2. All the way were the roads lined with flags and banners, and millions of spectators, the same who had formerly been in schools and colleges in heaven, but were now emancipated from the restrictions of self-improvement, and used as applauders, to sing and shout praises to De'yus (Dyaus) for his own glory.
3. The table of the feast was private and in secret, and only prepared for the Gods and their close companions, one hundred all told, but the serving host numbered more than one million souls.
4. Whilst at the feast, De'yus said to Osiris: Speak thou of thy exploits, and of Baal and Ashtaroth and their valorous legions.
5. Then Osiris explained the nature of the earth countries, and of the battles and incidents, well exaggerating the last result. After Osiris had finished his story, De'yus said to Te-in: Speak thou of thy exploits, and of thy generals and captains, and of thy valorous legions.
6. Whereupon, Te-in displayed the maps of the earth regions where he had been, and his battles, and final success, also much exaggerated. And now, after he had finished his story, De'yus said to Sudga: Speak thou of thy generals and captains and thy valorous legions.
7. Then Sudga explained the earth region where he had fought and won, extolling his generals and captains, and his hosts, well exaggerated also.
8. When they had all finished their hilarious accounts, and applauded one another in sufficient zeal, in that same time the feast of eating and drinking was ended also. Whereupon Anuhasaj rose up and said:
9. I now declare the feast ended. Let the tables be removed. Behold, I will speak from the throne, in private, before my five Gods only, save mine own marshals. But unto all others I declare a time of recreation and sport, to be called again to duty when I have finished with my Gods, of which my marshals will inform the trumpeters, who shall sound the call.
10. Speedily, now, the attendants took away the tables; and the hosts all withdrew, save the Gods and De'yus and his marshals. Whereupon De'yus ascended the throne, and then spake, saying:
11. I, the Lord your God, who am De'yus of heaven and earth, declare unto you, my Gods and earth rulers, in mine own name, and with love abounding:
12. To declare my doctrines and creations before you; that all the earth may be subdued alike unto me and mine forever.
13. To surpass not mine own age in my doctrines, nor to explain my axioms. But to surpass the understanding of mortals sufficiently unto their knowledge of earthly things, and so appease their curiosity, as to the questions they put to ye, my Gods.
14. Neither will I bind myself as Ahura did; for I will not explain who I am, save that man is in mine own likeness; nor when the beginning of things was.
15. This heaven I created; and ye also bear witness that I have established the earth in me, through your valorous deeds.
16. I, who am your God, look not to matters of a day, or a year; my times are as one time, for from this time forth forever this heaven and earth are mine, time without end.
17. In which ye behold days and years and the generations of men on the earth pass rapidly. Who, then, shall think seriously of the inhabitants that now are yours and mine?
18. Behold, the earth is fruitful; a thousand years are but as one day; and there shall spring up out of the earth thousands of millions of souls newborn. For them are my answers shaped, more than for such as now are.
19. In the beginning I created this heaven and the earth (unto mine own name and glory). For they were void and without order; darkness was upon them. Whereupon I moved upon them, saying: Let there be light; and there was light. And I drew a line betwixt darkness and light (for they had worshipped the void instead of me).
20. Wherefrom I declare this the morning and evening of the first day. And I have divided those that were void, and established my firmament betwixt them, even as land betwixt water and water.
21. And my firmament is heaven, and I have made it to be over such as were void, like water.
2. Thereupon the Lord God gave them one day; and on the next day, when they were assembled, the Gods ratified every word De'yus had spoken. And it was called the morning and evening of the second day.
3. Again De'yus spake, saying: Let the waters of the earth be in one place, and the land appear unto itself, for it was so. And I saw that the earth was good (and that heaven might reign thereon). And I saw that the earth brought forth grass, and trees, and fruit, and seeds, everything after its own kind; and I said: Behold, they are good. (Neither attributed I evil unto anything on the earth, or in the waters, or in the air above. But I separated the light from darkness; this was the substance of my creation).
4. Again Osiris asked for a day, that the Gods might weigh the words of the Lord God; and this was the evening of the third day. And God gave them a day; and when they were again assembled, De'yus said:
5. Let there be Gods in the firmament above the earth; and they shall separate the darkness from the light of the earth (that man may know me and my kingdoms).
6. And my Gods shall teach signs and seasons, and days and years, forever, unto the sons of men. And I made myself to rule the light of the world; but Osiris I made to rule the darkness of the world, which is the earth, my footstool.
7. Again De'yaus gave the Gods one day, to weigh the matter of his words, and to ratify them; which they did. And this was the morning of the fourth day.
8. Again De'yus said: Let the waters of the earth bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that live; and let the fowl fly above the earth in the air of the firmament. For they are good. Let them be fruitful and multiply, every living creature, and fill the air above the earth, every creature after its own kind. Wherefore my blessing is upon them.
9. Again the Lord God gave his Gods a day to weigh his words and ratify them, which they did; and this was the morning of the fifth day. And then De'yus said: And now, my Gods, let us make man in our own fashion; and in likeness of ourselves, let them have dominion also, but over the fish in the waters, and the fowl in the air, and over the cattle, and over the earth, and over every living creature upon the earth. And ye shall go to them and say to them: In our own likeness are ye created, male and female, and God's blessing is upon you. Be ye fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the earth, and the fishes, and fowl, and every living creature on the earth, for they are yours forever! And behold, ye have every herb, and seed, and fruit, which is on the face of the earth, and the roots that grow in the earth, and they shall be your food. But of whatsoever hath breathed the breath of life man shall not eat.
10. Again De'yus gave the Gods a day of rest, in order to weigh the matter and ratify it; and this was the morning of the sixth day.
11. And again De'yus spake, saying: The Lord your God said unto thee, Osiris; and to thee, Te-in; and to thee, Sudga: Search thou amongst mortals for one high in su'is, for when I announce my doctrines, thou shalt go to such mortal and cause him to write my words, saying: Such are the words of the Lord, thy God. In answer to which I bid ye all now speak before me.
12. Osiris said: According to thy commandments have I searched and have found Thoth the highest man in su'is, and he dwelleth in Arabin'ya.
13. Then spake Te-in, saying: In like manner, also searched I, and found Hong, in my division of the earth, the highest man in su'is; and he dwelleth in Ho'e'Sin.
14. Then answered Sudga, saying: Even so have I accomplished in Vind'yu, and I have found one Anj-rajan.
15. De'yus said: To these mortals go ye and give my doctrines in your own ways; according to the language of mortals, and their capacity to understand. Neither bind I you to my exact words, nor limit you, save that that I have spoken shall be the foundation.
16. Thus, then, endeth the feast; and behold, it is the seventh day; for which reason I sanctify it and declare it a day of recreation.
2. And each of the three Gods went to his own chosen mortal (who had power to see and hear spiritual things). And the Gods possessed them by their presence, and inspired them to write the words of Anuhasaj, alias the Lord God, word for word; and they were so written, alike and like, in the three great divisions of the earth. And copies of them were made and filed in the libraries, and in the houses of philosophy of mortals.
3. But when these matters were thus entered, in answer to the queries of mortals, as to the origin of man and his destiny, they were not deemed sufficient by the learned men. Many of them said: The Lord God hath evaded our questions.
4. Then satan came to each of the three Gods who had the matter in charge, and he said unto them: Consult with one another as to what shall be done. So Osiris sent messengers to Te-in and to Sudga, asking them to come to Agho'aden, his heavenly place, for consultation. And, in due course of time, Te-in and Sudga came to Osiris, to his throne, where they were received in great honor and glory. And presently Osiris' marshals cleared the place, so the interview was private, for even the marshals stood afar off.
5. Osiris said: What shall we do without a Creator in fact? I know not if my judgment be beside itself, for it is said they that lose their reason are the last to discover it. The time was when De'yus, our much-loved Lord God, said: Whilst ye labor on the earth for me and my kingdoms, behold, I will reciprocate in all things. Neither shall ye ask for aught but it shall be granted unto you.
6. Hear me then, O my brothers, in my complaint; mortals have asked us, to know the origin of man, and his destination; and to know the cause of good and evil. These things I submitted unto our Lord God, in Hored, to learn his will and decree.
7. Thereupon he sent messengers to me announcing a feast, on which occasion he would answer the questions of mortals satisfactorily. Ye and I went to the feast, and De'yus hath furnished us with something, which is nothing. For mortals can also perceive that what the Lord God hath said is one and the same thing that was said by the Gods through Zarathustra; and, moreover, that the questions are still unanswered.
8. De'yus is my friend, and I desire not to press him further on the subject; and so I have called you, to learn of you how ye managed the same issues?
9. Te-in said: Before our heavenly kingdoms were confederated, Anuhasaj professed that he would announce himself the head and front of all created creations. Shall we say his courage is less? And so excuse him?
10. Sudga said: When he should have said: I created man in mine own image, behold, he hath weakly said: Let us make man! Is it not clear, then, that he shirketh from the responsibility, and desireth ourselves commingled in the pitiful story? Hear me, then, my brothers; I am asked how I have answered the issues with mine own division, and I say unto you, I have been in the same quandry, and have not answered them at all.
11. Te-in said: Neither have I. But that we may be justified in so doing, behold, the Lord God said unto us: I bind you not to my words, nor limit you, save that that I have spoken shall be the foundation. Now, it is clear, that if we admit that sin is in the world, we must find a way to justify the Lord God, whose servants we are. If he be not justified, then is sin justified.
12. For mortals perceive good and evil understandingly; but to justify a good God for permitting evil is not an easy matter. For in the breath we praise him, we must praise his works; of which sin is apparent; and in the same breath that we condemn sin, how shall we glorify De'yus? For have we not proclaimed him the foundation of all things; the head and front, before creation was created? Was not this our battle-cry, to urge our angel warriors on to overthrow Jehovih? And hath not our loud-praised Lord God said: Let us make man! A child should have more courage than this!
13. Sudga said: It is plain we all understand these issues, and perceive, also, what is required of us. For since De'yus hath left us liberty to add to his doctrines, according to our own judgment, is it not well that we agree upon a doctrine, even as De'yus professed prior to the confederacy? And thus give it to mortals?
14. Osiris said: This is wisdom, O my brothers. To make our Lord God the Creator, we must account unto him all things, both good and evil. Wherefore we shall give two masters to man, the one being the serpent, the earth, the lowest inspirer; and the other the voice of our Lord God.
15. Sudga said: My brother hath spoken wisely. And yet, is the term two masters the wisest term? For in declaring the Lord God the highest, we must make him master over the earth also.
16. Te-in said: Why shall we not adopt the E'O'Lin of the ancients, substituting the words Lord God? And make a commandment over man, forbidding him hearkening to the serpent, lest he be led away from the Lord God, and throw the cause of sin upon man, for violating the Lord God's commandment.
17. Osiris said: Most wisely spoken, my brothers. For by accusing man, through the serpent, we clear the Lord God unscathed.
1. On the following day the three false Gods, Osiris and Te-in and Sudga, wrote their account, each in his own way. And when they were read, Osiris' stood clearer than either of the others'; but nevertheless, Te-in's and Sudga's had much of merit. So it came to pass Osiris' account was adopted, with interpolations from the others'.
2. This, then, is the completed report, to wit:
3. These are the times of earth and heaven when created; the time the Lord God created them. And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the earth, and quickened him through his nostrils with the breath of life, and man became a living creature.
4. And God caused mists to rise up from the waters, and spread over the earth, and rain upon it. And he caused trees and herbs to grow up out of the ground; everything that is pleasant for the sight and good for food. Thus out of the ground the Lord God caused man to come forth, being of the earth, of the land of Eden (Spe-a).
5. To dress the land and keep it pleasant, the Lord God commanded man, saying: This shall be thy labor, in which thou shalt be perfected unto everlasting life. Of all things in the land of Eden mayst thou freely take and enjoy.
6. And man prospered on the earth for a long season; and he was naked and not ashamed. And God planted the tree of knowledge in the land of Eden, and he said unto man: This tree have I planted; partake thou not of it, for it pertaineth to life and death.
7. And God called the name of the first man A'su (Adam). And the Lord God caused man to name all things on the earth, and in the waters, and in the air above the earth, and whatsoever man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
8. And the Lord God caused A'su to fall into a trance; and an angel of heaven came and stood by his side. And the Lord God drew from the flesh, and from the bones, and from the blood of A'su, and thus made woman, and brought her unto A'su.
9. And the Lord God repeated his commandment unto woman, saying: Thou shalt sojourn for a season on the earth, and cleave unto A'su, for he is thy husband, and thou art his wife; and thou shalt partake of all things on the face of the earth, save of the tree of life, which is of both good and evil, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
10. But because of the serpent (the earth) of the woman, she hearkened unto him, and he said unto the woman: I say unto thee, in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt have thine eyes opened, and shalt become as a Goddess, creating offspring.
11. And the woman was more easily persuaded than man, for she had confidence in the serpent; and they partook of the fruit thereof; and, of a truth, their eyes were opened, and they beheld their nakedness.
12. And presently they heard the Lord God walking in Eden, and they hid themselves in the bushes. And the Lord God said: Where art thou, A'su? And A'su said: Because we heard thee walking, we hid ourselves, for we were naked.
13. The Lord God said: Who told thee thou wert naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I told thee thou shouldst not eat? A'su said: The woman thou gavest me to be with me, led me, saying: Behold, it is good fruit; and we ate thereof.
14. The Lord God said: Woman, what hast thou done? And the woman answered, saying: The serpent beguiled me. And the Lord God said unto the serpent: Because thou hast done this, thou art accursed, and thou shalt not rise up from the earth, but return to dust whence thou camest.
15. Unto the woman the Lord God said: Because thou hast conceived, thou shalt have great sorrow; in sorrow bring forth children; thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And I will put enmity betwixt the serpent and thine offspring; and the flesh shall call one way, which is unto earth, but the soul of man shall call unto me, the Lord God. And though the serpent bite, yet man shall bruise him, and subdue him.
16. And God taught man to make coats of skins and be clothed. And the Lord God said: Lest man partake further, becoming as one of us, he shall go out of Eden, where I created him. So he drove man out of Eden backward, and gave him cherubims to hold him on every side, to preserve unto man the tree of life, that man might not only fulfill the spirit, but the flesh also.
17. When Osiris had gone thus far, Sudga interposed, saying: If we say, Becoming as one of us, will not man say: Behold, there are more Gods than the Lord God?
18. Te-in said: Because De'yus said: Let us make man, shall we not use us in this instance?
19. Osiris said: Hear me, my brothers, yet further; for I previously found a way out. For I have divided the Lord from God; that is to say:
20. And the Lord God said: Because man hath learned good and evil, I am as twain unto him, for I am Lord of the earth and God of heaven. And that which is on the earth is the Lord's, and that which is in heaven is God's.
21. And A'su called his wife's name Eve (We-it), for she was the fountain of all men. And Eve brought forth a son, Cain, saying: I have begotten a son from the Lord. And she brought forth another son, Abel. And the first-born was begotten in darkness, but the second of the light of the Lord. And the Lord had more respect unto the second, Abel, than unto the first, Cain.
22. In course of time Cain brought of the fruit of the ground and offered it unto the Lord. And Abel brought for the Lord, as his offerings, the firstlings of his flocks. And Cain perceived that the Lord had more respect for his brother, and Cain was wroth, and his countenance fell.
23. And the Lord said unto Cain: Why art thou jealous? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at thy door.
24. But Cain would not be reconciled (because of the darkness in him), and when he and his brother were walking in the fields, Cain turned upon Abel and slew him.
25. God said: Behold, darkness is between men; the son begotten in darkness falleth upon him begotten in the light. And it shall come to pass on the earth from this time forth that the righteous shall be persecuted by the unrighteous.
26. And the Lord said unto Cain: Where is Abel, thy brother? And he said: I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? The Lord said: The voice of thy brother's blood crieth out unto me from the ground: Now art thou accursed from the earth, for it hath opened to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. In my sight thou shalt be a fugitive and a vagabond upon the earth. And because thou hast shed blood, blood shall not cease to flow from thy sons and daughters forever.
27. Cain said: O Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear. For I am become the first foundation of all the wars on the earth; for thou hast hid thy face from me; and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth of me in them shall be slain also.
28. And the Lord said unto Cain: Whosoever slayeth thee or thine, vengeance shall be upon him seven-fold. And the Lord wrote upon Cain's forehead the word Asugasahiben, signifying, blood for sake of self, a mark, lest any finding him might kill him.
29. And from this time forth Cain lost the voice of the Lord, because he went off into Nod (darkness). And Cain took a wife and begot heirs unto himself after his own manner, and they were called Cainites, and the heirs after them were called the tribe of Cainites, which survived him nine hundred and ten years, after which they were divided into six and twenty tribes. (And the name Cain was lost. But the people survived, and are known to this day as the world's people.)
30. And We-it bore another son, Seth, in place of Abel, whom Cain slew. And after these came the generations of men, good and evil. And the Lord God said: Behold, I created man without sin, and I gave him warning, that he might remain holy on the face of the earth. But woman hearkened not to my counsel, but to the serpent, and sin came into the world. Therefore shall woman bring forth in pain all the generations of the earth.
31. Thus it was that the Lord God created man; in the likeness of God created he him.
32. And the sons of Cain were called tribes, even unto this day, but the sons of the righteous were sons of God; wherefore it was said of old: Behold the sons of earth and the sons of heaven.
33. And the Lord said: Shall I not accord to myself to choose what I will? For this right I gave to man also. And from that time after the sons of God were called God's chosen.
34. And it came to pass that man multiplied on the face of the earth; and the tribes were mightier than the sons of the Lord God, and the wickedness of man became great in the earth, and the desires of his heart were evil continually.
35. And the Lord God repented that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord God said: I will destroy man whom I have created; nor will I spare beast nor creeping thing in the place I gave.
36. Behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the lands of the earth, and I will destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life. But my covenant is with my chosen, who shall not be destroyed by the flood of waters.
37. And God's sons in Noe took with them pairs of the living, of beasts and birds, according to the commandments of God, to keep the seed alive on the earth.
38. And when the earth was six hundred years in Noe, the flood of waters was come upon the earth. And for forty days and forty nights the rain fell, and the fountains of the sea came up on the lands of the earth. And man and beast alike, that drew the breath of life, died, for the land was no more.
39. But the heirs of Noe suffered not; and the ships of the arc, whither the Lord had concealed them, rode upon the waters. And God made a wind to pass over the earth: and the fountains of the deep were stopped, and the rain of heaven restrained, and the ships of the arc borne upon dry land.
40. And the Lord God said: Behold, I will build a new earth and a new heaven. For these, my sons, have proven their faith in me. Neither will I again destroy the tribes of men because their hearts are set on evil. And the Lord God swore an oath by the bow of the arc, saying: This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. And by the sons of Noe was the whole earth overspread, and the Lord blessed the earth, and said: Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for man; even as the green herb I have given. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall men not eat.
41. For surely your blood of your lives will I require; of every beast will I require it; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man that feedeth on living flesh and blood.
42. And whosoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in my image made I man. And ye, be ye fruitful, and multiply, and bring forth abundantly in the earth, and inhabit it, for it is yours for perpetual generations.
43. Thus ended the words of Osiris. Te'in said: Because of flesh blood, thou art wise, my brother. Sudga said: Hereon hangeth the glory of our enterprise. For man being less restrained than in the Divan laws, will accept the new readily.
44. After this, Osiris prepared a book of generations of men on earth; and these were the substance of the doctrines of De'yus and his Gods. And Osiris and Te-in and Sudga departed, and came down to the earth, to their mortal wards, and by virtue of their presence inspired they their wards to write them in mortal words, according to the languages in the places where they lived. And they were so written by these seers; and copies of them were made and put on file in the libraries of the records of the kings and queens of the earth, in Arabin'ya, Jaffeth and Shem. And these became the bible of that day.
2. In all ye have done I acquiesce; neither have ye said aught that I would not have said, save that I desired not to laud myself with mine own mouth. And thus ended the matter, as to how mortals were taught to worship the names Lord and God, and Lord God, and Ho-Joss, and Joss, and De'yus, and Deity, and Dyaus, and Zeus, and various other names, according to the languages of the people of Jaffeth, and Vind'yu, and Arabin'ya, and Parsi'e, and Heleste. And thousands of millions of angels of the Lord God and his Gods, who were sent down to mortals, inspired them and taught them the same things through seers, and prophets, and magicians, and through other people, also, by dreams and visions.
3. And mortals were taught the secret of spiritually going out of their own corporeal bodies, and returning safely; and in this state they were taken subjectively to the kingdom of the Lord God, where they beheld him even as a man, sitting on a throne; and they saw the great glory of his kingdom, and beheld the worshippers, millions of them, glorifying De'yus, the false Lord God. And these persons became preachers on the earth; enthusiastically stirring men up on every hand to draw the sword and spear and sling to go forth in battle, to overthrow the doctrine of the Great Spirit and establish the De'yus.
4. And it came to pass that they thus accomplished the will of the Lord God in all these divisions of the earth. The Jehovians, being non-resistants, were powerless before them. Kings and queens on the earth accepted these doctrines, and they marshaled their armies in all directions to establish the Lord God, who had said unto them: As much as ye exalt me and my kingdoms, so will I exalt you. As I behold, ye are become wise and powerful to rule over many on the earth, so will I give unto you large kingdoms in heaven.
5. And the false Lord God and his false Gods prospered in earth and heaven, as to themselves and their kingdoms, hundreds of years, nine hundred years, and at this time the Faithists of the earth were reduced to a small fraction of people, mostly hid away, as sheep from wolves.
6. But in nine hundred and fifty years, behold, the worshippers of the Lord God, the false, began to quarrel and fight amongst themselves. Even as by blood they had established him, so by blood were the kings and queens of the earth overthrowing one another.
7. Because of the warfare, schools, and colleges, and houses of philosophy, were wasted away; the factories for spinning and weaving were destroyed, and the lands not tilled.
8. And now of the heavenly kingdoms of Anuhasaj and his Gods, this is what occurred, to wit: They had accumulated twenty-eight thousand millions of spirits, all of whom were servants to De'yus and his Gods. For the most part they were below grade ten, whilst three thousand millions were below grade five, which is helplessness.
9. Jehovih had so made men and angels that, whosoever had learned to abnegate self and to labor for the good of others, was already above grade fifty, and his ascension should be perpetual thereafter; whilst they that were below grade fifty, who had not put away self (satan), should gravitate downward, toward the earth. Wherein it had come to pass that the false Lord God and his false Gods were burdened with their kingdoms.
10. And though they were adorned to the utmost, having vast cities for their heavenly capitals, with millions of attendants, and millions of musicians, who were forever inventing new and wonderful music, and playing and singing, millions and millions in concert, with millions of trumpeters, near and far off, to fashion echoes beautiful to the ear; and though they had decorators forever inventing and changing their thousands of millions of flags and banners, and the ornaments for the pageantry; though they had millions of heavenly cities, built with heavenly precious stones and gems of splendor, and with roadways and streets paved with heavenly diamonds and pearls; and though they had tournaments, heavenly, and games, and rites and ceremonies, prostrations and salutations, without end, with great ships, heavenly, capable of coursing atmospherea in journeys and excursions, ships to carry hundreds of millions of angels, whose chief occupation was to sing and chant the glory and power and dominion of De'yus and his Gods; yea, though a large book could not contain a description of the thousandth part of their wonderful glory, yet each and every God began to see coming danger.
11. Jehovih had said: Two precipices have I left open for testing man's strength, and they are: great prosperity and great adversity.
12. And behold, satan came upon them in the guise of a good friend. First, he went to Anuhasaj and said unto him: Thou greatest of Gods! Who is like unto thee? Behold, I came to thee in the beginning, and told thee what to do, even to stretch forth thine hand, and heaven and earth should be thine forever, for thine own glory. And lo, it hath come on finely! Thou hast routed Jehovih and His hosts in heaven and earth; they are as a remnant skulking away. Hear me, then, O De'yus, for I will not only praise thee for what thou hast accomplished, but I will chide thee for thy failings.
13. De'yus said: Wherein have I failed, O satan? And satan answered, saying: Thou art too honest for thine own good; too pure for thine own benefit; too unsuspecting as regards thy Gods. Being thyself honest, thou hast easily attributed honesty unto others, and they have taken advantage of thee.
14. Anuhasaj said: How? Satan answered, saying: In the first, thou saidst to thy Gods: Maintain ye your schools, and colleges, and factories, and otherwise prepare the spirits of the dead unto resurrection. And as fast as they arrive at grade thirty, send ye them to my kingdom, that Hored may be glorified forever. But lo and behold, thy Gods used the angels as slaves, to build up the glory of their own kingdoms. They have suffered their heavenly places of education, for the most part, to be scattered and gone. Neither have they inspired mortals to instruction, as I warned thee at the first. And mortals have thrown aside their schools and colleges, and their places of art, and have become riotous, and given to gross living, and there is no resurrection in them. Which matters show thee that, soon or late, all the spirits of the earth will be of no grade at all, but as fetals and vampires to live on mortals.
15. De'yus said: Why are mortals become gross livers? Satan answered him, saying: Behold, in thine own revelation to mortals thou saidst to them: Partake not of fish, nor flesh, nor blood, for food, nor of anything that breatheth the breath of life. And now, behold what came to pass: Thy three Gods, whom thou hadst elevated and trusted, fell to and made other revelations, wherein they said: Partake of fish and flesh; for they desired to please mortals. And lo, it hath come to pass that man not only warreth for thee, but he warreth to the right and left, for it is in his blood, after the manner of beasts that feed on flesh. Thy Gods had no right to give this law unto man without first consulting thee, to know thy will and pleasure.
16. Anuhasaj said: Alas, it is true. What shall I do? Satan said: Thou shalt call thy Gods before thee and chide them in thine own way, and command them to go down to mortals and re-establish learning and industry, instead of war. Anuhasaj said: Even so shall they come and receive my reprimand. They shall know of a truth that I am the Lord their God.
17. Satan went to the other false Gods, every one separately, saying unto each: Hear me, O thou wisest of Gods, who shouldst in fact be at the all highest Godhead in heaven, because of thy great wisdom and integrity. Behold, I came to thee at the first and foretold thee how thy kingdom should become great and glorified; and even so hath it come to pass. When thou puttest forth thine hand to do a thing, it is done; for thou wert born into life different from all others, and for the highest of glories. And because of thy greatness, behold, all the Gods of heaven are jealous of thee and fear thee, all of which thou knowest of thine own knowledge. Now, whilst I accord this unto thee, I will also chide thee for thy shortness.
18. For, because thou art honest thyself, thou believest the same of others; wherefore thou art cheated and ill-used on all hands. In the first while, thou didst send thy highest grades to the Lord God, to be his; yea, thou hast robbed thine own kingdom of its finest and best subjects for the glory of De'yus. And who is De'yus more than thou? Is he not a coward? for he feared to give his own doctrines to mortals; but he abridged his words till they were worthless. And thou and thy fellow-Gods made his doctrines up in full for him! Yet thou servest him as if he were thy superior.
19. The false God said: Alas, it is true, with all my wisdom I have acted like a fool. Because I was too honest and pure for De'yus and his Gods, they have taken advantage of me. What shall I do? Satan said: I told thee at the first, that the time should come when thou shouldst rise to be higher than all other Gods. Behold, the time is near at hand when thou shalt strike the blow. Thou shalt not only have thine own kingdom, but the kingdoms of thy companion Gods; and even De'yus shall be tributary unto thee and thine.
20. The false God said: What shall I do? And satan answered, saying: De'yus will scent the danger to his kingdom, and he will summon his Gods for consultation. Be thou ready with thine answer unto him and them; not hastily, for such is the manner of the weak; but most deliberately, in high holiness of purpose, for the good of mortals and spirits.
21. Thus alike and like spake satan unto all the false Gods; and they nursed the planted seed; held it in the light and shade to see it grow, till it became the very giant of each one's understanding.
2. And in and around about the heavenly house of the capital were erected fifty thousand pillars of fire, kept forever going by the labor of his slaves, some of whom stood in their tracks laboring at one thing for more than a hundred years, without change of watch, or rest, being threatened with hell, and being too impotent to believe otherwise. None could walk upright to the throne of the Lord God save his high Council, his high marshals, and his Gods, and Anubi. And none else were permitted to look upon him, under penalty of being cast into hell.
3. At first his Gods came to feast with him once a year, for more than a hundred years; after that, for awhile, once in six years; and afterward, only once in fifty or a hundred years; and then only by special command.
4. So it came to pass that the coming of De'yus' false Gods was an occasion of rejoicing and glory to upward of twelve thousand million inhabitants of the kingdom of Anuhasaj. For, far and near, they were extra clothed and fed, and granted freedom for the time being.
5. On the last occasion referred to, the Gods were received by hundreds of millions, called the receiving hosts, in fire-ships of great size and brilliancy, and thus conducted up to the roadways of the court, nearer than which the receiving hosts dared not approach. There the Gods were met by De'yus' high Council and high marshals, and with them entered the area and walked up to the high arch of the capital, which led into the place of the throne of the Lord God. When inside of the Arch, the Council and marshals parted on either side, and, with the head bowed, chanted an anthem of praise to De'yus. The Gods also bowed with respect and friendship, and walked in the midst directly toward the throne.
6. When they were near at hand, the vice-Gods, on either side of De'yus, rose up, saying:
7. In the name of the Lord God of the heavens of the earth, who come here, upright, and as Gods?
8. The Gods responded: Behold, we are sons of the Lord God, great De'yus, and of a truth are we Gods! We demand audience with our Godhead, for the glory of our kingdoms and his.
9. De'yus said: Peace, O my vice-Gods! I do recognize these, my brother Gods. Greeting, in the name of heaven and earth.
10. The Gods responded: Greeting unto thee, O Lord God, mightiest of Gods. In thy mighty name, De'yus, we salute thee worshipfully, to know thy will and pleasure, that we may serve thee in wisdom, and power, and love.
11. De'yus said: Welcome, O ye Gods; the freedom of Sanc-tu is at your hands. Behold, I will clear my palace, that we may privily, and most holily, consult together for the good of angels and mortals.
12. Thereupon De'yus gave a signal for all his officers and attendants to retire beyond the Arch, the which they did. And now that the ceremony of reception was over, Anuhasaj came down from his throne and greeted the Gods cordially by clasping hands, after which they all sat down on the foot seats of the throne; and there were present De'yus, and Osiris, and Sudga, and no others within hearing; for Te-in had not come.
13. And for a while they talked together like long-separated friends; and lo and behold, the satan that was within each one of them began to fail him as regardeth reproving the others. For even the smothered seed of love which the Great Spirit had given them began to swell up, as if about to burst forth a mighty power. So the time passed on, and none dared approach the subject of his soul and resolution.
14. Till at last, De'yus, the most schooled in satan's cause, put an end to their old-time stories and trivial conversation; he said:
15. So much have I loved you both, and am now moved by your august presence, that with all my majesty and power I am weaker than a young child: who will unconcernedly reprove its own father. Or more I am like an old man that, in the absence of his child, findeth cause to quarrel with it; but on seeing it return, breaketh down utterly, and turneth from his previous grieving to an outburst of manifest love.
16. Osiris said: What can move thee to this seriousness, O De'yus? For even as thou hast spoken, so hast thou uttered the sentiment long heavily lain on my heart. But which now, in reverence to thee and thy great kingdoms, causeth me to melt down like snow in a summer's sun. Pray thee, go on!
17. Sudga said, As I live, ye twain, so far my superiors as before whom I am nothing, have spoken the very sentiment of my soul. Pray ye twain, go on; for so great is my love unto you, your most extravagant wish shall be answered by me, though I labor a thousand years to accomplish it.
18. Thereupon De'yus sweetly told his tale, even as satan had taught him. And then he bade Osiris speak his mind, and also Sudga speak his; which they did, even as satan had taught them their parts. When they had finished, De'yus, much surprised by their pitiful tales, even as the others were at his, thus spake:
19. My Gods, how easier it is to find fault with the state of affairs than to find a remedy. I have seen such as find fault with their neighbors, or with the kingdom, or ancients, and yet turned and accomplished the same faults themselves. We all do know that one of the complaints we had against the old Divan laws was their bondage over the Lords and their dominions, holding them to the letter. Whereupon, when we confederated, it was to give independence to each and every Lord to rule his own heaven and division of the earth in his own way. And this was granted unto all my Lords and unto me and my kingdom likewise. And behold where it hath harvested! In the fullness of my soul I gave you certain doctrines to give unto mortals, chief of which was to make my names worshipful on the earth. But I bound you not, saying: Do ye this, and no more. But I said unto you: Here is the substance of the foundations of my doctrines. Go ye unto mortals and teach them these things, adding or abridging according to your own wisdom.
20. And this ye accomplished, and added thereunto the temptation to mortals to become carnivorants, whereby the grades have fallen woefully. And now ye find fault with me for exacting a certain number of slaves annually of a certain grade; complaining that your own kingdoms are becoming flooded with drujas.
21. Osiris said: Hear me, O Lord my God, for I have labored for thee and thy kingdoms many a hundred years. Nor are my words in passion, but well considered; wherein, therefore, if I err, I ask no excuse on account of hastiness. First, then, that our confederation was founded to make a mighty kingdom, heavenly, having dominion over mortals on the whole earth; of which kingdom thou wert to be the chief and greatest glory, and ourselves second. To all of which our songs to this day bear testimony. But, as for songs or testimonies in the libraries of heaven, that our confederacy was founded chiefly to get rid of the Divan laws, I have not seen nor heard of one.
22. Sudga said: What I have done is done. I was commanded to a division of the earth, to subdue it unto De'yus, and I have so accomplished it. I have listened to your complaints, but neither hath offered a remedy. Ye twain are higher in rank and wisdom than I; when ye have spoken to the purpose I will also speak. For my part, I am thankful there are no Divan laws to bind me.
23. De'yus said: The remedy lieth in overturning the cause of the falls in the grades. For sake of glorifying themselves, my Gods have suffered places of learning and industry to fall to pieces, both in heaven and earth. There be such as give glory unto charity, and unto rites and ceremonies; but I say unto you, my Gods, Industry and Learning stand higher than charity or rites and ceremonies; especially so standeth industry that yieldeth profitable support.
24. Osiris said: Where, O Lord my God, lieth the difference betwixt that which is written or spoken? In thy opening words thou hast even now reiterated the bondage of the Divan laws over the Lords. And in the next breath thou sayest: I command you to re-establish the places of learning and industry.
25. Sudga said: Are not written laws less arbitrary than spoken ones? for we see them beforehand, and are not, therefore, shocked by the sudden audacity.
26. De'yus said: In either case is it not true that the highest in power and mightiest in the plans and arrangement of his kingdoms must either take jibes and insults from his inferiors, whom he hath lifted up and made what they are, or otherwise fall broken-hearted on the loss of their love and worship? For on all hands we behold, alas, beneficiaries are apt to turn like venemous serpents, and strike, even though the blow would send themselves into destruction.
27. Osiris said: That is most especially true, O De'yus, where the highest kingdoms owe their glory and greatness to those that have been subsidiary and built them up. None are so slow to see their danger as they that are exposed to it. There be such who, holding high places, if but their slaves knew who they were and how deceived, would bind them in knots and cast them into hell.
28. Sudga said: But in such cases is it not better, O my wise brothers, that the highest who have been raised up by the toil and industry of others, that labored to have them glorified, turn from their own glory and selfish ends, and divide up their ill-gotten kingdoms, and bestir their lazy carcasses by sending assistants to those that have them in their power?
29. De'yus said: Most wisely spoken, both my Gods. But how shall we teach apes and monkeys to know their masters? They crook their tails and squeal, imagining themselves great monarchs. Whereas, were they cut off from their masters, they would come to grief most ignominiously, or be the foremost plunged into torments.
30. Osiris said: Thou wisest of Gods, is it not most strange, wonderful, how better we can see others' shortness than our own? Nor are we much quicker to find a way to save them, which we oft could do were they not self-conceited fools, than to guard our arms, so that when they show the least sign to do us wrong, we inwardly swear within our souls to hurl them into hell.
31. Sudga said: O my loves, it is a sad reflection, when we survey mighty kingdoms at their quarrels, knowing that, if either dare lift a hand to destroy, we ourselves hold the key whereby they can be, both, stript of their highest subjects and their greatest glories, and left in the ruins of their own evil concocting. But the wise abide their time, and oft are fortified when others know not of it.
32. De'yus said: My most wise Gods, ye have spoken great wisdom. I will weigh your words and be governed accordingly. For your most holy visit I am honored above all I deserve.
33. Osiris said: Words cannot express my reverence for thy spoken words, O De'yus.
34. Sudga said: I am bowed with sorrow to leave the place of so much wisdom, love and power.
35. And now Osiris and Sudga stepped backward, four paces each, but separate from each other, with their heads still bowed. By a signal, the vice-Gods re-entered and stood beside the Gods, and then all, with heads bowed, raised their hands and saluted in the Sign Central Sun. De'yus answered them on the sign Music of the Satellites.
36. Slowly now, and with measured step, to low sweet music, backward, the Gods and vice-Gods crossed the area and passed the Arch, where the vice-Gods left them and returned within. But the Gods were now met by the high Council and high marshals and conducted to the entrance gate, where they left them, and they were received, Osiris and Sudga, by their hosts and reconducted to their ships, with great pomp and honor, and they at once set sail for their own heavenly kingdoms.
37. Now, in this whole proceeding, the Gods were all surprised that Te-in came not, nor, by messenger or otherwise, answered the summons; nor could one of them imagine the cause.