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88
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MARCH, 1889.
Now below the verandah in which this conversation was held, there was wandering about a washerman, who had lost an ass some days before. He had searched everywhere, but was not able to find it. After spending the earlier part of the night in looking for it, he rested himself under the verandah for a short time, and there he heard a woman saying that she was as happy as one who had travelled over the fourteen worlds, and he mistook her for a great traveller.
"Surely she must have met my ass somewhere or other," thought he, and getting up as once, he fell at her feet with tears in his eyes, saying "Mother! have you seen my lost ass ?"
The Jessamine King had been watching all this, and as soon as the washerman fell at the wicked Empress's feet saying "Mother, have you seen my lost ass ?" he could not contain his laughter. He laughed till his sides were like to split, and lo! all around the sweet jessamine scent began to play.
The servants of the emperor, who were ordered by his Majesty to rouse him at the first sign of the jesɛamine scent at whatever time it might appear, now aroused him from his sleep. The emperor got up and thought to himself, "I tried my best to make my vassal laugh, and used all the means I could, but I failed altogether. What can be the reason for his laughter at this hour of the night ? I will send for him."
As soon as the Jessamine King was sent for, he made his appearance in due obedience to the Emperor's mandate, and did his best to conceal the reason of his laughter from him. But finding at last that his life was at stake he told the whole story. So the end of it all was that the Emperor sent his wife and the cripple to the gallows, and the Jessamine King to his own Dountry.
MISCELLANEA.
PROGRESS OF EUROPEAN SCHOLARSHIP. No. XIV.
Journal Asiatique for 1887 (Vols. IX. and X). (1) January 1887.-M. Urbain Bouriant describes an interesting find of three leaves of a Coptic Romance of Alexander. These were discovered amongst a number of Theban MSS. purchased at Akhmim by M. Maspero for the Bibliothèque Nationale. They are three detached fragments, and the rest of the work cannot be found. This is the first work of fiction of Coptic origin which has been discovered. M. Bouriant gives the text and translation of the fragments. The MS. is doubly interesting because the Romance of Alexander appears to have had its origin in Egypt, whence it was at least partly borrowed and translated into Greek by the Pseudo-Callisthenes, from which the various western versions of the legend have sprung. An Oriental version of the story of Alexander had its origin in Persia, and has been recorded by many authors, from Firdûsî downwards. This version is, however, almost certainly, to be referred ultimately to the western version of the Pseudo-Callisthenes for its origin. The present Coptic MS. appears to be probably a modernized edition of the ancient Egyptian original of both these versions.
The next paper consists of translated extracts
by M. De Harlez of the Tchou-tze-tsieh-yaotchuen, or summary of the essential principles of the philosophy of Tchou-tze. It was written in the year 1602 by a disciple of that philosopher, named' K'ao-pen-long. The extracts translated are Chapter III., on the perfecting of instruction, and Chapter V., on the obligation to subdue and correct oneself.
The number concludes with an examination of the text of the Moabite Stone, by M. ClermontGanneau, with special reference to a recent work on the same subject by MM. Smend and Socin. The paper being one of textual controversy cannot be summarised.
(2) February-March, 1887,-opens with an account of another Coptic MS. by M. E. Amélineau, of the French Archeological Mission in Egypt. The document is historical, written in the 13th century, and deals with the martyr John of Phanijoit. The author was a priest named Mark, a disciple of Michael, Bishop of Bubastis (or Zagazig) and Belbéis. The martyr John was a Christian, who turned Musalman in order to marry a woman of that faith. On her death he returned to Christianity, and, filled with remorse, endeavoured to persuade 'the king' at Cairo to return him the documents relating to his first apostasy. He was at first treated as a
I spell these words as they are transliterated in French. I have not ventured to spell them in the English fashion.-G. A. G.
