‘How do you know it?’
‘We know very well.’
‘Would you take your oath of it, brother—your bodily oath?’
‘Why, I think I might, Jasper!’
‘Did you ever see the soul, brother?’
‘No, I never saw it.’
‘Then how could you swear to it? A pretty figure you would make in a court of justice, to swear to a thing which you never saw. Hold up your head, fellow. When and where did you see it? Now upon your oath, fellow, do you mean to say that this Roman stole the donkey’s foal? Oh, there’s no one for cross-questioning like Counsellor P---. Our people when they are in a hobble always like to employ him, though he is somewhat dear. Now, brother, how can you get over the “upon your oath, fellow, will you say that you have a soul?”’
‘Well, we will take no oaths on the subject; but you yourself believe in the soul. I have heard you say that you believe in dukkerin; now what is dukkerin but the soul science?’
‘When did I say that I believed in it?’
‘Why, after that fight, when you pointed to the bloody mark in the cloud, whilst he you wot of was galloping in