Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 12.djvu/395

 ii s. XIL NOV. i?, i9i5.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

387

THEOLOGICAL, DISPUTATIONS BY MEANS OF SIGNS (11 S. xii. 96, 167). Another Japanese version of this tale, that has come to my knowledge quite recently, makes the "very learned bishop silently show a circle 'formed by joining his thumbs and forefingers ,.s soon as he saw the rice-cake-seller, the counterfeit principal of a church. The latter, instantly understanding this as a sign asking the price of one of his round akes, extended all his fingers without utter- ing " tenpence," whereupon the former kowtowed once to him. Then the bishop put forth his three digits, which the rice-cake- seller took for the request to reduce the price from ten to three pence. So he outstretched the inner surface of one of his lower eyelids a vulgar manner of showing contemptuous refusal, whereupon the bishop appeared much wonderstruck, kowtowed nine times, and went off. Thenceforth, whatever place .he visited, the bishop was never sparing in his laudation of that false principal as the wisest man he had ever met. Once, when -somebody questioned him about the covert senses of those signs they had employed in their dumb interview, the bishop made the following explanations of them, which differed completely from what the rice-cake- seller had comprehended or intended on that occasion :

" At first I showed him a circle, represent ing my query as to the principal trait of the Buddha Vairotchana (Great Sun), and he at once extended all his ten fingers, thus answering that the Great Sun perpetually illuminated all the ten worlds. And secondly, I questioned him concerning the whereabouts of the Buddha AmitAbha and his two associate Boddhisattvas by putting forth my three fingers. Immediately widening one of his eyes, he clearly demonstrated, without speaking, every one's eye to contain a miniature of the triad in its pupil ! "*

In consequence of my public inquiry into a probable source of these stories, Mr. Shinsei Suzuki wrote as follows in the Japan and the Japanese, Tokyo, 1 Aug., 1915, p. 143 :

" The subjoined tale was told mo by a learned Brahman during my studios in Benares in the year 1901. As T did not make a note of it then, it is a thousand pities that many of its details do not now remain intact in my memory.

" In days of yore there was a great king who had a daughter of supreme eloquence and wit. INow she made it widely proclaimed that she would wed any man what soever, could he prove himself to excel her in these faculties. This brought in many learned aspirants to her hand, both old
 * and young, who tried their utmost iu the debates

one's seeing his ort n figure reflected in his vis-a-vis' -eye.
 * This old belief seems to have originated in

with her, but were all of them mercilessly routed and turned off crestfallen. Then they gathered themselves, took counsel as to the best way of revenging their indelible infamy, and resolved on somehow to cause the princess to espouse the greatest fool in this ^orld. Shortly after they found on a tree a youth, who posted himself on the top of its limb and proceeded to cut its base ; they concluded he vvas the one they were just in need of, for certainly he must be the peerless idiot who does not apprehend his fall to death neces- sarily accompanying the finish of his work. So they brought him down, persuaded him to try to marry the princess, and instructed him never to open mouth in her pr?sence. They took him to the royal pa lace, and introduced him to her as the greatest sage. As he kept himself entirely mute according to their advice, she first showed him one of her fingers, which was responded by his putting forth one finger and then two fingers. Indeed, by the display of one finger the princess questioned him whether this universe and the all-pervading Brahma was one and same ; and the meaning of the simpleton's signs was that, should she put out one of his eyes with her finger, he would put out two of her eyes with his two fingers, whereas she took them as signifying to say, ' They are essentially one and same, but are two several entities in manifestation.' Then scarcely had she produced her three fingers Avhen he dis- played his five digits (their meanings 1 have now entirely forgotten). Thus the princess, fully approving him to be the greatest sage, took the fcol as her husband. But at the beginning of their union, when the bridegroom broke forth irto speeches she discovered him the superlative b'lockhead, and furiously drove him out of the palace. Then, his mind fulfilled with remorse and sorrow, the fool declared to the princess, ' Here- after 1 shall make myself the really greatest sage in this world, and wed you as your very apposite husband.' From that time onward he applied himself to studies with unexampled perseverance, and succeeded with divine assistance in making himself the greatest poet and philosopher of his time. If you wish to know who this quondam greatest fool was, 1 may tell you with great pleasure that he was none other than Kalidasa of everlastingly worldwide renown."

I shall be extremely beholden to ny informants for records containing or referring to this very interesting Hindu legend. KUMAGUSU MINAKATA.

Tanabe, Kii, Japan.

" BEFORE ONE CAN SAY JACK ROBIN- SON " (11 S. xii. 279). While not answering MR. PIERPOINT'S query, I may note that the form " before ye could cry Jack Robison " appears to be the original one. On the very day on which I read the query I had earlier been looking through a chapbook version of Moir's ' Mansie Waugh,' and had, curiously enough, en seeing " Jack Robison" in the words as quoted, wondered whether it was a misprint or not, and had referred to the full story itself, and found the same form. WALTER JERROLD.

Hampton-on-Thames.