Show me our quarter, and I
will pay thee well, or be off.'
'Be off! Art thou a Hebrew? to say "be off" to any one. You come from
Bagdad! I tell you what, go back to Bagdad. You will never do for
Jerusalem.'
'Your grizzled beard protects you. Old fool, I am a pilgrim just
arrived, wearied beyond expression, and you keep me here listening to
your flat talk!'
'Flat talk! Why! what would you?'
'Lead me to the Rabbi Zimri, if that be his name.'
'If that be his name! Why, every one knows Rabbi Zimri, the Chief Rabbi
of Jerusalem, the successor of Aaron. We have our temple yet, say what
they like. A very learned doctor is Rabbi Zimri.'
'Wretched driveller. I am ashamed to lose my patience with such a
dotard.'
'Driveller! dotard! Why, who are you?'
'One you cannot comprehend. Without another word, lead me to your
chief.'
'Chief! you have not far to go. I know no one of the nation who holds
his head higher than I do here, and they call me Zimri.'
'What, the Chief Rabbi, that very learned doctor?'
'No less; I thought you had heard of him.'
'Let us forget the past, good Zimri. When great men play the incognito,
they must sometimes hear rough phrases. It is the Caliph's lot as well
as yours.
Pages:
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120