fawned upon me with fo much affection, that from that moment he became my favourite, It would indeed have been next to impoffible to take him again from me while he was alive, so great was the zeal and attachment which he fhewed for me. By day he was my companion, and at night my guard. He had followed me every where both to the battle and in my flight; and him I found ftill befide me, when all the world had betrayed and forfaken me.

:

Whatever you may think of it, I blufh not to acknowledge, that he who was formerly the monarch of Indoflan, now kiffed and embraced his only faithful friend with 'more real affection, than he could poffibly have done to him who fhould have restored him to his kingdom and his throne. I then sprung to my horfe, and purfued my flight; but it was no longer directed to the fortrefs, the gates of which would have been shut against me.

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It may perhaps appear incredible, that a fingle fugitive fhould be able to efcape unknown and undifcovered, in the midst of a land full of commotion and difquiet. But I had chofen, when I first determined upon flight, an attire and a turban of the meaneft appearance; my horfe, though deficient neither in ftrength nor fwiftnefs, was far from being remark able for the beauty of his form; and above all, I was protected by him, whofe power, wherever it is inclined to fave, can ftrike with blindness the hoftile eye, and wither into weaknefs the hoftile arm.

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My intention was to escape into Perfia and I was now about twenty miles from the borders, when I reached at night-fall a farm-houfe, and begged for lodging, which was immediately granted. I fat down to table and pretended to eat; but there entered foon after a young foldier, who was just returned home from the army, and, as I learned foon after, was the fon of my hoft." He was naturally received with the higheft exultation, and afked immediately how every thing went, how he had fared, and what party he had taken; what the new monarch was doing, and what was become of his unhappy predeceffor. Thefe, and a thousand other queflions crowded upon him before he had. time to reply. He was one of thofe, who, in the midft of the battle had gone over to Ebn Mahmud, he extolled to the utmoft the clemency of the conqueror, VOL. III.

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May 18, and faid, that a province would be the reward of my head. I was fitting by chance in fuch a fituation, that he could not at first get a view of my face of this he appeared to be very defirous; and after he had fucceeded, he and his father whispered together for fome minutes.

I heard indeed but a few words; but of thefe few, fufpious was one; and foon after, he went away. This, you may fuppofe, was fufficient to alarm me: I pretended to be drowfy, and feifed on fome pretext to get out once more before I went to bed. I hafted into the garden, which was behind the houfe, where I found my horfe faftened to a tree. I loofed him immediately, fet myfelf upon him, jumped in a moment over the little hedge, and fprung forward with the fwiftnefs of an arrow.

I had fcarcely proceeded a hundred steps, when I heard fomebody calling me back; and after I had run about a quarter of an hour, I faw behind me, by the light of the moon, fomething at a distance which appeared to me in motion, I could no longer doubt that I was pursued; but I trusted to my horfe, and I was not deceived, for I foon after loft fight of my purfuers. I rode, or rather flew the whole night, avoiding always the public ways: but I foon diffovered that I had avoided them too much; for I found myself, at the return of day-light, in the midst of an extenfive field of fand. I was concerned for my horfe, but ftill more fo for my life; and therefore continued to spur him forward till about noon, when the heat was moft powerful, he funk down exhausted with wearinefs and hunger, without a poffibility of rifing again.

"Thou too, I exclaimed, haft forfaken me," while I untied the girth and the reins of the bridle :" Poor creature, at least thy inclinations did not fail fooner than thy strength: oh that the infamous wretches who furrounded me, had fulfilled theit duty but half fo well." I quitted him with tears; and if it could have helped him, I willingly would' have parted with one of my arms. For myself, there was now no where either hope or confolation.

I now continued my flight on foot; but was constrained by the craving call of neceffity to ftop at the next village that I faw. Here I purchafed fome provifions, gave myfelf out for a merchant who had been pillaged by

robbers, and inquired which was the road to Perfia. The anfwer was, that there were two ways; one of them public and well frequented, the other much nearer, but lonefome and dangerous, because it was easy to wander into the deserts, a small part of which I had already gone over. I chofe, as you may imagine, the latter way, and found myself, at the clofe of the third day, in the very fituation of which I had been warned.

Sufficiently dreadful must be the condition of any man in a defert, far from human habitation; without a guide, and without provifions; without knowledge, and without hope: what then must be that of a prince, brought up with delicacy, and foftened by good fortune, accustomed never to think of misery, and never accustomed to hear of want? I continued, however, my tiresome journey for the fpace of a day and a night longer. Then indeed, my ftrength was at an end; but the end of the defert was far diftant.

The fun was now fetting; his retreat was accompanied by no mufic of the birds, for nothing near me was alive but my dog. It was followed by the falling of no dew, for all around me was burning fand. I threw myfelf in despair upon one of the hillocks: "Here will I lie, for why fhould I go farther? Here will I flumber the fleep eternal." My dog now crawled towards me, looked in my face, and began to whimper. He had eat nothing fince the day before, when I had faithfully fhared with him the last of my provifion. I now hung over him and wept, ftroking him tenderly, and crying out "How willingly would I feed thee, had I but only a morfel to myself." As if he Itad understood the words which I uttered, as if he could interpret the tear in my eye, he looked at me fteadily, licked me once more, then fuddenly fprung up and disappeared.

It may perhaps feem incredible, that of all the trials which I fuffered either before or fince, this was one which affected me most deeply; this was the only one which totally overwhelmed me." "He too at laft," I exclaimed in an agony; my feelings overpowered me, and I funk under them, and loft at once both fenfibility and fpeech. How long I lay in this fituation, is not poffible precifely to fay. It must however have continued for fome hours; for

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day-light was again beginning to appear, when a whimpering, a tugging, and a fcratching awakened me. 1 opened with difficulty my heavy eyes, and beheld again my returning friend. His mouth was bloody, and, at my feet lay an animal of a fpecies with which I was entirely unacquainted; which, however, a good deal refembled a coney. When he faw me awake, he whimpered foftly once more, and taking it up, laid it in my bofom. I fhall not here fay a word of my feelings; I fpeak at prefent to a man, whose eye teftifies fufficiently how his heart is affected. This which he offered me was no, royal banquet; but of thofe which I had formerly tasted, amid all the pomp and fplendor of luxury, appeared to me fo excellent, or refreshed me fo much, as this fmall morfel of raw flesh. I continued my pilgrimage; and in the afternoon found myfelf on a road which was fome what frequented at, the end of the day I was on Perfian ground, and early next morning entered a small town, where an hofpitable old man gave me entertainment. The money which I had would have only been fufficient to bear my expences for two days; I there fore embraced the firft opportunity to retire into the remotest corner of the houfe, and there, although not without reluct ance and regret, broke the leaft of the jewels from my father's ring. The price which I received for it, carried me to Ifpahan. I travelled thither in company with a caravan, or rather indeed under their protection; for fuch was my melancholy, that during the whole journey I fcarcely uttered a hundred words, anfwered only in monofyllables, and never asked a queftion myself.

When at last we reached Ipahan, we found the streets crowded and full of confufion; my companions inquired into the cause of the tumult; but before they had time to be informed of the matter, I faw it too clearly, with my own eyes I faw it, and had occafion for all my refolution, to prevent the emotions I felt from betraying me. The caufe of the tumult was nothing more than the entrance of the ambaffador of the ufurper of my throne. He rode on the elephant which I had been accustomed to use, and he himself had been one of my favourites. How often had he fworn to me inviola ble fidelity; and now he came to folicit my death.

What I fufpected came to pafs. Contrary to the common policy of princes, I had formerly fupported the king of Perfia, when in imminent danger of being driven from his throne. This however was now forgotten, and the demands of the conqueror readily complied with. 'It was intimated immediately by public proclamation, that an immenfe fum of money would be the price of my head; and a defcription of my perfon was added, fo particular, that every one must have known me at first fight, provided my appearance had continued the fare. But however exactly my picture had been drawn, there was one circumftance of no small importance, which lucklily' was not, nor could not be attended to; the alteration, which, in this interval, my misfortunes had occafioned. The man, whofe neceffities had reduced him fo low, that he was fupported only by his faithful dog, could refemble but little the vanquifred monarch. I remained therefore at Ipahan a whole month in fecurity, and from thence continued my journey at leifure, until at laft I reached Conftantinople. Here I purchaf ed a folitary manfion, and have now lived for fixteen years, far from the dangerous fociety of men. My parfimonious way of living required but little, and that little my ring has fupplied. I have never demeaned myself by asking affiftance, nor have I ever regretted the lofs of my crown. I never complained of my prefent fituation, nor did I ever again fhed a fingle tear, till yesterday, that my companion, my friend, and my preferver, my faithful Murckim, at last forfook me. I was robbed of him by age; and fuch was his affection, that even to the last he licked my hand, and it feemed as if he expired with reluctance, only because he was parted from me.

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My history now approaches to a clofe: out of eleven ftones which were once in my ring, two of the most valuable yet remain. For the few days which I have now to live, the least of these two will be more than sufficient. Take then the other; and let your chiffel be employed in commemorating the virtues of a faithful creature, who, though only a dog, you will furely acknowledge, to be more worthy of that honour than many conquerors and heroes.

During this relation, which the tone of the speaker made much more interesting than it can be rendered to a reader,