"me.'

to proftrate myself before him, but he prevented "Haffan," said he, "forbear; thou art greater than I, and from thee I have at once de"rived humility and wisdom." I answered, Mock ⚫ not thy fervant, who is but as a worm before thee: life and death are in thy hand, and happiness and mifery are the daughters of thy will.' "Haffan," he replied, "I can no otherwife give life or happi"nefs than by not taking them away: thou art thy"feif beyond the reach of my bounty, and poffeffed "of felichy which I can neither communicate nor "obtain. Ivy inuence over others fills my bofom "with perpetual folicitude and anxiety; and yet my influence over others extends only to their «vices, whether I would reward or punish.

By the bow-ftring, I can reprefs violence and "fraud; and by the delegation of power, I can "transfer the infatiable wishes of avarice and ambi❝tion 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 "haft therefore neither avarice nor ambition to exalt "thee, which would deftroy the fimplicity of thy life, " and diminish that happiness which I have no power "either to increase or to continue." . He then rofe up, and commanding me not to difclofe his fecret, ⚫ departed.

'As

'As foon as I recovered from the confufion and aftonishment in which the Caliph left me, I began 'to regret that my behaviour had intercepted his 'bounty; and accused that cheerfulness of folly, 'which was the concomitant of poverty and labour. 'I now repined at the obfcurity of my station, 'which my former infenfibility had perpetuated: 'I neglected my labour, because I despised the re'ward; I spent the day in idleness, forming romantic projects to recover the advantages which I had 'loft; and at night, inftead of lofing myself in that 'sweet and refreshing sleep, from which I used to 'rife with new health, cheerfulness, and vigour, I 'dreamt of fplendid habits and a numerous retinue, ' of gardens, palaces, eunuchs, and women, and 'waked only to regret the illufions that had vanished. My health was at length impaired by the inquietude ' of my mind; I fold all my moveables for fubfift'ence: and referved only a mattrafs, upon which I fometimes lay from one night to another.

In the first moon of the following year, the Caliph came again to Mecca, with the fame fecrecy, and for the fame purposes. He was willing ' once more to fee the man, whom he confidered as deriving felicity from himself. But he found me, not finging at my work, ruddy with health, and vivid with cheerfulness; but pale and dejected, 'fitting

fitting on the ground, and chewing opium, which contributed to fubftitute the phantoms of imagination for the realities of greatnefs. He entered with a kind of joyful impatience in his counteC nance, 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 Caliph; yet I was confounded at his presence, ' and throwing myself at his feet, I laid my hand "Haffan," upon my head, and was fpeechless.

faid he, "what canft thou have loft, whose wealth "was the labour of thy own hand; and what can "have made thee fad, the spring of whose joy was " in thy own bofom? What evil hath 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 prefumption of his fervant, who, rather than utter a falsehood, would be dumb for ever. I am become wretched by the lofs of that which I never poffeffed; thou haft ' raised wishes which indeed I am not worthy thou • shouldst fatisfy: but why fhould it be thought that he, who was happy in obfcurity and indigence, would not have been rendered more happy by < eminence and wealth?'

• When I had finished this fpeech, Almalic stood ⚫ fome moments in fufpence, and I continued prof

⚫trate

trate before him.

"Haffan," faid he, “I per "ceive, not with indignation but regret, that I "mistook thy character; I now difcover avarice " and ambition in thy heart, which lay torpid only "because their objects were too remote to rouze "them. I cannot, therefore, inveft thee with autho"rity, because I would not fubject my people to " oppreffion; 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 reftore, I will at least gratify "the wishes that I excited, left thy heart accuse me “of injuftice, and thou continue ftill a stranger to thyfelf. Arife, therefore, and follow me." I fprung from the ground as it were with the wings ' of an eagle; I kiffed the hem of his garment in an extacy of gratitude and joy; and when I went out of my house, my heart leaped as if I had escaped ⚫ from the den of a lion. I followed Almalic to the 'caravanfera 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 fervants; my provifions were 'fent from his own table; and I received every ' week a fum from his treasury, which exceeded the 'most romantic of my expectations. But I foon 'difcovered, that no dainty was fo tafteful, as the

• food

food to which labour procured an appetite; no 'flumbers fo fweet as those which wearinefs invited; ' and no time so well enjoyed, as that in which dili'gence is expecting its reward. I remembered these enjoyments with regret; and while I was fighing in the midst of superfluities, which though ⚫ they encumbered life, yet I could not give up, they ' were fuddenly taken away.

Almalic, in the midst of the glory of his king'dom, and in the full vigour of his life, expired fuddenly in the bath; fuch, thou knoweft, was the • destiny, which the Almighty had written upon his • head.

• His fon Abubeker, who fucceeded to the throne, ' was incenfed against me, by some who regarded 'me at once with contempt and envy: he suddenly withdrew my penfion, and commanded that I 'fhould 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, expofed to hunger and derifion, with all the habits of luxury, and all the fenfibility of pride. O! let not thy heart defpife me, thou whom experience has not taught, ⚫ that it is mifery to lose that which it is not happi'nefs to poffefs. O! that for me, this leffon had C not been written on the tablets of Providence! I