Emeth's testimony. This so beautiful. You have to read the whole book to understand who Emeth is. No good thing in Narnia is ever lost!
The others followed where the Dogs led them & found a young Calormene sitting under a chestnut tree beside a clear stream of water. It was Emeth. He rose at once & bowed gravely.
"Sir," he said to Peter, "I know not whether you are my friend or my foe, but I should count it my honour to have you for either. Has not one of the poets said that a noble friend is the best gift & a noble enemy the next best?"
"Sir," said Peter, "I do not know that there need be any war between you & us."
"Do tell us who you are & what's happened to you," said Jill.
"If there's going to be a story, let's all have a drink & sit down," barked the Dogs.
"We're quite blown."
"Well of course you will be if you keep tearing about the way you have done," said Eustace.
So the humans sat down on the grass. And when the Dogs had all had a very noisy drink out of the stream they all sat down, bolt upright, panting, with their tongues hanging out of their heads a little on one side to hear the story. But Jewel remained standing, polishing his horn against his side.
"Know, O Warlike Kings," said Emeth, "and you, O ladies whose beauty illuminates the universe, that I am Emeth the seventh son of Harpha Tarkaan of the city of Tehishbaan, Westward beyond the desert. I came lately into Narnia with 9 & 20 others under the command of Rishda Tarkaan Now when I first heard that we should march upon Narnia I rejoiced; for I had heard many things of your Land & desired greatly to meet you in battle. But when I found that we were to go in disguised as merchants (which is a shameful dress for a warrior & the son of a Tarkaan) & to work by lies & trickery, then my joy departed from me. And most of all when I found we must wait upon a Monkey, & when it began to be said that Tash & Aslan were one, then the world became dark in my eyes. For always since I was a boy I have served Tash & my great desire was to know more of him, if it might be, to look upon his face. But the name of Aslan was hateful to me.
"And, as you have seen, we were called together outside the straw-roofed hovel, night after night, & the fire was kindled, & the Ape brought forth out of the hovel something upon 4 legs that I could not well see. And the people & the Beasts bowed down & did honour to it. But I thought, the Tarkaan is deceived by the Ape: for this thing that comes out of the stable is neither Tash nor any other god. But when I watched the Tarkaan's face, & marked every word that he said to the Monkey, then I changed my mind: for I saw that the Tarkaan did not believe in it himself. And then I understood that he did not believe in Tash at all: for if he had, how could he dare to mock him?
"When I understood this, a great rage fell upon me & I wondered that the true Tash did not strike down both the Monkey & the Tarkaan with fire from heaven. Nevertheless I hid my anger & held my tongue & waited to see how it would end. But last night, as some of you know, the Monkey brought not forth the yellow thing but said that all who desired to look upon Tashlan - for so they mixed the 2 words to pretend that they were all one - must pass one by one into the hovel. And I said to myself, Doubtless this is some other deception. But when the Cat had followed in & had come out again in a madness of terror, then I said to myself, Surely the true Tash, whom they called on without knowledge or belief, has now come among us, & will avenge himself. And though my heart was turned into water inside me because of the greatness & terror of Tash, yet my desire was stronger than my fear, & I put force upon my knees to stay them from trembling, & on my teeth that they should not chatter, & resolved to look upon the face of Tash though he should slay me. So I offered myself to go into the hovel; & the Tarkaan, though unwillingly, let me go.
"As soon as I had gone in at the door, the first wonder was that I found myself in this great sunlight (as we all are now) though the inside of the hovel had looked dark from outside. But I had no time to marvel at this, for immediately I was forced to fight for my head against one of our own men. As soon as I saw him I understood that the Monkey & the Tarkaan had set him there to slay any who came in if he were not in their secrets: so that this man also was a liar & a mocker & no true servant of Tash. I had the better will to fight him; & having slain the villain, I cast him out behind me through the door.
"Then I looked about me & saw the sky & the wide lands, & smelled the sweetness. And I said, By the Gods, this is a pleasant place: it may be that I am come into the country of Tash. And I began to journey into the strange country & to seek him.
"So I went over much grass & many flowers & among all kinds of wholesome & delectable trees till lo! in a narrow place between 2 rocks there came to meet me a great Lion. The speed of him was like the ostrich, & his size was an elephant's; his hair was like pure gold & the brightness of his eyes like gold that is liquid in the furnace. He was more terrible than the Flaming Mountain of Lagour, & in beauty he surpassed all that is in the world even as the rose in bloom surpasses the dust of the desert. Then I fell at his feet & thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days & not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion & die than to be Tisroc of the world & live & not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head & touched my forehead with his tongue & said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom & understanding, I overcame my fear & questioned the Glorious One & said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou & Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) & said, It is false. Not because he & I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I & he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, & none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash & keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, & it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves & by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long & so truly. For all find what they truly seek.
"Then he breathed upon me & took away the trembling from my limbs & caused me to stand upon my feet. And after that, he said not much, but that we should meet again, & I must go further up & further in. Then he turned him about in a storm & flurry of gold & was gone suddenly.
"And since then, O Kings & Ladies, I have been wandering to find him & my happiness is so great that it even weakens me like a wound. And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me Beloved, me who am but as a dog -"
"Sir," he said to Peter, "I know not whether you are my friend or my foe, but I should count it my honour to have you for either. Has not one of the poets said that a noble friend is the best gift & a noble enemy the next best?"
"Sir," said Peter, "I do not know that there need be any war between you & us."
"Do tell us who you are & what's happened to you," said Jill.
"If there's going to be a story, let's all have a drink & sit down," barked the Dogs.
"We're quite blown."
"Well of course you will be if you keep tearing about the way you have done," said Eustace.
So the humans sat down on the grass. And when the Dogs had all had a very noisy drink out of the stream they all sat down, bolt upright, panting, with their tongues hanging out of their heads a little on one side to hear the story. But Jewel remained standing, polishing his horn against his side.
"Know, O Warlike Kings," said Emeth, "and you, O ladies whose beauty illuminates the universe, that I am Emeth the seventh son of Harpha Tarkaan of the city of Tehishbaan, Westward beyond the desert. I came lately into Narnia with 9 & 20 others under the command of Rishda Tarkaan Now when I first heard that we should march upon Narnia I rejoiced; for I had heard many things of your Land & desired greatly to meet you in battle. But when I found that we were to go in disguised as merchants (which is a shameful dress for a warrior & the son of a Tarkaan) & to work by lies & trickery, then my joy departed from me. And most of all when I found we must wait upon a Monkey, & when it began to be said that Tash & Aslan were one, then the world became dark in my eyes. For always since I was a boy I have served Tash & my great desire was to know more of him, if it might be, to look upon his face. But the name of Aslan was hateful to me.
"And, as you have seen, we were called together outside the straw-roofed hovel, night after night, & the fire was kindled, & the Ape brought forth out of the hovel something upon 4 legs that I could not well see. And the people & the Beasts bowed down & did honour to it. But I thought, the Tarkaan is deceived by the Ape: for this thing that comes out of the stable is neither Tash nor any other god. But when I watched the Tarkaan's face, & marked every word that he said to the Monkey, then I changed my mind: for I saw that the Tarkaan did not believe in it himself. And then I understood that he did not believe in Tash at all: for if he had, how could he dare to mock him?
"When I understood this, a great rage fell upon me & I wondered that the true Tash did not strike down both the Monkey & the Tarkaan with fire from heaven. Nevertheless I hid my anger & held my tongue & waited to see how it would end. But last night, as some of you know, the Monkey brought not forth the yellow thing but said that all who desired to look upon Tashlan - for so they mixed the 2 words to pretend that they were all one - must pass one by one into the hovel. And I said to myself, Doubtless this is some other deception. But when the Cat had followed in & had come out again in a madness of terror, then I said to myself, Surely the true Tash, whom they called on without knowledge or belief, has now come among us, & will avenge himself. And though my heart was turned into water inside me because of the greatness & terror of Tash, yet my desire was stronger than my fear, & I put force upon my knees to stay them from trembling, & on my teeth that they should not chatter, & resolved to look upon the face of Tash though he should slay me. So I offered myself to go into the hovel; & the Tarkaan, though unwillingly, let me go.
"As soon as I had gone in at the door, the first wonder was that I found myself in this great sunlight (as we all are now) though the inside of the hovel had looked dark from outside. But I had no time to marvel at this, for immediately I was forced to fight for my head against one of our own men. As soon as I saw him I understood that the Monkey & the Tarkaan had set him there to slay any who came in if he were not in their secrets: so that this man also was a liar & a mocker & no true servant of Tash. I had the better will to fight him; & having slain the villain, I cast him out behind me through the door.
"Then I looked about me & saw the sky & the wide lands, & smelled the sweetness. And I said, By the Gods, this is a pleasant place: it may be that I am come into the country of Tash. And I began to journey into the strange country & to seek him.
"Then he breathed upon me & took away the trembling from my limbs & caused me to stand upon my feet. And after that, he said not much, but that we should meet again, & I must go further up & further in. Then he turned him about in a storm & flurry of gold & was gone suddenly.
"And since then, O Kings & Ladies, I have been wandering to find him & my happiness is so great that it even weakens me like a wound. And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me Beloved, me who am but as a dog -"
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