!

The stubborn furrow feels thy plastic hand,
The fields rejoice to fee their country's friend,
And dreffed for thee, put on their best array
O Dempfter! leave not thy divine retreat,
Tho' thousands call thee to Augufta's towers,
Where ends the fret of bufy bustling life,
Seeking the praife of mountebanks and flaves ?
See Pitt and Poulteney loft in other pits,
And like the waves they leave no trace behind:
Even Burke himself, the Queen of France's friend,
Like her has found that beauty will not do,
Nor words fublime that hide themselves in heaven.

To the Editor of the Bee.

Epitaph for Napier of Marchifon.

No Napier! thou wer't not that thing,
The creature of a pageant king,

Which Britons call a lord;

A fquire thou wer't, but such a squire,
As might have held Apollo's lyre,
And touch'd its noble ft chord.

With purple flowers, O ftrew the grave,
Ye fons of fcience, where he lies,
And when ye lightly tread the fod,

Say, "Here's the peer was made by God,"
Who made him great and wife.

MUSIC, 'tis faid, has charms that can impart
Exalted pleasures to the human heart;
But if to mufic, beauty lends her aid,
Refiftless then appears th' accomplished maid.
Thus, when alike with niceft skill and fire,
Thy graceful fingers ftrike the trembling lyre,
Diffolv'd in blifs, we gaze our fouls away,
And yield our hearts to love's fuperior fway.

ALBANICUS,

A. L.

Written on the blank leaf of a young Lady's mufic-book for
the Harpsichord.

ALEXIS

Melai, a Conflantinopolitan Tale, concluded from page 39.

In spite of the ardour of my attachment to Gulmanac, I was almoft, if not wholly, a ftranger to jealoufy, that fury with which love is fo frequently attended. She was not only the mistrefs of my heart, but alfo the mistress of her own freedom, as far at least, as the customs of the country, and the dignity of her exalted ftation would allow. I frequently permitted fome of my courtiers to wait upon us at our little fuppers, and thus gave them an opportunity of feeing my wife: Nay, fo far did I forget the pride of a fovereign, that I more than once fuffered Ebn Mahmud to fit befide us, and to share in our repast. Fool that I was for fo doing, did I not know how impoffible it was to behold Gulmanac and not to love her?

I have never discovered, whether Ebn Mahmud, out of fome remains of gratitude and fidelity, might not at first have endeavoured to ftifle the paffions, which foon after took poffeffion of his foul. But I discovered, alas! too foon, that a rival is formidable even to a prince. My vifier, who faw no hopes during my reign of being able to pilfer the fairest jewel of my crown, began therefore to meditate the treach erous defign of raifing himfelf to the throne of Indoftan. Perhaps he faw fomewhat in the eyes of Gulmanac, which intimated too plainly, that he would not be averfe to exchange a husband of my years, for one who was ftill in the bloom of youth, or, perhaps, he was too well acquainted with the female difpofition, not to be fenfible, that their inclinations follow, for the most part, the favourites of fortune.

The whole of his abilities were now exerted to fecure to himself the affections of the people; and his attempt fuceeded but too well; for, when I told you just now that I was adored by my fubjects, I fpoke only of the greater part of them. The vain expectation of being univerfally beloved, which, in any fituation is fuficiently ridiculous, would be the height of abfurdity in that of a monarch. The party, which in my cafe were the most difcontented, confifted chiefly of

the military profeffion, which, although the leaft in number, was the most formidable in power. My peaceful government gave them no opportunity of enriching their rapacity with the spoils of war, which they had fo frequently done under the reign of my father; and they beheld with an indignation which they could not conceal, that it was poffible to protect by political wifdom, what they imagined could be defended only by the fword My treacherous vifier perceiving their difcontent, perfuaded them fecretly to petition for war, and to demand at the fame time an addition to their pay.. Both of thefe requests, by his advice, I refused; but fcarcely had I uttered the unforutnate denial, when he ftood forth at their head in his native colours, and spoke to his fovereign in the tone of a rebel.

I was now forced by neceffity, however reluctant, to try the most dreadful of all expedients, the uncertain iffue of a civil war. Thofe of my fubjects who remained faithful, affembled around me in a numerous body, the command of which I entrusted to my fon. Twice was he victorious ; but in the third engagement he fell. When his body was brought to me, I threw myself upon it, and indulged in all the extravagance of grief, till one of his flaves who was the moft in his confidence, endeavoured to comfort me by discovering a circumstance, which added new horrors to my unhappy fituation. He brought me fome papers, which thewed but too clearly, that Ebn Mahmud had alienated the affections of my fon, by reprefenting the dangers to which he was expofed from the influence of Gulmanac over his father, and that nothing but their difagreement about the partition of the provinces, had hitherto prevented his open revolt. He had been compelled by his own troops to this laft engagement, and had fallen by the ignorance of one of the enemies, in fpite of the caution of his treacherous accomplice, who had exprefsly forbidden his life. to be taken.

If the perfidy of my favourite had wounded me deeply, what must I have fuffered from the fate of my fon, and from the reflection, that his fate was no nore than he deferved. now at laft took up arms, myfelf. My people appeared tranfported to fee me at their head. My forces were

far fuperior to thofe of the rebels; and the next engagement promised to be decifive.

As I was inflamed with rage, and Ebn Mahmud with love, our armies were not long of being brought to action. The right wing, which I led, was already victorious, and the left was commanded by Mir Narkuli, an officer illustrious for his military achievements, whom my father had once reluctantly fentenced to death, and who had obtained his pardon at my interceffion. Whom could I have trusted with more confidence, than a man who was indebted to me for his life; and yet he betrayed me. In the heat of the engagement, he went over to the enemy, accompanied by the greatest part of his troops. The reft of that divifion naturally fled; my victorious band fell into diforder, and I was thrown, in the space of a few minutes, from power and greatness, down to mifery and flight.

I flew in distraction to the tent of Gulmanac, and intreated her to fet herself upon the fwifteft of my horfes, and follow me immediately to the next fortrefs. "I know, faid I, that captivity and death must be our fate; but let us at least die as we have lived." The traitress advised me to fubmit to the conqueror, promised, herself, to fupplicate his mercy; promised, but why thould I repeat what the promised? it is enough that I clearly faw her infidelity. And now my rage could no longer be reftrained. I drew. forth my dagger, and would have pierced her to the heart, but her fhrieks brought fore of my officers to her affistance, and I faw for the first time, that I was no longer the mo narch, before whom all was obedience and fubmiffion. He who the day before had incurred my displeasure, and against whom I had raised my arm, would have received his fate from ten daggers at once; but now my hand was feised and the weapon forced from it, while the infamous woman efcaped with impunity. All was indeed concealed under the mask of perfuafion; every thing wore as yet the appearance of fubjection; but I faw too clearly through the thin difguite, and confided no longer in any one around me.

Meffenger after meffenger arrived to inform me of the complete flight of my army, and of Ebn Mahmud's ap proach. I threw myfelf immediately upon the fwifteft of my horfes, and commanded thofe who ftill loved me to for

May 18, low. Out of a hundred thousand, fcarcely fifty obeyed. The fortrefs into which I intended to throw myself was diftant more than a day's journey; a foreft lay between, and night was approaching. We rode as if death had purfued us: we reached the foreft, and it was now midnight: our horfes failed us, and we were obliged to ftep. I now reckoned the number of my companions, and the fifty had dwindled into ten. The others had either been kept back by fatigue, or had altered their minds, and thought it better to return. I fmiled feverely, but faid not a word; I threw myself on the grass, and my attendants around me: My bofom was filled with rage and vexation, with refentment, jealoufy and hatred of life. But fatigue was stronger than all my paffions; and I had not lain long till I fell asleep. When I awaked after a few hours, by the glimmering of the moon, I perceived that I was alone; how my attendants ftole away I know not; at a little distance grazed my horse, and at my feet lay my dog.

9

Ι

It is now too long fince I have entertained you with
nothing but the bafenefs and treachery of unworthy crea-
tures; I rejoice that it is now at laft in my power to men-
tion one of a very different kind; but in order that you
may the better understand what follows, I must first give
you the history of my dog.

Of all the different forts of hunting, I had hitherto encou-
raged only that of the tyger, because I esteemed it the most
ufeful to my fubjects. I obferved in one of thefe expedi-
tions, a very young, but valiant dog, who was torn and lying
in his own blood, and I flew the tyger at the very moment
in which he was about to finish his foe. The poor animal
howled in my face;
I ordered him immediately to be taken
up; and as I was always accustomed, on fuch occafions, to
carry about with me an admirable balfam, I poured a few
drops of it into the wounds of the dog: The alleviation of
pain which followed in confequence, made him change his
howl into a gentle whimper, during which he gratefully
licked my hand.

I repeated my orders that he should be particularly taken
care of: the dog accordingly recovered; and as I had often
inquired after him, they brought him to me as foon as he
was healed. He knew me immediately; and as if he had
been fenfible that I alone was the preferver of his life, he