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JOURNAL
AMERICAN ORIENTAL SOCIETY.
The Egyptian prototype of " King John and the Abbot." —
By Charles C. Tobbey, Professor in Andover Theologi-
cal Seminary, Andover, Mass.
One of the oldest Arahic historical works is Ibn 'Abd el-
Hakem's j^je —-*£»» or Conquest of Egypt, composed near the
middle of the ninth century A. D. Its author, 'Abd er-Rahman
ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd el-Hakem, a native of Egypt and the son
of a man of high rank, died in the year 257 A. H. (871 A. D.).
He was thus a contemporary of Ibn Sa'd (d. 230), Beladhori (d.
279), and Tabari (d. 310). His book, which is of about the same
extent as Beladhori's Futuh el-Buldan, is a collection of the
traditions relating to the Mohammedan conquest of Egypt, Africa,
and Spain. It thus furnishes a welcome supplement to the other
early Muslim histories and tradition collections, which give com-
paratively little space to these countries. Though containing a
great deal that is worthless, and written by one who possessed
few of the qualities of a good historian, it is, nevertheless, a work
of great importance. I hope soon to publish an edition of it
based on the three manuscripts in London and Paris, which I
have already copied and collated.
Although this Conquest of Egypt has been extensively used by
the later Mohammedan historians, yet it contains some very
interesting material which has apparently not been used by other
writers. An example of the kind is the accompanying anecdote,
which has never been published, and, if I am not mistaken, has
never been brought to the attention of occidental scholars.
In one of the introductory chapters of his book, Ibn 'Abd el-
Hakem gives a list of the Egyptian kings who reigned in Mem-
vol. xx. 14
210 C. C. Torrey, [1899.
phis, beginning with the grandson of Noah, and extending down
to the time when the country came under foreign rule. Most of
these kings are mentioned only by name ; a few, however, are the
subjects of more or less extended tradition or anecdote. One of
these latter is the king whom the historian identifies with Pha-
raoh Necho, of Old Testament fame (2 Kings xxiii. 29-35). The
spelling of the name of this king, in its Arabic form, varies con-
siderably ; the variation being plainly due to the fact that in the
oldest sources the diacritical points were usually omitted. In the
manuscripts of the Futuh Misr the name is generally unpointed.
Where points are given, the form is Baulah, & L j (attested
by all three manuscripts). Mas'udi (ed. Meynard, ii. 410) has
&jJL> > Abu 'I-Mahasin (ed. Juynboll, i. 67) has xjJLj, jJ*j, an( i
other (unpointed) forms ; Maqrizi (Bulaq, 1854, i. 143) and
Ya'qtibi (ed. Houtsma, i. 211) read jj«i > Naulah ; and so on.
The tradition relating to this king which is given by all these
historians — who derive it, apparently, from Ibn 'Abd el-Hakem —
is the following (quoted from the Futuh Misr) : I v . •<
*J L*-LjO mXij S&jJ\ £ l J-^* i ' &* *^fi (J^J r^* S ^ l* 4 ^
sJJtya x-U! nXxJLi liJbj ^h^j-* &*•! *«^» ^_jK ^j+* tXo.\ &*X*i
That is, though 'Baulah' was the most powerful ruler since
Rameses II., yet he was so wicked that God at length put a sud-
den end to his life ; or, more exactly, his horse threw him, and
the fall broke his neck. This is given by Ibn 'Abd el-Hakem as
the ' standard ' tradition as to the end of his reign. But he adds
another tradition, "derived, it is said, from a native sheikh
learned in such matters," according to which the king was
deposed by his own people. The story which then follows is a
most interesting one. Besides being an excellent example of that
1 Thus vocalized in the old and carefully written manuscript of the
British Museum.
Vol. xx.] Prototype of "King John and the Abbot." 2 1 1
class of popular tales in which the interest centers in the shrewd
answers given to a series of hard questions, it is plainly a genuine
bit of Coptic folk-lore, which had been current in the land long
before the Arab invasion. It has, moreover, as we shall see, some
striking parallels in the European folk-lore of the middle ages.
The Arabic text here given, which is now published for the first
time, is based on the excellent London manuscript of the Fkituh
Misr (MS. Brit. Mus. Stowe Or. 6; No. 520 in Rieu's Supplement).
,jT |^*JI Jjel ^ _^o Jjof ^_xi v>jU0 ^j-k-s^) JLS
Lfc£ Xj! dJi> } *Syl y2> Li! -»OJ0 Jjt>\ &*La. ^jJI PyJlisJ!
«j&i jAyM) olspll |*-^a-Lc- i^tt^ *^*» ^^-UJI oJ^ ,jjO} "'jW'
o^-CO ** U.LX jJ IjJliLi .vCsLifc! (fol- Ua) oo^ws LgJ ^^jjji'
jvS^ |»^s jy^ JL*Jj J^lo «JJf Jjub Lo ^)y+=>\ |V^J JUi
j«a i*^j Ji'j, (j^+jwLf! lJL^Lwo Lo >ljjw *5^ »L>**J! |<>kai oaa
ki>l<3 |V*Li*Ls iv^aJI y-^*J \j*y*j*&\ ^*^Lo^ ^•jl&.-j *j «jw *#
U-w-J JLiii luJdsy xjoI dLl+j i*LuiJt «JLwJ (jjuyo jUt sUli ajdLc*.
212 C. C. Torrey, [1899.
,j! Sv*i»-l» xJjJ J*£- Jj*-4> ^^Ajk ^yo JiJI JuJtt *j itLo xJ ua.^
>L***J! j.^si i^iXfc ^.* ^^jj*.! xJ JUu jut JL*. Lo jjlc sjoic
JLij XJtXj ,j.AJ S^Ai X*/o jjb' Juoj ( j^o LjLa. (j^yojUt _ yikLi
pXs JLs' SiX*J ,j»* wo JLs' viL^Jo Lo^ JLs' ! jj> OjkA Jul* ij
,j!}f UoIjaj' JLs *tM ^j\ ^s- *j.j J^^j^^&J! JliUJ Lo JtXJLo
Jjiaj Ui JLs xjj&.t (j >i!J<j> j*=»-Lo JyJJ! J! joojj J-»*j JuoL«Jt
J<£ XAiij! t _*a». «jl* „-jis-i Ij^ft dUi iiL>J xJ JU' -ws J.S'xJUl
Ji' sJJI JjtftJ aJ JLiii sjKjo ^wo JUI sjuts'l ^ jJ! x5t;Sj tX*-'
_s\j ltX» ^j| viU(> ^xij Loy»* o».£*^j L*jj' y«Jj Louis' J jo ,jT |»^j
J^a o^yr* v*"^-" ^) u*t*t s J** tU*j <Xfcl» ^LSKs^ ^
*J JLs L5"y |V^*«LJ ^jjo ^LJ ^a^ c)»«LJI v^ u^ *^
I^Lyo /^*-j-» oLuo JLotXjc ^^La-Lc (J^Lct <X» (jiki ( ^o (jiLi ,j(«
^ JLi^i 1 JLs Jo>.j il Lo p#doJ pXt fit Ja^JLtl J^i' >4JLJ jo
. *1&\ xJJI. jUu*r~w.J >iLLJI ^iU<\> &Zy£ *-'}•?
Translation.
One day the king, who, it seems, grudged his vezlrs their pay,
summoned them before him, and said to them : " I will ask of
you certain questions. If you can answer them for me, I will add
to your pay and increase your power; but if you fail to answer
them, I will cut off your heads." They replied, " Ask of us what-
ever you will." So he said : " Tell me these three things : First,
1 Thus pointed in the London MS.
Vol. xx.] Prototype of "King John and the Abbot." 213
What is the number of the stars in the heavens ? Second, What
sum of money does the sun earn daily, by his labor for each
human being ? Third, What does God almighty do, every day ? "
Not knowing what to answer, the vezlrs besought the king to give
them a little time, and he granted them a month's respite.
They used therefore to go every day outside the city of Mem-
phis, and stand in the shade of a potter's kiln ; ' where they would
consult together in hope of finding a solution of the difficulty they
were in. The potter, noticing this, came to them one day and
asked them what they were doing. They told him their story.
He replied: "Zcan answer the king's questions; but I have a
kiln here, and cannot afford to leave it idle. Let one of you sit
down and work in my place; and do you give me one of your
beasts to ride, and furnish me with clothing like your own."
They did as he asked.
Now there was in the city a certain prince, the son of a former
king, whom ill fortune had overtaken. To him the potter betook
himself, and proposed to him that he should try to regain his
father's throne. But he replied, "There is no way of getting
this fellow (meaning the king) outside of the city." " I will get
him out for you," answered the potter. So the prince collected
all his resources, and made ready.
Then the potter, in the guise of a vezir, went and stood before
King Baulah, and announced himself ready to answer the three
questions. " Tell me, then," said the king, " the number of the
stars in the sky." The potter produced a bag of sand which he had
brought, and poured it out before him, saying, " Here is just the
number. "How do you know?" demanded the king. "Order
some one to count it, and you will see that I have it right." The
king proceeded: "How much does the sun earn each day by his
work for each son of Adam?" He replied, "One qirat; for
the day-laborer who works from sunrise to sunset receives that
1 The word ^yoji , which is not found in any Arabic Lexicon, and
is all but unknown in Arabic literature, is apparently derived from
itepauevc, through the Coptic. The only other place where it occurs, a
passage in Ya'qubi's History (ed. Houtsma, ii. 489), to which attention
was first called by von Kremer, Lexicogr. Notizen, 1886, p. 21 (I am
indebted to Professor Macdonald for this reference), is in a narrative of
Upper Egypt ; and the word is there explained as meaning "a potter's
oven." In our story it is used both for the kiln and for the potter him-
self. I hope to discuss the word at length elsewhere.
214 C. C. Torrey, [1899.
amount." He then asked, " What does God almighty do every
day?" "That," answered the potter, "I will show you tomor-
row."
So on the morrow he went forth with the king from the city,
until they came to that one of the king's vezirs whom he had
made to sit down in his place. Then he said : " What God
almighty does every day is this; he humbles men, and exalts
men, and ends the life of men. To illustrate this : here is one of
your own vezirs sitting down to work in a potter's kiln ; while I,
a poor potter, am mounted on one of the royal beasts, and wear
the garments of the court. And further, such a one (naming the
rival prince) has just barred the gates of Memphis against you ! "
The king turned back in hot haste ; but lo ! the gates of the
city were already barred. Then the people, led by the young
prince, seized King Baulah, and deposed him. He went crazy ;
and used to sit by the gate of the city of Memphis, raving and
drivelling.
And that, adds the narrator, is the reason why a Copt, when
you say to him that which displeases him, replies, "You are
descended from Baulah on both sides of your family ! " meaning
the crazy king.
It remains to notice the European parallel already referred to.
No student of English literature who reads the foregoing story
can fail to observe the close resemblance which it bears to the
well-known Old English tale of King John and the Abbot of
Canterbury; a tale which appears in one form or another in
many parts of Europe.
In the English ballad, which Prof. Child has edited and anno-
tated, King John is introduced as a powerful but unjust ruler, who
" . . . . ruled England with maine and with might,
"For he did great wrong, and maintein'd little right."
He decides that his Abbot of Canterbury is much too rich and
prosperous, and announces his purpose to cut off his head; but
finally agrees to spare his life on condition of his answering three
questions which the king propounds. The questions are : 1. How
much am I, the king, worth ? 2. How long would it take me to
ride around the earth? 3. What am I thinking? The abbot
regards himself as a dead man ; but is finally rescued by a shep-
herd, who goes to the king disguised as the abbot, and answers
Vol. xx.] Prototype of "King John and the Abbot.''' 1 2J5
the three questions without difficulty. The king is worth twenty-
nine pence ; since Jesus Christ was valued at thirty. The ride
around the earth can be accomplished in just one day, by keeping
directly under the sun for that length of time. The answer to
the third question turns on the fact of the shepherd's disguise;
what the king 'thinks' is this, that the man speaking to him
is the Abbot of Canterbury, but he is in reality only a poor
shepherd.
For some account of the occurrence of this story, in the same
form or slightly varied, in the literature of many of the nations
of Europe, see the Introduction to the ballad of King John and
the Abbot of Canterbury, in Child's English and Scottish Ballads.
The most natural explanation of the appearance of such a tale
as this in the literature of these neighboring nations, English,
French, Spanish, Italian, German, Danish, is that it made its way
from one people to another by oral and literary transmission.
Examples of the kind have always been abundant.
But if I am not mistaken, the European forms of the story are
not only all derived from a common source, but their ultimate
source is the Egyptian tale. It is true that riddles and hard
questions have always played a prominent part in legend and
story ; that men in all parts .of the world think alike ; and that
tales of this general nature might easily appear quite independ-
ently of one another in widely remote places. But in the case
before us, the resemblances are too many and too close to be
merely accidental. The story of King John and the Abbot is
practically identical with that of King Baulah. It is not neces-
sary to argue this point, for the correspondence of the two ver-
sions, part by part, is sufficiently striking. The divergences, on the
other hand, are only such as we should expect to see. There is,
moreover, a fact bearing on the question of the literary transmis-
sion which is to be taken into account. This Futuh Misr of Ibn
'Abd el-Hakem contains one of the oldest and most interesting
narratives of the Mohammedan conquest of Spain, 1 as well as of
Egypt and Africa. It may therefore be taken as certain that it
was well known, and probably extensively circulated, among the
Spanish Arabs from the ninth century on. There would seem,
therefore, to be sufficient reason for concluding that the Egyptian
1 Published, with an English translation, by John Harris Jones,
Gottingen, 1858.
216 C. C. Torrey, "King John and the Abbot." 1899.
story of the King and the Potter was brought to Spain in Ibn
'Abd el-Hakem's history; that it became widely popular, and
ultimately made its way into all parts of Europe.
In conclusion, it may be interesting to notice a passage in the
Jewish Midrasb, recently brought to my attention by Professor
Siegmund Fraenkel, of Breslau, which closely resembles the third
question and answer of our story. In Bereshith Rabba § 68, 4
(ed. Wilna, fol. 133 d ), Rabbi Yose ben Khalaphta, being asked
what God has been doing since the time when he created the
world, replies, "He sits and makes ladders, for the purpose of
humbling this one and exalting that one, bringing down one and
raising up another (DHOl Hf 1 ? 'MJB'O HIO'TID TWXfr 3B>V
nf? VfrfflS) Pit"? ma Tt»- n This suggests that a popular
proverb was the basis of the two replies ; but it is possible that
the coincidence may be merely accidental. Professor Fraenkel,
in his mention of the Jewish parallel, refers to the periodical
"Germania (Pfeiffer), xxv. neue Reihe, 288, No. iv." This I
have not seen.
