peaceful airs of morning and evening the shoots tend to grow again. Humanity is the heart of man ; justice is the path of man. To know heaven is to develop

the principle of our higher nature.

MAN.

CCCCXXIV.

Man and Animal.

God brought the animals to Gilshádeng, and made them subject to him, and he divided them into seven classes.

And when seven sages were with the prince, there came seven kings from the animal kingdom, soliciting redress from the tyranny of mankind.

The wise camel said, 'O prophet of God in what consists the superiority of man over us?'

The sage Huristeh said, 'There are many proofs of man's superiority over animals; one of them is speech.'

The camel answered, 'If the object of speech be to make the hearer understand, animals possess it.' Huristeh said, 'The speech of man is alone intelligible.'

The camel replied, 'Because thou dost not understand the language of animals, dost thou imagine it unintelligible? The inhabitants of the West understand not them of the East.'

Huristeh said, 'You have been ordained for our service.'

The camel answered, And you also have been ordained to bring us water and grain and grass.' The sage said nothing in answer.

Then the sage ant came forward, and said, 'O prophet wherein consisteth the surpassing excellence of man above animals.'

The sage Shásar hastily answered, 'In the excellence of his shape and upright deportment.'

The ant replied, "The intelligent do not pride themselves on shape, and yet we are all on a level in regard to the combinations of the members of our body. And even you, when you would praise any beautiful person, describe her as stag-eyed, as having the gait of a partridge, or a peacock's waist; whence it may be understood that the superiority is ours.' To this Shasar returned no answer.

Next the knowing fox, taking up the speech, said, "What superiority in arts doth man possess?'

The wise Jemshíd answered, "The superiority of men consisteth in the good dress, and agreeable food and drink which they have always had.'

The wise fox said, 'In former times your clothes were of wool, and hair, and skins of animals, and still are so. And your sweetest food is supplied by the bee. With animals, all that requireth to be covered is covered naturally.'

Jemshíd replied, 'It ill becometh you to join in

this controversy, you who cruelly tear each other to pieces.'

The fox rejoined, 'We have learned this practice from you, for Jilmis slew Tilmis. Moreover ravenous animals live on flesh; but men slay each other without necessity.'

Jemshid returned no answer.

Next the sagacious spider coming forward said, 'Wherein consisteth the superior excellence of man?' The sage Simrâsh said, 'Men understand the arts.'

The spider answered, 'Animals exceed men in these knowest thou not that crawling things and insects build triangular and square houses without wood or brick? Behold my work, how, without loom I weave fine cloth.'

Simrâsh replied, 'Man can write and express his thoughts on paper.'

The spider said, 'Animals do not transfer the secrets of God from a living heart to a lifeless body.' Simrâsh hung down his head from shame.

The tortoise next advanced saying, 'What proof is there of the superiority of man?'

The sage Shalish-herta said, 'Kings and ministers, and generals, and physicians, and astronomers afford proofs of man's superiority.'

The tortoise said, 'Animals too possess the classes that you have mentioned. Observe the sovereignty of the bee and of the ant in their kind, and attend to the viziership of the fox; and recollect the generalship

of the elephant; and the cock is an astronomer, who knoweth right well the time of the day and night.'

Shalish-herta remained silent.

Next the peacock, sailing in, said, 'What proof is there of man's superior dignity?'

The wise vizier, Vizlûr, said, 'Mankind possess the faculty of judgment and discrimination.'

:

The peacock answered, 'If during the darkness of a single night a hundred sheep have young, each knoweth its lamb, and each lamb knoweth its mother, and turns to its mother; and this kind of instinct mankind do not possess.'

Vizlûr then said, 'Men are brave.'

The peacock answered, 'They are not bolder than the lion.'

Vizlûr had nothing to reply.

Next the humâ advancing said, Where is the sage who will afford me proof of man's superiority?' The sage Mezdam-hertaiendeh said, 'One superiority of man consisteth in knowledge, as by means of it he ascendeth from a low to an exalted station.'

The humâ replied, 'By knowledge animals distinguish good plants from poison.'

The sage said, 'Knowledge has a root and a branch; you have the branch, but the root consisteth in the sayings of the prophets, which belong to man alone.'

The hûmâ said, 'Among animals each tribe hath its customs, and in like manner as among you prophets