" And she wept again.
The Rabbi dashed his turban on the ground, and tearing his hair,
exclaimed, "Wo is me! Who art thou, woman! that speakest to me thus?"
"I am a Hebrew woman," said she, "the daughter of a Doctor of the Laws
in the city of Bagdad; and being brought hither, it matters not how,
I am married to a prince among the Mazikin, even him who was sent for
thee. And that child, whom thou sawest, is our first-born, and I could
not bear the thought that the soul of our innocent babe should perish.
I therefore besought my husband to try to bring hither a priest, that
the law of Moses (blessed be his memory!) should be done; and thy fame,
which has spread to Bagdad, and lands further towards the rising of
the sun, made me think of thee. Now my husband, though great among
the Mazikin, is more just than the other Demons; and he loves me,
whom he hath ruined, with a love of despair. So he said, that the
name of Jochonan the wise was familiar unto him, and that he knew
thou wouldst not be able to refuse. What thou hast done, to give
him power over thee, is known to thyself."
"I swear, before Heaven!" said the Rabbi, "that I have ever diligently
kept the law, and walked stedfastly according to the traditions of
our fathers, from the day of my youth upward.
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