Page:Hebrew tales; selected and translated from the writings of the ancient Hebrew sages (1917).djvu/14

10 nations—a human document as forceful and effective, in a certain sense, as the "Morals" of Seneca, or the "Thoughts" of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It may, perhaps, be inferred that if the author had been a pagan ruler, or a Christian prelate, his version of the sayings of the ancient Jewish Sages would have issued from the press of Aldus, Caxton, and Elzevir—or even from the bindery of East Aurora. But Hyman Hurwitz was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and habent sua fata Judaei.

Regarding the author's life very little is known. He was born in Poland, in the year 1770—the exact date can not be ascertained—and died in London, July 18, 1844. Like so many of his compatriots, he early acquired a remarkable proficiency in Hebrew and Rabbinic studies. When quite a young man he joined his father in England, where that pious Talmudist had been residing for some time, and set about, in order to earn his livelihood as a teacher of Hebrew, to diligently study the English language. At an academy conducted by a Christian gentleman, he was appointed to take charge of the religious training of several Jewish children, and had the opportunity of applying himself to the study of science and the classics. His assiduity, "mildness of disposition and suavity of manners," soon gained him many friends, who aided him in the