, but rise with the birds. Be not
over-hasty to reply to offensive remarks; raise not thy hand against
another, even if he curse thy father or mother in thy presence."

Some of these wills, like that of the son of the last mentioned, are
written in rhymed prose; some are controversial. Joseph Ibn Caspi writes
in 1322: "How can I know God, and that he is one, unless I know what
knowing means, and what constitutes unity? Why should these things be
left to non-Jewish philosophers? Why should Aristotle retain sole
possession of the treasures that he stole from Solomon?" The belief that
Aristotle had visited Jerusalem with Alexander the Great, and there
obtained possession of Solomon's wisdom, was one of the most curious
myths of the Middle Ages. The will of Eleazar the Levite of Mainz (1357)
is a simple document, without literary merit, but containing a clear
exposition of duty. "Judge every man charitably, and use your best
efforts to find a kindly explanation of conduct, however suspicious....
Give in charity an exact tithe of your property. Never turn a poor man
away empty-handed. Talk no more than is necessary, and thus avoid
slander. Be not as dumb cattle that utter no word of gratitude, but
thank God for his bounties at the time at which they occur, and in your
prayers let the memory of these personal favors warm your hearts, and
prompt you to special fervor during the utterance of the communal thanks
for communal well-being. When words of thanks occur in the liturgy,
pause and silently reflect on the goodness of God to you that day."

In striking contrast to the simplicity of the foregoing is the elaborate
"Letter of Advice" by Solomon Alami (beginning of the fifteenth
century). It is composed in beautiful rhymed prose, and is an important
historical record. For the author shared the sufferings of the Jews of
the Iberian peninsula in 1391, and this gives pathetic point to his
counsel: "Flee without hesitation when exile is the only means of
securing religious freedom; have no regard to your worldly career or
your property, but go at once."

It is needless to indicate fully the nature of the Ethical Wills of the
sixteenth and subsequent centuries. They are closely similar to the
foregoing, but they tend to become more learned and less simple. Yet,
though as literature they are often quite insignificant, as ethics they
rarely sink below mediocrity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ETHICAL LITERATURE.

Steinschneider.--_Jewish L