For
example, we learn that Noah and his family, while in the ark, had no
light besides what was obtained from diamonds and other precious stones.
And Abraham, who, it appears, was extremely jealous of his wives, built
for them an enchanted city, of which the walls were so high as to shut
out the light of the sun; an inconvenience which he easily remedied by
means of a large basin full of rubies and other jewels, which shed forth
a flood of light equal in brilliancy to that of the sun itself.[64]
[64] Luminous jewels figure frequently in Eastern tales, and
within recent years, from experiments and observations,
the phosphorescence of the diamond, sapphire, ruby, and
topaz has been fully established.
_Abraham's Arrival in Egypt._
When Abraham journeyed to Egypt he had among his _impedimenta_ a large
chest. On reaching the gates of the capital the customs officials
demanded the usual duties. Abraham begged them to name the sum without
troubling themselves to open the chest. They demanded to be paid the
duty on clothes. "I will pay for clothes," said the patriarch, with an
alacrity which aroused the suspicions of the officials, who then
insisted upon being paid the duty on silk. "I will pay for silk," said
Abraham. Hereupon the officials demanded the duty on gold, and Abraham
readily offered to pay the amount.
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