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diff --git a/old/62868-0.txt b/old/62868-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c9f459f..0000000 --- a/old/62868-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2313 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Oriental tales, for the entertainment of -youth, by Anonymous - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth - Selected from the most eminent English writers - -Author: Anonymous - -Release Date: August 6, 2020 [EBook #62868] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ORIENTAL TALES FOR ENTERTAINMENT OF YOUTH *** - - - - -Produced by Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: FRONTISPIECE - -“A certain Cham of Tartary going a progress with his nobles, was met by -a Dervise, who cried with a loud voice,”—“Whoever will give me a hundred -pieces of gold, I will give him a piece of advice.”——Page 13.] - - - - - ORIENTAL TALES, - FOR THE - _ENTERTAINMENT OF YOUTH_: - - SELECTED FROM THE - MOST EMINENT ENGLISH WRITERS. - - _LONDON_: - PRINTED AND SOLD BY R. HARRILD, - _No. 20, Great Eastcheap_. - 1814 - - - - -ORIENTAL TALES. - - - - -THE MERCHANT AND HIS SONS. - - -A certain merchant had two sons, the eldest of whom was of so bad a -disposition as to behave with great hatred and ill-nature towards the -younger, who was of a temper more mild and gentle. It happened that the -old gentleman, after having acquired a large estate by his trade, left it -by his will to his eldest son, together with all his ships and stock in -merchandize, desiring him to continue in the business, and support his -brother. - -The father was no sooner dead than the elder began to shew his ill-will -to his brother. He desired him to leave his house, and, without giving -him any thing for his support, turned him loose into the wide world. The -young man was much dejected with this treatment; but, considering that -in his father’s life-time he had acquired some knowledge of business, he -applied to a neighbouring merchant, offering to serve him in the way of -trade. - -The merchant received him into his house, and finding from long -experience that he was prudent, virtuous, and diligent in his business, -gave him his daughter and only child in marriage, and, when he died, -bequeathed to him his whole fortune. The young man, after the death of -his father-in-law, retired with his wife into a distant part of the -country, where he purchased a fine estate, with a splendid dwelling; and -there he lived with great credit and reputation. - -The elder brother, after the father’s death, for some time had great -success in trade. At length, however, a violent storm tore to pieces many -of his ships, which were coming home richly laden. About the same time -some persons failing, who had much of their money in his hands, he was -reduced to great want. To complete his misfortunes, the little which he -had left at home was consumed by a sudden fire, which burnt his house, -and every thing in it; so that he was brought into a state of beggary. - -In this forlorn condition, he had no other resource to keep himself from -starving than to wander up and down the country, imploring the assistance -of well-disposed persons. It happened one day, that having travelled many -miles, and obtained but little relief, he saw a gentleman walking in the -fields, not far from a fine seat. To this gentleman he addressed himself, -and having laid before him his misfortunes and his present necessitous -condition, he earnestly entreated him to grant him some assistance. The -gentleman, who happened to be no other than his own brother, did not -at first know him; but after some discourse with him, he perceived who -he was. At first, however, he did not make it appear that he had any -knowledge of him, but brought him home, and ordered his servants to take -care of him, and furnish him for that night with lodgings and victuals. - -In the mean time he resolved to discover himself to his brother next -morning, and offer him a constant habitation in his house, after he had -got the consent of his wife to the proposal. Accordingly, next morning, -he ordered the poor man to be sent for. When he was come into his -presence, he asked if he knew him. The poor man answered, he did not. I -am, said he, bursting into tears, your only brother! and immediately fell -on his neck, and embraced him with great tenderness. The elder, quite -astonished at this accident, fell to the ground, and began to make many -excuses, and to beg pardon for his former cruel behaviour. To whom the -other answered, “Brother, let us forget those things; I heartily forgive -you all that is past; you need not range up and down the world; you shall -be welcome to live with me.” He readily accepted the proposal, and they -lived together with great comfort and happiness till death. - - - - -STORY OF MENCIUS. - - -As Mencius, the philosopher, was travelling in pursuit of wisdom, -night overtook him at the foot of a gloomy mountain, remote from the -habitations of men. Here, as he was straying, (while rain and thunder -conspired to make solitude still more hideous) he perceived a hermit’s -cell, and approaching, asked for shelter. “Enter,” cries the hermit in a -severe tone; “men deserve not to be obliged; but it would be imitating -their ingratitude to treat them as they deserve. Come in: examples of -vice may sometimes strengthen us in the ways of virtue.” - -After a frugal meal, which consisted of roots and tea, Mencius could not -repress his curiosity to know why the hermit had retired from mankind, -whose actions taught the truest lessons of wisdom. “Mention not the -name of man,” cried the hermit with indignation; “here let me live -retired from a base ungrateful world; here, in the forest I shall find -no flatterers. The lion is an open enemy, and the dog a faithful friend; -but man, base man, can poison the bowl, and smile when he presents it.” -“You have then been used ill by mankind?” interrupted the philosopher -drily. “Yes,” replied the hermit; “on mankind I have exhausted my whole -fortune; and this staff, that cup, and those roots, are all that I have -in return.”—“Did you bestow your fortune among them, or did you only -lend it?” returned Mencius. “I bestowed it, undoubtedly,” replied the -other; “for where were the merit of being a money lender?”—“Did they -ever own that they received your benefits?” still adds the philosopher. -“A thousand times,” cries the hermit; “they every day loaded me with -professions of gratitude for favours received, and solicitations for -future ones.”—“If, then, (says Mencius smiling) you did not lend -your fortune in order to have it returned, it is injustice to accuse -them of ingratitude; they owned themselves obliged; you expected no -more; and they certainly earn a favour who stoop to acknowledge the -obligation.”—The hermit was struck with the reply; and, surveying -his guest with emotion, “I have heard of the great Mencius, and thou -certainly art the man. I am now fourscore years old, but still a child -in wisdom; take me back to the world, and educate me as one of the most -ignorant, and youngest, of thy disciples.” - - - - -THE STORY OF SCHACABAC. - - -Schacabac being reduced to great poverty, and having eat nothing for two -days together, made a visit to a noble Barmecide, in Persia, who was very -hospitable, but withal a great humourist.—The Barmecide was sitting at -his table, that seemed ready covered for an entertainment. Upon hearing -Schacabac’s complaint, he desired him to sit down and fall on. He then -gave him an empty plate, and asked him how he liked his rice-soup. -Schacabac, who was a man of wit, and resolved to comply with the -Barmecide in all his humours, told him it was admirable, and at the same -time, in imitation of the other, lifted up the empty spoon to his mouth -with great pleasure. The Barmecide then asked him if he ever saw whiter -bread? Schacabac, who saw neither bread nor meat, If I did not like it, -you may be sure, says he, I should not eat so heartily of it. You oblige -me mightily, replied the Barmecide, pray let me help you to this leg of -goose. Schacabac reached out his plate, and received nothing on it with -great chearfulness. As he was eating very heartily of this imaginary -goose, and crying up the sauce to the skies, the Barmecide desired him to -keep a corner of his stomach for a roasted lamb, fed with pistachio-nuts, -and after having called for it, as though it had really been served up, -Here is a dish, says he, that you will see at nobody’s table but my own. -Schacabac was wonderfully delighted with the taste of it, which is like -nothing, says he, I ever eat before. Several other nice dishes were -served up in idea, which both of them commended, and feasted on after the -same manner. This was followed by an invisible desert, no part of which -delighted Schacabac so much as a certain lozenge, which the Barmecide -told him was a sweet-meat of his own invention. Schacabac at length, -being courteously reproached by the Barmecide, that he had no stomach, -and that he eat nothing, and at the same time being tired with moving his -jaws up and down to no purpose, desired to be excused, for that really -he was so full that he could not eat a bit more. Come, then, says the -Barmecide, the cloth shall be removed, and you shall taste of my wines, -which I may say, without vanity, are the best in Persia. He then filled -both their glasses out of an empty decanter. Schacabac would have excused -himself from drinking so much at once, because he said he was a little -quarrelsome in his liquor; however, being prest to it, he pretended -to take it off, having before-hand praised the colour, and afterwards -the flavour. Being plied with two or three other imaginary bumpers of -different wines equally delicious, and a little vexed with this fantastic -treat, he pretended to grow fluttered, and gave the Barmecide a good -box on the ear; but immediately recovering himself, Sir, says he, I beg -ten thousand pardons, but I told you before, that it was my misfortune -to be quarrelsome in my drink. The Barmecide could not but smile at the -humour of his guest, and instead of being angry with him, I find, says -he, thou art a complaisant fellow, and deservest to be entertained in my -house. Since thou canst accommodate thyself to my humour, we will now -eat together in good earnest. Upon which calling for his supper, the -rice-soup, the goose, the pistachio-lamb, the several other nice dishes, -with the desert, the lozenges, and all the variety of Persian wines, were -served up successively one after another; and Schacabac was feasted, in -reality, with those very things which he had before been entertained -within imagination. - - - - -HAMET AND RASCHID. - - -When the plains of India were burnt up by a long continuance of drought, -Hamet and Raschid, two neighbouring shepherds, faint with thirst, stood -at the common boundary of their grounds, with their flocks and herds -panting round them, and in extremity of distress prayed for water. -On a sudden the air was becalmed, the birds ceased to chirp, and the -flocks to bleat. They turned their eyes every way, and saw a being of -mighty stature advancing through the valley, whom they knew upon his -nearer approach to be the Genius of Distribution. In one hand he held -the sheaves of plenty, and in the other, the sabre of destruction. -The shepherds stood trembling, and would have retired before him; but -he called to them with a voice gentle as the breeze that plays in the -evening among the spices of Sabæa: “Fly not from your benefactor, -children of the dust! I am come to offer you gifts, which only your own -folly can make vain. You here pray for water, and water I will bestow; -let me know with how much you will be satisfied: speak not rashly; -consider, that of whatever can be enjoyed by the body, excess is no less -dangerous than scarcity. When you remember the pain of thirst, do not -forget the danger of suffocation. Now, Hamet, tell me your request.” - -“O Being, kind and beneficent,” says Hamet, “let thine eye pardon my -confusion. I entreat a little brook, which in summer shall never be dry, -and in winter never overflow.” “It is granted,” replies the Genius; and -immediately he opened the ground with his sabre, and a fountain bubbling -up under their feet, scattered its rills over the meadows; the flowers -renewed their fragrance, the trees spread a greener foilage, and the -flocks and herds quenched their thirst. - -Then turning to Raschid, the Genius invited him likewise to offer his -petition. “I request,” says Raschid, “that thou wilt turn the Ganges -through my grounds, with all his waters, and all their inhabitants.” -Hamet was struck with the greatness of his neighbour’s sentiments, and -secretly repined in his heart, that he had not made the same petition -before him; when the Genius spoke, “Rash man, be not insatiable! -remember, to thee that is nothing which thou canst not use; and how are -thy wants greater than the wants of Hamet?” Raschid repeated his desire, -and pleased himself with the mean appearance that Hamet would make in the -presence of the proprietor of the Ganges. The Genius then retired towards -the river, and the two shepherds stood waiting the event. As Raschid was -looking with contempt upon his neighbour, on a sudden was heard the roar -of torrents, and they found by the mighty stream that the mounds of the -Ganges were broken. The flood rolled forward into the lands of Raschid, -his plantations were torn up, his flocks overwhelmed, he was swept away -before it, and a crocodile devoured him. - - - - -THE CHAM AND THE DERVISE. - - -A certain Cham of Tartary going a progress with his nobles, was met by -a Dervise, who cried with a loud voice, _whoever will give me a hundred -pieces of gold, I will give him a piece of advice_. The Cham ordered him -the sum: upon which the Dervise said, _begin nothing of which thou hast -not well considered the end_. - -The courtiers upon hearing this plain sentence, smiled, and said with -a sneer, “The dervise is well paid for his maxim.” But the king was so -well satisfied with the answer, that he ordered it to be written in -golden letters in several places of his palace, and engraved on all his -plate. Not long after, the king’s surgeon was bribed to kill him with a -poisoned lancet at the time he let him blood. One day, when the king’s -arm was bound, and the fatal lancet in the surgeon’s hand, he read on -the bason, _begin nothing of which thou hast not well considered the -end_. He immediately started, and let the lancet fall out of his hand. -The king observed his confusion, and enquired the reason: the surgeon -fell prostrate, confessed the whole affair, and was pardoned, and the -conspirators died. The Cham, turning to his courtiers who heard the -advice with contempt, told them, “that counsel could not be too much -valued, which had saved a king’s life.” - - - - -THE STORY OF OMAR. - - -Omar, the hermit of the mountain Aubukabis, which rises on the east of -Mecca, and overlooks the city, found one evening a man sitting pensive -and alone, within a few paces of his cell. Omar regarded him with -attention, and perceived that his looks were wild and haggard, and that -his body was feeble and emaciated: the man also seemed to gaze stedfastly -on Omar; but such was the abstraction of his mind, that his eye did not -immediately take cognizance of its object. In the moment of recollection -he started as from a dream, he covered his face in confusion, and bowed -himself to the ground.—“Son of affliction,” said Omar, “who art thou, -and what is thy distress?” “My name,” replied the stranger, “is Hassan, -and I am a native of this city: the Angel of adversity has laid his hand -upon me; and the wretch whom thine eye compassionates, thou canst not -deliver.” “To deliver thee,” said Omar, “belongs to Him only, from whom -we should receive with humility both good and evil; yet hide not thy life -from me; for the burthen which I cannot remove, I may at least enable -thee to sustain.” Hassan fixed his eyes upon the ground, and remained -some time silent; then fetching a deep sigh, he looked up at the hermit, -and thus complied with his request. - -It is now six years since our mighty lord the Calif Almalic, whose -memory be blessed, first came privately to worship in the temple of the -holy city. The blessings which he petitioned of the Prophet, as the -Prophet’s vicegerent, he was diligent to dispense; in the intervals of -his devotion, therefore, he went about the city, relieving distress, -and restraining oppression: the widow smiled under his protection, and -the weakness of age and infancy was sustained by his bounty. I, who -dreaded no evil but sickness, and expected no good beyond the reward of -my labour, was singing at my work, when Almalic entered my dwelling. -He looked round with a smile of complacency; perceiving that though -it was mean, it was neat, and that though I was poor, I appeared to -be content. As his habit was that of a pilgrim, I hastened to receive -him with such hospitality as was in my power; and my cheerfulness was -rather increased than restrained by his presence. After he had accepted -some coffee, he asked me many questions; and though by my answers I -always endeavoured to excite him to mirth, yet I perceived that he grew -thoughtful, and eyed me with a placid but fixed attention. I suspected -that he had some knowledge of me, and therefore inquired his country and -his name. “Hassan,” said he, “I have raised thy curiosity, and it shall -be satisfied: he who now talks with thee is Almalic, the sovereign of -the faithful, whose seat is the throne of Medina, and whose commission -is from above.” These words struck me dumb with astonishment, though I -had some doubt of their truth: but Almalic, throwing back his garment, -discovered the peculiarity of his vest, and put the royal signet upon his -finger. I then started up, and was about to prostrate myself before him, -but he prevented me: “Hassan,” said he, “forbear; thou art greater than -I, and from thee I have at once derived humility and wisdom.” I answered, -“Mock not thy servant, who is but as a worm before thee; life and death -are in thy hand, and happiness and misery are the daughters of thy -will.” “Hassan,” he replied, “I can no otherwise give life or happiness -than by not taking them away: thou art thyself beyond the reach of my -bounty, and possessed of felicity which I can neither communicate nor -obtain.—My influence over others fills my bosom with perpetual solicitude -and anxiety; and yet my influence over others extends only to their -vices, whether I would reward or punish. By the bow-string, I can repress -violence and fraud; and by the delegation of my power, I can transfer the -insatiable wishes of avarice and ambition from one object to another; -but with respect to virtue, I am impotent: if I could reward it, I would -reward it in thee. Thou art content, and hast therefore neither avarice -nor ambition: to exalt thee, would destroy the simplicity of thy life, -and diminish that happiness which I have no power either to increase -or continue.” He then rose up, and, commanding me not to disclose his -secret, departed. - -As soon as I recovered from the confusion and astonishment in which the -Calif left me, I began to regret that my behaviour had intercepted his -bounty; and accused of folly, that cheerfulness which was the concomitant -of poverty and labour. I now repined at the obscurity of my station, -which my former insensibility had perpetuated: I neglected my labour, -because I despised the reward; I spent the day in idleness, forming -romantic projects to recover the advantages which I had lost; and at -night, instead of losing myself in that sweet and refreshing sleep, from -which I used to rise with new health, cheerfulness, and vigour, I dreamt -of splendid habits and a numerous retinue, of gardens, palaces, eunuchs, -and women, and waked only to regret the illusions that had vanished. My -health was at length impaired by the inquietude of my mind; I sold all -my moveables for subsistence: and reserved only a mattrass, upon which I -sometimes lay from one night to another. - - - - -THE STORY OF OMAR. - -(CONCLUDED.) - - -In the first moon of the following year, the Calif came again to Mecca, -with the same secrecy, and for the same purposes. He was willing once -more to see the man, whom he considered as deriving felicity from -himself. But he found me, not singing at my work, ruddy with health, and -vivid with cheerfulness; but pale and dejected, sitting on the ground, -and chewing opium, which contributed to substitute the phantoms of -imagination for the realities of greatness. He entered with a kind of -joyful impatience in his countenance, which, the moment he beheld me, was -changed to a mixture of wonder and pity. I had often wished for another -opportunity to address the Calif; yet I was confounded at his presence, -and throwing myself at his feet, I laid my hand upon my head, and was -speechless. “Hassan,” said he, “what canst thou have lost, whose wealth -was the labour of thy own hand; and what can have made thee sad, the -spring of whose joy was in thy own bosom?—What evil has befallen thee? -Speak, and if I can remove it, thou art happy.” I was now encouraged -to look up, and I replied, “Let my Lord forgive the presumption of his -servant, who rather than utter a falsehood, would be dumb for ever. I am -become wretched by the loss of that which I never possessed: thou hast -raised wishes which indeed I am not worthy thou shouldst satisfy: but why -should it be thought, that he who was happy in obscurity and indigence, -would not have been rendered more happy by eminence and wealth?” - -When I had finished this speech, Almalic stood some moments in suspense, -and I continued prostrate before him. “Hassan,” said he, “I perceive, not -with indignation but regret, that I mistook thy character; I now discover -avarice and ambition in thy heart, which lay torpid only because their -objects were too remote to rouse them. I cannot, therefore, invest thee -with authority, because I would not subject my people to oppression; and -because I would not be compelled to punish thee for crimes which I first -enabled thee to commit. - -“But as I have taken from thee that which I cannot restore, I will -at least gratify the wishes that I excited, lest thy heart accuse me -of injustice, and thou continue still a stranger to thyself. Arise, -therefore, and follow me.” I sprung from the ground as it were with -the wing of an eagle; I kissed the hem of his garment in an extasy of -gratitude and joy; and when I went from my house, my heart leaped as -if it had escaped from the den of a lion. I followed Almalic to the -caravansary in which he lodged; and after he had fulfilled his vows, he -took me with him to Medina. He gave me an apartment in the seraglio; I -was attended by his own servants; my provisions were sent from his own -table; and I received every week a sum from his treasury, which exceeded -the most romantic of my expectations. But I soon discovered, that no -dainty was so tasteful, as the food to which labour procured an appetite; -no slumbers so sweet as those which weariness invited; and no time so -well enjoyed, as that in which diligence is expecting its reward. I -remembered these enjoyments with regret; and while I was sighing in the -midst of superfluities, which though they encumbered life, yet I could -not give up, they were suddenly taken away. - -Almalic, in the midst of the glory of his kingdom, and in the full vigour -of his life, expired suddenly in the bath; such, thou knowest, was the -destiny which the Almighty had written upon his head. - -His son Aububeker, who succeeded to the throne, was incensed against -me, by some who regarded me at once with contempt and envy: he suddenly -withdrew my pension, and commanded that I should be expelled the -palace; a command which my enemies executed with so much rigour, that -within twelve hours I found myself in the streets of Medina, indigent -and friendless, exposed to hunger and derision, with all the habits of -luxury, and all the sensibility of pride. O! let not thy heart despise -me, thou whom experience hast not taught, that it is misery to lose that -which it is not happiness to possess. O! that for me, this lesson had not -been written on the tablets of Providence! I have travelled from Medina -to Mecca: but I cannot fly from myself. How different are the states in -which I have been placed! The remembrance of both is bitter; for the -pleasures of neither can return. Hassan, having thus ended his story, -smote his hands together, and looking upwards, burst into tears. - -Omar, having waited till this agony was past, went to him, and taking him -by the hand, “My son,” said he, “more is yet in thy power than Almalic -could give, or Aububeker take away. The lesson of thy life the Prophet -has in mercy appointed me to explain. - -“Thou wast once content with poverty and labour, only because they were -become habitual, and ease and affluence were placed beyond thy hope; for -when ease and affluence approached thee, thou wast content with poverty -and labour no more. That which then became the object, was also the bound -of thy hope; and he, whose utmost hope is disappointed, must inevitably -be wretched. If thy supreme desire had been the delights of Paradise, and -thou hadst believed that by the tenor of thy life these delights had been -secured, as more could not have been given thee, thou wouldst not have -regretted that less was not offered. The content which was once enjoyed -was but the lethargy of the soul; and the distress which is now suffered, -will but quicken it to action. Depart, therefore, and be thankful for all -things: put thy trust in Him, who alone can gratify the wish of reason, -and satisfy the soul with good: fix thy hope upon that portion, in -comparison of which the world is as the drop of the bucket, and the dust -of the balance. Return, my son, to thy labour; thy food shall be again -tasteful, and thy rest shall be sweet: to thy content also will be added -stability, when it depends not upon that which is possessed upon earth, -but upon that which is expected in Heaven.” - -Hassan, upon whose mind the Angel of instruction impressed the counsel of -Omar, hastened to prostrate himself in the temple of the Prophet. Peace -dawned upon his mind like the radiance of the morning: he returned to his -labour with cheerfulness; his devotion became fervent and habitual: and -the latter days of Hassan were happier than the first. - - - - -STORY OF A DERVISE. - - -A Dervise, travelling through Tartary, went into the king’s palace by -mistake, as thinking it to be a public inn, or caravansary. Having -looked about him for some time, he entered into a long gallery, where he -laid down his wallet, and spread his carpet, in order to repose himself -upon it, after the manner of the eastern nations. - -He had not been long in this posture before he was discovered by some -of the guards, who asked him what was his business in that place? The -dervise told them that he intended to take up his night’s lodging in that -caravansary. The guards told him, in a very angry manner, that the house -he was in was not a caravansary, but the king’s palace. It happened that -the king himself passed through the gallery during this debate; and, -smiling at the mistake of the dervise, asked him how he could possibly be -so dull as not to distinguish a palace from a caravansary. - -Sir, says the dervise, give me leave to ask your majesty a question or -two. Who were the persons that lodged in this house when it was first -built? The king replied, his ancestors. And who, says the dervise, was -the last person that lodged here? The king replied, his father. And who -is it, says the dervise, that lodges here at present? The king told him -that it was himself. And who, says the dervise, will be here after you? -The king answered, the young prince his son. “Ah, Sir,” said the dervise, -“a house that changes its inhabitants so often, and receives such a -perpetual succession of guests, is not a palace, but a caravansary.” - - - - -OMAR’S PLAN OF LIFE. - - -Omar, the son of Hassan, had passed seventy-five years in honour and -prosperity. The favour of three successive califs had filled his house -with gold and silver; and whenever he appeared, the benedictions of the -people proclaimed his passage. - -Terrestrial happiness is of short continuance. The brightness of the -flame is wasting its fuel; the fragrant flower is passing away in its own -odours. The vigour of Omar began to fail, the curls of beauty fell from -his head, strength departed from his hands, and agility from his feet. -He gave back to the calif the keys of trust, and the seals of secrecy; -and sought no other pleasure for the remains of life than the converse of -the wise, and the gratitude of the good. - -The powers of his mind were yet unimpaired. His chamber was filled by -visitants, eager to catch the dictates of experience, and officious to -pay the tribute of admiration. Caled, the son of the viceroy of Egypt, -entered every day early, and retired late. He was beautiful and eloquent; -Omar admired his wit and loved his docility. Tell me, said Caled, thou -to whose voice nations have listened, and whose wisdom is known to the -extremities of Asia, tell me how I may resemble Omar the prudent. The -arts by which you have gained power and preserved it, are to you no -longer necessary or useful; impart to me the secret of your conduct, and -teach me the plan upon which your wisdom has built your fortune. - -Young man, said Omar, it is of little use to form plans of life. When -I took my first survey of the world, in my twentieth year, having -considered the various conditions of mankind, in the hour of solicitude, -I said thus to myself, leaning against a cedar which spread its branches -over my head: Seventy years are allowed to man; I have yet fifty -remaining: ten years I will allot to the attainment of knowledge, and ten -I will pass in foreign countries; I shall be learned, and therefore shall -be honoured; every city will shout at my arrival, and every student will -solicit my friendship. Twenty years thus passed will store my mind with -images which I shall be busy through the rest of my life in combining and -comparing. I shall revel in inexhaustible accumulations of intellectual -riches; I shall find new pleasures for every moment, and shall never more -be weary of myself. I will, however, not deviate too far from the beaten -track of life, but will try what can be found in female delicacy. I will -marry a wife beautiful as the Houries, and wise as Zobeide; with her I -will live twenty years within the suburbs of Bagdat, in every pleasure -that wealth can purchase, and fancy can invent. I will then retire to a -rural dwelling, pass my last days in obscurity and contemplation, and lie -silently down on the bed of death. Through my life it shall be my settled -resolution, that I will never depend upon the smile of princes; that I -will never stand exposed to the artifices of courts: I will never pant -for public honours, nor disturb my quiet with affairs of state. Such was -my scheme of life, which I impressed indelibly upon my memory. - -The first part of my ensuing time was to be spent in search of knowledge; -and I know not how I was diverted from my design. I had no visible -impediments without, nor any ungovernable passions within. I regarded -knowledge as the highest honour and the most engaging pleasure; yet day -stole upon day, and month glided after month, till I found that seven -years of the first ten had vanished, and left nothing behind them. I now -postponed my purpose of travelling; for why should I go abroad while so -much remained to be learned at home? I immured myself for four years, and -studied the laws of the empire. The fame of my skill reached the judges; -I was found able to speak upon doubtful questions, and was commanded to -stand at the footstool of the calif. I was heard with attention, I was -consulted with confidence, and the love of praise fastened on my heart. - -I still wished to see distant countries, listened with rapture to the -relations of travellers, and resolved some time to ask my dismission, -that I might feast my soul with novelty; but my presence was always -necessary, and the stream of business hurried me along. Sometimes I was -afraid lest I should be charged with ingratitude; but I still proposed to -travel, and therefore would not confine myself by marriage. - -In my fiftieth year I began to suspect that the time of travelling was -past, and thought it best to lay hold on the felicity yet in my power, -and indulge myself in domestic pleasures. But at fifty no man easily -finds a woman beautiful as the Houries, and wise as Zobeide. I inquired -and rejected, consulted and deliberated, till the sixty-second year made -me ashamed of gazing upon girls. I had now nothing left but retirement, -and for retirement I never found a time, till disease forced me from -public employment. - -Such was my scheme, and such has been its consequence. With an insatiable -thirst for knowledge, I trifled away the years of improvement; with a -restless desire of seeing different countries, I have always resided in -the same city; with the highest expectation of connubial felicity, I -have lived unmarried; and with unalterable resolutions of contemplative -retirement, I am going to die within the walls of Bagdat. - - - - -THE BASKET MAKER. - - -In the midst of that vast ocean, commonly called the South-Sea, lie the -islands of Solomon. In the centre of these lies one not only distant from -the rest, which are immensely scattered round it, but also larger beyond -proportion. An ancestor of the prince, who now reigns absolute in this -central island, has, through a long descent of ages, entailed the name of -Solomon’s Islands on the whole, by the effect of that wisdom wherewith he -polished the manners of his people. - -A descendant of one of the great men of this happy island, becoming a -gentleman to so improved a degree as to despise the good qualities -which had originally ennobled his family, thought of nothing but how to -support and distinguish his dignity by the pride of an ignorant mind, -and a disposition abandoned to pleasure. He had a house on the sea-side, -where he spent great part of his time in hunting and fishing; but found -himself at a loss in pursuit of those important diversions, by means of -a long slip of marsh land, overgrown with high reeds, that lay between -his house and the sea. Resolving, at length, that it became not a man -of his quality to submit to a restraint in his pleasures, for the ease -and convenience of an obstinate mechanic; and having often endeavoured, -in vain, to buy out the owner, who was an honest poor basket-maker, and -whose livelihood depended on working up the flags of those reeds, in a -manner peculiar to himself, the gentleman took advantage of a very high -wind, and commanded his servants to burn down the barrier. - -The basket-maker, who saw himself undone, complained of the oppression in -terms more suited to his sense of the injury, than the respect due to -the rank of the offender; and the reward this imprudence procured him, -was the additional injustice of blows and reproaches, and all kinds of -insult and indignity. - -There was but one way to a remedy, and he took it: for going to the -capital, with the marks of his hard usage upon him, he threw himself -at the feet of the king, and procured a citation for his oppressor’s -appearance; who, confessing the charge, proceeded to justify his -behaviour by the poor man’s unmindfulness of the submission due from the -vulgar to gentlemen of rank and distinction. - -“But pray,” replied the king, “what distinction of rank had the -grand-father of your father, when, being a cleaver of wood in the palace -of my ancestors, he was raised from among those vulgar you speak of with -such contempt, in reward for an instance he gave of his courage and -loyalty in defence of his master? Yet his distinction was nobler than -yours: it was the distinction of soul, not of birth; the superiority of -worth, not of fortune! I am sorry I have a gentleman in my kingdom who -is base enough to be ignorant that ease and distinction of fortune were -bestowed on him but to this end, that, being at rest from all cares of -providing for himself, he might apply his heart, head, and hand, for the -public advantage of others.” - -Here the king, discontinuing his speech, fixed an eye of indignation on a -sullen resentment of mien which he observed in the haughty offender, who -muttered out his dislike of the encouragement this way of thinking must -give to the commonality, who, he said, were to be considered as persons -of no consequence, in comparison of men who were born to be honoured. -“Where reflection is wanting,” replied the king, with a smile of disdain, -“men must find their defects in the pain of their sufferings. Yanhuma,” -added he, turning to a captain of his gallies, “strip the injured and the -injurer; and, conveying them to one of the most barbarous and remote of -the islands, set them ashore in the night, and leave them both to their -fortune.” - -The place in which they were landed was a marsh; under cover of those -flags the gentleman was in hopes of concealing himself, and giving the -slip to his companion, whom he thought it a disgrace to be found with: -but the lights in the galley having giving an alarm to the savages, a -considerable body of them came down, and discovered in the morning the -two strangers in their hiding-place. Setting up a dismal yell, they -surrounded them; and advancing nearer and nearer with a kind of clubs, -seemed determined to dispatch them, without sense of hospitality or mercy. - -Here the gentleman began to discover that the superiority of his blood -was imaginary; for between the consciousness of shame and cold, under -the nakedness he had never been used to; a fear of the event from the -fierceness of the savages approach; and the want of an idea whereby to -soften or divert their asperity, he fell behind the poor sharer of his -calamity, and with an unsinewed, apprehensive, unmanly sneakingness of -mien, gave up the post of honour, and made a leader of the very man whom -he had thought it a disgrace to consider as a companion. - -The basket-maker on the contrary, to whom the poverty of his condition -had made nakedness habitual, to whom a life of pain and mortification -represented death as not dreadful, and whose remembrance of his skill in -arts, of which these savages were ignorant, gave him hopes of becoming -safe, from demonstrating that he could be useful, moved with bolder and -more open freedom; and having plucked a handful of the flags, sat down -without emotion, and making signs that he would shew them something -worthy of their attention, fell to work with smiles and noddings; while -the savages drew near, and gazed with expectation of the consequence. - -It was not long before he had wreathed a kind of coronet of pretty -workmanship; and rising with respect and fearfulness, approached the -savage who appeared the chief, and placed it gently on his head; whose -figure, under this new ornament, so charmed and struck his followers, -that they all threw down their clubs, and formed a dance of welcome and -congratulation round the author of so prized a favour. - -There was not one but shewed the marks of his impatience to be as -fine as the captain: so the poor basket-maker had his hands full of -employment: and the savages, observing one quite idle, while the other -was so busy in their service, took up arms in behalf of natural justice, -and began to lay on arguments in favour of their purpose. - -The basket-maker’s pity now effaced the remembrance of his sufferings; so -he arose and rescued his oppressor, by making signs that he was ignorant -of the art; but might, if they thought fit, be usefully employed in -waiting on the work, and fetching flags to his supply, as fast as he -should want them. - -This proposition luckily fell in with a desire the savages expressed to -keep themselves at leisure, that they might crowd round, and mark the -progress of a work they took such pleasure in. They left the gentleman -therefore to his duty in the basket-maker’s service; and considered -him, from that time forward, as one who was, and ought to be treated as -inferior to their benefactor. - -Men, women, and children, from all corners of the island, came in droves -for coronets; and, setting the gentleman to work to gather boughs and -poles, made a fine hut to lodge the basket-maker; and brought down daily -from the country such provisions as they lived upon themselves, taking -care to offer the imagined servant nothing till his master had done -eating. - -Three months reflection, in this mortified condition, gave a new and just -turn to our gentleman’s improved ideas; insomuch that, lying weeping -and awake one night, he thus confessed his sentiments in favour of the -basket-maker. “I have been to blame, and wanted judgment to distinguish -between accident and excellence. When I should have measured nature, -I but looked to vanity. The preference which fortune gives, is empty -and imaginary; and I perceive, too late, that only things of use are -naturally honourable. I am ashamed, when I compare my malice, to remember -your humanity; but if the gods should please to call me to a repossession -of my rank and happiness, I would divide all with you, in atonement for -my justly punished arrogance.” - -He promised, and performed his promise: for the king, soon after, sent -the captain who had landed them with presents to the savages, and ordered -him to bring both back again. And it continues to this day a custom in -that island, to degrade all gentlemen who cannot give a better reason for -their pride, than they were born to do nothing: and the word for this due -punishment is, send him to the basket-maker. - - - - -THE STORY OF ALMET. - - -Almet, the dervise, who watched the sacred lamp in the sepulchre of the -Prophet, as he one day rose up from the devotions of the morning, which -he had performed at the gate of the temple, with his body turned towards -the east, and his forehead on the earth, saw before him a man in splendid -apparel, attended by a long retinue, who gazed stedfastly at him, with a -look of mournful complacence, and seemed desirous to speak, but unwilling -to offend. - -The Dervise, after a short silence, advanced, and saluting him with the -calm dignity which independence confers upon humility, requested that he -would reveal his purpose. - -“Almet,” said the stranger, “thou seest before thee a man whom the hand -of prosperity has overwhelmed with wretchedness. Whatever I once desired -as the means of happiness, I now possess; but I am not yet happy, and -therefore I despair. I regret the lapse of time, because it glides away -without enjoyment; and as I expect nothing in the future but the vanities -of the past, I do not wish that the future should arrive. Yet I tremble -lest it should be cut off; and my heart sinks when I anticipate the -moment in which eternity shall close over the vacuity of my life, like -the sea upon the path of a ship, and leave no traces of my existence more -durable than the furrow which remains after the waves have united. If -in the treasures of thy wisdom there is any precept to obtain felicity, -vouchsafe it to me: for this purpose am I come; a purpose which yet I -feared to reveal, lest, like all the former, it should be disappointed.” - -Almet listened, with looks of astonishment and pity, to this complaint of -a being, in whom reason was known to be a pledge of immortality; but the -serenity of his countenance soon returned; and stretching out his hand -towards heaven, “Stranger,” said he, “the knowledge which I have received -from the Prophet, I will communicate to thee. - -“As I was sitting one evening at the porch of the temple, pensive and -alone, mine eye wandered among the multitude that was scattered before -me; and while I remarked the weariness and solicitude which was visible -in every countenance, I was suddenly struck with a sense of their -condition. ‘Wretched mortals,’ said I, ‘to what purpose are you busy? -Do the linens of Egypt, and the silks of Persia, bestow felicity on -those who wear them, equal to the wretchedness of yonder slaves, whom I -see leading the camels that bring them? Is the fineness of the texture, -or the splendour of the tints, regarded with delight by those to whom -custom has rendered them familiar? or can the power of habit render -others insensible of pain, who live only to traverse the desart; a -scene of dreadful uniformity, where a barren level is bounded only by -the horizon; where no change of prospect, or variety of images, relieves -the traveller from a sense of toil and danger, of whirlwinds which in -a moment may bury him in the sand, and of thirst, which the wealthy -have given half their possessions to allay? Do those on whom hereditary -diamonds sparkle with unregarded lustre, gain from the possession what is -lost by the wretch who seeks them in the mine; who lives excluded from -the common bounties of nature; to whom even the vicissitude of day and -night is not known; who sighs in perpetual darkness, and whose life is -one alternative of insensibility and labour? If those are not happy who -possess, in proportion as those are wretched who bestow, how vain a dream -is the life of man! and if there is, indeed, such difference in the value -of existence, how shall we acquit of partiality the hand by which this -difference has been made?” - -While my thoughts thus multiplied, and my heart burned within me, I -became sensible of a sudden influence from above. The streets and the -crowds of Mecca disappeared; I found myself sitting on the declivity of -a mountain, and perceived at my right hand an angel, whom I knew to be -Azoran, the minister of reproof. When I saw him I was afraid. I cast -mine eye upon the ground, and was about to deprecate his anger, when he -commanded me to be silent. “Almet,” said he, “thou has devoted thy life -to meditation, that thy counsel might deliver ignorance from the mazes of -error, and deter presumption from the precipice of guilt; but the book -of nature thou hast read without understanding: it is again open before -thee: look up, consider it, and be wise.” - -I looked up, and beheld an inclosure, beautiful as the gardens of -Paradise, but of a small extent. Through the middle there was a green -walk; at the end a wild desart; and beyond, impenetrable darkness. The -walk was shaded with trees of every kind, that were covered at once with -blossoms and fruit; innumerable birds were singing in the branches; the -grass was intermingled with flowers, which impregnated the breeze with -fragrance, and painted the path with beauty; on one side flowed a gentle, -transparent stream, which was just heard to murmur over the golden sands -that sparkled at the bottom; and on the other were walks and bowers, -fountains, grottoes, and cascades, which diversified the scene with -endless variety, but did not conceal the bounds. - - - - -THE STORY OF ALMET, CONCLUDED. - - -While I was gazing in a transport of delight and wonder on this -enchanting spot, I perceived a man stealing along the walk with a -thoughtful and deliberate pace; his eyes were fixed upon the earth, and -his arms crossed on his bosom; he sometimes started, as if a sudden pang -had seized him; his countenance expressed solicitude and terror; he -looked round with a sigh, and having gazed a moment on the desart that -lay before him, he seemed as if he wished to stop, but was impelled -forwards by some invisible power; his features however soon settled again -in a calm melancholy; his eye was again fixed on the ground; and he -went on as before, with apparent reluctance, but without emotion. I was -struck with his appearance; and turning hastily to the angel, was about -to enquire what could produce such infelicity in a being surrounded with -every object that could gratify every sense; but he prevented my request: -“The book of nature,” said he, “is before thee; look up, consider it, and -be wise.” I looked, and beheld a valley between two mountains that were -craggy and barren; on the path there was no verdure, and the mountains -afforded no shade; the sun burned in the zenith, and every spring was -dried up; but the valley terminated in a country that was pleasant and -fertile, shaded with woods, and adorned with buildings. At a second -view, I discovered a man in this valley, meagre indeed and naked, but -his countenance was cheerful, and his deportment active; he kept his eye -fixed upon the country before him, and looked as if he would have run, -but that he was restrained, as the other had been impelled, by some -secret influence: sometimes, indeed, I perceived a sudden impression of -pain, and sometimes he stepped short, as if his foot was pierced by the -asperities of the way; but the sprightliness of his countenance instantly -returned, and he pressed forward without appearance of repining or -complaint. - -I turned again towards the angel, impatient to enquire from what secret -source happiness was derived, in a situation so different from that in -which it might have been expected: but he again prevented my requested: -“Almet,” said he, “remember what thou hast seen, and let this memorial be -written upon the tablets of thy heart. Remember, Almet, that the world -in which thou art placed, is but the road to another; and that happiness -depends not upon the path, but the end; the value of this period of thy -existence is fixed by hope and fear. The wretch who wished to linger in -the garden, who looked round upon its limits with terror, was destitute -of hope, and was perpetually tormented by the dread of losing that which -yet he did not enjoy; the song of the birds had been repeated till it -was not heard, and the flowers had so often recurred, that their beauty -was not seen; the river glided by unnoticed; and he feared to lift his -eye to the prospect, lest he should behold the waste that circumscribed -it. But he that toiled through the valley was happy, because he looked -forward with hope. Thus to the sojourner upon earth it is of little -moment whether the path he treads be strewed with flowers or with thorns, -if he perceives himself to approach these regions, in comparison of which -the thorns and the flowers of this wilderness lose their distinction, and -are both alike impotent to give pleasure or pain. - -“What then has Eternal Wisdom unequally distributed? That which can make -every station happy, and without which every station must be wretched, is -acquired by virtue, and virtue is possible to all. Remember, Almet, the -vision which thou hast seen; and let my words be written on the tablet of -thy heart, that thou mayest direct the wanderer to happiness, and justify -God to men.” - -While the voice of Azoran was yet sounding in my ear, the prospect -vanished from before me, and I found myself again sitting at the porch of -the temple. The sun was gone down, the multitude was retired to rest, and -the solemn quiet of midnight concurred with the resolution of my doubts -to complete the tranquillity of my mind. - -Such, my son, was the vision which the Prophet vouchsafed me, not for my -sake only, but for thine. Thou hast sought felicity in temporal things; -and, therefore, thou art disappointed. Let not instruction be lost upon -thee, as the seal of Mahomet in the well of Aris: but go thy way, let -thy flock clothe the naked, and thy table feed the hungry; deliver the -poor from oppression, and let thy conversation be Above. Thus shalt -thou “rejoice in Hope,” and look forward to the end of life as the -consummation of thy felicity. - -Almet, in whose breast devotion kindled as he spake, returned into the -temple, and the stranger departed in peace. - - - - -THE STORY OF GELALEDDIN OF BASSORA. - - -In the time when Bassora was considered as the school of Asia, and -flourished by the reputation of its professors, and the confluence of its -students, among the students that listened round the chair of Albumazar -was Gelaleddin, a native of Taurus, in Persia, a young man, amiable in -his manners, and beautiful in his form, of boundless curiosity, incessant -diligence, and irresistible genius, of quick apprehension and tenacious -memory, accurate without narrowness, and eager for novelty without -inconstancy. - -No sooner did Gelaleddin appear at Bassora, than his virtues and -abilities raised him to distinction. He passed from class to class rather -admired than envied by those whom the rapidity of his progress left -behind; he was consulted by his fellow-students as an oraculous guide, -and admitted as a competent auditor to the conference of the sages. - -After a few years, having passed through all the exercises of probation, -Gelaleddin was invited to a professor’s seat, and intreated to increase -the splendour of Bassora. Gelaleddin affected to deliberate on the -proposal, with which, before he considered it, he resolved to comply; -and next morning retired to a garden planted for the recreation of the -students, and entering a solitary walk, began to meditate upon his future -life. - -“If I am thus eminent,” said he, “in the regions of literature, I shall -be yet more conspicuous in any other place: If I should now devote myself -to study and retirement, I must pass my life in silence, unacquainted -with the delights of wealth, the influence of power, the pomp of -greatness, and the charms of elegance, with all that man envies and -desires, with all that keeps the world in motion, by the hope of gaining -or the fear of losing it. I will, therefore, depart to Tauris, where -the Persian monarch resides in all the splendour of absolute dominion: -my reputation will fly before me, my arrival will be congratulated by -my kinsmen and friends; I shall see the eyes of those who predicted my -greatness sparkling with exultation, and the faces of those that once -despised me clouded with envy, or counterfeiting kindness by artificial -smiles. I will show my wisdom by my discourse, and my moderation by my -silence; I will instruct the modest with easy gentleness, and repress -the ostentatious by seasonable superciliousness. My apartments will be -crowded by the inquisite and the vain, by those that honour and those -that rival me; my name will soon reach the court; I shall stand before -the throne of the emperor; the judges of the law will confess my wisdom, -and the nobles will contend to heap gifts upon me. If I shall find -that my merit, like that of others, excites malignity, or feel myself -tottering on the seat of elevation, I may at last retire to academical -obscurity, and become, in my lowest state, a professor of Bassora.” - -Having thus settled his determination, he declared to his friends his -design of visiting Tauris, and saw with more pleasure than he ventured to -express, the regret with which he was dismissed. He could not bear to -delay the honours to which he was destined, and therefore hastened away, -and in a short time entered the capital of Persia. He was immediately -immersed in the crowd, and passed unobserved to his father’s house. He -entered, and was received, though not unkindly, yet without any excess -of fondness, or exclamations of rapture. His father had, in his absence, -suffered many losses, and Gelaleddin was considered as an additional -burthen to a fallen family. - -When he recovered from his surprise, he began to display his -acquisitions, and practised all the arts of narration and disquisition; -but the poor have no leisure to be pleased with eloquence; they heard -his arguments without reflection, and his pleasantries without a smile. -He then applied himself singly to his brothers and sisters, but found -them all chained down by invariable attention to their own fortunes, -and insensible of any other excellence than that which could bring some -remedy for indigence. - -It was now known in the neighbourhood that Gelaleddin was returned, and -he sat for some days in expectation that the learned would visit him for -consultation, or the great for entertainment. But who would be pleased -or instructed in the mansions of poverty? He then frequented places of -public resort, and endeavoured to attract notice by the copiousness of -his talk. The sprightly were silenced, and went away to censure in some -other place his arrogance and his pedantry; and the dull listened quietly -for a while, and then wondered why any man should take pains to obtain so -much knowledge which would never do him good. - -He next solicited the viziers for employment, not doubting but his -service would be eagerly accepted. He was told by one, that there was no -vacancy in his office; by another, that his merit was above any patronage -but that of the emperor; by a third, that he would not forget him; and -by the chief vizier, that he did not think, literature of any great use -in public business. He was sometimes admitted to their tables, where he -exerted his wit and diffused his knowledge; but he observed, that where, -by endeavour or accident, he had remarkably excelled, he was seldom -invited a second time. - -He now returned to Bassora, wearied and disgusted, but confident of -resuming his former rank, and revelling again in satiety of praise. But -he who had been neglected at Tauris, was not much regarded at Bassora; he -was considered as a fugitive, who returned only because he could live in -no other place; his companions found that they had formerly over-rated -his abilities, and he lived long without notice or esteem. - - - - -STORY OF ORTOGRUL OF BASRA. - - -As Ortogrul of Basra was one day wandering along the streets of Bagdat, -musing on the varieties of merchandize which the shops offered to his -view, and observing the different occupations which busied the multitudes -on every side, he was awakened from the tranquility of meditation by a -crowd that obstructed his passage. He raised his eyes, and saw the chief -vizier, who having returned from the divan, was entering his palace. - -Ortogrul mingled with the attendants, and being supposed to have some -petition for the vizier, was permitted to enter. He surveyed the -spaciousness of the apartments, admired the walks hung with golden -tapestry, and the floors covered with silken carpets, and despised the -simple neatness of his own little habitation. - -Surely, said he to himself, this palace is that seat of happiness where -pleasure succeeds to pleasure, and discontent and sorrow can have no -admission. Whatever nature has provided for the delight of sense, is -here spread forth to be enjoyed. What can mortals hope or imagine which -the master of this palace has not obtained. The dishes of luxury cover -his table, the voice of harmony lulls him in his bowers; he breathes -the fragrance of the groves of Java, and sleeps upon the down of the -cygnets of the Ganges. He speaks, and his mandate is obeyed; he wishes, -and his wish is gratified; all whom he sees obey him; and all whom he -hears flatter him. How different, Ortogrul, is thy condition, who art -doomed to the perpetual torments of unsatisfied desire, and who hast no -amusement in thy power that can withhold thee from thy own reflections! -They tell thee that thou art wise, but what does wisdom avail with -poverty? None will flatter the poor, and the wise have very little power -of flattering themselves. That man is surely the most wretched of the -sons of wretchedness who lives with his own faults and follies always -before him, and who has none to reconcile him to himself by praise and -veneration. I have long sought content, and have not found it; I will -from this moment endeavour to be rich. - -Full of his new resolution, he shut himself in his chamber for six -months, to deliberate how he should grow rich; he sometimes proposed to -offer himself as a counsellor to one of the kings of India, and sometimes -resolved to dig for diamonds in the mines of Golconda. One day, after -some hours passed in violent fluctuation of opinion, sleep insensibly -seized him in his chair; he dreamed that he was ranging a desart country, -in search of some one that might teach him to grow rich! and as he -stood on the top of a hill shaded with cypress, in doubt whither to -direct his steps, his father appeared on a sudden standing before him. -“Ortogrul,” said the old man, “I know thy perplexity; listen to thy -father, turn thine eye on the opposite mountain.” Ortogrul looked, and -saw a torrent tumbling down the rocks, roaring with the noise of thunder, -and scattering its foam on the impending woods. “Now,” said his father, -“behold the valley that lies between the hills.” Ortogrul looked, and -espied a little well, out of which issued a small rivulet. “Tell me now,” -said his father, “dost thou wish for sudden affluence, that may pour -upon thee like the mountain torrent, or for a slow and gradual increase, -resembling the rill gliding from the well?” “Let me be quickly rich,” -said Ortogrul; “let the golden stream be quick and violent.” “Look round -thee,” said his father, “once again.” Ortogrul looked, and perceived the -channel of the torrent dry and dusty; but following the rivulet from the -well, he traced it to a wide lake, which the supply, slow and constant, -kept always full. He waked, and determined to grow rich by silent profit, -and persevering industry. - -Having sold his patrimony, he engaged in merchandize, and in twenty years -purchased lands, on which he raised a house, equal in sumptuousness to -that of the vizier, to which he invited all the ministers of pleasure, -expecting to enjoy all the felicity which he imagined riches able to -afford. Leisure soon made him weary of himself, and he longed to be -persuaded that he was great and happy. He was courteous and liberal; he -gave all that approached him hopes of pleasing him, and all who should -please him hopes of being rewarded. Every art of praise was tried, and -every source of adulatory fiction was exhausted. Ortogrul heard his -flatters without delight, because he found himself unable to believe -them. His own heart told him its frailties, his own understanding -reproached him with his faults. “How long,” said he, with a deep sigh, -“have I been labouring in vain to amass wealth, which at last is -useless. Let no man hereafter wish to be rich, who is already too wise -to be flattered.” - - - - -THE STORY OF ALNASCHAR. - - -It is a precept oftentimes inculcated, that we should not entertain an -hope of any thing in life which lies at a great distance from us. The -shortness and uncertainty of our time here, makes such a kind of hope -unreasonable and absurd. The grave lies unseen between us and the object -which we reach after: where one man lives to enjoy the good he has in -view, ten thousand are cut off in the pursuit of it. - -Men of warm imaginations and towering thoughts are apt to overlook the -goods of fortune which are near them, for something that glitters in the -sight at a distance; to neglect solid and substantial happiness, for what -is showy and superficial; and to contemn that good that lies within their -reach, for that which they are not capable of attaining. Hope calculates -its schemes for a long and durable life; presses forward to imaginary -points of bliss; and grasps at impossibilities; and consequently very -often insnares men into beggary, ruin, and dishonour. - -What I have here said, may serve as a moral to an Arabian fable, which -I find translated into French by Monsieur Galland. The fable has in it -such a wild, but natural symplicity, that I question not but my reader -will be as much pleased with it as I have been, and that he will consider -himself, if he reflects on the several amusements of hope which have -sometimes passed in his mind, as a near relation to the Persian Glass-man. - -Alnaschar, says the fable, was a very idle fellow, that never would -set his hand to any business during his father’s life. When his father -died, he left him to the value of an hundred drachmas in Persian money. -Alnaschar, in order to make the best of it, laid it out in glasses, -bottles, and the finest earthenware. These he piled up in a large open -basket, and having made choice of a very little shop, placed the basket -at his feet, and leaned his back upon the wall, in expectation of -customers. As he sat in this posture, with his eyes upon the basket, he -fell into a most amusing train of thought, and was overheard by one of -his neighbours, as he talked to himself in the following manner: - -“This basket,” says he, “cost me, at the wholesale merchant’s, an hundred -drachmas, which is all I have in the world. I shall quickly make two -hundred of it, by selling it in retail. These two hundred drachmas will -in a very little while rise to four hundred, which of course will amount -in time to four thousand. Four thousand drachmas cannot fail of making -eight thousand. As soon as by this means I am master of ten thousand, I -will lay aside my trade of a glass-man, and turn jeweller. I shall then -deal in diamonds, pearls, and all sorts of rich stones. When I have got -together as much wealth as I can well desire, I will make a purchase of -the finest house I can find, with lands, slaves, eunuchs, and horses. I -shall then begin to enjoy myself, and make a noise in the world. I will -not, however, stop there, but still continue my traffic, until I have -got together an hundred thousand drachmas. When I have thus made myself -master of an hundred thousand drachmas, I shall naturally set myself on -the footing of a prince, and will demand the grand vizier’s daughter in -marriage, after having represented to that minister the information which -I have received of the beauty, wit, discretion, and other high qualities -which his daughter possesses. I will let him know at the same time, that -it is my intention to make him a present of a thousand pieces of gold, -on our marriage night. As soon as I have married the grand vizier’s -daughter, I will buy her twelve black eunuchs, the youngest and best -that can be bought for money. I must afterwards make my father-in-law a -visit, with a great train of equipage. And when I am placed at his right -hand, which he will do of course, if it be only to honour his daughter, -I will give him the thousand pieces of gold which I promised him, and -afterwards, to his great surprise, will present him with another purse -of the same value, with some short speech, as, ‘Sir, you see I am a man -of my word; I always give more than I promise.’ - -“When I have brought the princess to my house, I shall take a particular -care to breed her in a due respect to me, before I give the reins to love -and dalliance. To this end I shall confine her to her own apartment, make -her a short visit, and talk but little to her. Her women will represent -to me that she is inconsolable by reason of my unkindness, and beg me, -with tears, to caress her, and let her sit down by me; but I shall still -remain inexorable, and will turn my back upon her all the first night. -Her mother will then come and bring her daughter to me, as I am seated -upon my sofa. The daughter, with tears in her eyes, will fling herself -at my feet, and beg of me to receive her into my favour. Then will I, to -imprint in her a thorough veneration for my person, draw up my legs and -spurn her from me with my foot, in such a manner that she shall fall -down several paces from the sofa.” - -Alnaschar was entirely swallowed up in this chimerical vision, and could -not forbear acting with his foot what he had in his thoughts; so that -unluckily striking his basket of brittle ware, which was the foundation -of all his grandeur, he kicked his glasses to a great distance from him -into the street, and broke them into ten thousand pieces. - - - - -THE STORY OF CARAZAN. - - -Carazan, the merchant of Bagdat, was eminent throughout all the East -for his avarice and his wealth: his origin was obscure, as that of the -spark, which by the collision of steel and adamant, is struck out of -darkness; and the patient labour of persevering diligence alone had made -him rich. It was remembered, that when he was indigent, he was thought to -be generous; and he was still acknowledged to be inexorably just. But -whether in his dealings with men he discovered a perfidy which tempted -him to put his trust in gold, or whether in proportion as he accumulated -wealth he discovered his own importance to increase, Carazan prized it -more as he used it less; he gradually lost the inclination to do good, as -he acquired the power; and as the hand of time scattered snow upon his -head, the freezing influence extended to his bosom. - -But though the door of Carazan was never opened by hospitality, nor his -hand by compassion, yet fear led him constantly to the mosque at the -stated hours of prayer; he performed all the rites of devotion with the -most scrupulous punctuality, and had thrice paid his vows at the temple -of the Prophet. That devotion which arises from the love of God, and -necessarily includes the love of man, as it connects gratitude with -beneficence, and exalts that which was moral to divine, confers new -dignity upon goodness, and is the object not only of affection but of -reverence. On the contrary, the devotion of the selfish, whether it be -thought to avert the punishment which every one wishes to be inflicted, -or to insure it by the complication of hypocrisy with guilt, never -fails to excite indignation and abhorrence. Carazan, therefore, when he -had locked his door, and turning round with a look of circumspective -suspicion proceeded to the mosque, was followed by every eye with silent -malignity: the poor suspended their supplication when he passed by; and -though he was known by every man, no one saluted him. - -Such had long been the life of Carazan, and such was the character -which he had acquired, when notice was given by proclamation, that he -was removed to a magnificent building in the centre of the city, that -his table should be spread for the public, and that the stranger should -be welcome to his bed, the multitude soon rushed like a torrent to his -door, where they beheld him distributing bread to the hungry, and apparel -to the naked, his eye softened with compassion, and his cheek glowing -with delight. Every one gazed with astonishment at the prodigy; and the -murmur of innumerable voices increasing like the sound of approaching -thunder, Carazan beckoned with his hand; attention suspended the tumult -in a moment, and he thus gratified the curiosity which had procured him -audience. - -To him who touches the mountains and they smoke, the Almighty and the -Most Merciful, be everlasting honour! he has ordained sleep to be the -minister of instruction, and his visions have reproved me in the night. -As I was sitting alone in my Haram, with my lamp burning before me, -computing the product of my merchandize, and exulting in the increase of -my wealth, I fell into a deep sleep, and the hand of him who dwells in -the third heaven was upon me. I beheld the angel of death coming forward -like a whirlwind, and he smote me before I could deprecate the blow. At -the same moment I felt myself lifted from the ground, and transported -with astonishing rapidity through the regions of the air.—The earth was -contracted to an atom beneath; and the stars glowed round me with a -lustre that obscured the sun. The gate of Paradise was new in sight; and -I was intercepted by a sudden brightness which no human eye could behold: -the irrevocable sentence was now to be pronounced; my day of probation -was past: and from the evil of my life nothing could be taken away, nor -could any thing be added to the good. When I reflected that my lot for -eternity was cast, which not all the powers of nature could reverse, my -confidence totally forsook me; and while I stood trembling and silent, -covered with confusion, and chilled with horror, I was thus addressed by -the radiance that flamed before me:— - -“Carazan, thy worship has not been accepted, because it was not prompted -by love of God: neither can thy righteousness be rewarded, because it was -not produced by love of man: for thy own sake only hast thou rendered -to every man his due; and thou hast approached the Almighty only for -thyself. Thou hast not looked up with gratitude, nor around thee with -kindness. Around thee, thou hast indeed beheld vice and folly; but if -vice and folly could justify thy parsimony, would they not condemn the -bounty of heaven? If not upon the foolish and the vicious, where shall -the sun diffuse his light, or the clouds distil the dew? Where shall the -lips of the spring breathe fragrance, or the hand of autumn diffuse -plenty? Remember, Carazan, that thou hast shut compassion from thine -heart, and grasped thy treasures with a hand of iron: thou hast lived for -thyself; and, therefore, henceforth for ever thou shalt subsist alone. -From the light of heaven, and from the society of all beings shalt thou -be driven; solitude shall protract the lingering hours of eternity, and -darkness aggravate the horrors of despair.” At this moment I was driven -by some secret and irresistible power through the glowing system of -creation, and passed innumerable worlds in a moment. As I approached -the verge of nature, I perceived the shadows of total and boundless -vacuity deepen before me, a dreadful region of eternal silence, solitude, -and darkness! Unutterable horror seized me at the prospect, and this -exclamation burst from me with all the vehemence of desire: “O! that I -had been doomed for ever to the common receptacle of impenitence and -guilt! there society would have alleviated the torment of despair, and -the rage of fire could not have excluded the comfort of light. Or, if I -had been condemned to reside in a comet, that would return but once in -a thousand years to their regions of light and life; the hope of these -periods, however distant, would cheer men in the dread interval of cold -and darkness, and the vicissitude would divide eternity into time.” While -this thought passed over my mind, I lost sight of the remotest star, and -the last glimmering of light was quenched in utter darkness. The agonies -of despair every moment increased, as every moment augmented my distance -from the last habitable world. I reflected with intolerable anguish, that -when ten thousand thousand years had carried me beyond the reach of all -but that power who fills infinitude, I should still look forward into an -immense abyss of darkness, through which I should still drive without -succour and without society, farther and farther still, for ever and for -ever. I then stretched out my hand towards the regions of existence, with -an emotion that awaked me. Thus have I been taught to estimate society, -like every other blessing, by its loss. My heart is warmed to liberality; -and I am zealous to communicate the happiness which I feel, to those from -whom it is derived; for the society of one wretch, whom in the pride -of prosperity I would have spurned from my door, would, in the dreadful -solitude to which I was condemned, have been more highly prized than the -gold of Afric, or the gems of Golconda. - -At this reflection upon his dream, Carazan became suddenly silent, and -looked upward in ecstacy of gratitude and devotion. The multitude were -struck at once with the precept and example; and the Caliph, to whom the -event was related, that he might be liberal beyond the power of gold, -commanded it to be recorded for the benefit of posterity. - - - - -THE STORY OF ALMAMOULIN. - - -In the reign of Jenghiz Khan, conqueror of the East, in the city of -Samarcand, lived Nouradin the merchant, renowned throughout all the -regions of India for the extent of his commerce, and the integrity of -his dealings. His warehouses were filled with all the commodities of -the remotest nations; every rarity of nature, every curiosity of art, -whatever was useful, hastened to his hand. The streets were crowded with -his carriages; the sea was covered with his ships; the streams of Oxus -were wearied with conveyance, and every breeze of the sky wafted wealth -to Nouradin. - -At length Nouradin felt himself seized with a slow malady; he called to -him Almamoulin, his only son; and, dismissing his attendants, “My son,” -says he, “behold here the weakness and fragility of man; look backward -a few days, thy father was great and happy. Now, Almamoulin, look upon -me withering and prostrate; look upon me, and attend. My purpose was, -after ten months more spent in commerce, to have withdrawn my wealth to -a safer country; to have given seven years to delight and festivity, and -the remaining part of my days to solitude and repentence; but the hand of -death is upon me; I am now leaving the produce of my toil, which it must -be thy business to enjoy with wisdom.”—The thought of leaving his wealth, -filled Nouradin with such grief, that he fell into convulsions, became -delirious, and expired. - -Almamoulin, who loved his father, was touched a while with honest -sorrow, and sat two hours in profound meditation, without perusing the -paper which he held in his hand. He then retired to his own chamber, -as overborn with affliction, and there read the inventory of his new -possessions, which swelled his heart with such transports, that he no -longer lamented his father’s death. - -He was now sufficiently composed to order a funeral of modest -magnificence, suitable at once to the rank of Nouradin’s profession, and -the reputation of his wealth. The two next nights he spent in visiting -the tower and the caverns, and found the treasures greater to his eye -than to his imagination. - -Almamoulin had been bred to the practice of exact frugality, and had -often looked with envy on the finery and expences of other young men: he -therefore believed, that happiness was now in his power, since he could -obtain all of which he had hitherto been accustomed to regret the want. - -He immediately procured a splendid equipage, dressed his servants in rich -embroidery, and covered his horses with golden caparisons. He showered -down silver on the populace, and suffered their acclamations to swell him -with insolence. The nobles saw him with anger, the wise men of the state -combined against him, the leaders of armies threatened his destruction. -Almamoulin was informed of his danger: he put on the robe of mourning in -the presence of his enemies, and appeased them with gold, and gems, and -supplication. - -He then sought to strengthen himself, by an alliance with the princes of -Tartary, and offered the price of kingdoms for a wife of noble birth. His -suit was generally rejected, and his presents refused; but a princess of -Astracan once condescended to admit him to her presence. She received him -sitting on a throne, attired in the robe of royalty, and shining with the -jewels of Golconda; command sparkled in her eyes, and dignity towered on -her forehead. Almamoulin approached and trembled. She saw his confusion, -and disdained him: How, says she, dares the wretch hope my obedience, -who thus shrinks at my glance? Retire, and enjoy thy riches in sordid -ostentation; thou wast born to be wealthy, but never canst be great. - -He then contracted his desires to more private and domestic pleasures. -He built palaces, he laid out gardens, he changed the face of the land, -he transplanted forests, he levelled mountains, opened prospects into -distant regions, poured fountains from the tops of turrets, and rolled -rivers through new channels. - -These amusements pleased him for a time; but languor and weariness soon -invaded him. - -He therefore returned to Samarcand, and set open his doors to those whom -idleness sends out in search of pleasure. His tables were always covered -with delicacies; wines of every vintage sparkled in his bowels, and -his lamps scattered perfumes. The sound of the flute, and the voice of -the singer, chased away sadness; every hour was crowded with pleasure; -and the day ended and began with feasts and dances, and revelry and -merriment. Almamoulin cried out, “I have at last found the use of riches: -I am surrounded by companions, who view my greatness without envy; and I -enjoy at once the raptures of popularity, and the safety of an obscure -station.—What trouble can he feel, whom all are studious to please, that -they may be repaid with pleasure? What danger can he dread, to whom every -man is a friend?” - -Such were the thoughts of Almamoulin, as he looked down from a gallery -upon the gay assembly, regaling at his expence; but in the midst of this -soliloquy, an officer of justice entered the house, and in the form of -legal citation, summoned Almamoulin to appear before the emperor. The -guests stood awhile aghast, then stole imperceptibly away, and he was -led off without a single voice to witness his integrity. He now found -one of his most frequent visitors accusing him of treason, in hopes of -sharing his confiscation; yet, unpatronized, and unsupported, he cleared -himself by the openness of innocence, and the consistence of truth; he -was dismissed with honour, and his accuser perished in prison. - -Almamoulin now perceived with how little reason he had hoped for justice -or fidelity from those who live only to gratify their senses; and being -now weary with vain experiments upon life, and fruitless researches -after felicity, he had recourse to a sage, who, after spending his -youth in travel and observation, had retired from all human cares, to -a small habitation, on the banks of Oxus, where he conversed only with -such as solicited his counsel. “Brother,” said the philosopher, “thou -hast suffered thy reason to be deluded by idle hopes, and fallacious -appearances. Having long looked with desire upon riches, thou hast -taught thyself to think them more valuable than nature designed them, -and to expect from them what, as experience has now taught thee, they -cannot give. That they do not confer wisdom, thou mayest be convinced -by considering at how dear a price they tempted thee, upon thy first -entrance into the world, to purchase the empty sound of vulgar -acclamation. That they cannot bestow fortitude or magnanimity, that -man may be certain, who stood trembling at Astracan before a being not -naturally superior to himself. That they will not supply unexhausted -pleasure, the recollection of forsaken palaces, and neglected gardens, -will easily inform thee. That they rarely purchase friends, thou didst -soon discover, when thou wert left to stand thy trial uncountenanced and -alone. Yet think not riches useless; there are purposes to which a wise -man may be delighted to apply them: they may, by a rational distribution -to those who want them, ease the pains of helpless disease, still the -throbs of restless anxiety, relieve innocence from oppression, and raise -imbecility to chearfulness and vigour. This they will enable thee to -perform, and this will afford the only happiness ordained for our present -state, the confidence of divine favour, and the hope of future reward.” - - - - -THE STORY OF BOZALDAB. - - -Bozaldab, Calif of Egypt, had dwelt securely for many years in the silken -pavilions of pleasure, and had every morning anointed his head with -the oil of gladness, when his only son Aboram, for whom he had crowded -his treasuries with gold, extended his dominions with conquests, and -secured them with impregnable fortresses, was suddenly wounded, as he was -hunting, with an arrow from an unknown hand, and expired in the field. - -Bozaldab, in the distraction of grief and despair, refused to return -to his palace, and retired to the gloomiest grotto in the neighbouring -mountain: he there rolled himself on the dust, tore away the hairs -of his hoary beard, and dashed the cup of consolation that Patience -offered him to the ground. He suffered not his minstrels to approach his -presence; but listened to the melancholy birds of midnight, that flit -through the solitary vaults and echoing chambers of the Pyramids. “Can -that God be benevolent,” he cried, “who thus wounds the soul, as from an -ambush, with unexpected sorrows, and crushes his creatures in a moment -with irremediable calamity? Ye lying Imans, prate to us no more of the -justness and the kindness of an all-directing and all-loving Providence! -He, whom ye pretend reigns in heaven, is so far from protecting the sons -of men, that he perpetually delights to blast the sweetest flowerets in -the garden of Hope; and like a malignant giant to beat down the strongest -towers of happiness with the iron mace of his anger. If this Being -possessed the goodness and the power with which flattering priests have -invested him, he would doubtless be inclined and enabled to banish those -evils which render the world a dungeon of distress, a vale of vanity and -woe.—I will continue in it no longer!” - -At that moment he furiously raised his hand, which Despair had armed with -a dagger, to strike deep into his bosom; when suddenly thick flashes of -lightning shot through the cavern, and a being of more than human beauty -and magnitude, arrayed in azure robes, crowned with amaranth, and waving -a branch of palm in his right hand, arrested the arm of the trembling and -astonished Calif, and said with a majestic smile, “Follow me to the top -of this mountain.” - -“Look from hence,” said the awful conductor; “I am Caloc, the Angel of -Peace; Look from hence into the valley.” - -Bozaldab opened his eyes and beheld a barren, a sultry, and solitary -island, in the midst of which sat a pale, meagre, and ghastly figure: -it was a merchant just perishing with famine, and lamenting that he -could find neither wild berries, nor a single spring in this forlorn -and uninhabited desert; and begging the protection of heaven against -the tigers that would now certainly destroy him, since he had consumed -the last fuel he had collected to make nightly fires to affright them. -He then cast a casket of jewels on the sand, as trifles of no use; and -crept, feeble and trembling, to an eminence, where he was accustomed to -sit to watch the setting sun, and to give signal to any ship that might -haply approach the island. - -“Inhabitant of heaven,” cried Bozaldab, “suffer not this wretch to perish -by the fury of wild beasts!” - -“Peace,” said the angel, “and observe.” - -He looked again, and behold a vessel arrived at the desolate isle. What -words can paint the rapture of the starving merchant, when the captain -offered to transport him to his native country, if he would reward -him with half the jewels of his casket? No sooner had this pityless -commander received the stipulated sum, than he held a consultation with -his crew, and they agreed to seize the remaining jewels, and leave the -unhappy exile in the same helpless and lamentable condition in which they -discovered him. He wept and trembled, intreated and implored in vain. - - - - -THE STORY OF BOZALDAB. - -(CONCLUDED.) - - -“Will Heaven permit such injustice to be practised?” exclaimed Bozaldab. -“Look again,” said the angel, “and behold the very ship in which, -short-sighted as thou art, thou wishedst the merchant might embark, -dashed in pieces on a rock: dost thou not hear the cries of the sinking -sailors? Presume not to direct the Governor of the Universe in his -disposal of events. The man whom thou hast pitied shall be taken from -this dreary solitude, but not by the method thou wouldst prescribe. His -vice was avarice, by which he became not only abominable, but wretched; -he fancied some mighty charm in wealth, which, like the wand of Abdiel, -would gratify every wish and obviate every fear. This wealth he has now -been taught not only to despise but abhor: he cast his jewels upon the -sand, and confessed them to be useless; he offered part of them to the -mariners, and perceived them to be pernicious: he has now learnt, that -they are useful or vain, good or evil, only by the situation and temper -of the possessor. Happy is he whom distress has taught wisdom! But turn -thine eyes to another and more interesting scene.” - -The Calif instantly beheld a magnificent palace, adorned with the statues -of his ancestors wrought in jasper; the ivory doors of which, turning -on hinges of the gold of Golconda, discovered a throne of diamonds, -surrounded with the Rajas of fifty nations, and with ambassadors in -various habits, and of different complexions; on which sat Aboram, the -much-lamented son of Bozaldab, and by his side a princess fairer than a -Houri. - -“Gracious Alla!—it is my son,” cried the Calif—“O let me hold him to -my heart!” “Thou canst not grasp an unsubstantial vision,” replied the -angel: “I have now shewn thee what would have been the destiny of thy -son, had he continued longer on the earth.” “And why,” returned Bozaldab, -“was he not permitted to continue? Why was not I suffered to be a witness -of so much felicity and power?” “Consider the sequel,” replied he that -dwells in the fifth heaven. Bozaldab looked earnestly, and saw the -countenance of his son, on which he had been used to behold the placid -simplicity and the vivid blushes of health, now distorted with rage, and -now fixed in the insensibility of drunkenness: it was again animated with -disdain, it became pale with apprehension, and appeared to be withered by -intemperance; his hands were stained with blood, and he trembled by turns -with fury and terror. The palace so lately shining with oriental pomp, -changed suddenly into the cell of a dungeon, where his son lay stretched -out on the cold pavement, gagged and bound, with his eyes put out. Soon -after he perceived the favourite Sultana, who before was seated by his -side, enter with a bowl of poison, which she compelled Aboram to drink, -and afterwards married the successor to his throne. - -“Happy,” said Caloc, “is he whom Providence has by the angel of death -snatched from guilt! from whom that power is withheld, which, if he had -possessed, would have accumulated upon himself yet greater misery than it -could bring upon others.” - -“It is enough,” cried Bozaldab; “I adore the inscrutable schemes of -omniscience!—From what dreadful evil has my son been rescued by a -death, which I rashly bewailed as unfortunate and premature; a death -of innocence and peace, which has blessed his memory upon earth, and -transmitted his spirit to the skies!” - -“Cast away the dagger,” replied the heavenly messenger, “which thou wast -preparing to plunge into thine own heart. Exchange complaint for silence, -and doubt for adoration. Can a mortal look down, without giddiness and -stupifaction, in the vast abyss of Eternal Wisdom? Can a mind that sees -not infinitely, perfectly comprehend any thing among an infinity of -objects mutually relative? Can the channels, which thou commandest to be -cut to receive the annual inundations of the Nile, contain the waters -of the ocean? Remember, that perfect happiness cannot be conferred on -a creature; for perfect happiness is an attribute as incommunicable as -perfect power and eternity.” - -The Angel, while he was speaking thus, stretched out his pinions to fly -back to the Empyreum; and the flutter of his wings was like the rushing -of a cataract. - - - - -THE STORY OF OBIDAH. - - -Obidah, the son of Abensina, left the caravansera early in the morning, -and pursued his journey through the plains of Indostan. He was fresh and -vigourous with rest; he was animated with hope; he was incited by desire; -he walked swiftly forward over the vallies, and saw the hills gradually -rising before him. As he passed along, his ears were delighted with the -morning song of the bird of Paradise; he was fanned by the last flutters -of the sinking breeze, and sprinkled with dew by groves of spices: he -sometimes contemplated the towering height of the oak, monarch of the -hills; and sometimes caught the gentle fragrance of the primrose, eldest -daughter of the spring: all his senses were gratified, and all care was -banished from his heart. - -Thus he went on till the sun approached his meridian, and the increasing -heat preyed upon his strength; he then looked round about him for some -more commodious path. He saw, on his right hand, a grove that seemed -to wave its shades as a sign of invitation; he entered it, and found -the coolness and verdure irresistibly pleasant. He did not however, -forget whither he was travelling, but found a narrow way, bordered with -flowers, which appeared to have the same direction with the main road, -and was pleased that, by this happy experiment, he had found means to -unite pleasure with business, and gain the rewards of diligence without -suffering its fatigues. He therefore still continued to walk for a time, -without the least remission of his ardour, except that he was sometimes -tempted to stop by the music of the birds, whom the heat had assembled -in the shade, and sometimes amused himself with plucking the flowers -that covered the banks on either side, or the fruits that hung upon -the branches. At last the green path began to decline from its first -tendency, and to wind among hills and thickets, cooled with fountains, -and murmuring with waterfalls. Here Obidah paused for a time, and began -to consider whether it were longer safe to forsake the known and common -track; but remembering that the heat was now in its greatest violence, -and that the plain was dusty and uneven, he resolved to pursue the new -path, which he supposed only to make a few meanders, in compliance with -the varieties of the ground, and to end at last in the common road. - -Having thus calmed his solicitude, he renewed his pace, though he -suspected that he was not gaining ground. This uneasiness of his mind -inclined him to lay hold on every new object, and give way to every -sensation that might sooth and divert him. He listened to every echo, -he mounted every hill for a fresh prospect, he turned aside to every -cascade, and pleased himself with tracing the course of a gentle river -that rolled among the trees, and watered a large region with innumerable -circumvolutions. In these amusements the hours passed away unaccounted, -his deviations had perplexed his memory, and he knew not towards what -point to travel. He stood pensive and confused, afraid to go forward lest -he should go wrong, yet conscious that the time of loitering was now -past. While he was thus tortured with uncertainty, the sky was overspread -with clouds, the day vanished from before him, and a sudden tempest -gathered round his head. He was now roused by his danger to a quick and -painful remembrance of his folly; he now saw how happiness is lost when -ease is consulted; he lamented the unmanly impatience that prompted him -to seek shelter in the grove, and despised the petty curiosity that led -him on from trifle to trifle. While he was thus reflecting, the air grew -blacker, and a clap of thunder broke his meditation. - -He now resolved to do what remained yet in his power, to tread back the -ground which he had passed, and try to find some issue where the wood -might open into the plain. He prostrated himself on the ground, and -commended his life to the Lord of Nature. He rose with confidence and -tranquillity, and pressed on with his sabre in hand, for the beasts of -the desart were in motion, and on every hand were mingled howls of rage -and fear, and savage expiration; all the horrors of darkness and solitude -surrounded him; the winds roared in the woods, and the torrents tumbled -from the hills. - - Work’d into sudden rage by wint’ry show’rs, - Down the steep hill the roaring torrent pours; - The mountain shepherd hears the distant noise. - -Thus forlorn and distressed, he wandered through the wild, without -knowing whither he was going, or whether he was every moment drawing -nearer to safety or to destruction. At length not fear but labour began -to overcome him; his breath grew short, and his knees trembled, and he -was on the point of lying down in resignation to his fate, when he beheld -through the branches the glimmer of a taper. He advanced towards the -light, and finding that it proceeded from the cottage of a hermit, he -called humbly at the door, and obtained admission. The old man set before -him such provisions as he had collected for himself, on which Obidah fed -with eagerness and gratitude. - -When the repast was over, “Tell me,” said the hermit, “by what chance -thou hast been brought hither; I have been now twenty years an inhabitant -of the wilderness, in which I never saw a man before.” Obidah then -related the occurrences of his journey, without any concealment or -palliation. - -“Son,” said the hermit, “let the errors and follies, the dangers and -escapes, of this day, sink deep into thy heart. Remember, my son, that -human life is the journey of a day: we rise in the morning of youth, -full of vigour, and full of expectation; we set forward with spirit and -hope, with gaiety and with diligence, and travel on awhile in the strait -road of piety towards the mansions of rest. In a short time we remit our -fervour, and endeavour to find some mitigation of our duty, and some -more easy means of obtaining the same end. We then relax our vigour, and -resolve no longer to be terrified with crimes at a distance, but rely -upon our own constancy, and venture to approach what we resolve never -to touch. We thus enter the bowers of ease, and repose in the shades of -security. Here the heart softens, and vigilance subsides; we are then -willing to inquire whether another advance cannot be made, and whether we -may not at least turn our eyes upon the gardens of pleasure. We approach -them with scruple and hesitation; we enter them, but enter timorous and -trembling, and always hope to pass through them without losing the road -of virtue, which we, for awhile, keep in our sight, and to which we -propose to return. But temptation succeeds temptation, and one compliance -prepares us for another; we in time lose the happiness of innocence, and -solace our disquiet with sensual gratifications. By degrees we let fall -the remembrance of our original intention, and quit the only adequate -object of rational desire. We entangle ourselves in business, immerge -ourselves in luxury, and rove through the labyrinths of inconstancy, till -the darkness of old age begins to invade us, and disease and anxiety -obstruct our way. We then look back upon our lives with horror, with -sorrow, with repentance; and wish, but too often vainly wish, that we had -not forsaken the ways of virtue. Happy are they, my son, who shall learn -from thy example not to despair, but shall remember, that though the day -is past, and their strength is wasted, there yet remains one effort to -be made; that reformation is never hopeless, nor sincere endeavours ever -unassisted; that the wanderer may at length return after all his errors, -and that he who implores strength and courage from above, shall find -danger and difficulty give way before him. Go now, my son, to thy repose, -commit thyself to the care of Omnipotence, and when the morning calls -again to toil, begin anew thy journey and thy life.” - - - - -INGRATITUDE PUNISHED. - - -A Dervise, venerable by his age, fell ill in the house of a woman who -had been long a widow, and lived in extreme poverty in the suburbs of -Balsora. He was so touched with the care and zeal with which she had -assisted him, that at his departure he said to her, “I have remarked that -you have wherewith to subsist alone, but that you have not subsistence -enough to share it with your only son, the young Abdallah. If you will -trust him to my care, I will endeavour to acknowledge, in his person, -the obligations I have to you for your care of me.” The good woman -received this proposal with joy; and the Dervise departed with the young -man, advertising her, that they must perform a journey which would last -nearly two years. As they travelled he kept him in affluence, gave him -excellent instructions, cured him of a dangerous disease with which he -was attacked; in fine, he took the same care of him as if he had been his -own son. Abdallah a hundred times testified his gratitude to him for all -his bounties; but the old man always answered, “My son, it is by actions -that gratitude is proved; we shall see in a proper time and place, -whether you are so grateful as you pretend.” - -One day, as they continued their travels, they found themselves in a -solitary place, and the Dervise said to Abdallah, “My son, we are now at -the end of our journey; I shall employ my prayers to obtain from Heaven, -that the earth may open and make an entrance wide enough to permit -thee to descend into a place where thou wilt find one of the greatest -treasures that the earth incloses into her bowels. Hast thou courage to -descend into this subterraneous vault?” continued he. Abdallah swore -to him, he might depend upon his obedience and zeal. Then the Dervise -lighted a small fire, into which he cast a perfume; he read and prayed -for some moments, after which the earth opened, and the Dervise said to -him—“Thou mayest now enter, my dear Abdallah, remember that it is in -thy power to do me a great service; and that this is, perhaps, the only -opportunity thou canst ever have of testifying to me that thou art not -ungrateful: Do not let thyself be dazzled by all the riches thou wilt -find there; think only of seizing upon an iron candlestick with twelve -branches, which thou wilt find close to a door; that is absolutely -necessary to me; come up immediately, and bring it to me.” Abdallah -promised every thing, and descended boldly into the vault. But forgetting -what had been expressly recommended to him, whilst he was filling his -vest and bosom with gold and jewels, which this subterraneous vault -inclosed in prodigious heaps, the opening by which he entered closed of -itself. He had, however, presence of mind enough to seize on the iron -candlestick, which the Dervise had so strongly recommended to him; and -though the situation he was in was very terrible, he did not abandon -himself to despair; and thinking only in what manner he should get out -of a place which might become his grave, he apprehended that the vault -had closed only because he had not followed the order of the Dervise; -he recalled to his memory the care and goodness he had loaded him with; -reproached himself with his ingratitude, and finished his meditation by -humbling himself before God. At length, after much pains and inquietude, -he was fortunate enough to find a narrow passage which led him out -of this obscure cave; though it was not till he had followed it a -considerable way, that he perceived a small opening covered with briars -and thorns, through which he returned to the light of the sun. He looked -on all sides, to see if he could perceive the Dervise, but in vain; he -designed to deliver him the iron candlestick he so much wished for, and -formed a design of quitting him, being rich enough with what he had taken -out of the cavern, to live in affluence without his assistance. - -Not perceiving the Dervise, nor remembering any of the places through -which he had passed, he went on as fortune had directed him, and was -extremely astonished to find himself opposite to his mother’s house, -which he imagined he was at a great distance from him. She immediately -enquired after the holy Dervise. Abdallah told her frankly what had -happened to him, and the danger he had run to satisfy his unreasonable -desires; he afterwards shewed her the riches with which he was loaded. -His mother concluded, upon the sight of them, that the Dervise only -designed to make trial of his courage and obedience, and that they ought -to make use of the happiness which fortune had presented to them; adding, -that doubtless such was the intention of the holy Dervise. Whilst they -contemplated upon these treasures with avidity; whilst they were dazzled -with the lustre of them, and formed a thousand projects in consequence of -them, they all vanished away before their eyes. It was then that Abdallah -sincerely reproached himself for his ingratitude and disobedience; and, -perceiving that the iron candlestick had resisted the enchantment, or -rather the just punishment which those deserve who do not execute what -they promise, he said, prostrating himself, “What happened to me is just; -I have lost what I had no design to restore, and the candlestick which I -intended to deliver to the Dervise, remains with me: It is a proof that -it rightly belongs to him, and that the rest was unjustly acquired.” As -he finished these words, he placed the candlestick in the midst of their -little house. - -When the night was come, without reflecting upon it, he placed the light -in the candlestick. Immediately they saw a Dervise appear, who turned -round for an hour, and disappeared, after having thrown them an asper. -The candlestick had twelve branches. Abdallah, who was meditating all -the day upon what he had seen the night before, was willing to know what -would happen the next night, if he put a light in each of them; he did -so, and twelve Dervises appeared that instant; they turned round also for -an hour, and each threw an asper as they disappeared. He repeated every -day the same ceremony, which had always the same success; but he could -never make it succeed more than once in twenty-four hours. This trifling -sum was enough to make his mother and himself subsist tolerably: there -was a time when they would have desired no more to be happy; but it was -not considerable enough to change their fortune: it is always dangerous -for the imagination to be fixed upon the idea of riches. The sight of -what he believed he should possess; the projects he had formed for the -employment of it; all these things had left such profound traces in the -mind of Abdallah, that nothing could efface them. Therefore, seeing the -small advantage he drew from the candlestick, he resolved to carry it -back to the Dervise, in hopes that he might obtain of him the treasure -he had seen, or at least find again the riches which had vanished from -their sight, by restoring to him a thing for which he testified so -earnest a desire. He was so fortunate as to remember his name, and that -of the city where he inhabited. He departed, therefore, immediately for -Magrebi, carrying with him his candlestick, which he lighted every night, -and by that means furnished himself with what was necessary on the road, -without being obliged to implore the assistance and compassion of the -faithful. When he arrived at Magrebi, his first care was to enquire in -what house, or in what convent, Abounadar lodged; he was so well known -that every body told him his habitation. He repaired thither directly, -and found fifty porters who kept the gate of his house, having each a -staff with a head of gold in their hands: the court of this palace was -filled with slaves and domestics; in fine, the residence of a prince -could not expose to view greater magnificence. Abdallah, struck with -astonishment and admiration, feared to proceed. Certainly, thought he, -I either explained myself wrong, or those to whom I addressed myself -designed to make a jest of me, because I was a stranger: this is not -the habitation of a Dervise, it is that of a king. He was in this -embarrassment when a man approached him, and said to him, “Abdallah, -thou art welcome; my master, Abounadar, has long expected thee.” He -then conducted him to an agreeable and magnificent pavilion, where the -Dervise was seated. Abdallah, struck with the riches which he beheld -on all sides, would have prostrated himself at his feet, but Abounadar -prevented him, and interrupted him when he would have made a merit of -the candlestick, which he presented to him. “Thou art but an ungrateful -wretch,” said he to him: “Dost thou imagine that thou canst impose upon -me? I am not ignorant of any one of thy thoughts; and if thou hadst known -the value of this candlestick, thou would never have brought it to me: I -will make thee sensible of its true use.” Immediately he placed a light -in each of its branches; and when the twelve Dervises had turned round -for some time, Abounadar gave each of them a blow with a cane, and in -a moment they were converted into twelve sequins, diamonds, and other -precious stones. “This,” said he, “is the proper use to be made of this -marvellous candlestick. As to me, I never desired it, but to place it -in my cabinet, as a talisman composed by a sage whom I revere, and am -pleased to expose sometimes to those who come to visit me: and to prove -to thee,” added he, “that curiosity was the only occasion of my search -for it; here are keys of my magazines, open them, and thou shalt judge -of my riches: thou shalt tell me whether the most insatiable miser would -not be satisfied with them.” Abdallah obeyed him, and examined twelve -magazines of great extent, so full of all manner of riches, that he could -not distinguish what merited his admiration most; they all deserved it, -and produced new desires. The regret of having restored the candlestick, -and that of not having found out the use of it, pierced the heart of -Abdallah. Abounadar seemed not to perceive it; on the contrary, he loaded -him with caresses, kept him some days in the house, and commanded him to -be treated as himself. When he was at the eve of the day which he had -fixed for his departure, he said to him, “Abdallah, my son, I believe -by what has happened to thee, thou art corrected of the frightful vice -of ingratitude; however, I owe thee a mark of my affection, for having -undertaken so long a journey, with a view of bringing me the thing I had -desired: thou may’st depart, I shall detain thee no longer. Thou shalt -find to-morrow, at the gate of my palace, one of my horses to carry thee; -I make thee a present of it, as well as of a slave, who shall conduct -thee to thy house; and two camels loaded with gold and jewels, which thou -shalt choose thyself out of my treasures.” Abdallah said to him all that -a heart sensible to avarice could express when its passion was satisfied, -and went to lie down till the morning arrived, which was fixed for his -departure. - -During the night he was still agitated, without being able to think of -any thing but the candlestick and what it produced. “I had it,” said he, -“so long in my power; Abounadar, without me, had never been the possessor -of it: what risks did I not run in the subterraneous vault? Why does he -now possess this treasure of treasures? Because I had the probity, or -rather the folly, to bring it back to him; he profits by my labour, and -the danger I have incurred in so long a journey. And what does he give -me in return? Two camels loaded with gold and jewels; in one moment the -candlestick will furnish him with ten times as much. It is Abounadar who -is ungrateful: what wrong shall I do him in taking this candlestick? -None, certainly, for he is rich: and what do I possess?” These ideas -determined him, at length, to make all possible attempts to seize upon -the candlestick. The thing was not difficult, Abounadar having trusted -him with the keys of the magazines. He knew where the candlestick was -placed; he seized upon it, hid it in the bottom of one of the sacks, -which he filled with pieces of gold and other riches which he was allowed -to take, and loaded it, as well as the rest, upon his camels. He had no -other eagerness now than for his departure; and after having hastily bid -adieu to the generous Abounadar, he delivered him his keys, and departed -with his horse, and slave, and two camels. - -When he was some days journey from Balsora, he sold his slave, resolving -not to have a witness of his former poverty, nor of the source of his -present riches. He bought another, and arrived without any obstacle at -his mother’s, whom he would scarcely look upon, so much was he taken up -with his treasure. His first care was to place the loads of his camels, -and the candlestick, in the most private part of the house; and, in his -impatience to feed his eyes, with his great opulence, he placed lights -immediately in the candlestick: the twelve Dervises appearing, he gave -each of them a blow with a cane with all his strength, lest he should -be failing in the laws of the talisman: but he had not remarked, that -Abounadar, when he struck them, had the cane in his left hand. Abdallah, -by a natural motion, made use of his right; and the Dervises, instead -of becoming heaps of riches, immediately drew from beneath their robes -each a formidable club, with which they struck him almost dead, and -disappeared, carrying with them all his treasures, the camels, the horse, -the slave, and the candlestick. - -Thus was Abdallah punished by poverty, and almost by death, for his -unreasonable ambition, which perhaps might have been pardonable, if it -had not been accompanied by an ingratitude as wicked as it was audacious, -since he had not so much as the resource of being able to conceal his -perfidies from the too piercing eyes of his benefactor. - -FINIS. - -Harrild, Printer, Eastcheap. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Oriental tales, for the entertainment -of youth, by Anonymous - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ORIENTAL TALES FOR ENTERTAINMENT OF YOUTH *** - -***** This file should be named 62868-0.txt or 62868-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/8/6/62868/ - -Produced by Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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