her in the realms of bliss. The fi tuation of thy companions who have appeared pleafing to the fultan, has been the object of thine envy; but alas! thine is a paradife to their's. Thou haft repined at that folitude which, hadst thou made right ufe of it, would have taught thee to know thyfelf; and haft grieved that thou wert not born to that beauty which thousands never poffefs, and which would have been to thee as a punish ment inftead of a bleffing. I will now fhew thee what, but for my interpofition, would have been thine own destiny, had this thy laft, thy prefumptuous with been crowned with fuccefs; hadft thou been bidden in thy turn to deck with oriental pomp the bed of Amurath, and repofe on the filken pavilions in the inner chambers of the palace: turn thyself to the caft, and view there what I fhall explain to thee."

She turned and beheld a woman feated on a throne, furrounded with every circumftance of eaftern mag nificence; the was fair as one of the Houries, and fparkling in the gold of Indoitan and the diamonds of Surat; in her prefence every mouth was dumb, every knee bended with fear, and every eye fixed on the ground; yet the feemed to receive the adorations of the crowd with coldness, nor was her heart glad at the approach of her ford; the feemed alone as to herself, tho' davidft wondering thousands, and ten thou fands at her feet." View her yet again, (he faid) Selina, as the crowd retiring leaves her in her clos fet, and what happinefs does the feem poffeffed of that thou wifheft to be thine? Does not that gloom that hangs on her brow owe its being to fear? is the not conscious that treachery or chance can in a mo

ment bring her licentious happiness to an end? and guilt, that viper in her bofom, deftroys all relish for pleafures, and points out to her the vanity of all joys which have not virtue for their foundation.But fee the guards rush in at this moment to feize her, and accufe her of having confpired the death of her lord. -Mark, how the fplendid apart ments and alcove of pleafure difappear, and in their ftead the ́joyless gloom and grated windows of a pri fon.Now he is hurried in, they throw the black robe of death upon her; in vain does the new think of command, in vain wave that hand which a few hours before would have ftilled the raging of the people, and humbled the rulers of the world; she now begs to be heard, and has recourfe as het daft aid, to entreaty, tears, and proftration, but in vain fhe is dragged down on the rocky pavement by the hands of flaves, who offer her the different alternat tives of the poisoned cup or the fa bre. She drinks, and fee the finks yet and yet paler to the earth.

See the last convulfive strogglethe dying gafp, and the figh that rends the heart in the last agony!fcarce is there a paufe}

they trip the yet warm body denied to be joined in burial with the queens of the land, and expose it for a prey to the eagle and vulture.

Such, hort-fighted maid, would have been thy latelt hour; and thy end would have refembled her's: bear then thy préfent fate without repining, nordafh the cordial which Hope prefents thee with to the ground, but wait with patience for a happier hour; their dot only may be called miferable whofe faces were never covered with fhame, and who go down unrepent

ing to the grave.-Hope is yet thine, which can turn the walls that confine thee to the bower of content; then say not in thine heart that thy portion here is with the wretched, nor by wishing to alter the allotment of Providence, provoke the rage of a power infinitely greater than mine, which can crufh thee to atoms at a blow."

When he had spoke these words, he ftretched out his arm over her, and fhe funk down on a fofa into the arms of fleep, from which the awoke in the morning with a conviction of her late unjuft repinings, and with a perfect refignation to the lot which her genius had affigned her in the terreftrial abode of life.

15

Zara,

Afpatia,

Almena,

T

Mr. Vernon, Mr. Champnefs, Signior Giuftinelle, Mifs Williams, Mrs. Vincent,

Signiora Cremonini, Mifs Wright, HE fultan Huffein, emperor of Perfia, having been depo fed and murdered, with all his chil dren, excepting Almena, who mi raculously efcaped, Mohammed, the tyrant, the chief of the Afghans, in order to fecure his ufurpation, and to gratify a passion which he enters tains for Afpafia, contrives to win or terrify that lady to his arms, but to no purpose; her regard for her virtue and family would not permit her to look on a villain who had murdered her husband and children. The only remaining comfort fhé had was Almena, a young lady beloved by Mirza, her husband's nephew, a Courageous prince, who had a res ciprocal hare in Almena's affection, and was now confidered as the only hope of the people. This hope, however, was of no long duration; for Mirza, who headed a body of troops againft Mohammed, having been routed and taken prifoner, is,

by order of the tyrant, thrown into prifon to linger out a hateful life in .mifery and chains.

But Providence difappoints Mo. hammed's intentions; for his fitter having feen the gallant young prince, is ftruck with his magnanimity and misfortunes, and contrives that very night, by bribing the guards, to get him out of prifon, in hopes of win ning him to her love. Mirza, con trary to her expectations, is no fooner at liberty, than he repairs to his fol→ lowers, who are now confiderably reinforced, and prepared to have an other trial with the tyrant. This difappointment renders Zara almoft frantic, who, determined to have an ample revenge on her hated rival, takes an opportunity, while her bro ther is complaining of Afpatia's cru elty, to perfuade him that, by put ting out Almena's eyes, he would undoubtedly terrify the emprefs to a compliance with his wishes. Mo hammed gives into this defign, and dispatches his grand vizier Abudah to fee it executed.!

Abudah is a Perfan nobleman, formerly banished for entertaining prefumptuous fentiments towards the emprefs Afpatia, and ftill che

rishes both her and her caufe in his heart; inftead therefore of executing his commiffion, he defires Almena to difguife herself, and by that means deceives the merciless tyrant. This done, Selima, Almena's attendant, comes in, with news that Mirza has

defeated Mohammed's forces, and taken the tyrant prifoner. Every thing now wears a face of transport, Mirza comes in triumph, and refcues Almena, while Afpatia's hand is given as a reward to the fervices of Abudah.

Raftus, at the expiration of his clerkship to a merchant, faw himself in poffeflion of a fortune, which in a few years with fuccefs might have increased to the height of his ambition. He made a favou rable impreffion on the heart of the fair Eliza, his mafter's daughter, and married her foon after he was fettled, with the confent of her father, who retired from business, and paff ed the remainder of his days in eafe and calmness.

They had but a few years enjoyed the happiness they imparted to each other, before Eraftus, by unexpected loffes, and the bankruptcy of a house abroad, was robbed of all his fortune. He now for ever looked on the lovely Eliza with pain. "Canft thou ftill love the man who has reduced thee to poverty? Indeed thou canft, faid he, preffing her hand with all imaginable tenderness. Heaven knows I have not brought my misfortunes on myself we must not repine, and yet fo lovely a fa mily"at which time he caft his eyes on his little rogues who were playing on the carpet, and then on his Eliza. He faw the tear flow down her cheek, and wept. What ever she could fuggeft to give him afe, the fpoke with all the tendernefsimaginable; "We will not weep then, my, Eliza, perhaps we may yet know happier hours." The at

tention of the little ones was drawn by their tears. One asked the mother why he wept; and another with inquifitive love, why papa cried: Eraftus kiffed them, and faid he would weep no more, bad them be good, and heaven would bles them.

Thus paffed their hours til his affairs were fettled, when he paid to the utmost whatever he owed to mankind; fuch was his character that many offered him money, which he declined, as he had already found that induftry could not infure fuccefs. By others he was advised to go abroad, and look into the af fairs of the houfe by the bankruptcy of which he had fo confiderably fuffered. This he refolved on. Whea he told his intention to Eliza, fhe wept at the thoughts of parting : the dreaded the danger he would be exposed to more than poverty itself. and would not litten to him, unless he would confent to her accompanying him on the voyage." Alas! thou best of women, you forget your condition, Eliza cannot think that any thing but the hopes of bettering our fortunes could prevail on me to leave her. Were I to wait till the time was past when you might accompany me without hazarding your life, the delay might be dangerous; even then thy tender limbs could but poorly endure the fatigue.

I go, that Eliza, her little ones, and that infant, which foon will claim its share of my affection, may never tafte the bitter cup of poverty. The little remainder of our fortunes I will leave with thee; if that should be exhausted, which heaven forbid, before I am enabled to congratulate thee on our happier circumftances, fure then thou couldst not know the mifery of abfolute want: thy Eraftus fill has friends; I have been unfortunate, my Eliza, but not bafe." By arguments of this kind he prevailed on her to acquiefce in bis defign. "Support yourself in my abfence, faid he, we fhall not long labour under misfortunes we have not deserved. If any thing advantageous fhould happen to fix me abroad, will Eliza follow me ?" "Will -how can Eraftus doubt it, faid the lovely wife; with you no climate can be difpleafing, without you no circumftances can make me happy." "Thou dear, dear woman, faid he, clafping her in his arms, how have 1 deferved thy love?"

At length the time came which was to separate them from each other; no words can exprefs the pain they felt at parting; Eraftus, who had, without knowing it, fupported himfelf by endeavouring to fupport his Eliza, wept when he embraced his beft of wives. The tears choaked his voice, when he told his little ones to be dutiful to their mother. At the last embrace he would have fpoke, but found the effort vain; he gazed on her a few moments with a look which may be much eafier conceived than defcribed, and filent left her in all the grief a buman breaft can know.

Eliza now retired to one of the environs, where her thoughts were generally employed upon Eraftus;

fometimes when they had wandered from their usual subject, they were recalled to it by one of the little ones afking where papa was? upon which the could not help pointing out the distant hills, and faying, that he was a thousand times more diftant than they were, an idea but feldom awakened without producing

tears.

Happily for her, fhe received a letter from him with affurances of his welfare, at a time when she moft wanted confolation; and fome months after came to her hands the following.

"My dearest Eliza,

"You will naturally believe I write this with the utmost joy, fince I can inform my dearest wife, that I am now fettled in fuch a way, as may foon make up for our late ill fortune. A more particular account I referve till I am happy in thy converfation. I have fent a bill, thougiv I cannot fuppofe you want it, that nothing may poflibly detain you from my arms. Hafte to a husband, who loves you better than himself, and believe that abfence has made you dearer to him than ever."

Eliza no fooner received this welcome letter, than the began to prepare for her departure; by the first vetfel therefore that was ready the fet fail, and took with her a female fervant to affift her in the care of the children. She found no other, scarce indeed fo many inconveniences as the expected, which arofe from the humanity of the captain, who, unlike moft of his brethren, compas fionated the inconveniences which attend those who are unaccustomed to the fea.

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