Balfora to be fent for into his prefence, keeping the father with him, in order to make her fenfible of the honour which he defigned her. Balfora, who was too modest and humble to think her beauty had made fuch an impreffion on the king, was a few moments after brought into his prefence as he had commanded. She appeared in the king's eve as one of the virgins of paradife. But upon hearing the honour which he intended her, the fainted away, and fell down as dead at his feet. Helim wept, and after having recovered her out of the trance into which she was fallen, reprefented to the king, that fo unexpected an honour was too great to have been communicated to her all at once; but that, if he pleafed, he would himfelf prepare her for it. The king bid him take his own way, and difmiffed him. Balfora was conveyed again to her father's houfe, where the thoughts of Abdallah renewed her affliction every moment, infomuch that at length fhe fell into a raging fever. The king was informed of her condition by those that faw her. Helim, finding no other means of extricating her from the difficulties the was in, after having compofed her mind, and made her acquainted with his intentions, gave her a certain potion, which he knew would lay her afleep for many hours; and afterwards, in all the feeming dittrefs of a difconfolate father, informed the king fhe was dead. The king, who never let any fentiments of humanity come too near his heart, did not much trouble himself about the matter; however, for his own reputation, he told the father, that fince it was known through the empire that Balfora died at a time when he defigned her for bis bride, it was his intention that she fhould be honoured as fuch after her death, that her body fhould be laid in the Blackace, among thofe of his deceafed queens. In the mean time, Abdallah, who had heard of the king's defign, was not lefs afflicted than his beloved Balföra. As for the feveral circumftances of his diftrefs, as alfo how the king was informed of an irrecoverable diftemper into which he was fallen, they are to be found at length in the history of Helim. It fhall fuffice to acquaint the reader, that Helim, fone days after the fuppofed death of his daughter, gave the prince a potion of the faine nature with h had laid afleep Balfora. It is the custom among the Perfians to convey in a private manner the bodies of all the royal family, a little after their death, into the Black Palace; which is the repofitory of all who are defcended from the Caliphs, or any way allied to them. The chief phyfician is always governor of the Black Palace; it being his office to embalm, and preferve the holy family after they are dead, as well as to take care of them while they are yet living. The Black Palace is fo called from the colour of the building, which is all of the fineft polished black marble. There are always burning in it five thousand everlafting lamps. It has also a hundred folding doors of ebony, which are each of them watched day and night by a hundred negroes, who are to take care that nobody enters befides the governor. Helim, after having conveyed the body of his daughter into this repofitory, and at the appointed time received her cut of the fleep into which the was fallen, took care fome time after to bring that of Abdallah into the fame place. Balfora watched over him till fach time as the dofe he had taken loft it's effect. Abdallah was not acquainted with Helim's defign when he gave him this fleepy potion. It is impoffible to defcribe the furprize, the joy, the tranf port, he was in at his first awaking. He fancied himself in the retirements of the bleft, and that the fpirit of his dear Balfora, who he thought was just gone before him, was the firit who came to congratulate his arrival. She foon informed him of the place he was in, which, notwithstanding all it's horrors, appeared to him more fweet than the bower of Mahomet, in the company of his Balfora. Helim, who was fuppofed to be taken up in embalming of the bodies, vifited the place very frequently. His greate perplexity was how to get the lovers out of it, the gates being watched in fuch a manner as I have before related. This confideration did not a little disturb the two interred lovers. At length Helim bethought himself, that the first day of the full moon of the month Tipza was near at hand. Now it is a received tradition among the Perfians, that the fouls of thofe of the royal family who are in a state of blifs, do on the first full moon after their decease, pafs through the eastern gate of the Black Palace, which is therefore called the Gate of Paradife, in order to take their flight for that that happy place. Helim, therefore, having made due preparation for this night, dreffed each of the lovers in a robe of azure fiik, wought in the finest looms of Perfa, with a long train of linen whiter than fnow, that floated on the ground behind them. Upon Abdalla`s head he fixed a wreath of the greeneft myrtle, and on Balfora's a garland of the fresheft roles. Their garments were fcented with the richest perfumes of Ara. bia. Having thus prepared every thing, the full moon was no fooner up, and fhining in all it's brightness, but he privately opened the gate of paradife, and fhut it after the fame manner as foon as they had paffed through it. The band of negroes, who were pofted at a little distance from the gate, feeing two fuch beautiful apparitions, that fhewed ́themselves to advantage by the light of the full moon, and being ravifhed with the odour that flowed from their garments, immediately concluded them to be the ghofts of the two perfons lately deceated. They fell upon their faces as they paffed through the midst of them, and continued proftrate on the earth until fuch time as they were out of fight. They reported the next day what they had feen; but this was looked upon by the king himself, and moft others, as the compliment that was ufually paid to any of the deceafed of his family. HeI had placed two of his own mules at about a mile's diftance from the. Black Temple, on the fpot which they had agreed upon for their rendezvous. Here he met them, and conducted them to one of his own houfes, which was fituated on Mount Khacan. The air of this mountain was fo very healthful, that Helim had formerly transported the king thither, in order to recover him out of a long fit of fick nefs; which fucceeded fo well, that the king made him a prefent of the whole mountain, with a beautiful house and gardens that were on the top of it. In this retirement lived Abdallah and Balfora. They were both fo fraught with all kinds of knowledge, and poffeffed with fo conitant and mutual a paffion for each other, that their folitude never lay heavy on them. Abdallah applied himself to thofe arts which were agreeable to his manner of living, and the fituation of the place; infomuch that in a few years he converted the whole mountain into a kind of garden, and covered every part of it with plantations or pots of flowers. Helim was too good a father to let him want any thing that might conduce to make his retirement pleafant. In about ten years after their abode in this place the old king died, and was fucceeded by his fon Ibrahim, who, upon the fuppofed death of his brother, had been called, to court, and entertained there as heir to the Perfian empire. Though he was fome years inconfolablefor the death of his brother, Helim durft not truft him with the fecret, which he knew would have fatal confequences, fhould it by any means come to the knowledge of the old king. Ibrahim was no fooner mounted to the throne, but Helim fought after a proper opportu nity of making a difcovery to him, which he knew would be very agreeable to fo good-natured and generous a prince. It fo happened, that before Helim found fuch an opportunity as he defined, the new King Ibrahim, having been feprated from his company in a chace, and almoft fainting with heat and thirst, faw himself at the foot of Mount Khacan. He immediately afcended the hill; and, coming to Helim's houfe, demanded fome refreshments. Helim was very luckily there at that time; and after having fet before the king the choiceft of wines ard fruits, finding him wonderfully pleafed with fo feasonable a treat, told him that the best part of his entertainment was to come. Upon which he opened to him the whole hiftory of what had paffed. The king was at once attonithed and tranfported at fo ftrange a relation, andfeeing his brother enter the room with Ballora in his hand, he leaped off from the fofa on which he fat, and cried out - It is he! it is my Abdallah!' having faid this, he fell upon his neck, and wept. The whole company, for fome time, remained filent, and hedding tears of joy. The king at length, having kindly reproached Helim for depriving him fo long. of fuch a brother, embraced Balfora with the greatest tenderness, and told her › that the fhould now be a queen indeed, for that he would immediately make his brother king of all the conquered nations on the other fide the Tigris. He eafily difcovered in the eyes of our two lovers, that instead of being transportedwith the offer, they preferred their prefent retirement to empire. At their requeft therefore he changed his intentions, and made them a prefent of all the open' country country as far as they could fee from the top of Mount Khacan. Abdallah continuing to extend his former improvements, beautified this whole profpect with groves and fountains, gardens and feats of pleasure, until it became the most delicious fpot of ground within the empire, and is therefore called the Garden of Perfia. This Caliph, Ibrahim, after a long and happy reign, died without children, and was fucceeded by Abdallah, a son of Abdallah and Balfora. This was that King Abdallah, who afterwards fixed the imperial reûidence upon Mount Khacan, which continues at this time to be the favour te palace of the Perfian empire. அ N° CLXVIII. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23. 87R, -LOCA JAM RECITATA REVOLVIMUS THE SAME SUBJECTS WE REPEAT. Obferve that many of your late papers have reprefented to us the characters of accomplished women; but among all of them I do not find a quotation which I expected to have feen in your works: I mean the character of the mistress of a family as it is drawn out at length in the Book of Proverbs. For my part, confidering it only as a human compofition, I do not think that there is any character in Theophraftus which has fo many beautiful particulars in it, and which is drawn with fuch elegance of thought and phrafe. I wonder that it is not written in letters of gold in the great hall of every country gentleman. Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth fafely truft in her, fo that he fhall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She feeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchant hips, fhe bringeth her food from afar. She rifeth alfo while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her houthold, and a portion to her maidens. She confidereth a field, and buyeth it; with the fruit of her hands fhe planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with ftrength, ⚫ and ftrengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise ⚫ is good; her candle goeth not out by ⚫ night. She layeth her hands to the fpindle, and her hands hold the diftaff. • She ftretcheth out her hand to the HOR. EP. 1. L. 2. v. 223. poor; yea, fhe reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the fnow for her houshold, for all her houshold are clothed with fcarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapeftry, her clothing is filk and purple. "Her husband is known in the gates, when he fitteth among the elders of the land. • She maketh fine linen, and felleth it, and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. • Strength and honour are her clothing, and the fhall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wifdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her houshold, and eateth not the bread of • idleness. Her children arife up, and call her bleffed; her husband alfo, and he praifeth her. Many daughters have done virtuoufly, but thou excellent them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, the thall be praised. 'Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praife her in the gates.' |