FOR

1785.

97

dren, felt himself attacked with an incurable disease, and threatened with a speedy death. One day, when fome of his friends had come to fee him, he acknowledged to them, that he intended to go to the Cadi and intreat him to come and receive his laft will immediately. Agib, one of thefe friends, tenderly reproached him for that cruel acknowledgment, that refolution fo ftrange, and, according to him, fo premature. But after all, added he, I fee, my dear Haffan, the refpectable motive which induces you: You believe that you cannot too foon confider what will become of thofe confiderable effects which heaven has bestowed on you after you are gone. You fear they may fall into unworthy hands, and that the criminal ufe which may be made of them will be imputed to you. Sage Haffan, I have nothing more to fay. I go myself to feek the public officer you afk after, and I will bring him to you immediately. Agib went out wiping his eyes, which dropt no tears; and in lefs than half an hour he returned with the Cadi. The fick perfon then drawing out from beneath his pillow a fealed packet, faid to the magiftrate, Light of the law, behold the laft requests of a dying man: I depofite them in your hands, which the gold of corruption dare not venture to stain. When the angel of death shall have difengaged my foul from its prifon, deign to open this last will in prefence of my relations and my friends; but above all, in prefence of my good friend Agib. Haffan died fome days afterwards; and scarcely had they clofed his eyes, when Agib in hafte conducted before the Cadi all thofe whom the deceafed had defired to be prefent. The muffulman judge, after showing them the feal fafe and entire, broke it open himself, and gave the will open to his fecretary; who read with a loud voice what follows:

In the name of the juft and merciful God. Before quitting the caravanfera of this world, where I have paffed a fhort and wretched night; I Haffan, the son of Aïoub, the fon of Abdalla, leave this writing, by

VOL. II. No. 8.

me.

I have threatened my nephews David and Achmet, to make them repent their conduct which has frequently difpleafed me; and I am now to keep my word with them quite otherwife than they imagine. They are young and a little foolish; but will they continue to be so? they are the fons of my brother who loved me, and the grandfons of my father. I leave them then the fortune which that good father left me, and all that my cares, my teconomy, and the bleffing of heaven have added to it. If they abufe my gift, the fin be on their head. I leave them, I fay, all I poffefs; but under this condition nevertheless, that they shall difcharge the legacies after-mentioned.

I shall leave none to the poor dervises, and even none in favour of hofpitals. Thanks to heaven, my hands opened of themfelves to pay to indigence the tribute that is its due : but in dying I keep them fhut; it is the bufinefs of my heirs to open theirs.-What merit have I in giving to God that which he is about to take from me? and how will he regard thefe pofthumous charities which flatter the pride of the teftator, and coft his avarice nothing?

I will, that from the time of my death, all my flaves without exception fhall be abfolutely and for ever free. They merit this the more that they feem to me never to have defired it, till they dreaded the lofing me. I bequeath to fuch among them as age or infirmities have rendered unable to work, an alimentary penfion proportioned to their wants, and which thall not be less than 50 pieces of gold.

As to the others, I love them too well to expofe their virtue to the dangers of idlenefs. They will live like decent citizens by the trades which I have made them be taught; and I content myfelf with bequeathing to each 150 pieces of gold, which they will employ in forming their little establish

and his trappings adorned with the pearls of Bahrem.

I bequeath to Molla Saheb my golden ink-standish; and to his brother the Iman an ancient alcoran, written on blue vellum in letters of gold; the fame, it is faid, on which the Calif Omar read on Fridays to the faithful affembled in the great mosque.

That book excepted, I bequeath to the philofopher Amrou all the library which he has taken fo much pains to form. I know that he loves books, and that it would be more eafy for him to make good ones than to buy them. I therefore leave him mine; but on this exprefs condition, that he first of all accept the purse of 1000 pieces of gold, which for more than 20 years I have preffed him in vain to accept. If he ftill refufes this laft mark of my friendship, I renounce his from that moment; and I pray our common friends to avenge my infulted memory, by giving up all connection with this unreasonable philofopher.

I believe I fhall have less difficulty to pre

vail on my good friend Agib to accept of a legacy. What do I not owe to this dear Agib? He has attached himself to me almost in fpite of myfelf, from the time he saw me old and infirm; and he did not even quit me when he faw me dying. It is he who made me perceive a thousand perfections I poffeffed, of which neither myfelf nor any perfon could form a doubt. It is he who has obferved with an eye of feverity all the follies of my nephews, who has kept an exact register of them, and given me a more than faithful account of them. But what fhall I bequeath to that friend, fo officious and fo zealous? A good advice of which I expect he will profit: Choose better your dupes, my dear Agib, and never attempt to impofe on a friend, unless he is rich, weak, and vain. You will find enough of this defcription!

Done at Baffora the 322d year of the He jira, the sixth day of the moon of Regeb. HASSAN BEN-AIOUB,

The fervant of God,

APOLLO'S ROUT.
By the Marchioness of Buckingham,

APOLLO, facetious and merry, no

The Mufes to please, had a mind to a rout; Wing'd Hermes was order'd to tap at each door,

Who fmil'd at commands never given before:

"Let the Deities know that Apollo's at "home,

"And begs they will do him the honour to "come."

Upon hearing the news, mark Diana the prude

"What, go to the man who to Daphne was "rude!

"My compliments make-I'm engag'd on "that day,

"And have bufinefs below that can't be faid nay.”

The houfe put in order, the chairs in a row,

Apollo, as fine and perfum'd as a bean, Put on his white gloves, and conducted the guests in;

The Goddeffes all came, drefs'd out to a pin. The tea carried round to the Ladies, if dry,' To Juno the firit-to the rest by and bye : The nectar I mean-for a Goddefs, d'ye fee, Sips nectar, when thirfty, instead of green

tca:

Fond, foothing flatterer! Nineteen years are paft,

Since first I liften'd to her pleafing lore; Ah, me! how bright the painted future fcenes,

And fweetly fpoke of bleffings yet unborn! Now, fond Deceiver, where's the promis'd good?

above Feu d'Esprit.

THEN angel Temple wakes the lyre,

WH

The coldest bofom feels the fire;,

Apollo bends with rapture down,
And thinks the mufic all his own:
With envy only Venus ftung,
Condemn'd the ftrains which Temple fung.
"Don't you," fhe cried, "Apollo, fee,
"She'll rival you as well as me?"
Whilft to the cave Diana flies,
Where lock'd in fleep Endymion lies,
To bar the door, left founds fo fweet,
As Temple breathes, his ear should meet,
Th' entranced boy from fleep fhould wake.
And he for Dian Temple take.

PETRARCH.

cufe

Or hate thee, though we never meet again.

With thee, Despair, muft I then tread the path

Of tedious life, nor caft one look behind, On all the piles of blifs gay Hope has rais'd?

But Heaven thought otherwife-O, generous world!

Thou who fo frankly hold'st th'embitter'd draught,

Accept my furly thanks, and few are due Where little is bestow'd. The reafoner raves,

Lifts the hard eye, and with long-winded fpeech,

And felf-applauding dialect, condemns

My

Y foul is out of tune, No harmony reigns here, 'tis difcord all:

Be dumb, fweet Chorifters, I heed you not; Then why thus fwell your liquid throats, to cheer

A wretch undone, for ever loft to joy,
And mark'd for ruin? Seek yon leafy grove,
Indulgent bliss there waits you; fhun this
spot

Drear, joylefs, vacant, as nay wafted foul, Difrob'd of all her blifs: here heave, my heart,

Here figh thy woes away; unheard the groan,

Unfeen the falling tear; in this lone wild No bufy fool invades thy hoarded griefs, And fmiles in ignorance at what he feels

path:

I heed you not, nor have I time to spin
The thread of argument; yet fain wou'd

Each vain philofopher by pride misled,
Prefents you a futurity his own;
By that fecur'd, the felf-fufficient fage,
Indifferent, views the groupe of anxious fouls
Searching the path to reft; if his they mifs,
He fwears no other way can e'er be found,
And then configns them o'er to endless wo.
Oh! narrow notion of a GOD fupreme!
Oh! barbarous portrait of a GoD all love!
I'll think no more. Ye deep-distracting
doubts,

Bewilder not my foul; for fee, the page
Of boundless Mercy, and of Christian Faith,
Clears up the doubtful future; all is peace,
Hope dawns, an earnest of the perfect day.

George he vell know vat tis dat make

De loftre of a crown,

Den fhall he not his plaifer take,

Vid dat vich is his own?
Your bodies and your fouls are his,

Should not his vill be law?
Can Heav'n's vicegerent do amifs?

Can Brunfwic make faux pas?
God made him vid de very view,
Vous Inglis betes, to govern you;
Gave him un grand and mighty foul,
Above de bafe Canaille's controul,
To fee not vid a fubject's eyes,
But all deir petty vants defpife;
Of plaints and bold prieres de hater,
He be best Judge of deir bien-etre,
Vants no rude mob for him to cater.
III.

Heaven made him no lefs good dan fage,
De glory of de eighteent age,

And gave him friends to grace his trone, Un Ramus and un Jenkinfon;

Give him one clofet, fnug and dark,

Vere oft retire dis just Monarque,

To prove 'gainft Vigs his mighty tondrey-
Or vid his vit make Powney vondre;
Dere fes decrees he iffues fort,
Make Sidney wife take place of Nort,
Makes Fock vid all his talk give way,
Dat deep Caermarthen may have sway;
Make Portland's Duke, de peuple's joy,
Refign de helm, to please a boy.
Oh, who can dis obferve, but own dou art,
Un Roi mon George, a very King at heart.
IV.

Attendez! vat is dat I hear

Vat horrid found do strike mine ear,
Vat bafe feditieufe vork:
Fachez, mon ame, to bear de fhock.
'Tis fure de voice of Charley Fock
Or Seridan, or Bourke
Helas!Mon Dieu !
O ventre bleu!
I fink in defefpoir

Dat any gens
De Parliaments,

So fail in deir devoir.

Not fo en France dere no fuch hardieffe, Dere all be complaifance and politesse; Vat de King fay,

Dey cross jamais,

As it can never wrong; Nor like des folk,

In trute or joke,

Indulge deir lawless tongue. Dere as dey ought de Legiflateurs be, Dey filence keep and regiftre edits.

of

And scoure all de peuple dat linger;
Yet un homme might vid us,
Lofe his head vid less fufs,

Dan an Englishman part vid his finger.
But Pitt and true perfeverance
Vill foon destroy dis infolence,

And men at lengt fhall facred hold de
vord,

And reverence de name of Georg de
Terd.
VII.

Mon cher d'EL PINI, fure you muft agree,
Dat none for Laureat fo fit as he
Who give de King fuch very good avis.
But vid de Sack fhould you attempt to
juggle,

Begar I'll try comme ma fammille to fmuggle.

RECOMMENDATORY TESTIMONIES. In favour of feveral of the late dignified Candi

dates for the Laureatfbip.

According to the old and laudable ufage of editors, we fhall now prefent our readers with judgments of the learned concerning our Laureate Poets.-Thefe teftimonies, if they proceed from critical pens, cannot fail to have due influence on all impartial obfervers They pafs an author from one end of the kingdom to the other, as rapidly as the pauper certificates of magiftracy.-Indeed, it were much to be wifhed, that as we have no ftate licenfer of poetry, it might at least be made penal to put forth ryhmes without previoufly producing a certain number of fureties for their goodness and utility; which precaution, if affifted with a few other regulations, fuch as requiring all practitioners in verse to take out a licence, in the manner of many other dealers in fpirits, &c. could not fail to introduce good order among this class of authors, and also to bring in a handfome fum towards the aid of the public revenue.Happy indeed will be thofe bards who are fupplied with as reputable vouchers as thofe which are here subjoined.

Teftimony of the great parts of CONSTANTINE, LORD MULGRAVE, and his Brethren.

Mr BOSWELL,

AMONG thofe who will vote for conti

nuing the old established number of

our Seffion Judges, may I not count on the tribe of Phipps?-they love good places, and I know Mulgrave is a poet as well as myself, for I dined in company once where he dined that very day twelvemonth.-My excellent wife, who is a true Montgomery, and whom I like now as well as I did 20 years ago, adores the man who felt for the maternal pangs of a whelplefs bear.-For my own part, however, there is no action I more conftantly ridicule than his Lordship's prepofterous pity for those very fufferings which he himself occafioned, by ordering his failors to fhoot the young bear.-But though I laugh at him, how handsome will it be if he votes against Dundas to oblige me?-My difliking him and his family is no reafon for his difliking me-on the contrary, if he oppofes us, is it not probable that that great man, whom I fincerely adore, may say, in his own lofty language, " Mulgrave, Mulgrave, don't vex the Scotch-don't provoke em: G-damn your ugly head-if we don't crouch to Bute, we fall all be turned out; G- damn you for a ftupid boar, I know we fhall?"-Pardon me, great Sir, for prefuming to forge the omnipotent bolts of your incom parable thunder.

Appendix to Mr BoswELL's Pamphlet on the Scotch Judges.

Teftimony of the great powers for Poefy innate in MICHAEL ANGELO TAYLOR, Efq.

Dr BURNEY.

His merit I admire his origin I have SHALL myself compofe Mr Taylor's Ode traced-He is defcended from Mr John Taylor, the famous Water-Poet, who, with good-natured talents, never proceeded farther in education than his accidence.-John Taylor was born in Gloucefterfhire-I find that he was bound apprentice to a Waterman-but in process of time kept a publichoufe in Phoenix alley, Long-Acre Read John's modeft recital of his humble culture

"I must confefs I do want eloquence, And never fcarce did learn my accidence; For having got from Poffum to Poffet, I there was gravell'd, nor could further get." John