[Sidenote:  Uncertainty of religious Verity.]

[Sidenote:  Burzoe inquires of religious heads on matters divine:  his disappointment.]

When, however, this occurred to my mind it was not clear to me how matters stood with reference to religion.  I found nothing in the writings on pharmacy which indicated to me the truest religion.  So far as I saw there were many religions and creeds and their adherents were again disunited.  Some inherit their religion from their fathers; others are compelled to adhere to it by fear and pressure; others again aim at worldly advantages, enjoyments and renown.  Everyone claims for himself the possession of the true and right faith and denounces that of others as false and erroneous.  Their views on the world and other problems are entirely conflicting yet each despises the other, is inimical to and censures every other creed.  I then resolved to turn to the learned and leaders of every religions community with a view to examining their doctrines and precepts in order possibly to learn to distinguish between verity and nullity and implicity to give my adhesion to the former without altogether accepting as true what I did not understand.  So I analysed, investigated and observed, but I found that all those people only held before me traditional notions.  Each landed his faith and reviled that of others.  It was, therefore, evident to me that their conclusions rested on mere imagination and that they did not speak with impartiality.  In none did I find such fairness and integrity that reasonable people could accept their dicta and declare themselves satisfied with them.  When I perceived this it was impossible for me to follow any one of the religions and recognised that if I put faith in one of them of which I knew nothing I should fare like the betrayed believer in the following story.

[Sidenote:  Anecdote of the credulous burglar.]

Once upon a time a thief set out at night and along with his companions got up on to the roof of the house of a man of opulence.  As they entered they awoke the owner who noticed them and perceived that at that hour they were on the roof with evil intent.  He awoke his wife and gently said to her, “I see that up on the top of our roof there are thieves.  I will pretend to sleep, wake me up in a voice loud enough to be heard by those on the roof and say to me, ’My husband, do tell me how you came by so much wealth and property.’  When I make no reply whatever ask me very pressingly again.”  The woman accordingly asked him as she was ordered so that the house-breakers heard it all.  The man replied, “My wife, luck has led you to great prosperity, so eat and drink, keep quiet and do not ask about it, because if I told it to you, some one would easily hear it and get something by it, which neither of us would like.”  She, however, persisted, “But my husband, do tell me, surely there is no one here to overhear us.”  “Well then, I will tell you that I have acquired all this