them. 'Are we not well here? Have we not pure water and delicious
fruits? Wherefore seek other things?'

" 'True,' replied Adam, 'but we will return; what harm can it be to visit
this unknown country that presents itself to our view?' .... And as he
approached the rocks, Eve, trembling, followed.

"Placing his wife upon his shoulders, he proceeded to cross the space that
separated him from the object of his desires, but no sooner did he touch
the shore than trees, flowers, fruits, birds, all that they had perceived
from the opposite side, in an instant vanished amidst terrific clamor; ...
the rocks by which they had crossed sunk beneath the waters, a few sharp
peaks alone remaining above the surface, to indicate the place of the
bridge which had been destroyed by Divine displeasure.

"The vegetation which they had seen from the opposite shore was but a
delusive mirage raised by the Spirit of Evil to tempt them to
disobedience.

"Adam fell, weeping, upon the naked sands, ... but Eve throwing herself
into his arms, besought him not to despair; ... 'let us rather pray to the
Author of all things to pardon us.' ....

"And as she spake there came a voice from the clouds, saying,

" 'Woman! _thou_ hast only sinned from love to thy husband, whom I
commanded thee to love, and thou hast hoped in me.

" 'I therefore pardon thee--and I pardon him also for _thy_ sake: ... but
ye may no more return to paradise, which I had created for your happiness;
... through your disobedience to my commands the Spirit of Evil has
obtained possession of the Earth.... Your children reduced to labor and to
suffer by your fault will become corrupt and forget me....

" 'But I will send Vish_n_u, who will be born of a woman, and who will
bring to all the hope of a reward in another life, and the means by prayer
of softening their sufferings.' "

The translator from whom I have quoted exclaims at the end, as well he
might:--

"What grandeur and what simplicity is this Hindu legend! and at the same
time how simply logical!... Behold here the veritable Eve--the true woman."

But much more extraordinary things are quoted by M. Jacolliot, from the
Vedas and the commentaries.

On p. 63 we read that Manu, Minos, and Manes, had the same name as Moses;
on p. 73, the Brahmans who invaded India are represented as the successors
of a great reformer called Christna. The name of Zoroaster is derived from
the Sanskrit Suryastara (p. 110), meaning "he wh