He held an official post, and invited
travellers and pilgrims to his house, whom he regularly disposed of
and plundered. I regret that I have mislaid his MS. account of the
ceremony.]
[Footnote 82: page 299.--In the _Germen Davidis of Gants_, translated
into Latin by Vorstius, Lug. 1654, is an extract from a Hebrew MS.
containing an account of Alroy. I subjoin a translation of a passage
respecting his death.
R. Maimonides deposes: That the Sultan asked him whether he were the
Messiah, and that he answered him, "I am"; and that then the monarch
inquired of him what sign he had. To this he replied that they might cut
off his head and that he would return to life. Then the King commanded
that his head should be cut off, and he died, having said previously
to the monarch that the latter should not lack in his life the most
grievous torments.
Seven years before the incident quoted above, the Israelites had serious
troubles on account of a son of Belial who called himself the Messiah,
so that the tetrarch and the princes were justly incensed against the
Jews, to such an extent, indeed, that they sent to the latter to inquire
whether they desired the reign of the Messiah. The name of this accursed
troubler was David El-David, _alias_ Alroy, who hailed from the city
of Omadia, where were gathered about a thousand rich, honest, happy and
decently-living families, whose tabernacle was the principal resort
of those that dwelt in the neighbourhood of the river Sabbathion; and
around them were gathered more than a hundred minor tabernacles.
Pages:
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390