The Life of Sir Richard Burton eBook

Thomas Wright
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 288 pages of information about The Life of Sir Richard Burton.

The Life of Sir Richard Burton eBook

Thomas Wright
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 288 pages of information about The Life of Sir Richard Burton.

The portion taken by Burton from Payne are in italics.

         Payne Burton
     Vol.  V. p. 25 Vol.  V. p. 271
                                (Lib.  Ed., vol. iv., p. 220)

The blacksmith who               the blacksmith who
could handle fire                 could handle fire
without hurt                       without hurt
A certain pious man             It reached the ears of
once heard that there           a certain pious man that
abode in such a town a          there abode in such a town
blacksmith who could            a blacksmith who could
put his hand into the fire      put his hand into the fire
and pull out the red-hot        and pull out the iron red-hot,
iron, without its doing         without the flames
him any hurt.   So he set        doing him aught of hurt.
out for the town in question    So he set out for the town in
and enquiring for the           question and asked for
blacksmith, watched him         the blacksmith; and when
at work and saw him do          the man was shown to
as had been reported to         him; he watched him at
him.   He waited till he         work and saw him do as
had made an end of his          had been reported to him.
day’s work, then going          He waited till he had made
up to him, saluted him          an end of his day’s work;
and said to him, “I             then, going up to him,
would fain be thy guest         saluted him with the salam
this night.”   “With all         and said, “I would be thy
my heart,” replied the          guest this night.”   Replied
smith, and carried him to       the smith, “With gladness
his house, where they           and goodly gree!” and
supped together and lay         carried him to his place,
down to sleep.   The guest       where they supped together
watched his host, but           and lay down to sleep.
found no sign of [special]      The guest watched but saw
devoutness in him and           no sign in his host of praying
said to himself.   “Belike       through the night or
he concealeth himself from      of special devoutness, and
me.”   So he lodged with         said in his mind, “Haply
him a second and a third        he hideth himself from
night, but found that he        me.”   So he lodged with
did no more than observe        him a second and a third
the ordinary letter of the      night, but found that he
law and rose but little         did not exceed the devotions
in the night [to pray].   At     prescribed by the
last he said to him, “O         law and custom of the
my brother, I have heard        Prophet and rose but little
of the gift with which          in the dark hours to pray. 
God hath favoured thee          At last he said to him, “O
and have seen the truth of      my brother, I have heard
it with mine eyes.   Moreover,   of the gift with which

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Project Gutenberg
The Life of Sir Richard Burton from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.