giving pretty girls dowries; scribbling one
half-hour on philosophy, and the next on farriery; sitting up all night
writing hymns and drinking strong liquors; off again on horseback at
four the next morning; and talking by the hour all the while about
philosophic abstraction from the mundane tempest. Heaven defend me
from all two-legged whirlwinds! By the bye, there was a fair daughter of
my nation came back to Alexandria in the same ship with me, with a cargo
that may suit your highness.'

'There are a great many fair daughters of your nation who might suit me,
without any cargo at all.'

'Ah, they have had good practice, the little fools, ever since the days
of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. But I mean old Miriam--you know. She has
been lending Synesius money to fight the black fellows with; and really
it was high time. They had burnt every homestead for miles through the
province. But the daring old girl must do a little business for herself;
so she went off, in the teeth of the barbarians, right away to the
Atlas, bought all their lady prisoners, and some of their own sons and
daughters, too, of them, for beads and old iron; and has come back with
as pretty a cargo of Lybian beauties as a prefect of good taste could
wish to have the first choice of. You may thank me for that privilege.'

'After, of course, you had suited yourself, my cunning Raphael?'

'Not I. Women are bores, as Solomon found out long ago. Did I never tell
you? I began, as he did, with the most select harem in Alexandria. But
they quarrelled so, that one day I went out, and sold them all but one,
who was a Jewess--so there were objections on the part of the Rabbis.
Then I tried one, as Solomon did; but my "garden shut up," and my
"sealed fountain" wanted me to be always in love with her, so I went to
the lawyers, allowed her a comfortable maintenance, and now I am as free
as a monk, and shall be happy to give your excellency the benefit of any
good taste or experience which I may possess.'

'Thanks, worthy Jew. We are not yet as exalted as yourself, and will
send for the old Erictho this very afternoon. Now listen a moment to
base, earthly, and political business. Cyril has written to me, to say
that you Jews have plotted to murder all the Christians.'

'Well--why not? I most heartily wish it were true, and think, on the
whole, that it very probably is so.'

'By the immortal--saints, man! you are not serious?'

'The four archangels forbid! It i