The Chief Culprit in the Destruction of
All the Very Saintly Labors of Ashiata Shiemash

“As the basis of all their discussions they took, of course, the ‘truths’ indicated in the invention of Lentrohamsanin, this time expounded on what is called a papyrus that had been taken there by his great-grandson, and a copy of which almost every learned being who was then in Babylon carried in his pocket.

“For several months they discussed and argued, and as a result, they this time ‘split’ into parties; that is to say all the learned beings then in the city of Babylon split into two independent what are called ‘sections,’ under the following names:

“The first: ‘Section of Neomothists.’

“The second: ‘Section of Paleomothists.’

“Each of these sections of learned beings soon had its adherents from among the ordinary beings in the city of Babylon; and once again things would certainly have ended also with a civil war if the Persian king, hearing of it all, had not immediately ‘cracked’ them on their ‘learned noddles.’

“A number of these learned beings were executed by him, others were imprisoned with lice, and still others were dispatched to places, where even now, as Mullah Nassr Eddin would say, ‘French champagne’ could not be taken. Only a few of those who were clearly shown to have been occupied with all this, only because, as it is said there, they were ‘mad,’ were permitted to return to their own countries, and those among them who had taken no part whatever in ‘political-questions’ were not only also given full liberty to return to their native land, but by the order of the mentioned Persian king, their return to their native land was even accompanied with every kind of honor.

403