opened his mouth; and the king firft broke filence, after it had continued near an hour. 66 66 I am "Mirza, terror and doubt are come upon me. "alarmed, as a man who fuddenly perceives that he is near the brink of a precipice, and is urged forward 66 by an irresistible force: but yet I know not, whe"ther my danger is a reality or a dream. I am as "thou art, a reptile of the earth; my life is a mo"ment, and eternity, in which days and years and ages "are nothing, eternity is before me, for which I alfo "fhould prepare but by whom then must the faithful "be governed by thofe only who have no fear of judgment? by thofe only, whofe life is brutal, be"caufe like brutes they do not confider that they shall "die? Or who, indeed, are the Faithful? Are the bu"fy multitudes that croud the city, in a state of per"dition? and is the cell of the Dervife alone the g gate "of paradise ? To all, the life of a Dervise is not pof"fible: to all, therefore, it cannot be a duty. Depart "to the house which has in this city been prepared "for thy refidence: I will meditate the reafon of thy "request; and may he who illuminates the mind of "the humble, enable me to determine with wisdom.” Mirza departed; and on the third day having received no command, he again requefted an audience, and it was granted. When he entered the royal prefence, his countenance appeared more cheerful; he drew a letter from his bofom, and having kiffed it, he prefented it with his right hand. "My Lord," faid he, I have learned by this letter, which I received "from Cofrou the Iman, who now ftands before thee, "in what manner life may be beft improved. I am en. "abled to look back with pleasure, and forward with "hope; 65 66 hope; and I shall now rejoice ftill to be the shadow "of thy power at Tauris, and to keep thofe honours "which I fo lately wished to refign." The king, who had liftened to Mirza with a mixture of furprize and curiofity, immediately gave the letter to Cofrou, and commanded that it fhould be read. The eyes of the court were at once turned upon the hoary fage, whofe countenance was fuffufed with an honeft blush; and it was not without fome hefitation that he read thefe words: "To Mirza, who the wisdom of Abbas our mighty "Lord has honoured with dominion, be everlasting "health! When I heard thy purpose to withdraw the "bleffings of thy government from the thousands of 66 Tauris, my heart was wounded with the arrow of "affliction, and my eyes became dim with forrow. "But who fhall fpeak before the king, when he is 66 'troubled; and who fhall boast of knowledge, when "he is diftreffed by doubt? To thee I will relate the 66 events of my youth, which thou haft renewed before me; and thofe truths which they taught me, may "the Prophet multiply to thee. "Under the inftruction of the phyfician Aluzar, I "obtained an early knowledge of his art. To those "who were fmitten with disease, I could administer 66 66 plants, which the fun has impregnated with the spi"rit of health. But the fcenes of pain, languor, and mortality, which were perpetually rifing before me, "made me often tremble for myself. I faw the grave. open at my feet: I determined, therefore, to contemplate only the regions beyond it, and to despise every acquifition which I could not keep. I conceived an opinion, that as there was no merit but in 66 66 66 66 voluntary voluntary poverty, and filent meditation, thofe who "defired money were not proper objects of bounty, " and that by all who were proper objects of bounty, money was despised. I therefore buried mine in the "earth; and renouncing fociety, I wandered into a "wild and fequeftered part of the country: my dwel❝ling was a cave by the fide of a hill, I drank the run"ning water from the spring, and eat such fruits and " herbs as I could find. To increase the austerity of my life, I frequently watched all night, fitting at the 26 66 66 entrance of the cave with my face to the eaft, refigning myself to the fecret influences of the Pro"phet, and expecting illuminations from above. One "morning after my nocturnal vigil, juft as I perceived "the horizon glow at the approach of the fun, the power of fleep became irrefiftible, and I funk under "it. I imagined myself ftill fitting at the entrance of 66 my cell; that the dawn increased; and that as I look"ed earnestly for the first beam of day, a dark spot ap"peared to intercept it. I perceived that it was in motion; it increased in fize as it drew near, and at "length I difcovered it to be an eagle. I ftill kept my eye fixed ftedfaftly upon it, and faw it alight at 66 66 66 a fmall distance, where I now descried a fox, whofe 66 two fore-legs appeared to be broken. Before this "fox the eagle laid part of a kid, which she had "brought in her talons, and then disappeared. When "I awaked I laid my forehead upon the ground, and "bleffed the Prophet for the inftruction of the morn"ing. I reviewed my dream, and said thus to myself : "Cofrou, thou haft done well to renounce the tumult, "the bufinefs, and the vanities of life; but thou haft as " yet only done it in part: thou art ftill every day 7 -"bufied "bufied in the fearch of food; thy mind is not wholly 66 at reft, neither is thy truft in Providence complete. "What art thou taught by this vision? If thou hast "feen an eagle commiffioned by Heaven to feed a fox "that is lame, shall not the hand of Heaven also fup 66 ply thee with food; when that which prevents thee "from procuring it for thyfelf, is not neceffity, but "devotion? I was now fo confident of a miraculous “supply, that I neglected to walk out for my repast, which, after the first day, I expected with an impa-` "tience that left me little power of attending to any "other object: this impatience, however, I laboured "to fupprefs, and perfifted in my refolution; but my 66 eyes at length began to fail me, and my knees fmote "each other; I threw myfelf backward, and hoped my. weakness would foon increase to infenfibility. "But I was fuddenly rouzed by the voice of an invi"fible being, who pronounced these words:" Cofrou, I am the angel, who, by the command of the Almighty, have registered the thoughts of thy heart, which f am now commiffioned to reprove. While thou wast attempting to become wife above that which is revealed, thy folly has perverted the inftruction which was vouchfafed thee. Art thou difabled as the Fox? haft powers of the Eagle? Arife, let object of thy emulation. To pain and fickness, be thou again the messenger of ease and health. Virtue is not reft, but action. If thou doft good to man, as an evidence of thy love to God, thy virtue will be exalted from moral to divine; and that happiness which is the pledge of Paradife, will be thy reward upon earth. thou not rather the the Eagle be the "At "At these words I was not lefs aftonished than if a "mountain had been overturned at my feet; I hum-* "bled myself in the duft; I returned to the city; I dug 66 up my treasure; I was liberal, yet I became rich. "My skill in restoring health to the body, gave me "frequent opportunities of curing the difeafes of the "foul. I put on the facred veftments; I grew emi"nent beyond my merit; and it was the pleasure of "the king that I should stand before him. Now, "therefore, be not offended; I boast of no knowledge "that I have not received; as the fands of the defert "drink up the drops of rain, or the dew of the morning; fo do I also, who am but duft, imbibe the in"ftructions of the Prophet. Believe then that it is he "who tells thee, all knowledge is prophane, which "terminates in thyself; and by a life wasted in specu"lation, little even of this can be gained. When the 66 gates of Paradife are thrown open before thee, thy "mind fhall be irradiated in a moment: here thou "canft little more than pile error upon error; there "thoufhalt build truth upon truth. Wait, therefore, for "the glorious vifion; and in the mean time emulate "the Eagle. Much is in thy power: and, therefore, "much is expected of thee. Though the Almighty "only can give virtue, yet, as a prince, thou mayeft "ftimulate thofe to beneficence, who act from no high, 66 er motive than immediate intereft: thou canst not "produce the principle, but mayeft enforce the prac"tice. The relief of the poor is equal, whether they "receive it from oftentation or charity; and the effect "of example is the fame, whether it be intended to 66 obtain the favour of God or man. Let thy virtue "be |