The moving of a mountain is one of the miracles ascribed to Gregory
Thaumaturgus. Such stories are rife among the Mahomedans themselves. "I
know," says Khanikoff, "at least half a score of mountains which the
Musulmans allege to have come from the vicinity of Mecca."
Ramusio's text adds here: "All the Nestorian and Jacobite Christians from
that time forward have maintained a solemn celebration of the day on which
the miracle occurred, keeping a fast also on the eve thereof."
F. Goering, a writer who contributes three articles on Marco Polo to the
Neue Zuericher-Zeitung, 5th, 6th, 8th April, 1878, says: "I heard related
in Egypt a report which Marco Polo had transmitted to Baghdad. I will give
it here in connection with another which I also came across in Egypt.
"'Many years ago there reigned in Babylon, on the Nile, a haughty Khalif
who vexed the Christians with taxes and corvees. He was confirmed in his
hate of the Christians by the Khakam Chacham Bashi or Chief Rabbi of the
Jews, who one day said to him: "The Christians allege in their books that
it shall not hurt them to drink or eat any deadly thing. So I have
prepared a potion that one of them shall taste at my hand: if he does not
die on the spot then call me no more Chacham Bashi!" The Khalif
immediately sent for His Holiness the Patriarch of Babylon, and ordered
him to drink up the potion. The Patriarch just blew a little over the cup
and then emptied it at a draught, and took no harm. His Holiness then on
his side demanded that the Chacham Bashi should quaff a cup to the health
of the Khalif, which he (the Patriarch) should first taste, and this the
Khalif found only fair and right. But hardly had the Chacham Bashi put the
cup to his lips than he fell down and expired.' Still the Musulmans and
Jews thirsted for Christian blood. It happened at that time that a mass of
the hill Mokattani became loose and threatened to come down upon Babylon.
This was laid to the door of the Christians, and they were ordered to stop
it. The Patriarch in great distress has a vision that tells him summon the
saintly cobbler (of whom the same story is told as here) - the cobbler bids
the rock to stand still and it does so to this day. 'These two stories may
still be heard in Cairo' - from whom is not said. The hill that threatened
to fall on the Egyptian Babylon is called in Turkish Dur Dagh, 'Stay, or
halt-hill.' (L.c. April, 1878") - MS. Note, H. Y.
CHAPTER XI.
OF THE NOBLE CITY OF TAURIS.
Tauris is a great and noble city, situated in a great province called
YRAC, in which are many other towns and villages.
