sunny, serene, and pagan.
Not the dim aisle of a vast cathedral, but the symmetrical portico of an
antique temple, is the worshipping-place into which he would lead us.

But if Lessing's theology must be considered imperfect, it is none the
less admirable as far as it goes. With its peculiar doctrines of love
and faith, it teaches a morality far higher than any that Puritanism
ever dreamed of. And with its theory of development it cuts away every
possible logical basis for intolerance. It is this theology to which
Lessing has given concrete expression in his immortal poem of "Nathan."

The central idea of "Nathan" was suggested to Lessing by Boccaccio's
story of "The Three Rings," which is supposed to have had a Jewish
origin. Saladin, pretending to be inspired by a sudden, imperious whim,
such as is "not unbecoming in a Sultan," demands that Nathan shall
answer him on the spur of the moment which of the three great religions
then known--Judaism, Mohammedanism, Christianity--is adjudged by reason
to be the true one. For a moment the philosopher is in a quandary. If he
does not pronounce in favour of his own religion, Judaism, he stultifies
himself; but if he does not award the precedence to Mohammedanism, he
will apparently insult his sovereign. With true Oriental tact he escapes
from the dilemma by means of a parable. There was once a man, says
Nathan, who possessed a ring of inestimable value. Not only was the
stone which it contained incomparably fine, but it possessed the
marvellous property of rendering its owner agreeable both to God and to
men. The old man bequeathed this ring to that one of his sons whom he
loved the most; and the son, in turn, made a similar disposition of
it. So that, passing from hand to hand, the ring finally came into the
possession of a father who loved his three sons equally well. Unto which
one should he leave it? To get rid of the perplexity, he had two other
rings made by a jeweller, exactly like the original, and to each of his
three sons he bequeathed one. Each then thinking that he had obtained
the true talisman, they began violently to quarrel, and after long
contention agreed to carry their dispute before the judge. But the judge
said: "Quarrelsome fellows! You are all three of you cheated cheats.
Your three rings are alike counterfeit. For the genuine ring is lost,
and to conceal the loss, your father had made these three substitutes."
At this unexpected denouement the Sultan bre