Now this
process of re-scription and personal rectification, pursued by various
individual sages from time to time, had the effect of preventing our
history from degenerating into absolute fable."
"I beg your pardon," said Doctor Ponnonner at this point, laying his
hand gently upon the arm of the Egyptian- "I beg your pardon, sir, but
may I presume to interrupt you for one moment?"
"By all means, sir," replied the Count, drawing up.
"I merely wished to ask you a question," said the Doctor. "You
mentioned the historian's personal correction of traditions respecting
his own epoch. Pray, sir, upon an average what proportion of these
Kabbala were usually found to be right?"
"The Kabbala, as you properly term them, sir, were generally
discovered to be precisely on a par with the facts recorded in the
un-re-written histories themselves;- that is to say, not one
individual iota of either was ever known, under any circumstances,
to be not totally and radically wrong."
"But since it is quite clear," resumed the Doctor, "that at least
five thousand years have elapsed since your entombment, I take it
for granted that your histories at that period, if not your traditions
were sufficiently explicit on that one topic of universal interest,
the Creation, which took place, as I presume you are aware, only about
ten centuries before."
"Sir!" said the Count Allamistakeo.
The Doctor repeated his remarks, but it was only after much
additional explanation that the foreigner could be made to
comprehend them.
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