the original jackal, Damanaka, of the Indian tale under the form of "his Moyleship."
The proper names of the books also bear traces of the phonetic detrition they have undergone, owing to the wear and tear of ages. A German scholar could easily fill this whole Introduction with a dissertation on these proper names.[1] I must content myself with one or two examples. Though I have called the stories throughout "the Fables of Bidpai," the name by which they are best known in the book itself they are attributed to the sage Sendebar. The reader might not think it, but this can be traced back to the same original as the name Bidpai. As thus: Bidpai was originally Baidaba,[2] and in the Arabic MS. used by the holy[3] Rabbi Joel, the diacritical points
- ↑ Most of Benfey's Introduction to the Old Syriac version is devoted to this subject, and most properly so, since it affords the crucial test of literary origin.
- ↑ It is doubtful whether the original was the Pehlevi Wedawaka (Noldeke) or the Sanskrit Vidyapati, "lord of knowledge" (Benfey). Other variants are Nadrab, Sendebar, Sanbader, Bundabet, Bendabel, Barduben, for which see Keith-Falconer, p. 271.
- ↑ I use this epithet on the same principle as a youthful friend of mine who, on being told by his nurse that she must not read stories on Sunday, replied, "But surely you may read holy Grimm." At the same time our only authority for attributing the Hebrew Version to Joel is the poor one of Doni.
