wise men, for so was the imperial manner§, and they found him guilty of death||; and they said, "Bring him forth, and let him be burned." And it came to pass, one day, that they put a bridle on his jaw-bones**. And they brought him out, and all the city†† was [1] moved about him, and the fire burned before him. And one of the nobles of the emperor said, "Take the bridle from between his teeth, for I have a message unto him from the king‡‡;" and they did so. And he said unto him, "The emperor * Exod. vi. 9. + Exod. viii. 15. [Heb. 11.] Job vii. 12. § Esther i. 13; i. e. the manner of government. || Deut. xxi. 22. Gen. xxxviii. 24. Judges iii. 19, 20. ** To prevent his speaking to the people. Ruth i. 19. צו SOLOMON BURNED. 191 hath sent me unto thee, saying, 'If thou turn from thy way, shalt thou not be accepted and live?'* And he will maintain thee, and thou shalt be before him; and if not- evil is determined against theet." And he stood not up nor moved before him‡. And he answered like a saint, like an angel of God, and said, "Because I walked in that religion, my heart is bitter and grieved; and now what is good in your sight do; and my soul shall return unto her father's house§, as in her youth||, for then it will be better with her than now." And they were full of indignation against him¶, and cast him upon the wood which was upon the fire, and they brought him as a burnt-offering unto the Lord, wholly burned**. And the Lord smelled the sweet savour††, and took to him his spotless soul, and she is with him as one brought up with him, rejoicing always before him‡‡. But they brought his servants out from the prison, and they went their way. There was none left in their destruction, except the noble Reubenite, his friend, and they set a watch over him. And the emperor went to Bologna; and they took the Reubenite with him in a waggon, bound with fetters §§, and took * Gen. iv. 7. Esther v. 9. † Esther vii. 7. § Lev. xxii. 13. Esther v. 9. ** Lev. vi. (15) 22. Holocaustum. ‡‡ Prov. viii. 30. ++ ++ Gen. viii. 21. §§ Solomon's Song, vii. (6) 5. |