him water to drink. Then, tearing his monkish robe to shreds, each
deprived himself of a garment to dress him becomingly. Having
re-entered the city they repaired to the judge.

"'My Lord,' they said, 'we bring before thee a brother Resigned, once
a monk of the monks, now a follower of the Prophet, our lord--the
prayer of God be on him, and peace. We pray thee to accept his
testimony and record it in due form.'

"'Welcome to thee; testify!' exclaimed the kadi, turning to the
convert. Then, holding up his forefinger, the quondam monk witnessed
to the truth of the Unity [of God]. 'Call for a barber!' cried the
kadi; and a barber was brought. Seven Believers of repute stood
round while the deed was done, and the convert rose a circumcised
Muslim--blessed be God.

"Then came forward a notable man of that town, pious, worthy, and
rich, respected of all, who said, addressing the kadi: 'My Lord--may
God bless thy days,--thou knowest, all these worthy ones know, who and
what I am. In the interests of religion and to the honour of God, I
ask leave to adopt this brother newly resigned. What is mine shall be
his to share with my own sons, and the care I bestow on them and their
education shall be bestowed equally on him. God is witness.' 'Well
said; so be it,' replied the learned judge; 'henceforth he is a member
of thy family.'

"So to the hospitable roof of this pious one went the convert. A tutor
was obtained for him, and he commenced to taste the riches of the
wisdom of the Arab. Day after day he sat and studied, toiling
faithfully, till teacher after teacher had to be procured, as he
exhausted the stores of each in succession. So he read: first the Book
'To be Read' [the Koran], till he could repeat it faultlessly, then
the works of the poets, Kalun, el Mikki, el Bisri, and Sidi Hamzah;
then the 'Lesser' and 'Greater Ten.'[12] Then he commenced at Sidi ibnu
Ashir, following on through the Ajrumiyah,[13] and the Alfiyah,[14] to
the commentaries of Sidi Khalil, of the Sheikh el Bokhari, and of Ibnu
Asim, till there was nothing left to learn.

[12: Grammarians and commentators of the Koran.]

[13: A preliminary work on rhetoric.]

[14: The "Thousand Verses" of grammar.]

"Thus he continued growing in wisdom and honour, the first year, the
second year, the third year, even to the twentieth year, till no one
could compete with him. Then the Judge of Judges of that country died,
and a successor was sought for, but