handfome, he declined admitting me to his prefence, for fear of doing injuftice to the charms of the beautiful Zobeide. Immediately after my father's death, I retired to this house, and endeavoured to make myself as happy as I could, till the holy prophet fhould difpofe of me in marriage; but my happiness was not of long duration; for Ebn Hallan, a merchant of Baflora, coming to this city, by chance faw me: he did not trive to conceal the love with which he was inmediately infpired; he came to my houfe, and, I own, foon got entire poffèffion of my heart. In fine, I confented to be his, and we were foon afterwards married. The unfortunate Don Haffan was the best of men, and the kindeft of hufbands; but alas! I was foon plunged into an abyfs of mifery, in which I ftill remain. We had not been married a month, before I was furprised by a meftage from Affin, Grand Vizier to the Sultan, who was always envious of the favours my father enjoyed. The pur. port of the mellage the flave brought, was, to perfuade me, if I had any regard to my fafety, to confent to a divorce from my dear Ebn Haffan, as he faid I had greatly debased my felf by confenting to fuch a match. It may well be imagined, my lord, I refufed to comply; however, I heard no more from him. But how, my lord Mefer, fhall I be able to conclude my ftory! excufe a woman's weakness; tears will have a vent. A. bout a month afterwards, one delightful fummer's evening, as we were fitting together in a cool alcove, we heard a great noife in the garden, and one of our black flaves rushed into our prefence wounded and covered with blood: he had only ftrength to fay, with a faint voice, My lord, be careful; the villains are at hand, when he dropt on the ground. They were indeed near; for we inftantly faw approaching towards us a confufed number of Arabs. Ebn Haifan was determined to fell his life and treasure at a dear rate; he drew his fabre, and attacked them with a refolution not to be defcribed; but what could he do against Aumbers? he received a flight cut in

the arm in the fray, when the chief of the robbers advancing, ordered his companions not to dare to wound him, but to take him alive. This they soon effected; and immediately, notwithstanding my cries, tears, and entreaties, they carried him off, alas! I fear never može to return. Nature, not being able any longer to hold out, I fell into a swoon; and when I recovered, I lamented my hard fate, not only to be robbed of the beft of husbands, but of all my treafures. Imagine, my lord, what was my furprife, to be told by one of my flaves, that the robbers had touched nothing belonging either to me or Ebn Haflan, and that all his goods and treafure had been brought by his slaves to my houfe from the caravanfera. It is now, my lord, two years that I have paffed in this unhappy fituation, making it my conftant business to enquire after him of every merchant that comes from Baflora; but, to my great astonishment, can meet with none that know him." Arafchid, after paufing a while, begged of Zara to defcribe his perfon. was, my lord, fays fhe, inclining to be tall, had dark hair, lively blue eyes, and a remarkable fear on his forehead." The Sultan promised the amiable Zara to make all poffible enquiries after her husband, and took his leave.

"He

The next morning the great Arafchid, reflecting on what had passed the day before, fent for Affan, the Grand Vizier, and spoke to him as follows: “ Afsan, "goinftantly into the house of Zara, the

daughter of Giafar; take her into thy "custody; let her treafures be fealed "with thy feal, and conveyed fafe to

my palace, and let her dwelling be "razed to the ground in her prefence."

Affan with joy obeyed the Sultan's orders, and the beautiful Zara was in a few hours reduced from the greatest affluence to be a prifoner in the houfe of her father's old enemy. As foon as the Sultan knew his orders were obeyed, he commanded the Vizier to deliver Zara into the care of the Mufti.

Zara lamented the hardness of her fate, inafmuch as he could not tell where

wherein he had offended the Sultan. Patience was her only remedy; and fhe comforted herself with the reflection, that no misfortune could be great to her when compared to the lofs of her dear Ebn Haffan.

Arafchid commanded the grandees to attend him in the divan; and, when he was feared on the throne, spoke thus to Seffi, the fon of Affan the Vizier, who was the night before arrived from the army, which he had for fome time commanded against the Greeks. "Seffi, ❝ thou hast done well; I am satisfied "with thy fervices in the camp, and "thy valour. I have found thee a wife "that is worthy of thee; therefore in"ftantly prepare to marry her." A lady in a veil was introduced, and the ceremony was performed by the Cadi, in the Sultan's presence. "Unveil that "beautiful face most amiable Zara, "faid the Sultan, and let Seffi fee that I "have made him no bad choice" But what was their furprize, when the faw in Seff her long loft Ebn Haffan, and he his beloved Zara. They threw themfelves at the Sultan's feet, and poured forth a thoufand bleffings on him for his goodness. Arafchid, whofe heart overflowed with humanity, fpoke as follows: "It is thy father, Seffi, that bri"bed the Arabs to steal thee from thy "blifs; at his defire thou wert appoint"ed to command the army against the "Greeks; and it was he that prevented "thy return to Bagdaht; all becaufe "thou haft married the daughter of "Giafar, whom he hated. Thou wert "indeed to blame, Seffi, for taking on "thee, in fo important a transaction, a "fictitious name and character; but "thou haft already fuffered enough for "thy indiscretion: thou art now mar"ried in a proper manner to the amia"ble Zara, and may ye long be happy. "As for Affán, my will is, that he refign his office of Grand Vizier to his "fon, and go to command the army

against the Greeks, and fee that he gives as good an account of the enemy as Seffi has already done. Zara "will eafily forgive my increafing her "forrow by the manner in which I fent

and the more intimate I become with the generality of people, the greater occafion I have to defpife them. The felon at the bar, and the juge upon the bench, are ftimulated by the fame motives, though they act in different capacities; for the one but plunders through a hope of gain; and let me afk if the other, would take any pains in the administration of juftice, without a reasonable gratuity for his labour.

This you will fay may be carrying things too far, and poffibly it my be to yet, though a particular instance or two may be brought to contradict an obfervation of this kind, they can by no means be produced as arguments against the univerfal depravity. I am greatly pleafed with a remark which Swift made a few days ago in a conversation which we had upon this very fubject; I need not tell you how four the dean is in his fentiments of the world; but I think the following declaration is not more diftinguished for its feverity, than fupported by its juftice. "Where we, faid he, to make a nice examination into the actions of every man, we should find one half of the world to be rogues, the other half to be blockheads; the latter half may be divided into two claffes, the good natured blockhead and the fenfible; the one, through an eafinefs of temper, is always liable to be ill-ufed; the other, through an excefs of vanity, is frequently exposed to be wretched - Mutual confidence and real friendship are very pretty words, but feldom carry any meaning; no man will entertain an opinion of another, which is oppofite to his own intereft; and a nod from a great man, or a smile from a ftrumpet, will fet a couple of blockheads by the ears, who a moment before would have ventured their lives for each other's reputation."

Lord Peterborough dined with me yefterday. I have a high idea of the goodness of this nobleman's heart, though it may be brought as a proof against my favourite fyftem; but he is of a turn fo exceffively romantic, that

I cannot be equally prejudiced in favour of his understanding. I have no notion of a man's perpetually expofing himself to unneceffary dangers for the mere fake of being talked of, or, through a ridiculous thirst for military glory, venturing a life which fhould be preferved for the fervice of his prince, and the intereft of his country. My mo. tive for faying this you know is neither founded upon pique, nor directed by ill. nature. My lord is a man for whom I have the most perfect regard, and my esteem alone is the reafon why I may be fo extremely fenfible of his errors.

Some

I faw Addison this morning how or other, Pope, I can by no means think that man an excellent poet; his profe is very well- but there is a heavi nefs about his verfification, which is totally inconfiftent with elegance and fpirit, and which, though it may in the thoughts of fome people carry much judgment, is in my opinion a proof of very little genius. I am far, you know from being fond of eternal epithets in poetry, or endless endeavours at fuhlimity of expreffion; but I would have it exalted a little above profe in the most humble fpecies, and carry an air of fome dignity and importance.

Trivial as the remark may appear, it was very well for a boy of fourteen, who was reading Cato, and coming to that tag which is so highly celebrated by fome of the author's friends;

"So the pure limpid ftream when foul with ftains ;"

and

the lad burst out into a fit of laughing, and cried, Here is a bull! who ever thought that a stream could be pure limpid, yet at the fame time foul with ftains? I could not help joining the laugh at the archness of the boy's obfervation, tho' the criticifm might feem too low for judgments of more experience and maturity. But why do I entertain a fellow of your abilities in this manner, who are fo greatly a fuperior master of the fubject.I am fomehow fond of fcribling, and become trifling for the fake of spinning out a letter. If poffi

ble