Indian Antiquary Vol 10

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 33

JANUARY, 1881.]
BOOK NOTICES.
generation, as from the sun's rays, from trees, whither they would. But the Cadi, and the aforefrom germs in the soil; so that the infidels could Baid Yusuf, full of malice, knowing that they had not resist the Spirit who spake in them. But the been entertained in the house of a certain ChrisSaracens kindled a great fire, and said : Ye Bay tian, said to Melich: What dost thou P why slayest that your law is better than the law of Mahomet; thou not these Christ-worshippers P He replied : and it be so, go ye into the fire, and by miracle That I find no cause of death in them. But they prove your words. The brethren replied that, for say: if ye let them go, all will believe in Christ, the honour of Christ, that they would freely do ; and the law of Mahomet will be utterly destroyed. and brother Thomas coming forward would first Melich again ways: What will ye that I should do, go in, but the Saracens suffered him not, for that seeing that I find no cause of death P Bat they he seemed older than the others; then came said: His blood be upon us, for it is said that if forward the youngest of the brethren, James of one cannot go pilgrim to Mecca, let him slay a Padua, a young wrestler for Christ, and inconti- Christian and he shall obtain a full remission of nently went into the fire, and abode in it until it sins, as if he had visited Mecca. Wherefore, the was well nigh spent, rejoicing and uttering praise, night following, the three men aforesaid, Melich, and without any burning of his hair even, or of the Cadi, and Yusuf, sent officers who despatched the cloth of his gown. Now they who stood by the three brethren, Thomas, James, and Demeshouter with a great cry, Verily these be good and trius, to the joys of heaven, bearing the palm of holy men!
martyrdom. And after awhile, having made "But the Cadi, willing to deny so glorious a brother Peter, who was in another place, present miracle, said: It is not as ye think, but his himself before them, when he firmly held to the raiment came from the land of Aben......' a great faith of Christ, for two days they vexed him with friend of God, who when cast into the flames in sore afflictions, and on the third day cutting off Caldea, took no hurt; therefore, hath this man his head, accomplished his martyrdom. But their abode scatheless in the fire.
comrades, the preachers and the rest, when they "Then stripped they the innocent youth, and heard this, wrote to the West lamenting wofully all naked as he was born was he cast by four men that they had been parted from the company of into the fire. But he bore the flames without the holy martyrs, and saying that they were hurt, and went forth from the fire unscathed and | devoutly engaged in recovering the relics of the rejoicing. Then Melich set them free to go! martyrs."
BOOK NOTICES A CLASSIFIED INDEX to the SANSKRIT M98. in the Palace
duties continued so heavy, that I could do but At Tanjore. Prepared for the Madrs Government by A. C. Burnell, Ph.D., &c. (London: Trubner and Co. little, and it was only when I was enabled to 1879-80.)
devote three months to this work alone at the end In March 1871, Dr. Burnell was deputed to of 1878 and the beginning of 1879, that I could examine the Tanjore Palace library by Lord Napier finally complete this Catalogue. But for these and Ettrick, then Governor of Madras. Then, he numerous and serious obstacles to my progress says, "I found it to be, though with huge masses the work would have been done long ago. of rubbish properly buried in it, of far greater im- The arrangement of the Index is excellent. portance than was suspected, and I suggested a Many works being represented by a number of tolerably complete catalogue, instead of a brief and copies of different ages, the description of eac partial report. To this, Lord Napier at once work is founded on the copy which seemed to assented. I was at Tanjore for nearly eleven Dr. Burnell to be the original, from which in many months, and in this time I drew up the slips for cases the others had been copied; and, in the case the 12,376 MSS. in the library as roughly classified, of the more important, a tolerably full description and I also sorted them roughly to begin the work is given, with extracts to show the state of the of drawing up the Catalogue. I was then re- texts. The other copies are then described simply quired to go to a distance of some hundreds of with reference to age, writing, extent, and general miles to take up very heavy routine work. This condition. By this means the author has conimpeded sadly my progress, and I had often to trived to compress the detailed account of over rely for necessary information on correspondence. 12,000 MSS. into the space of 208 quarto pages. In 1874, I got back to Tanjore, but my official They are divided into three great sections; 1,
Bic. perhaps Iba Aser, the Muhammadan name for the son of Terah, i, e. Abraham.