gale which he faw lie dead at the Foot of a Tree. In this new Shape he winged his Way in Safety to the Palace, where perching on a Tree which stood near his Queen's Apartment, he filled the whole Place with fo many melodious and melancholy Notes as drew her to the Window. He had the Mortification to fee that instead of being pitied, he only moved the Mirth of his Princess, and of a young Female Slave who was ' with her. He continued however to ferenade her every Morning, 'till at laft the Queen, charmed with his Harmony, fent for the Bird-catchers, and ordered them to employ their utmoft Skill to put that little Creature into her Poffeffion. The King, pleased with an Opportunity of being once more near his beloved confort, eafily fuffered himself to be taken; and when he was prefented to her, tho' he fhewed a Fearfulness to be touched by any of the other Ladies, flew of his own Accord, and hid himself in the Queen's Bofom. Zemroude was highly pleafed at the unexpected Fondness of her new Favourite, and ordered him to be kept in an open Cage in her own Apartment. He had there an Opportunity of making his 'Court to her every Morning, by a thoufand little Actions which his Shape allowed him. The Queen paffed away whole Hours every Day in hearing and playing with him. Fadlallah could even have thought himself happy in this State of Life, had he not frequently endured the inexpreffible Torment of seeing the Dervis enter the Apartment, and carefs his Queen even in his Presence.

THE Ufurper, amidst his toying with the Princess, ⚫ would often endeavour to ingratiate himself with her Nightingale; and while the enraged Fadlallah peck'd at him with his Bill, beat his Wings, and fhewed all the Marks of an impotent Rage, it only afforded his Rival and the Queen new Matter for their Diver• fion.

ZEMROUDE was likewife fond of a little LapDog which fhe kept in her Apartment, and which one Night happened to die.

3

• THE

THE King immediately found himself inclined to quit the Shape of the Nightingale, and enliven this. new Body. He did fo, and the next Morning Zem-roude faw her favourite Bird lie dead in the Cage.

It

is impoffible to express her Grief on this Occafion, and when the called to mind all its little Actions, which even appeared to have fomewhat in them like Reason, 'fhe was inconfolable for her Lofs.

HER Women immediately fent for the Dervis, to come and comfort her, who after having in vain reprefented to her the Weaknefs of being grieved at 'fuch an Accident, touched at laft by her repeated Complaints; Well Madam, fays he, I will exert the utmost of my Art to please you. Your Nightingale fhall again revive every Morning and ferenade you as before. 'The Queen beheld him with a Look which eafily 'fhewed she did not believe him; when laying him⚫ felf down on a Sofa, he fhot his Soul into the Nightingale, and Zemroude was amazed to see her Bird · revive.

THE King, who was a Spectator of all that paffed, lying under the Shape of a Lap-dog, in one Corner of the Room, immediately recovered his own Body, and running to the Cage with the utmoft Indignation, twifted off the Neck of the falfe Nightingale.

ZEMROUDE was more than ever amazed and ⚫ concerned at this fecond Accident, 'till the King entreating her to hear him, related to her his whole Ad

venture.

THE Body of the Dervis, which was found dead ' in the Wood, and his Edict for killing all the Deer, left her no Room to doubt of the Truth of it: But the Story adds, That out of an extream Delicacy (peculiar to the Oriental Ladies) fhe was fo highly afflicted at the innocent Adultery in which she had for fome Time lived with the Dervis, that no Arguments even 'from Fadlallah himself could compofe her Mind. She shortly after died with Grief, begging his Pardon with ⚫ her latest Breath for what the most rigid Justice could not have interpreted as a Crime.

VOL. VIII.

E

THE

THE King was fo afflicted with her Death, that he left his Kingdom to one of his nearest Relations, and paffed the rest of his Days in Solitude and Retire6 ment.

No. 579. Wednesday, August 11.

I

Odora canum vis.

Virg.

N the Reign of King Charles I. the Company of Stationers, into whofe Hands the Printing of the Bible is committed by Patent, made a very remarkble Erratum or Blunder in one of their Editions: For inftead of Thou shalt not commit Adultery, they printed off feveral thousands of Copies with Thou shalt commit Adultery. Archbishop Laud, to punish this their Negligence, laid a confiderable Fine upon that Company in the Star-chamber.

By the Practice of the World, which prevails in this degenerate Age, I am afraid that very many young Profligates, of both Sexes, are poffeffed of this fpurious Edition of the Bible, and obferve the Commandment according to that faulty Reading.

ADULTERERS, in the firft Ages of the Church, were excommunicated for ever, and unqualified all their Lives from bearing a Part in Chriftian Affemblies, notwithftanding they might feek it with Tears, and all the Appearances of the most unfeigned Repentance.

I might here mention fome antient Laws among the Heathens which punished this Crime with Death; and others of the fame Kind, which are now in Force among feveral Governments that have embraced the reformed Religion. But because a Subject of this Nature may be too ferious for my ordinary Readers, who are very apt to throw by my Papers, when they are not enlivened with fomething that is diverting or uncommon; I shall here publish the Contents of a little

Manu

Manufcript lately fallen into my Hands, and which pretends to great Antiquity, tho' by Reafon of fome modern Phrases and other Particulars in it, I can by no Means allow it to be genuine, but rather the Production of a modern Sophift.

IT is well known by the Learned, that there was a Temple upon Mount Etna dedicated to Vulcan, which was guarded by Dogs of fo exquifite a Smell (fay the Hiftorians) that they could difcern whether the Per fons who came thither were chaste or otherwise. They ufed to meet and fawn upon fuch as were chafte, caref fing them as the Friends of their Mafter Vulcan; but flew at those who were polluted, and never ceafed barking at them till they had driven them from the Temple.

My Manufcript gives the following Account of these Dogs, and was probably defigned as a Comment upon this Story.

THESE Dogs were given to Vulcan by his Sifter Diana, the Goddefs of Hunting and of Chastity, having bred them out of fome of her Hounds, in which fhe had obferved this natural Inftinct and Sagacity. It was thought fhe did it in Spight to Venus, who, upon her Return home always found her Hufband in a good or bad Humour, according to the Reception which he met with from his Dogs. They lived in the Temple feveral Years, but were fuch fnappifh Curs that they frighted away most of the Votaries. The Women of Sicily made a folemn Deputation to the Priest, by which they acquainted him, that they would not come up to the Temple with their annual Offerings unless he muzzled his Mastiffs; and at laft ⚫ compromised the Matter with him, that the Offering ⚫ should always be brought by a Chorus of young Girls, who were none of them above feven Years old. It was wonderful (fays the Author) to fee how different the Treatment was which the Dogs gave to these little Miffes, from that which they had fhewn to their Mothers. It is faid that the Prince of Syracufe, having married a young Lady, and being naturally of a jealous Temper, made fuch an Intereft with the E 2

• Priefs

6

Priefts of this Temple, that he procured a Whelp • from them of this famous Breed. The young Puppy was very troublesome to the fair Lady at firft, infomuch that fhe follicited her Hufband to fend him away; but the good Man cut her fhort with the old • Sicilian Proverb, Love me love my Dog. From which Time the lived very peaceably with both of them. The Ladies of Syracufe were very much annoyed with him, and feveral of very good Reputation refufed to come to Court till he was difcarded. There were indeed fome of them that defied his Sagacity, but it was obferved, though he did not actually bite them, he would growle at them moft confoundedly. To return to the Dogs of the Temple: After they had lived here in great Repute for feveral Years, it fo happened, that as one of the Priests, who had been making a charitable Visit to a Widow who lived on the Promontory of Lilybeum, returned home pretty late in the Evening, the Dogs flew at him with fo much Fury, that they would have worried him if his Brethren ⚫ had not come in to his Affiftance; Upon which, fays my Author, the Dogs were all of them hanged, as having loft their original Instinct.

I cannot conclude this Paper without wifhing, that we had fome of this Breed of Dogs in Great Britain, which would certainly do Juftice, I fhould fay Honour, to the Ladies of our Country, and fhew the World the Difference between Pagan Women and those who are inftructed in founder Principles of Virtue and Religion.

Friday,