done?-Whom has he injured?" The Vizir was of opinion that he was universally considered as a dangerous person; there was a mystery about him which at best wore a suspicious appearance, and although, in truth, he had as yet done no harm, yet, perhaps, he was only waiting for an opportunity to effect his evil designs with the greatest se FROM the very depth of his soul did Muzaffer, the Grand Vizir, detest the poor wandering Hebrew, Ben Hafi. He knew but too well how to manage the strings of the Khalif's heart, and firmly resolved that not one should remain unsounded till the entire destruction of this hated stranger was accomplished. But here, for the first time, he found his insidious arts baffled; a proof that recti-curity." tude of mind and innate purity of heart, are such celestial and enduring gifts, that although they may be sometimes overpowed by guile and falsehood, they can never be entirely destroyed. The Khalif listened attentively to the arguments of his Vizir, then paused for a few moments, and replied by the question. What harm has Ben Hafi 66 Perhaps so," replied the Khalif," and perhaps not!" Allah who reads the hearts of Ben Hafi-of you-of myself-of all-alone knows what he means to do: we, Muzaffer will content ourselves with knowing what he has already done. Since his arrival in my dominions, no fault has been found in his conduct. He is charitable, modest, wise: and does not my faithful dwarf, Mejnoun, think well of him? Ah! he of whom my little deaf Mejnoun thinks well can never be a worthless man !-for the spirit of truth resides in the heart of Mejnoun-the arrows of discernment shoot from his brilliant eye, and therefore needs not he the sense of hearing. Allah has taken from him in one respect, but has given him most bounteously in another. He conceives the meaning of men from their looks, from movements of their lips to us imperceptible; he deciphers their thoughts expressed by the sinking or falling of the eye-brow, or the momentary play of the muscles of the mouth; he reads the heart through the bosom, and his eye pierces as deep as is permitted to mortal man. Oh ! had 1 but always valued the advice of my good Mejnoun, as it deserved, how different would have been my situation now! My brother, my Abdallah would have still been at my court, and I should still have possessed a real friend! When all conspired to blind me-when my senses were bewildered by calumnies, whose falsehood I discovered too late, and whose author I still seek in vainthen did no voice speak in favour of Abdallah, none but Mejnoun's! But I scorned the warning-my eyes were dazzled by the splendour of my newlymounted throne-my ears were filled with flattery, and I shut my heart against my brother. Oh! when I remember while our father was yet in life, what an affectionate friend-what a cheerful companion-what a disinterested adviser-what virtues and what talents, sure were mine in Abdallah, and how from the moment that I mounted the throne I repulsed him with that haughty coldness, which by you and by my courtiers was termed necessary prudence, and how I judged him to be guilty without hearing his defence! Oh! 'twas most unjust, tyrannical, and barbarous ; most heartily do I wish that I had been the younger brother, and that Abdallah had borne the sceptre in my place, I should have gained by the exchange, both in this world and the next; for I swear to thee, Muzaffer, by the eternal splendour, that had he been Khaliff, Abdallah would not have condemned his brother unheard. No he would not; his actions were as just as his affections were tender; his head was wise as his heart was good." "Mighty lord," replied Muzaffer, "remember that Abdallah was not condemned by you, circumstances whose illusion (as you say) you have since discovered, compelled you to believe him guilty; but before you could adjudge his doom, he avoided your sentence by a disgraceful flight." "Ah! Muzaffer," said the monarch, "thou art generally skilful in pouring balsam into the wounds of my bosom, but this is too deep an ulcer ever to be healed; it defies your art. He was compelled to fly; to fly from his brother to preserve his life, and his brother from the commission of a dreadful crime. Oh! where is he now? In what miserable hut does he hunger while I revel here in superfluity, and lavish away the treasures of Arabia ? In vain have my messengers traversed the globe: no vestige of my brother can be found. Perhaps he already appears as my accuser before the throne of the eternal, and the spirit of my father stands by his side. Heavenly powers! if so, what a doom must I suffer." Muzaffer had heard these lamentations so often, and had always combatted them with so little success, that he made it a rule to listen in silence to his monarch's reflections, and now and then endeavour to mark the interest which he did not feel by a sympathetic sigh, a melancholy movement of the head, or a look of pious resignation cast towards heaven, or rather towards the ceiling. He had also frequently found that by allowing the stream of sorrow to run its course, it became the sooner expended. In the present instance he was correct, and after some time spent in silent thought, he again endeavoured to bring forward the Hebrew, Ben Hafi, and thereby re new the conversation respecting him. He therefore again pressed the Khalif on the subject, but Amurath would hear nothing he could urge against him; and at length asked him "Whether he was in truth afraid of the influence of this =poor simple Hebrew ?" The Vizir's answer was a contemptuous smile. "Then why so much his enemy?" rejoined the Khalif, "trust me it does not please me when you express such aversion against a man whose conversation has beguiled your sovereign of so many heavy hours. Ben Hafi's tales and descriptions of various countries, furnish me with much amusement and matter for reflection. With him I have often forgotten that I am a monarch, and he who makes a king forget the sorrows of a throne, trust me Muzaffer can be no common man.” They were here interrupted by the little deaf Mejnoun, whom the Khalif had instructed to summon the Hebrew to the seraglio: the portal curtains were drawn back, and Ben Hafi entered. The sun, when at mid-day he shines upon the ocean, is not brighter than the smile with which Muzaffer greeted Ben Hafi. But how he hated him at that moment! Ben Hafi, was by the sultan's request, seated on cushions arranged opposite to the royal sofa; the dwarf took his accustomed station at his master's feet, and the Grand Vizir, by a respectful bow, requested permission to break the silence; the permission being granted, he thus addressed the object of his aversion and his fear. "Worthy and wise Ben Hafi, there is a point of some importance on which our lord, the Khalif has long differed from the humblest of his slaves, and which I now submit to your experience in the nature of mankind. I maintain that a monarch, who has no other materials to work upon, and no other instrument to work with than men, must govern his actions according to the dictates of cool and unbiassed prudence, and without suffering himself to be influenced by that most dangerous of all delusions, the enthusiasm of the heart. Those plans, I contend, must come to nothing which are built upon the idea of ruling men through the medium of their good qualities, for that government can only be of use to the whole which is grounded upon a knowledge of the depravity, the baseness, the selfishness, the incapacity of the individuals, of whom that whole is composed. I maintain also that the black drop which the angel Gabriel removed from the heart of Mahomet, exists in the hearts of all other children of Allah; that on account of that innate depravity, the sovereign should possess a sceptre of iron as well as one of gold; that he will find it necessary to use the former than the latter; and that true wisdom will make him consider man merely as an animal who must be compelled to do that which is useful, and abstain from that which is pernicious; the one by his passion for pleasure, the other by his fear of pain. Such are my sentiments; I have the misfortune to find them disapproved of by my lord, the Khalif, and but too often see him act from sentiments in direct opposition to them." "And if your opinion were just," replied the Khalif," why in the name of the prophet did nature give the king a heart as well as the beggar? A monarch should be born without the feelings of a man, to rule as you would have him."-"The duties of a monarch, and the feelings of a man, are always different, and always incompatible," rejoined the Vizir." If that be the case I pity both," replied the Khalif, "but most the monarch! To dare confide in no one-to be deaf to the pleadings of benevolence-to repress all warm affections and generous sensibilities, and to shut our bosoms against the whole world. Oh! if this be indeed the lot of a sovereign, it is indeed a dreadful one. God of creation! unless you weigh my conduct by the measure of my good intentions, how shall thy servant stand upright before thee?" The benevolent monarch bowed his Tell me, head, and a tear stood in his power were spoken, and a thick grey cloud came rolling from the north. In its passage over the mountain Caucasus, its shadow fell on the pavilion of mortal excellence, and immediately the bright picture was obscured, on which the genius Gela-Eddin was gazing. The roof of this brilliant pavilion, is formed of moon-shine; the golden columns on which it rests, are beams of the sun, and in number a thousand and thirty; its walls are composed of woven ether, meteor fires, and the condensed evaporations of aromatic shrubs and flowers. A profusion of falling stars is showered over the whole pavilion, and it floats upon the clouds of autumnal evenings, which form for it a floor of the most. brilliant crimson. This is the abode of the spotless and generous spirits of those who, while on earth, dignified and enlightened human nature by their virtues, and who have purchased for themselves, after death, a seat in the society of the pure genii, by their glorious actions, and by self-devotion to the general good. Gela-Eddin, a superior genius, equally endowed with the light and love of truth, is the happy ruler of these illustrious spirits. On the ethereal walls of this pavilion. are continually represented every noble and virtuous action from the first instant of its suggesting itself, to the moment of its completion. Nothing can be more brilliant, nothing more soft than the colours of which these pictures are composed; unlike those of earth, instead of fading, they become more bright and fresh with each succeeding day, except when the celestial motive which animates their authors is obscured and tarnished by weakness, apprehension, selfinterest, indolence, uncertainty respecting the consequences, or reflection on the little merits of those for whose benefit the noble action is intended. But, when a mortal, even to the moment of dissolution, remains faithful to the heavenly inspiration, which incites him to glorious deeds; when the The words of might, the words of lamp of his life in expiring, still throws * : forth a flame which warms and enlightens posterity with the remembrance of his virtues, then does the whole pavilion blaze with celestial radiance! The reflection of this sacred shining light pierces through the thick vapours, which compose our atmosphere, and illumines the horizon with a soft trembling glow. The pilgrim stops and gazes in rapture on the lovely vision; the ignorant man of wisdom affixes to it some unmeaning name, and leaves the matter just as he found it; and the natural philosopher accounts for the phenomenon falsely, and astonishes his auditor at the profundity of his science. The setting sun poured its lustre through the transparent pavilion, gilded its roof and pavement, and illuminated the pictures on the walls of ether. The spirits of the pure enjoyed in silent E rapture the sight of the glorious actions of the good on earth, when suddenly the airy fabric trembled to its very base; a chilling wind breathed through the pavilion, and the words of power ascended from the rolling globe beneath. The spirits of the pure veiled their heads in sorrow; for at that moment the picture which displayed the conduct of one of the noblest of their earthly brethren, grew dim upon the brilliant wall. The genius, Gela-Eddin, approached the pavilion's entrance, extended his wand and arrested the further progress of the grey and frozen cloud. "Who art thou?" enquired GelaEddin; "by whom art thou summoned, and on what business?" A voice issued from the midst of the cloud-"Powerful Gela-Eddin! I am a spirit of the Frozen Ocean; one of those who inhabit the islands of chillness and gloom; who sometimes careless of all sublunary things, float in the atmosphere, which every where surrounds and supports the earth, and at other times descend into the lower, restless, whirling air, which mortals breathe, at once to govern and obey them; who are by turns their slaves and rulers, their enemies and friends; who now injure them, now benefit them, but who equally in benefits or injuries feel for them neither love nor hate." "And whither is thy course addressed? Why hast thou left thy gloomy islands?" inquired the genius, Amorassan summons me," replied the voice," and I dare not resist his spell; he calls me in the name of Solomon the great, the powerful, and the wise!" Amorassan!" repeated the genius in melancholy surprise, "Amorassan the Grand Vizir of Guzurat? the friend and favourite of its Sultan? who has hitherto trod that crooked, slippery path with steps so bold and steady? how can the glowing heart of Amorassan ever have desired thy aid ?"-"His heart," answered the voice," is wounded by the perverseness and treachery of mankind; he is disappointed by the worthlessness of those with whom he is destined to exist, and for whose welfare he has, till now, still lived and laboured: he who has hitherto undertaken every right action, merely because he felt that it was right, will now weigh his proceedings, not by their motive, but only by their consequences: keen foresight, exact judgment, and justice impartial and severe, must henceforth freeze the ardour of his feelings, and overpower the warmth of his heart. But hark! the charm is repeated! the powerful words ascend even to the clouds! Mighty Gela-Eddin, delay my flight no longer. The genius sighed as he dropped his wand, and a tear glittered in his eye, when he saw the chill, grey cloud hover over the palace of Amorassan. * Amorassan, the Grand Vizir of Guzurat, was a man such as Grand Vizirs seldom are. He was his master's favourite, and yet was he more the friend of the people than the servant of the monarch: he governed every thing, and yet was he less anxious for the glory of the kingdom, than for the happiness of those whom it contained. He was Grand Vizir, yet he valued his place more because it enabled him to procure the welfare of the Sultan's subjects, than be |