“Then we must serve ye last,” said Elisha, with a smile. But the others took not the matter so pleasantly; for since we have one common dish, which is handed round to the guests for them to take their food with their fingers, it is considered gross ill-breeding for a man not to perform the ceremony of washing before meals.
Then Elisha took a seat at the centre of the table, and said the grace before meals. Then he broke bread, and, dip[pg 103]ping a morsel into salt for each of the guests, he called his son to him to carry it round. When he saw that each of the guests had a piece of bread dipped in salt, Elisha recited the blessing on the bread, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, who bringest forth bread from the earth,” and all said “Amen.” And one of the guests said to Elisha, “I am glad we are not in Babylon.”
“How so, Phineas?” said Elisha to the man, who was well known at all feasts at that time in Jerusalem.
And Phineas said, “For there they only eat bread with their bread.”
“Nay, that would not suit thee, Phineas. Thou art no Nazarite;” and most of the guests who knew him laughed.
Then Elisha clapped his hands, and the slaves took round the first course of salted fish; then afterwards the cold baked meats—for, being the Sabbath, the food had been prepared the day before.
Then one of the guests said to one of the Galilæans, “Is it true that you allow fowl to be boiled in milk in your country?”
“Yes, truly; why not?” said the Galilæan.
“Is it not written thrice in the Law,” said the guest, “ ‘Thou shalt not seethe the kid in its mother’s milk’?”
“In our country,” said the Galilæan, “fowls give no milk.” And we all of us laughed, save only Jesus.