Book 4 (Part II)

84 Little Miss Muffett unquestionably represents Malkah; for she is unmarried. She is seated upon a "tuffet"; id est, she is the unregen- erate soul upon Tophet, the pit of hell. And she eats curds and whey, that is, not the pure milk of the mother, but milk which has undergone decomposition. But who is the spider? Verily herein is a venerable arcanum con- noted! Like all insects, the spider represents a demon. But why a spider? Who is this spider " who taketh hold with her hands, and is in King's Palaces "? The name of this spider is Death. It is the fear of death which first makes the soul aware of its forlorn condition. It would be interesting if tradition had preserved for us Miss Muffett's subsequent adventures. But we must proceed to consider the interpretation of the following rime : Little Jack Horner Sat in a corner, Eating a Christmas pie. He stuck in his thumb, And pulled out a plum, And said : "What a good boy am I! " In the interpretation of this remarkable poem there is a difference between two great schools of Adepts. One holds that Jack is merely a corruption of John, Ion, he who goes