Page:Hebrew tales; selected and translated from the writings of the ancient Hebrew sages (1917).djvu/48

44 that of the inimitable bard, but his sentiments are equally just, and certainly more edifying.

Seven times in one verse (said Rabbi Simon, the son of Eliezer) did the author of Ecclesiastes make use of the word vanity in allusion to the seven stages of human life.

The first commences in the first year of human existence, when the infant lies like a king on a soft couch, with numerous attendants about him—all ready to serve him, and eager to testify their love and attachment by kisses and embraces.

The second commences about the age of two or three years, when the darling child is permitted to crawl on the ground and, like an unclean animal, delights in dirt and filth.

Then, at the age of ten, the thoughtless boy, without reflecting on the past, or caring for the future, jumps and skips about like a young kid on the enamelled green, contented to enjoy the present moment.

The fourth stage begins about the age of twenty, when the young man, full of vanity and pride, begins to set off his person by dress; and, like a young, unbroken horse, prances and gallops about in search of a wife.