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astrologyCorpus.txt
6969 lines (6893 loc) · 965 KB
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astrologyCorpus.txt
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vii
her mother love told by the physician by general although unspoken assent the eyes of all the company were now directed to the venerable hakeem as if to invite from him the next contribution to the nights entertainment
meditatively for a moment the man of medicine stroked the broad white beard that descended almost to his girdle and then began familiar to us all is the thought that death is but a birth into another state of existence whether that state be the eternal paradise which is the final goal of every mans hopes or merely another stage thitherward
death is a birth the truth of which will more forcibly appeal to our minds when we reflect also that birth is a death
how can that be except for the stillborn
queried the astrologer
the hakeem raised a hand deprecating the interruption
nay follow me in my argument he continued quietly
if death is a birth then is a birth truly death
for the babe has been living through a prior stage of existence
to it the nine months passed in its mothers womb may have meant a long span of life
for time is but a relative term and measured against eternity the whole period of mans sojourn onpg 147 earth be it three score or four score years is but as the puff of a single breath
so the child in the womb lives there a full span of existence it is nurtured and it grows it sleeps and it wakes it lies passive and it disports itself it is sensitive to cold and to heat to thirst and to hunger and god alone knows what it thinks and what mental impressions it forms of the existence through which it is passing
and the hour of its birth is truly the hour of its death for in pain and travail it is plucked from its warm and comfortable surroundings and with the shock of physical change and unseeing dread it cries aloud in sharp anguish
thus precisely do we ourselves die when we pass from this world to another existence physically and mentally resenting the harsh change terrified because of our very ignorance of what is really happening
the physician paused amid a deep hush that bore eloquent testimony to the impressiveness of the thought to which he had given utterance
but the parallel does not end here he resumed
when the infant is born then for the first time does it see face to face the divinity who through all the preceding stage of its existence has protected it warmed it and nourished it
in the presence of its mother it is in the presence of the god who has hitherto enveloped it wholly and completely in his own divine being
so when we die will we be face to face with the now unseen god who everywhere encompasses us beholding him at first only with the dazzled vision and dim halfconsciousness of the newpg 148born babe but growing to know him and to love him as we have all known and loved the devoted mothers who bore us
for mother love is mans first foretaste of god love the full glory of which we shall comprehend only when by death we are born into a higher and more spacious sphere of existence
there was another brief interval of silence again unbroken by any comment from the auditors
then the hakeem continued in lighter tone now let me point my moral by telling you a story of a mothers supreme devotion for her son
at one time i practised my profession in the capital city of a state ruled over by a maharajah who although he had been a brave and honourable man in his prime had degenerated into a mere voluptuary spending his days in the companionship of nautch girls and disreputable men indulging constantly in immoderate potations of strong wine and given at times to the use of bhang which does more than anything else to dull the faculties and deaden the conscience of the unfortunate who surrenders himself to its seductive spells
the inevitable results were for him the premature loss of health and strength and for his people misrule extortion and widespread unhappiness
it happened that after several hindu physicians had failed to restore their royal master from a fainting spell i a moslem was summoned in haste to the palace
i carried with me a small jar containing a certain pungent liquid which i applied to the nospg 149trils of my patient with the result that he was straightway brought back from seeming death to consciousness of his surroundings
i take no special credit for effecting this recovery but the maharajah himself deemed me to be a veritable worker of miracles and dismissing all his other doctors kept me thenceforth constantly by his side
from the first i knew by his trembling limbs and enfeebled condition that death had marked him for its own but i could at least prepare aromatic drinks to mitigate his pains and saffron meats to drive out the evil spirits that possessed him
thus did it come about that i gained the confidence of the maharajah and when it happened that one of his favourite wives had fallen into a decline and had begged for the services of a physician the honourable trust of ministering to her needs was confided to me
my examination of the invalid was in accordance with the usual restrictions
accompanied by the feeble old maharajah himself i was conducted to an apartment across which a heavy curtain was suspended
after an interval of waiting the rustle of silken garments behind the purdah followed by the gentle sigh of a woman told me that my patient had arrived
it was the husband himself who bade her thrust her tongue through an orifice in the curtain
my inspection of this member revealed no internal disorder and i requested from my master permission to touch the ladys hand so that i might feel the pulsing of the blood in her veins
not too willingly he ordered her to push her arm through the opening
pg 150 it was a dainty white hand with many jewelled rings upon the taper fingers and the nails as with all ladies of quality dyed the deep orange red of henna
although i knew well that the jealously watchful eyes of her lord were upon me i made no hesitancy in encompassing the wrist with my own fingers
but the little hand within mine was clenched tight and the better to conduct my examination i freed my fingers from her wrist so as to straighten out hers as i required them
when i attempted to do this however i was conscious of some resistance and then of the presence of a small packet concealed in the palm of her hand
with a flash of comprehension i knew that the package must be intended to be conveyed to me surreptitiously and with no thought at that critical moment of what the ulterior object might be i aided the act by a deft movement of my shoulder which for a moment intercepted the maharajahs gaze
in another second he could see my fingertips lightly pressed on her wrist and her empty hand extended but the package was safe in my other hand and not the quiver of a muscle on my face betrayed that anything unusual had happened
both to mask my feelings and to give the lady behind the curtain confidence that she could repose trust in my discretion i counted the pulse beats aloud
these indeed told me that the heart of my patient was beating at a mad gallop but this i divined was simply caused by the daring deed she had essayed and successfully accomplished
i deemed it wise andpg 151 prudent however to announce that the lady was suffering from a fever and that i would send her a powder that would speedily restore her to good health
at this the maharajah was sufficiently overjoyed to permit of my withdrawal without obvious embarrassment
i had a smile upon my lips and the secret package secure in the folds of my girdle
a chuprassi accompanied me to my home to bring back the medicine
i knew of course that it was only a dry powder that this highborn hindu lady could take from my dispensary for to have swallowed a liquid drug would have been a violation of her caste
i took pains to let the chuprassi see that my hands did not touch the powder which after due weighing i bestowed in a paper carefully sealed instructing him to deliver it to no one but his highness the maharajah
it was only finely ground sugar that the man carried away
but perhaps this is a harmless little trick of my profession which even now i should not disclose
but a general smile among the company showed the hakeem that his calling was held in no undue reverence at least by those without present need of his ministrations
when i was alone with my mortars and my drugs resumed the narrator i lost no time in examining the mysterious packet
i unwound the silk threads that tightly tied it both to restrict its bulk and to render it secure
soon to my amazement i uncovered a string of ten pearls of a size and lustrouspg 152 purity that bespoke a high value even to my untutored eyes
also there was a little seal of red chalcedony with the antlered head of a deer and some scroll of lettering engraved upon it but there was not one scrap of writing to explain to me the reason of these gifts
had the lady as often happens imagined herself to be seriously sick and devised this plan of invoking my interest and most skilful services on her behalf
but why then the seal the value of which was quite insignificant
even as i was pondering these questions there came a clapping of hands at the gateway of my home that announced the arrival of a visitor
hastily concealing the pearls and the seal in my girdle i stepped forth into the outer court and took my seat upon the divan
straightway there was ushered into my presence a big man clothed in rich garments
his sable complexion and thick lips declared him to be a moorman from across the seas and his beardless chin further told at a glance that he was an attendant at the seraglio of some rich noble
he salaamed me with the cool confidence of his kind and without waiting for an invitation seated himself on the carpet at my feet
my name o learned hakeem is malik kafur he began in the shrill treble voice i had anticipated and you know why i come here
as my knowledge had been taken for granted i bowed in acquiescence
but her highness said that you would first of all show me her signetpg 153 so as to prove that you are acting with her authority
with all due gravity i produced the chalcedony seal from my belt and without quitting hold extended it for my visitors inspection
there was a swift gleam of recognition in his eyes
that is right he murmured
then proceed i said quietly
you can speak in the fullest confidence
i have promised the maharanee that tomorrow when the fourth of the day is over i shall conduct her into the bazaars
she bade me explain her plans precisely so that you in turn should know how to act
well her highness will be as usual in her palankeen slung between two mules
when we turn from the coppersmiths bazaar into the secluded bazaar where the money changers dwell the two grooms in charge of the mules will be assailed by budmashes and beaten with sticks
i too will be knocked down and my clothes torn but do not worry on my account
i gave a cheerful nod to signify that his anxiety on this score might be set at rest
it will devolve on you to have two men ready to take advantage of the confusion of the scuffle and lead away the mules with the palankeen conducting the maharanee to a place which she herself will indicate
this you understand
i understand
at night when i shall come to you again underpg 154 cover of the darkness you will pay over to me the agreedupon price—the ten pearls which her highness has placed in your custody
they are here i assented holding aloft the little string of pearls the purpose they were intended to serve at last made clear to my understanding
the eyes of the negro flashed with cupidity and he reached forth a big fat black hand
i can be trusted to do my share of the task he said eagerly
to save trouble let me be paid now
not so thou slave i replied curtly and with authority as i returned the pearls to their place of safekeeping
the price will be paid when the service is performed
tomorrow night you will be admitted malik kafur if you knock three times at my gate
the fellow rose to his feet with a servile and submissive smile and by a wave of my hand i dismissed him from my presence
here indeed was an adventure thrust upon me a man of peace and of studious habits who had ever shrunk from deeds of violence but the hand of fate was clearly beckoning me along the path of duty and not for a moment did i shrink from the dangers into which perchance i was being hurried
for the maharajah worthless besotted and on the verge of dishonoured death i could have no respect
for the lady of his household who was confiding to me her very life whose soft hand i had touched with due reverence there was an instinctive feeling of sympathy
in her hour of dire needpg 155 most likely of extreme danger she had turned to me a man of staid repute and old enough no doubt to be her father
so this was no affair of conjugal wrong from which my religious scruples and my abiding principles alike would have repelled me
clearly was i the instrument in gods directing hand for some great happening and it was not for me through thought of self or cowardice to interpose obstacles to the carrying out of the divine will
and as i thus ruminated there came from a minaret close by the call to evening prayer
the world is but an hour i murmured to myself as i spread my carpet spend it in devotion the rest is unseen
on the morrow i was astir even before the morning call to prayer
prayer is better than sleep—i listened to the familiar cry of the muezzin
but while again i prayed i felt that a good deed done may count more for a man at the gates of paradise than the record of many prayers
full an hour before the appointed time i was at the corner of the coppersmiths and the moneychangers bazaars
here i posted two of my retainers in whom i could place complete confidence
they had already been instructed how to act when the proper moment arrived
for myself i sauntered through the crowded and noisy bazaar of the makers and menders of copper vessels so as not to attract undue attention
in my heart was not one flutter of excitement or of uncertainty i felt the quiet confidence which in the crisespg 156 of life comes to a man whose trust in god the most high is implicit
after a period of waiting there came into sight the huge black moorman in his hand a white wand of office and following close behind him a brilliantly decorated palankeen suspended between a pair of mules and attended by two grooms leading the animals
the throng had parted before this little procession averting their eyes from the covered palankeen as was beseeming
but suddenly at the intersection of the two bazaars a group of loiterers sprang forward and with cries assailed the moorman and the grooms turning the mules into the quieter thoroughfare
there i had now posted myself and while the shopkeepers ran up the street to see what had befallen the cavalcade under my directions and with my attendants at the animals heads hurried along and as we threaded our way through the maze of streets the tumult of voices soon died away behind us
after a little time i ventured to approach the curtained palankin
i spoke just loud enough to be heard by its occupant may your day o queen be peaceful
your servant most humble and devoted awaits your orders
peace be to thee o thou trustful and brave hakeem
take me to the protection of thy wife and home
it was a soft melodious womans voice that hadpg 157 spoken tremblingly imploringly and yet withal in a tone of authority
as thou hast commanded so shall it be done was my brief reply
after a little time the cavalcade without any undue attention being attracted had passed through the gateway of my home and the doors had been barred behind us
to my surprise a gallant youth some twelve years of age sprang through the momentarily parted curtains of the palankeen
i salute thee o hakeem our deliverer he exclaimed kissing the hem of my robe
my royal mother is in the palankeen and craves for sanctuary in your zenana
let her pass i replied and i urged the docile mules toward the second archway that led to the womens courtyard
at my bidding the inner gates opened and they closed again when the palankeen had entered
within is sanctuary for your royal mother and here is sanctuary for yourself o prince i continued with a profound obeisance for despite the modest garments he wore i had recognized the eldest royal son of the maharajah whom i had seen several times in his fathers presence and on one occasion at an affair of state clad in a robe of honour of silk and gold brocade festoons of jewels around his neck and a tiny sword with scabbard of gold girt at his side
having once more impressed secrecy on my attendants and bidding them give admission to no onepg 158 i led my young guest into an inner reception room
there in a few concise sentences he told me his story
a plot had been hatched in the royal zenana that just so soon as the maharajah died this youth and seven or eight younger brothers sons of other wives should be slain so that the undisputed succession might descend on one particular son elder by several years but not in the regular line of succession because born of a slave mother
it was this slave womans brother who commanded the maharajahs bodyguard and in collusion with his sister had conceived the damnable conspiracy
only by the whisper of a woman who was close to the officer but whose heart was tender had the mother of the young heir to the throne been warned
with my aid and that of the eunuch who had visited me the day before they had made their escape the youth having been hidden in the palankeen of his mother before the latter left the seraglio on one of her occasional visits to the bazaars
such was the story
now the future had to be planned for up to this point the maharanee had acted blindly and impulsively—just swiftly—the moment she had realized the supreme danger for her son
in the boy i found high courage and a clear brain and together we devised the measures to be followed that would best allay suspicion as to the whereabouts of the fugitives
as a first step i sallied forth as usual to pay my professional visit on the maharajah a little beforepg 159 the noontide hour
perhaps i felt that if by any chance suspicion had already alighted upon me i was taking my life in my hands by entering the palace but trusting to the protection of allah i gave no second thought to any fear of this kind
i had not yet reached the palace gates when i encountered a messenger running in hot haste to summon me
his highness the maharajah had been seized with a fit and the whole palace was in a turmoil
when i gained the royal apartment i saw at a glance that the sufferer was beyond human aid
i could but watch the deep laboured breathing growing ever fainter and fainter until the deathrattle in the throat proclaimed the end
during that hour of watching my soul had been gravely perturbed not because of the dying debauchee but in dread of sinister happenings in the royal zenana when the news of the maharajahs demise should come to be announced
but how was i to give warning without betraying to certain death the youth and his mother who had sought sanctuary in my defenceless home
for there at the door of the sick room stood the captain of the kings bodyguard todar rao the very man who i knew held his corrupt soldiery in leash for any villainy
another high officer of the court the diwan had shared my vigil in the death chamber and just before the end came had informed me that it was news of an attack by budmashes on one of the royal palankeens that morning in the bazaars that hadpg 160 inflicted the fatal stroke upon his master
but this treasurer was an aged man who would have quailed under the eye of the stern and relentless soldier keeping watch and ward at the doorway and for all i knew he too might be in the conspiracy—indeed his furtive glances and the nervous twitching of his hands forewarned me of this danger
surrounded by uncertainties and utterly helpless in my isolation i could but drift whither the stream of destiny carried me
the king is dead i announced when the last flutter of the heart had ceased
may god in his compassion give him peace
the diwan summoned the captain of the bodyguard and the latter to make certainty doubly sure brutally shook the dead man by the shoulder
i could see the savage gleam of satisfaction on his face when he threw from him the already stiffening arm
the two men in close conclave hastened from the chamber and when the attendants set up the accustomed cries of wailing i profited by the clamour and confusion to slip discreetly from the palace and gain my own home
the terrible events of the next few days were alas
just the same as have befallen a hundred times on the passing of a king
the outside world knew few details but the news from the palace current in the bazaars was that all the sons of the late maharajah had perished excepting only the eldest
and this youth although the whisper passed freelypg 161 that he was merely the son of a slave woman duly ascended the throne
revolt by some of the nobles over such an indignity might come later on
but meanwhile at all events the show of military power quelled all opposition while a judicious remission of taxes pleased the general populace and indeed caused them joyfully to acclaim the new maharajah as he made a triumphal procession through the city mounted on an elephant caparisoned with cloth of gold and bedecked with silver chains and bells preceded by priests and the dancing girls of the temples and surrounded by troops both horsemen and foot soldiers
only i and the members of my household knew that the rightful heir to the throne was alive and in safe hiding
for the moorman had never come to claim his string of pearls and it was not until some days later that i had learned of his having been summarily dispatched by order of the dead maharajah in the latters first paroxysm of anger over the abduction of his favourite wife when visiting the bazaars
in this opportune removal of a greedy hireling and possible traitor i once more recognized the hand of providence working for the noble woman whose quick wit had aided mother love to save her son
a noble woman i have called her and such indeed she was
for me the maharanee had discarded the purdah and in the sanctity of my harem with my wife as her devoted attendant i was privileged to converse with her hour after hour gazing freelypg 162 upon the most beautiful countenance i had ever beheld—beautiful not only by reason of soft and rounded features and the peach bloom of the skin but also because of the soullit eyes that illumined it with joyous radiance
for this queen lived in her son forgot every other sorrow in his safety and now experienced all the glowing pride of a leader on the field of battle in planning the campaign for the vindication of his rightful claims to the royal inheritance
her first step had been to send secret word to her father—she was the daughter of a mountain chieftain—bidding him to dispatch one of her brothers to me as a trusted messenger
the distance was far and three months elapsed before the hillman arrived a sturdy young fellow serene of eye slow of speech and muscled like a panther
he departed back home again carrying our tale by simple word of mouth for greater security and having concealed on his person some of the gems which the maharanee had saved and which would be readily convertible into money
then after a second interval of time other tribesmen came sifting into the city by twos and threes until we had full fifty of the finest material for a bodyguard a young prince could desire
these men were quartered at different places in the vicinity of my home armed and ready for a general muster when the moment should be ripe for action
meanwhile a widespread spirit of dissatisfaction with the new raj was daily growing and on every hand in the bazaars mutterings of trouble began topg 163 be heard
the young ruler had proved to be a mere puppet in the hands of his mother and uncle who had not hesitated to advance their baseborn relatives and associates to places of highest honour and emolument thereby giving grievous offence among the families of proud and ancient lineage both hindu and moslem which had hitherto supplied the principal officers of state and had been the real buttresses of the throne
then to fill full the measure of discontent came ominous rumours that the prince although still a mere youth had like his father become addicted to the use of bhang and strong wines and encouraged by a worthless following was abandoning himself to all manner of expensive debauchery
and when at last the screw of heavily increased taxation gave proof to these stories the first timid whispers of displeasure among the populace swelled to sullen and continuous murmuring
for the true queen mother and her son the hour of destiny was approaching
but although the embers of revolt were ready to burst into flame at the first fanning of a breeze todar rao now sirdar in command of the whole army still dominated the situation
at his slightest word the mercenary soldiery under his control would have rushed into the bazaars with sword and torch like ravening wolves among sheep helpless to defend themselves
as for the nobles each surrounded by his own bodyguard they were torn into rival factions the one jealously watching the other lest open revolt should be made the excuse forpg 164 usurpation of the throne by the strongest and best prepared among them
in these circumstances it would have been fatal to let word go forth prematurely that the rightful heir was alive for disappointed ambitions among the feudal lords might have become an added danger to the fury of the sirdar
but any prolonged delay would also be disastrous for it was only now that the boy prince would be recognized and received as the undoubted heir to his fathers throne a few years later he would to a certainty be looked at askance as a mere pretender—a pawn in the game of some unscrupulous kingmaker playing for his own aggrandizement
it was the maharanee who devised the bold stroke which involved undoubted danger yet promised the best chance of success
her idea was to take the whole court unawares at one and the same moment so that the nobles might have presented to them not only a common rallyingpoint for loyalty but the chance by united action to break for all time the hated military power of the slaveborn sirdar
it was the appointed day when the recently installed maharajah according to custom immemorial was to be publicly weighed and the gold he counterbalanced distributed in charity
in the great courtyard of the palace all the people were assembled nobles and officers of state soldiers and traders rich and poor among the latter the halt the blind and the maimed the deformed and the leprous in pitiful evidence as fitting objects for a share of the propg 165mised bounty
on a raised dais seated upon a throne covered with cloth of gold and sheltered by a canopy and awnings of crimson brocade sat the reigning maharajah a puny and sicklylooking stripling
before the main ceremony of the day heralds had announced that the sovereign was prepared to listen to any grievances or complaints from his people
for a few minutes no one came forward but at last a pair of sleek mules handsomely caparisoned with a richly adorned palankeen slung between them the identical equipage of the maharanee which had been harboured in my home emerged from the crowd and advanced at a grave pace toward the royal dais
that some highborn lady was within the silken coverings of the palankeen every one surmised and at this extraordinary spectacle a hush of tense expectancy fell upon the assemblage
but the silence changed to murmurs of amazement and admiration when a queenly woman stepped upon the edge of the dais and faced not the maharajah on his throne but the nobles and courtiers and officers clustered around
with a proud gesture she flung even the sari from her face which the play of the sunbeams among the jewels in her hair and around her neck invested with a shimmering halo of radiance
on such a womans face the multitude had never looked before
but stately and unabashed serene in the purity of her womanhood the dignity of her motherhood and the majesty of her rank she raised aloft a hand andpg 166 spake aloud in tones clear as the notes of a silver trumpet
o nobles and o people the royal son and heir of my husband the late maharajah is alive spared by divine providence from the massacre of his brothers and playmates in the seraglio of the palace
many of you know him well and behold now he comes to claim his heritage
as these words were spoken the crowd again parted and there stepped forth the young prince my prot�g�
at the edge of the throng he discarded a loose mantle of cotton that had concealed the rich garments befitting his rank
then he advanced looking proudly and gaily about him while close behind and pressing eagerly around his person came full fifty stalwart tribesmen treading with the bold swinging gait of the mountaineer their drawn tulwars flashing in the sun their voices shouting jai jai—hail hail
in deafening chorus
the effect was instantaneous and tremendous and from all the assembled multitude went up the loud acclaim—jai jai jai
there seemed to be not a dissentient in the throng
and a moment later the young prince was standing on the dais by his mothers side one hand resting proudly on her shoulder
among the nobles there had hitherto been the silence of stupefaction
but at last one of their number an elderly man advanced and prostrated himself on the rich carpet spread in front of the dais thus rendering public homage to his rightful king
jai jai jai
shouted the mob and soon apg 167 dozen others among the nobles had given the pledge of fealty
meanwhile the kinglet on the throne of gold had been forgotten
he had made no move but had contented himself with staring around in confused and helpless surprise
but now todar rao the sirdar had sprung to his side and dragged the youth to his feet
o princes and people this is your rightful king cried the soldier in stentorian tones crowned and proclaimed and accepted by your pledges of loyalty
my orders to the troops are death to those who now betray him
but the words had hardly passed his lips when two score of the mountaineers shouting deen deen—kill kill had swarmed over the silver railings surrounding the throne
there was the momentary clash of steel on steel the impotent curse of an angry man a shrill pitiful cry of anguish from the youth who in his terror had crouched behind the awnings descending from the canopy
and when the tribesmen again faced the multitude the soldierly figure of todar rao had disappeared and the throne was vacant for the reception of its rightful occupant
amidst a wild tumult of joy the young prince ascended from the dais and took the royal seat showing in his every movement the natural grace and dignity that might almost in themselves have proved his right of heritage and that certainly won to his cause the last waverers among the onlookingpg 168 multitude
even the bodyguard of the slain sirdar were now joining in the universal acclaim
the first to bend a knee to the rightful king enthroned was the royal queen his mother
and then the lady stepped back a little to the rear and to the side of the throne drawing her silken sari over the lovely countenance that would never again be beholden by the people
never again
the thought had scarce passed through my mind as i watched the scene from the fringe of the crowd when a more grim and terrible reality was given to the unspoken words than i had ever intended
close to the spot where the maharanee had halted were some hangings of brocade arranged as we understood later so that the seated and veiled figure of a woman might observe the brilliant pageantry of the day from the privacy of this purdah
and from out these hangings there now stretched stealthily but swiftly a bejewelled hand which plunged a long dagger between the shoulders of the queen mother
without a cry she fell
i was quickly by her side and the young maharajah and myself as we bent over her caught her dying words
all is well my beloved son she murmured
i have accomplished that which i was sent into the world to perform
in peace i yield my soul to god
with the last word she breathed her last breath
and such is mother love
there was a suppressed sob in more than one breast at the close of thepg 169 venerable hakeems tale
down his own furrowed face the tears were streaming
and the woman who struck the foul blow
inquired the afghan in an eager whisper
the slave mother of the dead pretender
well she too had given her all for mother love
the tribesmen tore her limb from limb
and the hakeem pressed a hand to his eyes to shut out the memory of a dreadful scene
pg 170the project gutenberg ebook of tales of destiny by edmund mitchell this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever
you may copy it give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at wwwgutenbergorg title tales of destiny author edmund mitchell release date august 10 2006 ebook 19017 language english character set encoding iso88591 start of this project gutenberg ebook tales of destiny produced by r cedron joseph r hauser and the online distributed proofreading team at httpwwwpgdpnet tales of destiny by edmund mitchell london constable and company ltd 1913 copyright 1912 united states of america by edmund mitchell contents introduction 1 chap
i
the maid of jhalnagor
told by the rajput chief 5 ii
the hollow column
told by the taxcollector 19 iii
what the stars ordained
told by the astrologer 35 iv
the spirit wail
told by the merchant 60 v the blue diamonds
told by the fakir 101 vi
the tiger of the pathans
told by the afghan general 128 vii
her mother love
told by the physician 146 viii
the sacred pickaxe
told by the magistrate
170 tales of destiny pg 1 introduction just without one of the massive bastioned gates of the city of fathpursikri there stood in the year 1580 a caravanserai that afforded accommodation for man and beast
here would alight travellers drawn by the calls of homage by business or by curiosity to the famous town of victory built as the inscription over the gateway told by his majesty king of kings heaven of the court shadow of god jalaladdin mohammed akbar padishah
at the time of our story akbar was at the zenith of his glory
he had moved his court from agra the capital of his predecessors on the throne of the moguls after having raised for himself on the spot where the birth of a son had been promised him by a hermit saint this superb new city of fathpursikri seven miles in circumference walled and guarded by strong forts at its seven gateways
emperor and nobles had vied with each other in erecting palaces of stately design and exquisite finish of adornment
a beautiful mosque commemorated the good deeds of the saint and provided a place of prayer for those of the moslem faith
in the palace of the emperor was a magnificent audience hall with marble columns and stonecarved galleries in the centre of which stood the throne of gold sprinkled with rubies emeralds and diamonds surrounded by a silver railpg 2ing and covered by a canopy of rich crimson brocade
in this audience hall the great and good akbar was wont to receive not only his subjects rich and poor the former assembled to pay their court the latter to lay their grievances before the imperial judge but he also extended welcome to strangers from afar
on the question of religion his mind was at this period in a state of change for he had broken from the strict faith of the moslem had publicly announced that there was good in all beliefs had overthrown ceremonial rules whether of islam or of hinduism and had proclaimed all things lawful except excess
his thoughts thus drifting toward a new religion a divine faith that would bring into one fold the votaries of all religions he was glad at his court to give audience to learned doctors from distant lands as well as from every part of india
all were welcome—brahmins and buddhists moslem schoolmen hindu fanatics pantheists the worshippers of fire the jews whose prophets are abraham and moses even christian padres from faroff europe
it was akbars delight to listen to their expositions and discussions and to the defence of their varied dogmas
thus did the fame of the king for tolerance benevolence and wisdom become noised abroad far and wide so that visitors flocked in everincreasing numbers to the beautiful city
at our caravanserai without the gate there would often in the cool of an evening be gathered together on the shaded veranda a group of travellers representing diverse racespg 3 and classes
some of the towndwellers too would be there resting and refreshing themselves after their walk to the city walls while from the nearby camp of the rajputs who formed a portion of the royal bodyguard there would oftentimes stroll over a few menatarms
on such occasions it would generally happen that the debates recently listened to in the imperial hall of assembly would be subjected to comment
and from discussion of this kind the conversation would quite frequently change to storytelling dear to the hearts of all natives of hindustan and by no means to be despised for in a good story there may be implanted the kernel of a sound philosophy
on a summer night in the year named eight men were assembled on the veranda of the caravanserai
the full moon had just risen above a tope of tamarind trees and its silvern radiance revealed every detail of the scene
a rajput chief occupied the place of central prominence cushions arranged for his convenience on one of which rested his scimitar the emblem of his soldierly profession
not far from him in a halfreclining posture was a general of the afghans also of the bodyguard of the emperor
a hakeem or physician and an astrologer both in the moslem style of dress were seated close together legs crossed beneath them while a little apart were two hindus as the caste marks on their foreheads showed a taxcollector from the country and a kotwal or city magistrate
just above the steps leading on to the veranda surrounded by hispg 4 bales of merchandise sat a merchant from bombay a big and stalwart man attired in spotless white raiment on his head a voluminous muslin turban
in striking contrast squatting on the ground below the steps at his feet a wooden begging bowl was a fakir or religious ascetic a loin cloth his sole covering his face bedaubed with ashes his lean chin resting on his upraised knees while he listened to the dialogue and watched each speakers face with eyes of keen alertness
there had been some desultory conversation which finally resulted in the rajput chief being begged to relate in detail an experience at which he had previously hinted
the first story led to another story and the third to yet another and so on until each member of the company had contributed to the general entertainment
and these are the tales that were told by the travellers on the veranda of the caravanserai outside the walls of fathpursikri that moonlight night in the days of the mighty akbar pg 5 i
the maid of jhalnagor told by the rajput chief well since you would have it so listen to the story of rukpur singh hereditary chief of jhalnagor mansabdar of five hundred men captain of the bodyguard of akbar the great king of kings lord of the earth
this day in the hall of assembly in the presence of the great padishah himself we have listened to the arguments of men of diverse faiths
it is well
as akbar the most high himself has said all religions are good each man has the god or gods of his fathers let there be no obstacle placed against worshipping the divine power in any manner that seemeth fit
that is both wisdom and justice
that is why i a hindu a rajput one of the twice born can serve my lord the moslem emperor akbar with loyalty of heart and of sword that no man may question
at these words the captain of the bodyguard touched the jewelled hilt of his scimitar lying on the cushion by his side
he glanced around as if to see whether anyone present dared to question the fidelity he had professed
but there was neither movement nor remark among his listeners and with a disdainful little smile of selfcomplacency he resumed
during todays discussion in the spirit of tolerance that akbarpg 6 teaches to all of us we rajputs have had to harken to severe upbraiding
we are accused of inhumanity because in our homes a female child may be done away with at birth lawfully and without dishonour
be it so the fact itself i shall not dispute
nor shall i defend the practice except to point out that a woman more or less in the world does not matter that the babe suffers no pain and knows no ill that had she lived it might have been to a life of widowhood—if courage were wanting to choose the suttee—and therefore to long days of shame and sorrow
furthermore has it to be remembered that the marriage of one of our daughters costs much money
according to the rules of our caste and the customs of our race the ceremony must be worthy of the parents and of the position they occupy all of the district must be feasted and let the expense be grievous as it may it must be borne
to some who are rich the money thus spent is of no account
but to others who are poor yet proud—and all rajputs are proud—a wedding that is seemly for a daughter of the house may mean poverty and ruin for the father and brothers during twenty years to follow
in certain circumstances this misfortune cannot be thought of
the honour of the race the very safety of a whole clan may depend on rigid economy as a provision against danger
so it may be both right and wise for an infant daughter to be put painlessly to her death
such was the doctrine my father taught me and his name is blessed
the speaker dropped his eyes folded his hands across his breast andpg 7 for a full minute remained in silent meditation
when at last he looked up again there had come over the usually stern and haughty face a wonderful glow of kindliness and his voice took a softer modulation
however know this my friends that in my zenana at jhalnagor there are little girls—three and more will be welcome should the divine krishna send them
three little daughters have i all born of my wife lakmibai the jewel of jhalnagor
with sons also am i blessed—two brave little boys of whom i may well be proud
but i love them not more than my daughters nor would i change any one daughter for a son
this do i say out of the truth of my heart and in no wise because fortune has been kind to me and mine and has given us such prosperity that there is a fit dower for each daughter without my treasury knowing the loss
so when the learned mullah from stamboul denounced infanticide i was one with him in sympathy for my inclination is to cherish with love and care every female child the gods send
now would you hear how a rajput came to this manner of thinking
my story is that of a little maid
listen
it happened just five years gone by
under the firm and just rule of our master akbar there has been peace for many years in our part of the world
except when as now i come to fathpursikri for my yearly month of service in providingpg 8 part of the emperors bodyguard i live quietly among my own people
the soil around our villages is tilled our shopkeepers buy and sell we worship in our temples and we are happy for no enemy comes to disturb the peace of our beautiful little valley of jhalnagor embosomed among the hills
one day it befell that i had gone on a hunting trip with a party of my friends
in the early dawn we had descended from the fort on the hill top which is my home and the rallyingplace for my clan—a small clan numbering but a few thousands but nobly born as any tribe in rajputana brave and of honour unsullied men who have never yet given a daughter to the harem of a moslem
the features of the rajput flashed with pride
his brotheratarms the afghan met the defiant look and said with a quiet smile there are many rajput women wed to moslem lords
yes but not rajput women of jhalnagor
they would have died first—many of them did so prefer to die when the moslem host first swept over our land
in the hour of defeat against overwhelming numbers within the citadel of jhalnagor the women of my race refusing to accept dishonour bared their bosoms to the spears of those they loved husbands brothers and fathers and so they died
with hands outstretched and eyes upraised in rapt pride and reverence for the deeds of his ancestors again the rajput fell into momentary silence
the story of the little maid
it was the voice ofpg 9 the physician recalling the narrator to his task
yes the story of the little maid resumed the rajput
as i have said we had gone to the hunt one morning—a party of twelve riding on three elephants
for we were in pursuit of a tiger a destroyer of men which the villagers had marked down in a patch of jungle by the river side
of the hunt i need say nothing we killed the tiger and with the huge striped body slung across the neck of my elephant we were returning home
it was toward evening for we had rested in the forest during the heat of the day
we were just entering the narrow gorge that leads to the fort on the hill when right on the pathway before me i saw the prone figure of a child
almost my elephants feet were upon it before the sage brute himself stopped and trumpeted a warning to us in the howdah for the tigers body occupying the place where the mahout was wont to ride the latter was walking and he too had not noticed the tiny bundle of bright yellow clothing lying on the road
glancing down i beheld a little girl with her forehead touching the dust
at my calling she arose and spread her hands across her breast
listen o chief to my warning listen o my lord she called out in a shrill tone of supplication
already had i observed that her face was one of great beauty although that of just a little child but six or seven years old
the other two elephants had halted behind minepg 10 and some of the party had descended
but at the approach of these men the maid shrank away and keeping her eyes fixed in my direction she continued to address me listen to my words o chief and be saved from death
in another moment i had sprung to the ground
as i advanced the child ran toward me absolutely fearless
taking her in my arms i sat me down by the roadside
close to my breast she nestled and with sobs and tears now told me her story
a robber band was in the nullah—less than a mile further along—full a hundred strong fierce men and murderers
for they had already slain the father and the mother of the little maid humble woodcutters
i had known them well they were poor but of mine own people and instantly in my heart i vowed that i would be avenged
the little girl brenda her name as she told me in her childish way of confidence had hidden in the brushwood all day trembling and afraid
but at last she divined that the men had come to slay me for as the afternoon advanced they disposed themselves among bushes and behind trees also in the hut of her dead parents
and even now were the assassins in waiting for me for the girl had seen our party ride forth in the early morning and she knew that i had not yet returned
when with wonderful intuition for a child so tender in years the thought came to her mind that i was to be assailed she stole down the gorge movingpg 11 cautiously through the undergrowth and awaited at the spot we found her to give me warning
the child had described to me the leader of the gang and i had immediately recognized gunesh tanti accursed son of a pig a robber from across the desert of sindh who had more than once ravaged peaceful villages of rajputana
he would know that i had treasure in the fort and of an instant i could read his wily plan
moving through the country he had doubtless heard a day or two before of this projected expedition of mine for the killing of the maneating tiger
so he had designed to slay me on my homeward way and the deed accomplished would rely on gaining access to the citadel by loading his ruffians into the howdahs of my elephants
once over the drawbridge and within the portcullised gateway his murderous scheme might have been easy for my score of menatarms on duty would have been taken by surprise and so at a disadvantage
but knowing now the danger i laughed in my beard for gunesh tanti this human tiger and slayer of innocent men just as had been the tiger now slung across the back of my elephant was fairly delivered into my hand
he who had come to trap me was himself entrapped
and thanks all to this little maid of the glen
at the thought i patted her soft cheek with my hand and in response she smiled up into my eyes with wondrous trust and winsomeness
our party as i have said numbered twelve thispg 12 without counting the three mahouts lithe and active men and brave as any one of us
the neck of the gorge was narrow and for a hundred yards on either side there were steep precipices down which rocks could be tumbled on fleeing men
by a goat path over the hillside the fort could be reached by one sure of foot and knowing the way
such a lad was of our party a cousin of my own who could race with the deer
in a few minutes he had girded his loins and was on his mission disappearing over the crest of the almost perpendicular crag up which he had clambered
he was to warn the garrison turn out every man and boy fully armed and bid them to sweep down on the ambushed robbers
the mothers and the maidens would hold the fort
no other garrison when once on the alert was needed for such an enemy
again the rajput smiled proudly but the silence of intent listening was unbroken and he continued the firing of a matchlock was to be our signal that my men held the upper end of the pass and were descending on our enemies
meanwhile my immediate followers prepared the rocks above the narrow neck of the defile and got them ready for instant rolling down
to this last task four of our number were deputed
the others abided with me
our plan was to block the narrow passage by ranging the elephants abreast of each other and so that the animals themselves might not be stampeded by the unexpected din of battle we chained their forelegspg 13 first each animal separately and then the middle one to his comrades on either side
at last all our preparations were completed the huge beasts in line my companions mounted into the howdahs
i alone remained on foot i and the little woodcutters daughter standing by my side holding trustfully to my hand and no longer weeping
you must come with me my almondsweet i said as i raised the child in my arms and passed her up into the howdah of my own elephant the central one
then i myself clambered aloft
the tigers corpse had been flung to the ground and our three mahouts sat in their proper places iron goads in hand ready to perform their task of keeping the elephants under control
at last after a tense period of waiting the welcome report of the matchlock reverberated from among the hills
the fight does not really concern my story said the rajput grimly
it is sufficient to say that gunesh tanti and all his band perished to a man—some slain by the swords of my horsemen charging down the pass some crushed by the falling rocks some of the last survivors who flung themselves desperately against our living barrier dying on our handpikes or being trampled under foot by the elephants
not one of more than five score men lived to carry back the tale of death to the robber haunts whence they had come
on our side some lives were lost seven in all but this is the penalty that brave men have to pay in thepg 14 doing of righteous deeds
their memory is honoured
as for the little maid i had nested her in the bestprotected corner of the howdah and in the thick of the fray when a shower of arrows had fallen upon us i had covered her tiny form with my shield
but during the final handtohand fight when all was din and turmoil with the shouting of the men and the angry trumpeting of the elephants i had not paid her any special heed
from her lips came no sound to attract my attention—no cry of fear nor wailing murmur
but at the end i looked for the little child lifting the shield that had partly guarded her
she met my gaze with a smile
but straightway i noticed that an arrow descending almost perpendicularly had pierced her soft little arm and transfixed it to her side
yet had she not cried out nor even now when i was tending her did she whimper
i drew forth the arrow breaking it in twain so as to let the shaft pass through the arm
although blood flowed freely i saw at a glance that the wound in the body was a mere puncture and also that on the limb only a piercing of the flesh
therefore was her hurt not serious although of a certainty painful and terrifying too for a child so young
but even now not one word of complaining did she utter
she kept her sweet smile on me
brave little maid
tearing a length of cambric from my turban i had bound both arm and tender breast and readjusted the sari of yellowdyed cotton that formed herpg 15 simple garment
and now she reposed happy and contented in my arms
i remained in the howdah while my companions cut off the heads of the robbers and loaded these trophies of victory on one of the other elephants so that a triumphal pile might be made in the courtyard of the citadel
then with the tiger replaced on the neck of my own elephant we moved for home a group of fifty horsemen now forming our escort
the headless bodies of our enemies were left as fitting spoil for the jackals and the vultures the latter of whom scenting the carrion were already beginning to drop down it might seem from the blue vault of heaven
by the time we gained the fortress the dusk was gathering
across the drawbridge promptly lowered at the sound of our joyful shouting i saw my wife standing beside the big carronade that commanded the roadway up the hill
the smoking match was in her hand but at sight of me she stooped and smothered in the dust the spark that would have dealt out death to the robbers had they ever gained a near approach
descending from my elephant i greeted her and thanked her for the courage of herself and all the other women our loved ones
then my friends above handed down gently into my arms the form of the little maid
at sight of my wifes sweet and kindly countenance the eyes of the child were lighted with joyousness
but with a quick motion wife drew her veil completely over her features
ere this was done however i had caught a strange look in her face—a look of mingled surpg 16prise and terror
at the same moment her old attendant and confidant rakaya flung herself at my feet and began to babble for my forgiveness
what means this
i asked glancing in profound amazement from the womans prostrate form up into my wifes eyes
there again i read the strangely troubled expression
puzzled yet restraining my curiosity before the others gathered around i placed the wounded child in my wifes arms and with a gesture to signify that she and rakaya were to follow i led the way to the womens quarters
once within the zenana i told my story briefly how the little damsel of the glen had saved me from certain death and then through danger and through pain had been brave as the noblestborn rajput maid could be
after this recital i commended the child to my wifes affections bidding her love the orphan as she would a daughter
then was the lovely countenance of my wife the jewel of jhalnagor suffused with great joy
hugging the child to her motherly bosom she exclaimed ii
the hollow column told by the taxcollector every mans fate is foreordained said the taxcollector reflectively stroking his beard
although we may not understand it at the moment each particular event that happens is simply a means prepared for some destined end that may be many years remote in time
vishnu the preserver saved the life of the little maid of jhalnagor so that her fathers life might later on be saved
but none can read the future so that we are all blindly doing the things of today without knowing their real bearing on the things of a faraway tomorrow
and one man can make or mar the happiness of another man even though their lives be separated by hundreds of leagues in space or hundreds of years in time
in your mind doubtless is some tale to illustrate the truth of what you teach remarked the astrologer with a shrewd uplifting of his eyebrows
the stars can help us to read the future as i can prove to you by a story of actual experience
but before i proceed to my narrative pray friend let us hear from you
gladly assented the taxcollector
the story of this noble rajput has brought to memory an incident in my own life many years ago likewise servingpg 20 to show that the gods prepare long years ahead for the working out of each particular mans destiny
listen as a youth i was a keeper of accounts in the service of a rich zemindar whose estate lay in the country of the five rivers
he was a usurer as well as a landowner as had been his fathers before him for many generations
so in his castle was an accumulation of great stores of wealth—gold and silver and precious stones cloth of gold silks brocades and muslins ivory and amber camphor spices dye stuffs and other merchandise of divers kinds
the afghan general stirred and the scabbard of his sword rattled on the floor as raising himself from his elbow that rested on a cushion he sat up and assumed an attitude of keen attention
where is this place
he asked a wolfish gleam in his eyes and his lips curved to a smile that revealed under the black curled moustache the white gleam of sharppointed teeth
the storyteller also smiled knowingly and raised a deprecatory hand
nay friend this zemindar my first master was not fated to be relieved of his treasure as my story will tell even though a skilful plot had been laid for his spoliation
which is the very point of my tale although i may seem to come to it by a roundabout way of telling
the afghan sank back on his cushion but his gaze remained riveted on his narrators face
one day i was seated in my home casting up my books of account for ipg 21 had only that morning completed the taking of taxes from the crops of the rayats the tenants of my lord
all of a sudden a whiterobed figure entered the doorway and threw himself prostrate before me
when at last the face was raised i recognized the dhobi of the village that nestled under the hill on which was perched the castle of the zemindar
o thou washer of clothes i asked what is thy plaint
protector of the poor replied my visitor behold my bandaged feet beaten with rods until they are swollen and torn
i looked as requested and saw the bloodstains soaked through the wrappings of linen
thou art an honest and a peaceful man bhagwan
why this cruel punishment
i know not indeed
but i have come to thee because i have endured the wrong at the hands of thy master
tell me thy story
as you have said o my protector began the dhobi assuming a sitting posture and spreading the folds of his looseflowing cotton garment over his bandaged feet i am an honest man
and it is for that very reason i have suffered
yesterday among the apparel i received from the home of the zemindar to be made clean and white was the bodice of a woman and tied in one corner of this piece of raiment was a ring set with bright red stones thatpg 22 gleamed as if they were aflame
straightway i returned to the palace of the zemindar and entering the audience chamber where as is his wont at that particular hour each day he was seated receiving the complaints of the oppressed did my humble obeisance and then placed in his hand the jewel i had discovered
he asked me where i had found it and when i replied truthfully his eyes flashed with anger and his voice thundered at me in rebuke
although i had done no wrong but rather a virtuous deed i implored for pardon
but in vain
my mind grew confused and the next thing i remember was the sharp cut of bamboo rods upon the soles of my feet
i was in a small vaulted chamber bound to a wooden bench surrounded by the zemindars soldiers and powerless except to scream out in the agony of each blow
thirty strokes were counted and then i was flung out of the gates of the castle to limp my way home
tears of selfpity were in the dhobis eyes as he recounted his tale of woe
even then i was reflecting on the real cause of the zemindars wrath
the jewel had been discovered in the folds of a garment worn by one of the women in his zenana and his quick access of anger showed that the gift had come from some other hand than his
savage jealousy therefore had prompted the act of injustice inflicted upon the unfortunate washerman
i knew my master so well his sullen moods his outbursts of passion that already i could arrive at this conclusion with certainty
proceed i said indifferently for it is well that apg 23 man should keep his own counsel in such delicate affairs
what is my concern with your misfortune
harken o dispenser of bounties
last night when i lay nursing my wounds i remembered that the ring which had proved the cause of my misery had been wrapped in a fragment of paper whereon were some strange marks and lines as in the books of learned men
this i had flung away at that time deeming only the ring to be of any consequence
but the thought came to me in the night that perhaps the paper might tell something about the ring
so all this day have i searched among the bushes by the stream where i beat the clothes on stones and wash them
and behold i have found that for which i have been seeking
hereupon the dhobi loosened the loin cloth beneath his upper garment and extracted from its folds a tiny roll of paper
this he presented to me with a bow of deference to my superior understanding of such things
this time i have come to you he said a man of learning and of justice not like unto the cruel zemindar
does the paper tell why i should have suffered such shame and pain at his hands
i had unrolled the scroll the folds of which showed that it had served as a wrapping for the ring
the writing was in neat persian characters and i had no difficulty in deciphering it for the four lines that met my eyes had been recited to me only a few days before by the very man who claimed to be their author
now did my very heart tremble with agitation
pg 24 but to the dhobi i appeared cold as the waters of the snows that melt on the mountains
this writing would only add to your troubles i said
here let me destroy it
and turning to the red ashes burning in a brazier near at hand i dexterously substituted a fragment of paper on which i had been figuring my accounts for the paper received from the dhobi placing the former on the glowing charcoal embers and bestowing the latter in the security of my girdle
a curl of white smoke a puff of flame and the work of destruction was to all appearance completed
in view of your misfortune my friend i resumed i bestow upon you in the name of my master ten maunds of dal which will be sent to your home on the morrow
the recipient of this unexpected bounty prostrated himself before me
o prince of justice no longer do my wounds pain me
the bellies of my children will be filled for many long days to come
then go thy way rejoicing in thy heart even though limping on thy feet
and remember that silence is golden
say not one word more to anyone about the ring or the paper your punishment or the reward that has now redressed the wrong
go in peace
and the dhobi after profuse expressions of gratitude hobbled from my presence
alone with my thoughts i felt sorely troubled
the writer of the verses of ardent poetry written onpg 25 the paper brought to me by the washerman was my cherished friend a youth from faraway bokhara abdul by name
this young man had come to our country only a year or so before bringing several beautiful arab horses for sale
these the zemindar had purchased and had retained abdul in his service for the youth was skilled in the management of horses and in the rearing of young stock
abdul and myself were much of an age and my regulation of expenditures in the stables had brought us constantly together
so a close friendship had resulted valued greatly on my side for i had soon come to know that abdul was a man of refinement and learning such as i had never before encountered in any man of so humble a calling
and despite the fact that he was a moslem and i a hindu he had chosen me as his intimate friend his only confidant
thus had it come about that at times he had read to me of an evening songs of his own composing and even on occasion had sung them to the accompaniment of a small harp the strings of which he touched with wondrous skill and sensibility
now did i know that this dear friend of mine had endangered not only iii
what the stars ordained told by the astrologer and now master stargazer your proffered story said the taxcollector bestirring the company from its meditative mood
as i have promised responded the astrologer i shall recount an experience that shows how the stars if read aright can tell us the influences for good or for evil that weigh upon a man and inevitably determine his destiny at the critical moments of his life
what is written is written and it is impossible to strive against fate
nay objected the rajput that is a teaching of helplessness to which i cannot subscribe—the pitiful excuse of the coward who folds his hands in the hour of danger or of the selfindulgent weakling who yields to seductive temptation because his heart inclines to seize the pleasure of the moment even when his conscience counsels otherwise
i hold that man is the master of his own fate
most assuredly have i been the master of mine he added with a proud smile his fingers closing significantly on the handle of a dagger at his belt
be it so answered the astrologer
but as allah knows everything that is to happen so must it happen
which does not forbid the exercise of my own free will argued thepg 36 rajput
the supreme being the presiding power of creation call him allah if you will understanding my heart as he understands all things knows beforehand what choice of action i shall make at the moment of an emergency
but that still leaves me responsible for the deed which i elect to do
such is my understanding of destiny
it gives foreknowledge to god but leaves free will to man
from all of which i do not dissent rejoined the astrologer
it is only the ignorant or the base that makes kismet the excuse for helplessness or for wrongdoing
but as the stars under which a man is born influence that mans acts then does the reading of the stars guide us as to what the future has in store
i know little about your stars replied the rajput
but let us have the story he added crossing his hands on his knees in an attitude of expectancy
the astrologer saluting his audience generally with a bow of acquiescence thus began by your courtesy let me first explain as necessary to the understanding of the tale which is to follow that i am from persia from the city of teheran where for many generations my ancestors were profound students of astrology some of them famous men because of their skilful divinations with reputations that reached even to stamboul
for thither in my early boyhood to the court of the sultan of the osmanlis was my father summoned and him i neverpg 37 beheld again
it was from my aged grandfather that i learned my first lessons in astrology—about the twelve houses the ruling star of each day the coming and the going of the planets their conjunctions and oppositions and the influences they exercise on mens lives
i learned with avidity and was an apt pupil for at fifteen i had begun the practice of my profession casting horoscopes and reading the nocturnal heavens with constant care understanding also the flight of birds and the cries of wild beasts of the jungle
yet at that time was my mind assailed with grievous doubts
i often caught myself wondering whether the stars did really rule the fates of men
and with this inward questioning a restless spirit grew upon me
i longed to see more of the world—to enlarge the sphere of my observations
just then i chanced to hear some gossip in the bazaars about a great expedition that was getting ready at kabul to descend upon hindustan
the hunger of adventure seized me and was not to be denied
despite the tears and implorings of my family i set forth on foot for afghanistan a stripling in my hand the staff i used in my divinations in the bag slung at my side a single change of raiment
money i had none but my ability to read the stars i knew well would earn me a livelihood wherever i might wander
with my adventures during the next two years this story has no concern
it is enough to say that after many vicissitudes of fortune i found myself installed as astrologer in the court of a moslempg 38 prince sovereign over an extensive region in kashmir
my lord was a man of noble heart and of high mental gifts
he ruled over his people not by fear of the sword but by absolute justice which he himself personally administered every day holding audience so that grievances even those of the most poor might be heard and wrongs redressed
and his royal duties were shared by his wife who although she might sit behind the screen of the womens quarters none the less shared in the counsels of state and contributed words of wisdom in the direction of affairs
never in my experience have i encountered such mutual love trust and devotion as subsisted between this pair
for no other woman in the world had mirza shah thought or regard or desire—i call him mirza shah but that was not his real name
for reasons that will presently appear i refrain from disclosing the identity of places and persons connected with my story
well it was my privilege from the outset to be on relations of close intimacy with my master
he used to come through the palace gardens to the shrubembowered tower which i occupied and from the roof of which i nightly contemplated the heavens
for long hours he would abide with me learning something of the stars while enjoying the cool of the night air after the heat and fatigues of the day
and many times of an afternoon the sultana veiled would come with her lord and together they wouldpg 39 seek to gain from me knowledge of the heavenly bodies and of divination
some things i told to them but others i withheld which is just and right for skill in astrology is hereditary descending from father to son and new minds are unprepared for such teachings so that too much knowledge conveyed to outsiders may become a source of disturbance to themselves and perchance of danger and hurt to their fellow men
thus following the rules laid down for me by my grandfather always even when closely pressed with questions did i exercise a discreet reserve
gradually the friendship accorded to me by my lord and his lady waxed stronger and i found myself being admitted to some of their innermost thoughts
thus did i come to learn the passionate longing of the wife to become a mother for six years had she waited but no child had blessed her love for her husband
as for mirza shah just so soon as the subject was mentioned i could see the cloud of melancholy rest on his brow
and when as time went on sadness seemed to settle upon him continuously i knew full well that this disappointment in his wedded life had at last taken complete possession of his mind to the exclusion of all other matters
and from the sultanas manner i could see the trepidation that filled her heart—the dread that her childlessness might in the end rob her of her husbands love
it was not given to me to look upon her face—to get more than a glimpse of her eyes as they shot an occasional glance at me through the parted foldspg 40 of her veil
but in these glances i had read the prayers of entreaty that i should use all the spells of my art in her favour so as to obtain for her from god the gift of a son
well after a time an unexpected thing happened
mirza shah was absent from his home—gone on a full weeks journey engaged in the settling of some dispute on the confines of his territory
to me there came one afternoon the sultana attended by one of her women—the most trusted one i knew for both were from the same country near to amritsar where the famous rugs are woven
so much i had learned and this further i also knew that by birth the sultana was a hindu although on being wed to her lord as a little girl she had of course embraced the true faith of islam in so far as it matters for a woman to have any religion at all
it was the female attendant who spoke to me her mistress listening in silence
but the questions came so readily that it was clear the lesson had been well rehearsed by the twain
astrologer she began can you swear on the koran that the stars speak truth
that i can swear i replied with due dignity and respect for myself and my profession
can the stars bring about the wishes of man or of woman
nay that i do not declare
they rule the lives of men and women only in so far as their movements forecast the future
if we can read the stars aright we may gain foreknowledge of events destined topg 41 happen
for what is written in the scroll of fate cannot be changed
from kismet there is no escape
then tell me this o astrologer from your stars is my noble lady here ever going to have a child a son
that question i cannot answer
unless i have the horoscope of her highness cast by skilled hands at the time of her birth i cannot tell which planet rules her destiny
alas we knew not these things among my people down in amritsar i heard my lady murmur
bah
exclaimed the serving woman contemptuously
she had flung open her veil unashamed as are women of her station that i not her brother or her husband should gaze upon her face
it was a pleasant enough face of a woman of fiveandtwenty years of age yet methought as i looked into it now that there was unseemly boldness in her eye and even something of wanton abandonment in her manner
bah
if your stars cannot get us what we wish what good are they
better pray at a hindu shrine to krishna god of love revels than waste time in consulting a moslem astrologer
that is what i have said all along dear lady and with undoubtedly great affection the woman folded to her breast her now sobbing mistress
i turned away as was proper and busied myself with a chart of the heavens over which i had been poring when my visitors had arrived
on again raising my eyes i found that i was alone
this incident i had well nigh forgotten and near a year had elapsed
for some months i had not seenpg 42 the sultana she remained in the strict seclusion of the harem
her highness was unwell most people said
but i knew the truth mirza shah himself had told it to me his face beaming with pride and pleasure
at last his dearest hopes were to be realized the sultana was about to become a mother
iv
the spirit wail told by the merchant allah alone can search the hearts of men said the hakeem slowly and reflectively repeating the words with which the astrologer had closed his tale
he was a man of venerable appearance with flowing white beard that descended to his waist
and yet although his face was furrowed with the lines of old age his eyes were wonderfully youthful in their contemplative calm
no truer words have been spoken tonight he continued
yet must we further reflect that while a man cannot sit in judgment upon his fellows he can assuredly judge himself which goes to show that within the breast of every man there dwells the very spirit of god the power to search his own heart whether in condemnation or for approval
life is a problem and it requires a full lifetime to solve it
only as we grow older do we come to know our own souls—our strength and our weakness the measure of our true nobility of character and likewise the measure of our inherent meanness the temptations not merely from without but from within that assail us our power to conquer these or our miserable yielding at times with no one perhaps even guessing at our degradation except the divine spark ofpg 61 conscience that inexorably turns a searching ray on every thought and on every motive for action
so you would argue that man is god
queried the rajput
not so but that the soul of man is of the essence of god the proof of which is this very power of searching out our own hearts and sitting in judgment on our own failings for the judgment seat belongs to allah alone
a subtle philosophy which i do not presume fully to understand interposed the merchant from bombay
during the nights entertainment he had shown himself to be a man of few words yet an attentive listener
he was of middle age of a mild dignity of mien and of robust physique as befitted one accustomed to long journeys through regions infested with robbers or with beasts of prey
but in my practical experience of life he proceeded i have come to realize that while i may know myself no other man can i know
therefore if it be right to be sparing of condemnation for another it is also wise to be chary of undue commendation
the world too often acclaims a deed as noble when the real motive prompting it is utterly ignoble
a true philosopher despite your bales of merchandise murmured the hakeem with a smiling nod of approval for the sentiments expressed
well i suppose that every one who travels becomes a philosopher more or less assented thepg 62 trader
change of scene and of companionship stimulates new ideas
now will i relate an actual experience which aptly illustrates that in our dealings with those around us we never really penetrate their minds
man knows himself he knows no one else—friend or intimate the child of his heart or the very wife of his bosom
it is more easy to discover a white crow muttered the fakir than know what a woman has in her heart
the merchant paid no heed to the interruption
he went on each of us is an inscrutable mystery to the other
each soul is veiled to every other soul and is naked to itself alone
o prince of philosophers in pedlars disguise
murmured the hakeem
if our souls sat naked for the common gaze commented the rajput if we could all read each others hearts then indeed would life be an abomination—an utter misery with the twin devils of shame and disgust seated at our elbows all the time
most true concurred the trader
for too much knowledge of anothers inmost thoughts brings only disillusionment and regret as my tale will show
the story takes us among humble people but human nature is the same everywhere—the same in the hut of the rayat as in the palace of the rajah
once in every two years it is my custom to travel from bombay to benares and invariably i breakpg 63 the journey at a certain village some six or seven days from my final destination
here dwells an old friend and caste brother formerly like myself a merchant in the bombay bazaar where silken stuffs are sold but retired now to his own country with modest savings sufficient for the rest of his days
baji lal as he is named is all the closer to me because his wife devaka is a sister of my own wife and the two are always eager to have news of each others welfare
at the house of this friend i rest for a day or two enjoying his companionship the reminiscences of old times and the gossip of the hour
so on my long and fatiguing journeyings i have always looked forward to these meetings with pleasurable anticipation and remembered them with tranquil satisfaction
but on the occasion of one of my periodical visits judge of my surprise when i was received in silence and with apathy that made no pretence at disguise
devaka did not rise from her cushions on the floor to bid me welcome and her husband similarly irresponsive returned my customary cordial greeting with nothing better than a look of wearied dejection
disturbed i made inquiry baji lal my friend what is the matter
are you ailing
but he only shook his head and turned away
to devaka i then appealed
what is the meaning of this
i asked
sadness and silence where everything used to be joy
she drew aside the sari that had concealed her face and i was shockedpg 64 at its griefstricken aspect
her trembling lips parted to answer me but her husband checked her with a sharp word such as i had never heard him use to her before
her eyes filled with tears and i could see the big drops rolling down her cheeks as she silently replaced the sari over her head and bending low rocked herself to and fro
for the moment i imagined that i had intruded on some scene of domestic unhappiness which would be dissipated in an hour
so hiding my embarrassment i turned to the door intimating that i would seek some other lodging for the night and return on the morrow when i hoped my friends would be in fitter mood to receive me
at last baji lal spoke raising his face but still remaining seated on the divan we were wont in former times to share
go thy way chunda das he said
the sword of fate has descended upon this house
come not again to a place accursed
then did i realize that the trouble was serious
but my friend and brother i protested i cannot depart and leave you thus
let me at least understand what calamity has befallen you so that i may help toward its repair
nothing can be done so nothing need be said he answered in a tone and with a look of dignified resignation to the will of god
if you must have the story of our misfortune you have only to ask the first of our neighbours you encounter
and he too covered his face with his garment leaving me no choicepg 65 but to withdraw without further attempt at this manifestly inopportune time to probe the mystery
if i was to be of service to my friends however knowledge of what had befallen was the first essential
so i took the road that would lead me to the great pipul tree in the village square close to the tank and to the temple where all day long there was coming and going and where therefore i would be most likely to glean the information i desired
by a happy chance i found reclining under the pipul tree the village barber a loquacious fellow who counted it as part of his business to know the last detail about other peoples affairs
after greetings and a few remarks about the weather and the crops and the seasons epidemics i carefully broached the real purpose of my interview for a prudent man will never divulge his thoughts to another until he knows that others thoughts
i have just come from the house of baji lal i said in a seemingly casual way
the barbers face instantly lost the smile it had worn
how did you find him
he asked
strangely altered i replied
and so does every one he concurred
why so
i ventured
the barber looked at me squarely and then said you and he were very good friends chunda das
yes and are still so far as i am concerned i answered
pg 66 i thought so
well i am his friend likewise
many years i have known him and his wife devaka
both are good kind people always willing to help their neighbours and ready to give their last bowl of rice to a vagrant beggar
perhaps you can assist me to clear away the shadows that have fallen around them and obscured the sunshine of their home
let me tell you the story
a few months ago a stranger came to this village
he was on his way to fathpursikri to witness the glories of the court of the mighty akbar
but on the road he had fallen ill and arriving here was too sick to proceed
i am ashamed to say that none of us were willing to take him in for sickness goes from one person to another
so we have to be careful especially in my calling where i come into such close contact with so many
there was quite a little crowd just here by the tank discussing the situation the sick man in their midst resting upon the ground when baji lal and his wife who happened to be passing came forward to see what the commotion was all about
they listened to the story and then told the stranger he might come with them
he gratefully accepted and after whispering some instructions to a servant by whom he was accompanied he motioned to baji lal to lead the way
the little group moved off the servant in the rear leading the horses which included a pack animal laden with the travellers bedding cooking pots and other belongings
v the blue diamonds told by the fakir you have certainly improved on the moral of my story said the astrologer addressing the merchant silent now after the telling of his tale
if it is for god alone to pronounce the censure on mankind then assuredly it is for god also to award the praise
as the story of sheikh ahmed and his jewelled harp well shows deeds may be done openly by the hand but the motives for their doing lie secretly in the heart
and the heart is the innermost temple where none but the high priest the individual soul holds communion with his god the supreme deity of the universe
so that a mans life is an unsolvable riddle to all but himself concurred the hakeem
and not to be solved even by himself remarked the afghan with a laugh half of bitterness half of bravado
we may know in our secret heart the motive that prompts to a deed but we cannot tell the consequences of that deed as affecting even ourselves who wrought it
take this very story of the sheikh when recovering his precious harp he was but digging his own grave
so with all of us we imagine we are marching bravely to accomplish some preconceived plan when all the time we are merelypg 102 groping with blinded eyes along the path of destiny avoiding the mud holes it may be but failing to see the tiger crouched for his spring a few paces further along
shabash
cried the fakir in a shrill tone of approval that drew all eyes to the lean and naked and ashbesprinkled figure seated at the foot of the veranda steps
shabash
shabash
he cried again and yet again
and your story
asked the rajput with a nod of inquiry and encouragement
is one that shows how a man may keep on running all his life yet never reach the goal he has in sight replied the ascetic
and with the sturdy independence of his calling he beat a peremptory tattoo with fingertips on wooden beggingbowl to command attention to his tale
behold in me a man who possesses nothing in this world excepting a beggingbowl and a loin cloth
yet was i at one time the owner of lands and of cattle of a home bountifully stored for comfort and for sustenance of wives who wore rich jewels necklets of pearls armlets of gold and bangles of silver with maidservants to minister to their needs and children to play around them
all gone
by my own doing or undoing call it which you will
and know too that in those days i also was a soldier—this with a defiant glance first at the rajput chief and then at the afghan general
at my side rattled the steel scabbard and in my beltpg 103 was the sharp poinard swift messenger of death when it came to handtohand fighting and the horse i rode had its rich trappings of gold and silver
it may all seem strange to hear me tell those things of the long ago and to look upon me now—and the speaker stretched forth his skinny twisted fingers and attenuated arms and for a moment ruefully contemplated them
but i speak the truth he went on for tonight prompted by the stories to which i have listened and the thoughts they have engendered will i unseal my lips after fifty long years of wandering alone giving no man my confidence seeking no mans confidence intent only on the attainment of the one desire deeply seated in my heart and which in my eager striving to achieve seems to be ever more remote from accomplishment
tonight will i reveal the story of my life so that perchance the lesson it teaches will show still more clearly the impotence of man to constitute himself the avenger of wrongs
for if judgment belongs to allah so does vengeance
and the choice of instrument of time and place of the very manner of the deed—all this belongs to god alone as this night listening to the stories that have gone before have i for the first time come fully to comprehend
the fakir paused to gaze around his audience
the look of interest and expectancy on each face showed the impression his impulsive flow of language had made
no interrupting word was spoken but every eye remained fastened on the lean keen face peeringpg 104 over long slender shanks and handclasped knees
the narrator continued in those days i had twenty retainers at my call and these men i commanded when i rode forth to service with a certain nawab from whom i held my lands for the feudal service i thus performed
it was my fate to take part in many a fight and in many a foray and to send many a man to his doom
but god had ordained it so the fault was not mine
well it befell that a certain city was given over to sack and carnage for the word had gone forth that the only way to break the power of its hindu occupants was to demolish their temples destroy their idols and thereby show the impotence of their false gods to protect them
the rajput drew himself up proudly and a flush of resentment stole over his face
but the moslem fanatic unconscious now of anything but his reminiscences of the past went on unheeding and unabashed it was toward the hour of sunset when a body of our soldiery broke into a temple devoted to the worship of siva the destroyer
we had battered in the heavy wooden doors that protected the inner court and within the threshold a score or more of priests fell to our swords and a dozen dancing girls as well attendants on the idols—selfslain these women for when they saw that there was no quarter for the men they rushed on us like female panthers and flung themselves on our dripping blades
the hindu listeners were visibly disturbed and afpg 105fected by this cold recital of bloody deeds
the hands of the rajput clenched and unclenched themselves nervously and the merchant gave a deep guttural groan of horror as he flung the end of his robe over his face as if to shut out a vision of sacrilege and shame
it was written in the beginning nay before creation it was written murmured the moslem astrologer quoting in courteous sympathy the familiar formula of his faith
and as your priests themselves say he added addressing himself more particularly to the rajput the destiny of each man is irrevocably inscribed on his forehead by the hand of brahma himself
the rajput bowed his head in acquiescent silence and as the fakir proceeded with his story the trader also regained his composure and withdrew the covering from his face
when the shadows of night fell the temple made a bonfire that illuminated the scenes of pillage going on all around
the big idols of loathly aspect had been thrown down broken to pieces and despoiled of their jewels and the heavy plates of gold that encumbered them
our soldiers had swarmed out of the building past a tank to the houses of some priests beyond
not one single custodian of the temple survived and i stood alone in the outer courtyard watching in idle fashion the tongues of flame licking the beams and rafters and paintbedaubed walls of the wrecked edifice
then did my eyes chance to light on a small idolpg 106 in the passageway between the two courtyards of the temple set in a deep niche on which account it had escaped the notice of the despoilers
it was the familiar elephantheaded idol of the hindus ganapati as i knew they called him their god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles according to their creed
even as i looked methought that the eyes of the idol twinkled knowingly and entreatingly at me
after a moment i saw that this fancy was but due to the play of the flames on jewels comprehending which i said to myself that the little fat man might perchance be of some considerable value
so i plucked him from his restingplace not without difficulty for the base of the idol was fastened by iron clamps to the altar and only just in time before a surge of fire and smoke swept through the vestibule
then without more ado i carried forth this ganapati wrapped in a cotton cloth i had gathered from one of the slain priests and tied it to the saddlebow of my horse which had been standing tethered under a tree close at hand
thus did it come about that a full month later i was seated in my home in a secret inner chamber that served me as a treasury and to which the only access was through the womens quarters
and before me on a stool rested the crosslegged figure of the fourarmed and elephantheaded god fat complacent smiling to all appearance recovered from the fatigues of a journey of near a hundred leagues and thoroughly contented amidst his new surroundpg 107ings
the idol was of bronze and the eyes which at times gave it such lifelike semblance were clusters of rubies set around with white sapphires
and it followed that day after day after the siesta hour i found myself in the company of this accursed idol—for accursed it came to be bringing me misfortunes and ruin as my story will unfold
no doubt it was by my own doing that the wrath of allah was brought down upon my head
for had not i a follower of the prophet and therefore a despiser of graven images in every shape or form come to treat this monstrous and misshapen creature half man half beast as a sort of familiar even greeting him on my entry with the words with which i might have saluted a living unbeliever may your days be peaceful spoken in goodnatured jest of course and without one thought at the time of the sacrilege of which i was guilty
yea i would pat the fat little fellow on the head and when the humour seized me would show him my hoard of gold mohurs even jingle before him a bag of silver rupees or ask his opinion on the colour and quality of some gem speaking words of foolishness the while like a child playing with a toy
and when i lay back on my cushions sometimes i fancied that the little jewelled eyes in the elephant head of bronze twinkled at me in merry and friendly understanding
all which things i have since remembered with bitter shame
vi
the tiger of the pathans told by the afghan general in my case the philosophy of life is of the simplest remarked the afghan general
i neither crave the wealth of the prince nor do i inflict upon myself the mortifications of the ascetic
for the one rich robes and the sceptre for the other a loin cloth and a beggingbowl but for me the good sword that commands respect from my enemies confidence from my friends and my due share of the good things of existence
in this frame of mind i find the full measure of joy in each day that passes
he smiled the smile of the man contented with the world and with himself but there was the light of proud determination in his eyes that belied the mere sybarite
then for you the greatest good consists in the happiness you can snatch from the passing hour suggested the magistrate
that is so concurred the soldier if to the word happiness you give the right interpretation
to me the performance of ones present duty is the only real thing that brings contentment
and duty need not always be stern and forbidding to laugh and play and be merry may at the proper time and in the proper circumstances be a duty both to ourselvespg 129 and to others
when one lives philosophically for the present he takes men in all their moods and life in all its phases
the past is counted as dead and to be forgotten except for the experience gained to guide the doing of the things that lie now to ones hand
the future is unseen but is none the less determined by our deeds words and thoughts of the passing moment each one of which be it remembered whether deed or rash word or unspoken thought has consequences that are eternal
so for the man whose mind is thus attuned again interposed the magistrate the present becomes all supreme shaped by the past shaping the future
which means that destiny never degenerates into mere blind and helpless fatalism responded the afghan
to do the right now suffices to give absolute trust in god for the hereafter
that is the key of destiny and each man holds it in his own keeping
a simple religion smiled the rajput
and therefore the best
it is the religion of islam freed from all the controversies of rival sects and overlearned mullahs
it is the religion of my fathers and the religion of my youth and in it i abide
let me tell you a story of the rough school in which i received my early training and where such thoughts as these first began to sink deep into my mind
have you ever heard of shir jumla khan
no
well that is doubtless because he has been dead for a full score of years and because he held his sway in a land remote from these plains of hindustan uppg 130 in the rugged mountains where brave tribesmen guard the valleys which their ancestors tilled and yield allegiance to no one but their own hereditary chieftains
such was my country and my people for i am proud that in my veins runs the blood of the man who for a hundred miles around my boyhood home was known as the tiger of the pathans
behold in me a grandson of shir jumla khan
the narrator folded his arms across his breast in an attitude of quiet dignity
after just a moments pause he continued we were all born fighters the members of my clan for during hundreds of years many a swarming host had swept past the gateways of our territory persians arabs afghans moguls turkmans hordes of fighting men of every race and tongue sometimes marching south bent on conquest at other times returning to their homes laden with rich spoils and yet at other times defeated and broken with enemies pressing at their heels
and it was the patrimonial right of our tribe to take toll from all alike from victors and vanquished from pursuers and pursued
sometimes an army would pass through our mountains under safe conduct from all the tribes and the price paid in money horses camels and cattle cloths and other goods would be divided among the several clans
but in this practice there had grown to be more danger for ourselves than from forays or assaults on passing enemies because over the division of the spoils there would bepg 131 quarrelling followed by fighting among the tribes
thus had originated many a blood feud enduring through many generations
in the early days of shir jumla khan it had come about that several rich caravans had fallen exclusively into his hands
with the money thus provided by the bountifulness of allah he had been enabled to build for himself a citadel that for vastness and security surpassed those of all his rivals among the tribal chiefs
within its wide walls were wells and water tanks gardens for the growing of fruits and vegetables warehouses for goods granaries stored with barley wheat and dal stables for a hundred horses sheds for the housing of cattle sheep and camels and dwelling places for a goodly multitude of armed men their wives and their children
and all of these things endure until this day for the fortress town amid the mountains built by my grandsire the tiger of the pathans has ever remained unconquered and unconquerable
but as shir jumla khan grew rich in possessions and in power—for scores of fighting men from afar were attracted to his service—at the same time did his position among the tribesmen become one of increasing isolation
all feared him and envied him and fear and envy have ever been breeders of hate
yet was he a just and a benevolent man honoured and beloved by every one within his domain where his slightest word was gladly accepted law not because of the might he wielded but because of his fairness to all men
i was yet a young man when a widely spread plot among the rivalpg 132 tribesmen to destroy shir jumla khans power had come to a head and had resulted in a determined and prolonged attack upon his citadel
numbers had told our outlying fields had been devastated our flocks and herds driven away and crowded within the walls of the fortress were refugees from all the surrounding countryside
we had been cooped up through the summer we had lost our annual crops and without the usual replenishment granaries and warehouses were beginning to wear an empty look with but sorry promise for the winter
but calm and undismayed his proud look and serene smile ever the same shir jumla khan continued to feed the hungry host within his gates and now absolutely dependent upon his protection
the coming of winter would mean for us some relief for the first snows would scatter the beleaguering hosts sending them back to their own valleys and giving us the chance in the intervals of the seasons storms to make a few forays on our own account on neighbouring communities which taken one at a time would be pretty well at our mercy
but if we reasoned in this wise so did our enemies for it was now toward the close of the month of august and redoubled efforts were being put forth to accomplish the breaching of our walls so that the tiger of the pathans might be slain before there was the chance of his fangs and claws again becoming dangerous
the tribesmen no doubt by capture and enforced service had securedpg 133 the help of some engineers versed in the methods of sieges and assaults on fortified places as practised in hindustan
at that time i had never before seen a sabat but now from our fortifications i beheld the gradual extension day by day of a broad covered way with bullhide roof stretched across the trench being dug and effectually protecting the labourers below from our guns and muskets and catapults
we had made several sallies with a view to try and stop this work but these had only resulted in losses on our side out of all proportion to the harassment and delay inflicted on the besiegers
so we could but impotently watch the subtle and inexorable approach of the skilled men who would eventually reach our walls drive mines beneath them and blow us to perdition
our one chance lay in the question of time
if the winter began early we should be saved but if the snows held off till late in the year it looked as if our doom must be sealed
but quite unexpectedly a ray of hope came from another quarter
dissension had broken out in the ranks of our foes
the first word was brought to us by a deserter from the besiegers camp who one night had crept up to the gateway of the fort and whined for admittance declaring that he had important news to tell and hoped for a reward
i was with my grandfather when awakened from his sleep he listened to the mans story
it told of apg 134 fierce quarrel the preceding evening between two of the leading chieftains
they had been conversing alone in one of their tents when suddenly those without had heard angry words
then it would seem that the owner of the tent had sent for one of the slippers which his visitor had left at the doorway and with this had administered five or six strokes over the head driving his guest forth insulted and disgraced
every one in the camp was on the alert for fighting in the morning
with a grim smile shir jumla khan listened to this narrative
but he made no comment he merely issued instructions for the informer to be fed and for the present closely guarded
but if there had been any lingering doubt as to the truth of the story confirmation came ere the breaking of the dawn
for we were once again disturbed from our rest this time by the noise of a great tumult in the camp of the besiegers loud shouting followed by the discharge of muskets the sounds gradually dying away in the distance as if a fight and a pursuit had taken place
when day broke such indeed proved to be the case we could descry in the camp a row of tents thrown down and dismantled also dead or wounded men being brought in from the country beyond while away on a distant ridge was a considerable body of tribesmen retreating toward their homes
at this sight joyful huzzas resounded through the fortress and we did indeed all feel that allah by disrupting the forces of the enemy was fighting onpg 135 our side
and as i spread my prayer carpet and prostrated myself toward mecca the pious thought in my heart was one that had many times been inculcated by my noble grandsire himself let the wise man reflect that he can in no way succeed without the help of god most high
during the day we took counsel as to the advisability of an attack on the somewhat attenuated host without the walls
but from our posts of observation we could see that every one in the camp was under arms and on the alert no doubt foreseeing that such an attempt was likely on our part
so we concluded to let events develop and contented ourselves with watching the progress of the sabat
here there was no relaxation of endeavour for the protected trench made a considerable advance ere the sun once again sank over the western hills
darkness had not long fallen when another bleating voice of a suppliant for admittance was heard by the sentry at the gateway
introduced to our presence the newcomer a goatherd by his appearance and with the signs of travel on his garments removed his head dress untwisted the long locks of hair bound according to custom around his head and producing a small packet from the midst of his tresses flung it on the floor
i picked up the missive and handed it to our chieftain
shir jumla khan untied the packet and produced therefrom a heavy gold signet ring
while he was examining this the seeming goatherd raised his voice the project gutenberg ebook of astral worship by j h hill this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever
you may copy it give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at wwwgutenbergorg title astral worship author j h hill posting date april 6 2014 ebook 8855 release date september 2005 first posted august 14 2003 language english character set encoding utf8 start of this project gutenberg ebook astral worship produced by david deley astral worship by j h hill m d “now what i want is—facts�—boz
contents
introduction 5 the geocentric system of nature 13 the earth 13 the firmament 13 the planets 14 the constellations 15 the zodiac 15 the sacred numbers 7 and 12 17 the twelve thousand year cycle 18 the ancient triad 19 god sol 22 the ancient cosmogony 30 fall and redemption of man 31 incarnations of god sol 33 fable of the twelve labors 36 anniversaries of solar worship 40 the nativity 40 epiphany or twelfth day 41 lent or lenten season 42 passion week 44 passion plays 45 resurrection and easter festival 46 annunciation 48 ascension 49 assumption 49 the lords supper 50 transubstantiation 50 autumnal crucifixion 51 michaelmas 56 personifications of the divisions of time 57 the hours 57 the days 57 the months 58 the seasons 60 half year of increasing days 63 half year of decreasing days 63 last quarter of the year 64 zodiacal symbols of solar worship 64 the sphinx 65 the dragon 66 the bull 67 the ram 68 the lamb 68 the fish 71 signs of the cross 72 future rewards and punishments 74 the oriental system 75 the occidental system 75 the second or general judgment 77 jewish or ancient christianity 79 the prophecies 83 roman or modern christianity 88 freemasonry and druidism 109 the sabbath 117 pious frauds 121 conclusion 125 introduction
in an article entitled then and now published in the december number 1890 of the arena its author a distinguished unitarian dd
of boston mass says
astronomy has shattered the fallacies of astrology and people have found out that the stars are minding their own business instead of meddling with theirs
now while it is true that modern astronomy has superseded the ancient system and people have ceased to believe that the stars are intervening in mundane affairs nothing could be further from the truth than the assertion that astronomy has shattered the fallacies of astrology and those of our readers who will accord to this work an unprejudiced perusal can hardly fail to be convinced that a large majority of the people of christendom are dominated as much by these fallacies as were our pagan ancestry—the only difference being a change of name
the dogmatic element of religion which was anciently designated as astrology is now known as theology
all the evidences bearing upon the subject indicate that the founders of the primary form of religion were a sect of philosophers known as magi or wise men of the aryan race of central asia who having lived ages before any conceptions of the supernatural had obtained in the world and speculating relative to the beginnings of things were necessarily confined to the contemplation and study of nature the elements of which they believed to be selfexistent and endless in duration but being wholly without knowledge of her inherent forces they explained her manifold processes by conceiving the idea that she was animated by a great and inherent soul or spirit emanations from which impressed all her parts with life and motion
thus endowing man and other animals with souls emanating alike from the imaginary great soul of nature they believed and taught that immediately after death all souls were absorbed into their source where as the dewdrop slips into the shining sea all personal identity was forever lost
hence we see that although recognizing the soul as immortal considering it not as an entity existing independent of matter but as the spirit of matter itself the primary religion was the exponent of the purest form of materialism
being the astronomers of their day and mistaking the apparent for the real the ancient magi constructed that erroneous system of nature known as the geocentric and in conformity thereto composed a collection of astronomical allegories in which the emanations from the imaginary great soul of nature by which they believed all materialities were impressed with life and motion were personified and made to play their respective parts
basing the religion they instituted upon their system of allegorical astronomy and making its personifications the objects of worship they thus originated the anthropomorphic or manlike gods and claiming to have composed them under the inspiration of these self same divinities they designated them as sacred records or scriptures and taught the ignorant masses that they were literal histories and their personifications real personages who having once lived upon earth and for the good of mankind performed the wondrous works imputed to them were then in heaven whence they came
thus we see that the primary religion which is popularly known as paganism was founded in the worship of personified nature that according special homage to the imaginary genii of the stars and inculcating supreme adoration to the divinity supposed to reside in the sun it was anciently known by the general name of astrolatry and by the more specific one of solar worship and that its founders arrogating to themselves the title of astrologers gave to its dogmatic element the name of astrology
in studying the primitive forms of religion it will be found that none of them taught anything relative to a future life for the simple reason that their founders had no conceptions of such a state
hence it follows that the laws they enacted were intended solely for the regulation of their social relations and to secure their observance they were embodied into their sacred records and made part of their religion
one form of that most ancient worship was known as sabaism or sabism
another form of the same religion was the ancient judaism as portrayed in the old testament and more especially in the pentateuch or first five books in the decalogue of which the only promise made for the observance of one of the commandments is length of days on earth and in a general summing up of the blessings and curses to be enjoyed or suffered for the observance or violation of the laws as recorded in the 28th chapter of deuteronomy it will be seen they are all of a temporal character only
at the beginning of the christian era there were still in existence a sect of jews known as sadducees who were strict adherents to the primitive form of worship and their belief relative to the state of the dead we find recorded in ecclesiastes xii 7 which reads then shall the dust return to earth as it was and the spirit shall return to god who gave it
for ages the doctrine of soul absorption immediately after death constituted the belief of mankind but ultimately recognizing the fact that the temporal punishments of the existing laws were wholly inadequate to the prevention of crime and conceiving the idea that the ignorant and vicious masses could be governed with a surer hand by appealing to the sentiments of hope and fear in relation to the rewards and punishments of an imaginary future life the ancient astrologers resolved to remodel the dogmatic elements of religion so as to include that doctrine
but realizing the necessity of suppressing the belief in the absorption of all souls immediately after death they ceased to teach it and ultimately it was embodied in that secret and unwritten system known as the esoteric philosophy in which the astrologers formulated their own private belief and which for many centuries was kept from the knowledge of the uninitiated by their successors in the priestly office
as they were the sole custodians of the scriptures they made do change in their verbiage but adding the doctrine of future rewards and punishments to that written and openly taught system of faith known as the exoteric creed they made it the more impressive by instituting a system of imposing rites and ceremonies which they designated as mysteries into which they initiated the neophytes and in which were portrayed in the most vivid manner the rewards and punishments of the imaginary future life which they taught were the awards of the gods for the observance or violation of the laws
these teachings were inculcated in the lesser degrees only but those who were found worthy of so great a distinction were also inducted into the higher degrees in which was imparted the knowledge of the esoteric philosophy
in both the lesser and higher degrees the initiates received instruction in an oral manner only and all were bound by the most fearful oaths not to reveal the secrets imparted to them
thus were the votaries of the ancient astral worship divided into two distinct classes the esoterics or gnostics and the exoterics or agnostics the former comprising those who knew that the gods were mythical and the scriptures allegorical and the latter those who were taught that the gods were real and the scriptures historical or in other words it was philosophy for the cultured few and religion for the ignorant multitude
the initiates into the secrets of these two systems recognized them as the two gospels and paul must have had reference to them in his epistle to the galatians ii 2 where he distinguishes the gospel which he preached on ordinary occasions from that gospel which he preached privately to them which were of reputation
such was the system of astrolatry which originating in the orient and becoming after being remodelled in egypt the prototype of all occidental forms of worship was recognized successively as the state religion of the grecian and roman empires and we propose to describe the erroneous system of nature upon which it was based and to develop the origins of its cycles dogmas ordinances anniversaries personifications and symbols with the view to proving that it was the very same system which was ultimately perpetuated under the name of christianity
we also propose to present the origins and abridged histories of its two forms the jewish or ancient and the roman or modern and to give an account of the conflict between the votaries of the latter and the adherents to the established form of worship which culminated in the fourth century in the substitution of christianity as the state religion of the roman empire
we furthermore propose to show the changes to which the creed and scriptures were subjected during the middle ages and at the reformation in the sixteenth century through which they assumed the phases as now taught in the theologies respectively of catholicism and orthodox protestantism
we also present an article relative to freemasonry and druidism for the purpose of showing that primarily they were but different forms of the ancient astrolatry
we also devote a few pages to the subjects of the sabbath and to that of pious frauds
note—for the matter published in this work we are principally indebted to the writings of robert taylor an erudite but recusant minister of the church of england who flourished about seventy years ago and who being too honest to continue to preach what after thorough investigation he did not believe began to give expression to his doubts by writing and lecturing
not being able to cope with his arguments the clergy under the charge of the impossible crime of blasphemy had him imprisoned for more than two years during which time he wrote his great work entitled the diegesis which should be read by all persons who are investigating the claim of the christian religion to divine authenticity
roman or modern christianity
having presented the evidences that the jewish or ancient christianity originated at the university of alexandria under greek rule we now propose to show that its modern form emanated from the same source under roman rule but before entering upon this investigation it is important to become conversant with the sentiments manifested towards religion by the cultured element of roman society in that enlightened era which designated as the golden age of literature was adorned by such distinguished orators philosophers historians poets and naturalists as cicero tacitus pliny horace and virgil
the geocentric system of nature
in constructing their system of nature the ancient astronomers constituted it of the earth the firmament the planets the constellations and the zodiac and we will refer to them in the order named
the earth
believing that the earth was the only world that it was a vast circular plane and that it was the fixed and immovable center around which revolved the celestial luminaries the ancient astronomers in conformity to the requirement of the doctrine of future rewards and punishments as inculcated in the egyptian version of the exoteric creed divided it into an upper and an under or nether world which they connected by a sinuous and tenebrious passage
the firmament
the azure dome called the firmament in the book of genesis was believed to be a solid transparency which we find described in the fourth chapter and sixth verse of that collection of astronomical allegories called the apocalypse or book of revelation as a sea of glass like unto crystal
it was represented as being supported by four pillars resting upon the earth one at each of the cardinal points which were designated as the pillars of heaven
conceiving the idea that there were windows in the firmament the ancient astronomers called them the windows of heaven and taught that they were opened when it rained and closed when it ceased to rain
hence it is evident that the ancient astronomers did not refer to these pillars and windows in a figurative sense but as real appurtenances to a solid firmament as will be seen by reference to gen vii
11 and viii
2 job xxvi
11 and malachi iii
10
the planets
believing that the stars were but mere flambeaux suspended beneath the firmament and revolving round the earth for the sole purpose of giving it light and heat and observing that seven of these answering to the sun moon mercury venus mars jupiter and saturn had perceptible movements in relation to the other luminaries the ancient astronomers designated them as planets or wandering stars
the constellations
perceiving that the other celestial luminaries maintained the same relation to each other and designating them as fixed stars the ancient astronomers grouped those visible to them into fortyeight constellations and giving names to these they also attached names to the stars of larger magnitude which was done for the purpose of locating and distinguishing them with greater ease
the zodiac
through twelve of these constellations mostly contained within a belt of 16 degrees in width and within which the planets appeared to revolve the ancient astronomers inscribed a central line representing the ecliptic or apparent orbit of the sun which they divided into 360 degrees and quartering these to denote the seasons they named the cardinal points the summer and winter solstices and the vernal and autumnal equinoxes the former referring to the longest and shortest days of the year and the latter to the two periods when the days and nights are equal
an abbreviatory sign having been attached to each of these constellations the great celestial belt containing them was called the wheel of the signs or a wheel in the middle of a wheel as designated by that old astrologer ezekiel the prophet in chap
i and 16th verse
but for the reason that with only one exception the forms of living things either real or mythical were given to them this belt ultimately wad designated as the zodiac or circle of living creatures see ezekiel chap
i
constituting the essential feature of the ancient astronomy we present in our frontispiece a diagram of the zodiac as anciently represented to which as well as to burritts celestial atlas our readers will be necessitated to make frequent reference
recent researches among the ruins of ancient cities have developed the fact that several centuries before the beginning of our era the astronomers had invented the telescope and discovered the true or heliocentric system of nature but for the reason that religion had been based upon the false or geocentric system it was deemed prudent not to teach it to the masses
hence hiding it away among the other secrets of the esoteric philosophy the knowledge of it was lost during the middle ages and when rediscovered the hierarchy of the church of rome upon the plea that it was contrary to the teachings of scripture resorted to inquisitorial tortures to suppress its promulgation but in spite of all their efforts it has been universally accepted and in this otherwise enlightened age we have presented to us the anomaly of a religion based upon a false system of astronomy while its votaries believe in the true system
signs op the cross
among the numerous symbols of solar worship besides those we have already referred to there are three to which we will direct attention
two of these were of astronomical signification the one adopted when the spring equinox was in the sign of taurus and shaped like the letter t was the model after which the ancient temples were built and the other shaped like the letter x in reference to the angle of 23� degrees made by the crossing of the ecliptic and the celestial equator is known as st andrews cross
the third and most important of all the symbols of solar worship in its relation to the christian religion which having no astronomical signification originated in egypt in reference to the annual inundation of the river nile
to mark the height to which the water should rise to secure an abundant harvest posts were planted upon its banks to which cross beams were attached thus ┼
if the water should rise to the designated height it was called the waters of life or river of life and ultimately this form of the cross was adopted as the symbol of the life to come or eternal life and the ancient astrologers had it engraved upon stone encircled with a hieroglyphical inscription to that effect one of which was discovered in the ruins of the temple erected at alexandria and dedicated to our lord and saviour serapis
but if the water failed to rise to the required height and the horrors of starvation becoming the inevitable result it was the custom of the people to nail to these crosses symbolical personifications of the demon of famine
to indicate the sterility of the domain over which he reigned he was represented by the figure of a lean and haggard man with a crown of thorns upon his head a reed cut from the rivers bank was placed in his hands as his unreal sceptre and considering the inhabitants of judea as the most slavish and meanspirited race in their knowledge they placarded this figure with the inscription this is the king of the jews
thus to the ancient egyptians this sign of the cross was blessed or accursed as it was represented with or without this figure suspended upon it
when the roman or modern form of christianity was instituted the hieroglyphical inscription signifying the life to come or eternal life was substituted by a placard nailed to the cross with the letters i n r i inscribed upon it which are the initials of the latin words conveying the same meaning
but if we would learn how the figure of a man came to be suspended upon this form of the cross we must refer to mediaeval history which teaches that in the year 680 under the pontificate of agathon and during the reign of constantine pogonat at the sixth council of the church and third at constantinople it was ordered in canon 82 that instead of a lamb the figure of a man nailed to a cross should be the distinguishing symbol of the christian religion
now as this figure is represented by that of a lean and haggard man with a crown of thorns upon his head does it not look as if the old egyptian demon of famine was the model after which it was constructed
future rewards and punishments
in the ancient astrolatry two different systems of future rewards and punishments were inculcated the oriental or east indian and the occidental or egyptian the former ignoring the resurrection of the body taught but one judgment immediately after death and the latter inculcated an individual judgment immediately after death the resurrection of the body and a general judgment at the end of the world or conclusion of the 12000 year cycle
the oriental system
considering perfect happiness to consist in absolute rest the oriental astrologers conceived a state of eternal and unconscious repose equivalent to soul absorption to which they gave the name of nirvana into which they taught that by the awards of the gods the souls of the righteous or those who had lived what they called the contemplative life would be permitted to enter immediately after death
but for the souls of sinners they invented a system of expiatory punishments which known as the metempsychosis or transmigration of souls taught that they would be compelled to successively animate the bodies of beasts birds fishes etc for a thousand years before being permitted to enter the nirvana
the occidental system
in concocting the doctrine of the first judgment the egyptian astrologers ignoring the nirvana inculcated the future sentient existence of the soul and while retaining the metempsychotial expiations of the oriental system taught that its rewards and principal punishments would be enjoyed or suffered in the under or nether world the existence of which they had conceived in constructing their system of nature
this imaginary region known to the egyptians as the amenti to the greeks as hades and to the hebrews as sheol was divided by an impassable gulf into the two states of happiness and misery which were designated in the grecian mythology as the elysium or elysian fields and the tartarus
in the lower part of the latter was located the phlegethon or lake of fire and brimstone the smoke from which ascended into an upper apartment
in this system it was taught that the souls of the two extremes of society constituted of the righteous and the great sinners would be consigned immediately after the first judgment the one to the elysium and the other to the phlegethon where they were to remain until the second or general judgment while the souls of less venial sinners constituting the greater mass of mankind before being permitted to enter the elysium would be compelled to suffer the expiatory punishments of the metempsychosis or in the upper region or smoky row of the tartarus
such was the egyptian purgatory and its denizens constituted the spirits in prison referred to in i peter iii
19 from which the astrologers claimed to have the power to release provided their surviving friends paid liberally for their propitiatory offices and from this assumption the clergy of the catholic church derived the idea of saying masses for the repose of the soul
these doctrines were carried by pythagoras from egypt to greece about 550 years before the beginning of our era and passing from thence to rome the greek and latin poets vied with each other in portraying hades and the joys and terrors of its two states
the second or general judgment
the egyptian astrologers recognizing the soul as a material entity and conceiving the idea that in the future life it would require a material organization for its perfect action taught that at the general judgment it would be reunited to its resurrected body
in conformity to this belief job is made to say in chapter xix
25 26 i know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall i see god
the higher class egyptians however fearing that their existence would continue to be of the same shadowy and intangible character after the second judgment as they believed it would be in the amenti if worms were allowed to destroy their bodies hoped to preserve them until that time by the process of embalming
the imaginary events to occur in connection with the second judgment which constituting the finale of the plan of redemption and inculcated in what are known as the doctrines of second adventism were to be inaugurated by an archangel sounding a trumpet summoning the quick and the dead to appear before the bar of the gods to receive their final awards
at the second judgment designated in the allegories as the last day day of judgment great and terrible day of the lord etc it was taught that the tenth and last saviour would make his second advent by descending upon the clouds and after the final awards the elect being caught up to meet the lord in the air i thes
iv
17 the heaven and the earth would be reduced to chaos through the agency of fire
in reference to that grand catastrophe we find it recorded in ii
peter iii
10 that the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up
after the organization of a new heaven and a new earth it was taught that upon the latter would descend a beautiful city with pearly gates and golden streets called the city of god the kingdom of god the kingdom of heaven or new jerusalem in which the host of the redeemed would with their lord and saviour enjoy the millennium or thousand years of happiness unalloyed with evil and such was the kingdom for the speedy coming of which the votaries of astral worship were taught to pray in what is known as the lords prayer
according to the teachings of the allegories there were to be no sun moon or stars during the millennium their authors having arranged it so that the light of those luminaries would not be needed as we find recorded in rev
xxi
23 and xxii
5 the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in it for the glory of god did lighten it and there shall be no night there and they need no candle neither the light of the sun for the lord god giveth them light
it must be remembered when reading the fanciful ideas relative to the city of god that they were composed by men who living in a very ignorant age gave free rein to fervid imaginations
jewish or ancient christianity
it is our purpose to present the evidences showing that a system of astral worship which we designate as jewish christianity was in existence more than two centuries and a half before the institution of its modern form
in verification of this assertion we must find the initial point of our inquiry in ancient history which teaches that in the division of the grecian empire among his generals after the death of alexander the great who died 332 years before the beginning of our era the governorship of egypt and adjacent provinces was secured by ptolemy lagus or soter who having subsequently suppressed a revolt in judea removed from that country a large body of its inhabitants to people the new city of alexandria which had been laid out by order of and named after the great conqueror
the egyptian version of the gospel story being more appropriate to the nile valley than to the region from whence they came the greek colonists of alexandria adopted it but preferring to pay homage to serapis one of the ninth incarnations of god sol which they imported from pontus a greek province of asia minor they erected to his worship that celebrated temple known as the grand serapium and transferring the culture and refinement of greece to the new city it became under the ptolemian dynasty a great seat of learning the arts and sciences flourished an immense library was collected the various forms of astral worship were represented and schools for the dissemination of the several phases of grecian philosophy and oriental gnosticism were founded
such being the environment of the jewish residents of alexandria they soon acquired the vernacular and adopted the religion of the greeks who having ever attached to their incarnate saviours the title signifying the christ or the anointed were known as christians
encouraged by the liberal policy of philadelphus the second ptolemy a body of their learned men who had been educated in the greek schools founded a college for the education of their own people which institution was ultimately known as the university of alexandria
under the auspices of philadelphus the professors of that institution rendered their hebrew sacred records into the greek language which translation is known as the septuagint or alexandrian version of the old testament
having acquired from the egyptian astrologers the arts of healing thaumaturgy and necromancy and teaching them in their school the professors of the jewish college of alexandria assumed the title of essenes or therapeutae the egyptian and greek words signifying doctors healers or wonder workers
possessed of the sad and gloomy characteristics of their race they adopted the contemplative life or asceticism of the oriental gnosticism from which they derived the name of ascetics
founding a church for the propagation of their peculiar tenets those who were set apart for the ministry assumed the title of ecclesiastics
inculcating rigid temperance and selfdenial among their people they were known as enchratites nazarites or abstainers and the more devout among them retiring to monasteries or to the solitude of caves and other secluded places were also designated as monks cenobites friars eremites hermits or solitaries
the time having arrived according to the cyclic teachings of astral worship for the manifestation of the tenth and last incarnation of god sol or in other words to give a new name to the mythical genius of the sun the professors of the jewish school of alexandria is resolved to inaugurate their own form of worship
while retaining the same title under which they had paid homage to serapis and known as christians essenes or therapeutae they substituted for their christ the name of the grecian bacchus which composed of the letters ��� signifies yes ies or jes
in composing their version of the gospel story having like their race no inventive genius they appropriated that of serapis as its basis and laid its scene in the land of their ancestry but inconsistently retained the sign of the cross and the phraseology connected there with which having special reference to the nile river and its annual inundation had no application whatever to the sterile land of judea
selecting what they conceived to be the best from other versions of the gospel story and assuming the title of eclectics they designated their system as the eclectic philosophy
in proof of the eclectic character of the gospel and epistles of ancient christianity we refer to the asceticism inculcated therein which derived from the oriental gnosticism we find perpetuated in the scriptures of modern christianity we also refer to the miracle of converting water into wine taken from the gospel story of bacchus and to the statements that the saviour was the son of a carpenter and was hung between two thieves copied from the story of christna the eighth avatar of the east indian astrolatry
thus we see that although the scene of the gospel story of ancient christianity was laid in the land of judea its authors having adopted a greek version of that story as its basis given a greek title and name to their messiah perpetuated a greek name for their sect and quoted exclusively from the septuagint or greek version of the old testament the facts show conclusively that it was not jews of judea but hellenized jews of alexandria who were the real authors of the ancient christianity
the prophecies
the clergy having ever claimed that the prophecies are divine revelations of events yet to occur and having incessantly agitated society by preaching their speedy fulfillment we propose to expose the fallacy of their teachings by showing that these scriptures are not the records of future events divinely reavealed but that they originated with the founders of astral worship who predicated them upon predetermined events of their own concoction relative to the general judgment and setting up of the kingdom of heaven which were to occur as the finale of the plan of redemption and from which were derived the doctrines of second adventism and in determining the exact time when then were to occur we have but to prove that it was coincident with the conclusion of the last half of the grand cycle of 12000 years which as we have shown was dedicated to man as the duration of his race on earth
as evidence that the founders of the jewish or ancient christianity believed like the votaries of other forms of astral worship that the prophecies were soon to be fulfilled we find that the new testament of the original version of which they were the authors is replete with such texts as repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand matt
iv
17 there be some standing here which shall not taste death till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom matt
xxi
28 the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of god is at hand mark i
15
that the original version of the new testament was composed when the vernal equinox was in the sign of aries we are assured by reason of the fact that it inculcates homage to the lord under the symbol of the lamb and that it was during the last or 30th degree of that sign can readily be proven by appealing to history and to astronomy the former of which teaches that the jews were removed from judea to alexandria twentyfive years before the accession to the throne of philadelphus the second ptolemy to whom we have referred in our preceding article and who after reigning thirtynine years died 246 years before the beginning of our era
by reference to the celestial atlas we will find that the vernal equinox will pass out of the sign of pisces into that of aquarius or in the year 1900 and we have but to deduct that period of time from 2150 the number of years required for the cardinal points to pass through one whole sign to determine that the spring equinox passed out of the sign of aries into that of pisces 250 years before the beginning of our era or about 2100 years ago
now from the projections of the astrological science we are assured that the last half of the grand cycle of 12000 years which was allotted to man as the duration of his race on earth was made to begin at a time corresponding to the autumnal equinox when that cardinal point was passing out of the sign of virgo and that of necessity it had to come to an end at a time corresponding to the vernal equinox when that cardinal point was passing out of the sign of aries from which we know why at the last judgment the office of trumpeter was assigned to the archangel gabriel the genius of spring and why it was a rams horn with which he was to toot the crack o doom
when the time arrived for the fulfillment of the prophecies we can well imagine that fearing the wrath of the lamb there were weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth among the terrorstricken sinners while those who believed they had made their calling and election sure were looking with feverish expectancy for the second advent of their lord and saviour and doubtless clothed with their ascension robes they watched and waited with ears alert to hear the sound of gabriels trumpet summoning the quick and the dead to the general judgment
but not a blast from the archangels rams horn was heard reverberating along the skies no lord appeared descending upon the clouds to meet the elect in the air and in the last act of the fearful drama of judgment day the curtain refused to be rung down upon a burning world
with the nonfulfillment of the prophecies the more enlightened elements of society began to scoff at the priests who were temporarily demoralized but true to their deceptive instincts soon rallying with the plea of a mistake having been made in the calculations based upon the prophecies they undoubtedly concocted scripture to meet that very emergency for to the taunts of the scoffers who in reference to the second advent of the lord enquired where is the sign of his coming
for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation they answered that the lord is not slack concerning his promise but as a thief in the night he would soon come and all things be fulfilled
see ii
peter chapter iii
following up the history of this interesting subject we find that the founders of modern christianity to which we will refer in our next article in composing their version of the new testament from that of the jewish or ancient christians made no change in its verbiage relative to the prophecies but when constantine i emperor of rome became the patron of the church her hierarchy tired of figuring upon them secured a long respite from that troublesome subject by claiming to have made other calculations which put off the time of fulfillment to the year 1000 and from history we learn when the time arrived the whole of christendom was fearfully agitated upon the subject since then every generation has been vexed with the fallacies of second adventism and the facts of the case justify the charge that the clergy by teaching that the prophecies refer to events yet to occur are perpetuating a most stupendous fraud upon christendom and an earnest and efficient protest should be inaugurated against the further agitation of the monstrous delusion of second adventism which is frightening thousands of weakminded people into insanity and causing a vast amount of social distressgod sol
in determining the characteristics of the supreme divinity of astral worship it must be borne in mind that its founders taught that he was evolved or engendered by the father or first person in the sacred triad from his pure substance which as we have shown was constituted of chaos or the primeval fire into which they supposed all things were reduced through the agency of that element at the conclusion of 12000 year cycles
hence designating that mythical being as the only begotten of the father they personified him as god the son or second person in the sacred triad and recognizing the sun as the ruling star very appropriately made him the presiding genius of that luminary under the title of god sol
according homage to light as his chief attribute he is referred to in the allegories as the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world john i 9 and although designated as the only begotten of the father his coexistence with him under the title of the logos or word is shown in the text which reads in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god john i 1
personifying the principles of good and evil in god sol the ancient astrologers consecrated the six divisions of the 12000 year cycle corresponding to the reproductive months of spring and summer to him as lord of good and symbolizing him by the constellation of the zodiac in which the vernal equinox successively occurred as explained hereafter they dedicated the six divisions of that cycle corresponding to the destructive months of autumn and winter to him as lord of evil and as such symbolizing him by the serpent marked the beginning of his reign by the constellation serpens placed in conjunction with the autumnal equinox
personifying in him the opposing principles of good and evil he was to the ancients both god and devil or the varied god who in relation to the seasons was described as beautiful in spring powerful in summer beneficent in autumn and terrible in winter
thus under various names intended to represent god sol in relation to the diversified seasons we find recorded in the scriptures or solar fables numerous portrayals of imaginary conflicts in which the evil principle triumphing during autumn and winter is conquered at the vernal equinox by the good principle who bringing back equal days and nights restores the harmony of nature
the eternal enmity between the principles of good and evil as manifested in the diversity of the seasons we find portrayed in the constellations hercules and draco placed in the northern heavens in which the heel of the former representing one of the most ancient of the imaginary incarnations of god sol to which we will refer hereafter is resting upon the head of the latter as referred to in genesis iii 15 which makes god sol or the lord god say to the serpent i will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel
the woman alluded to in this text is the virgo of the zodiac as will be made apparent hereafter
of all the divinities of the ancient mythology god sol was the only one distinguished by the exalted title of lord or lord god for the reason that he was made the organizer of chaos and governor of heaven and earth
hence having constituted him the lord of light and darkness as well as good and evil the ancient astrologers in composing the solar fables made him say of himself i form the light and create darkness i make peace and create evil i the lord do all these things isaiah xlv 7
shall there be evil in a city and the lord hath not done it
amos iii 6
besides the title of lord or lord god the solar divinity is also designated in the allegories as the lord of lords and the king of kings the invincible the mighty god etc
subjecting the mythical genius of the sun in his apparent annual revolution round the earth to the four stages of human life from infancy to old age the ancient magi fixed the natal day of the young god sol at the winter solstice the virgo of the zodiac was made his mother and the constellation in conjunction with her which is now known as bootes but anciently called arcturus his foster father
he is represented as holding in leash two hunting dogs and driving ursa major or the great bear around the north pole thus showing that the original occupation of the celestial foster father of the young god sol was that of a bear driver and that his sons referred to in job xxxviii 32 are the dogs asterion and chara
it will be observed that virgo is represented in our illustration with a child in her arms for the reason that she is so represented in the ancient zodiacs and the fact will be readily conceded that she is the only virgin who could give birth to a child and be a virgin still
the ancient cosmogony
speculating relative to the order in which chaos had been organized the ancient astrologers constructed a cosmogony which divided the labors of god the son or second person in the trinity into six periods of a thousand years each and which answering to the six divisions of the 12000 year cycle corresponding to the reproductive months of spring and summer taught that in the first period he made the earth in the second the firmament in the third vegetation in the fourth the sun and moon and the stars also in the fifth the animals fishes birds etc and in the sixth man
that vegetation was made before the sun was not an inconsistent idea to the originators of the ancient cosmogony
they imagined that the heat and light emanating from the elementary fire were sufficient to stimulate its growth after which god the son gathered it together and made the celestial luminaries
in the solar fables this imaginary element is called the fireether or sacred fire of the stars
fall and redemption of man
religion having been based upon the worship of personified nature it is evident that its founders fabricated its dogmatic element from their conceptions of her destructive and reproductive processes as manifested in the rotation and diversity of the seasons
the apparent retreat of the sun from the earth in winter and his return in the spring suggesting the idea of a figurative death and resurrection of the genius of that luminary they applied these phenomena of the year to man and composed the allegories relative to his fall and redemption as inculcated in the exoteric creed
in the allegory relating to the fall it was taught that after making the first human pair the lord of good or the lord god placed them in a beautiful garden—corresponding to the seasons of fruits and flowers or months of spring and summer with the injunction under a penalty not to eat of the fruit of a certain tree
when the lord of evil or devil symbolized by the serpent and represented by the constellation serpens placed in conjunction with the autumnal equinox meeting them on the confines of his dominion and tempting the woman and she the man they ate of the forbidden fruit thus falling from their first estate and committing the original sin they involved the whole human race in the consequences of their disobedience
then the lord god pronouncing a curse against the serpent clothed the man and woman with skins to protect them against the inclemency of his dominion as lord of evil and drove them from the garden after which they were necessitated to earn their bread by tilling the ground
in reference to the plan of redemption the ancient astrologers divided the 6000 years appropriated to man as the duration of his race on earth into ten equal cycles and taught that at the conclusion of each god sol as lord of good would manifest himself in the flesh to destroy his works as lord of evil and through suffering and death make an atonement for sin
thus having originated the doctrines of original sin incarnation and vicarious atonement as parts of the plan of redemption and making its finale correspond in point of time to the conclusion of the 12000 year cycle their successors in the priestly office ultimately inculcated the additional dogmas of the general judgment and future rewards and punishments as we have shown in our introduction
having based the fables of the fall and redemption of man upon the idea that he was impelled without his volition to pass from the dominion of god to that of the devil or in other words upon his subjection to the inexorable necessity which makes the inclement seasons of autumn and winter succeed the beneficent ones of spring and summer its authors composed the original of the text which found in romans viii 20 reads that the creature was made subject to vanity evil not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope
but for the popular teaching in favor of its being literal history no one could read the account of the fall of man as recorded in the third chapter of genesis without recognizing it as simply an allegory or fail to realize the force of the argument of no fall no redemption and if no redemption no god to reward or devil to punish no hell to suffer or heaven to enjoy
the fact is that these are but antithetical ideas which came in together and must survive or perish together
they cannot be separated without destroying the whole theological fabric
incarnations of god sol
believing that god sol was necessitated to remain at his post to direct the course of the sun the ancient astrologers conceived the idea of teaching that attended by a retinue of subordinate genii he descended to earth through the medium of incarnations at the end of 600 year cycles to perform the work of mans redemption and having made virgo of the zodiac the mother of the solar divinity they taught in their allegorical astronomy or scriptures that his incarnations were born of a virgin
hence we find that god sol usually designated by the title of the word was made flesh and dwelt among us
john i 14
in a discourse upon this text delivered by tillotson archbishop of canterbury in the year 1680 published in the fourth volume of woodhouses edition of his graces sermons in the year 1744 concerning the incarnation of our blessed saviour he explains the necessity of incarnation by saying that there was likewise a great inclination in mankind to the worship of a visible deity so god was pleased to appear in our nature that they who were so fond of a visible deity might have one even a true and natural image of god the father the express image of his person
it only requires a little reflection to appreciate the prelates covert irony and want of faith
having ascribed to the imaginary incarnations of god sol the characteristics of heavendescending virginborn earthwalking wonderworking dying resuscitated and ascending sons of god the ancient astrologers attached to them the several titles of saviour redeemer avatar divinehelper shiloh messiah christ and in reference to their fosterfather that of son of man
teaching that they continued to make intercession for sin after their ascension to the right hand of the father they were also called intercessors mediators or advocates with the father
from teaching their appearance every 600 years originated the egyptian legend of the phoenix a bird said to descend from the sun at these intervals and after being consumed upon the altar in the temple of on or city of the sun—called heliopolis by the greeks—would rise from its ashes and ascend to its source
according to the civil laws of egypt manhood was not attained until the age of thirty years
hence the earthly mission of incarnate saviours was made to begin at that age and for the reason that relating to the apparent transit of the sun through the twelve signs of the zodiac it was completed during the period of one year
to impress the ignorant masses with the belief that the scriptures were literal histories and the incarnate saviours real personages the ancient astrologers caused tombs to be erected in which it was claimed they were buried
such sepulchres were erected to hercules at cadiz to apollo at delphi and to other saviours at many other places to which their respective votaries were induced to perform pilgrimages
in egypt the pyramids were built partly for astronomical purposes and partly as tombs for saviours claimed to have been kings who had once ruled over the country and why should we not recognize that magnificent structure known as the church of the holy sepulchre at jerusalem as but another of those tombs of saviours in which no saviour was ever entombed
thus we have shown that it was god sol the only begotten of the father or second person in the sacred triad to whom supreme adoration was inculcated in all forms of the ancient astrolatry and that its cultured votaries understanding that the doctrines pertaining to the fall and redemption of man were evolved from the figurative death and resurrection of the solar divinity recognized the doctrine of incarnation as a priestly invention intended only for the ignorant masses