ABSTRACT
Now I will tell a tale of long ago, How first the Faith began, and how it grew To full perfection; yea, and I will tell How next it withered, till it hath become E’en as a faded garment. After this I have for thee a very gem of knowledge Which thou canst gain, if thou wilt heed my words, A knowledge copious, to scour the heart Of stain and rust, and make it clean and bright. True is my knowledge, clear and eloquent, Precious as pearls and rubies of great price; By Grace Divine I indicate the truth, Being taught by God Himself, for that I live Within an age become exceeding strange, Cruel, and terrible, wherein we need Most urgently a statement of our faith And intellectual arguments thereto: Islam hath been most nobly eulogized— As mourners praise the dear, departed dead!
