“Lord bless you,” said one of the literati, “there is hardly any mention made of that nation in this world. The only nation considered is that marvellous people, the Jews.”
“The Jews!” said the Chinese; “those people then must certainly be masters of three parts of the globe at least.”
“They hope to be so some day,” answered the other; “but all we have here are those peddlers you see going about with toys and nic-nacs, and who sometimes do us the honor to clip our gold and silver.”
“Surely you are not serious,” exclaimed the Chinese. “Could those people ever have been in possession of a vast empire?”
Here I joined in the conversation, and told him that for a few years they were in possession of a small country to themselves; but that we were not to judge of a people from the extent of their dominions, any more than of a man by his riches.
“But does not this book take notice of some other nations?” demanded the man of letters.
“Undoubtedly,” replied a learned gentleman who stood at my elbow; “it treats largely of a small country about sixty leagues wide, called Egypt, in which it is said that there is a lake of one hundred and fifty leagues in circumference, made by the hands of man.”
“My God!” exclaimed the Chinese, “a lake of one hundred and fifty leagues in circumference within a spot of ground only sixty leagues wide. This is very curious!”
“The inhabitants of that country,” continued the doctor, “were all sages.”
“What happy times were those!” cried the Chinese; “but is that all?”