[63] A garbled version of this legend is found in the Latin
        Gesta Romanorum (it does not occur in the Anglican
        versions edited by Sir F. Madden for the Roxburghe Club,
        and by Mr. S. J. Herrtage for the Early English Text
        Society), Tale 179, as follows:  “Josephus, in his work
        on ‘The Causes of Things,’ says that Noah discovered the
        vine in a wood, and because it was bitter he took the
        blood of four animals, viz., of a lion, a lamb, a pig,
        and a monkey.  This mixture he united with earth and made
        a kind of manure, which he deposited at the roots of the
        trees.  Thus the blood sweetened the fruit, with the
        juice of which he afterwards intoxicated himself, and
        lying naked was derided by his youngest son.”

Luminous Jewels.

Readers of that most fascinating collection of Eastern tales, commonly but improperly called the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, must be familiar with the remarkable property there ascribed to certain gems, of furnishing light in the absence of the sun.  Possibly the Arabians adopted this notion from the Rabbis, in whose legends jewels are frequently represented as possessing the light-giving property.  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.  Then they surmised that the chest contained jewels, but Abraham was quite as willing to pay the higher duty on gems, and now the curiosity of the officials could be no longer restrained.  They broke open the chest, when, lo, their eyes were dazzled with the lustrous beauty of Sarah!  Abraham, it seems, had adopted this plan for smuggling his lovely wife into the Egyptian dominions.