Page:Domestic Life in Palestine.pdf/273

266 work of the sixteenth century. After I had copied the design of the vail carefully Priest Amran drew it aside, and revealed a deep recess, where the rolls of the law are kept. Then his father rose, and with trembling hands brought out the celebrated copy of the Tora or Pentateuch, which is said to have been written by Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, who was the son of Aaron. It is kept in a cylindrical silver-gilt case, which opens on two sets of hinges, and on its red satin cover Hebrew inscriptions are embroidered with gold thread. At my request Selâmeh sat down for a little while, holding it in his hands, that I might sketch it and him. When he had carefully returned this precious roll to its place, he showed me several later copies of the Pentateuch—some in the Samaritan, others in the Arabic character; a printed collection of psalms or hymns; several commentaries on the law of different periods; a history of the community from the Exodus to the time of Mohammed; and a very curious manuscript, called the Book of Joshua, which begins with an account of the journeyings of the company of spies who were sent into the promised land by Moses, and concludes with fabulous stories of the life of Alexander. This seems to be rather a favorite book. It is written in Arabic, but the proper names and certain words are in the Samaritan characters. It is said to be of Syriac and not of Hebrew origin. I brought a copy of this remarkable work to England.

A number of the neighbors came into the synagogue to see me, and to invite me to their houses, and fair little children crowded round. I took leave of the aged Priest Selâmeh, and he gave me his patriarchal blessing. Then I went with Priest Amran to call on Habîb and his wife Zora, who had been the betrothed of Yakûb esh Shellabi. I was led into a large, low, but very airy room, with raised divans, nicely carpeted and cushioned, on two sides of it. Mats and rugs on the stone floor made the place look comfortable, and a red brass-hinged box, a rudely