EGED, Lord of Ethiopia, to the inhabitants of the world: to the fons of Prefumption, humility and fear; and to the daughters of Sorrow, content and acquiefcence.

Thus, in the twenty-feventh year of his reign, fpoke Seged, the monarch of forty nations, the diftributor of the waters of the Nile At length, Seged, thy toils are at an end; thou haft reconciled difaffection, thou haft fup. preffed rebellion, thou haft pacified the jealoufies of thy courtiers, thou haft chafed war from thy confines, and erected fortreffes in the lands of thy enemies. All who have offended thee, tremble in thy prefence, and wherever thy voice is heard, it is obeyed. Thy throne is furrounded by armies, numerous as the locufts of the fummer, and restless as the blaifs of peftilence. Thy magazines are flored with ammunition,thy treafuries overflow with the tribute of conquered kingdoms. Plenty waves upon thy fields, and opulence glitters in thy cities. Thy nod is as the earthquake that fhakes the mountains, and thy fimile as the dawn of the vernal dy. In thy hand is the trength of thoufands, and thy health is the health of millions. Thy palace is gladdened by the fong of praife, and thy path perfumed by the breath of benediction. Thy fubjects gaze upon thy greatnefs, and think of danger or mifery no more. Why, Sered, wilt not thou partake the bleffins thou bestoweft? Why shouldit thou only forbear to rejoice in this general felicity? Why should thy face be clouded with anxiety, when the meaneft of those who call thee fovereign gives the day to feftivity and the night to peace? At length, Seged, reflect and be wife. What is the gift of conqueft but fafety, why are riches collected but to purchafe happiness?"

Seged then ordered the house of plea

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fure, built in an ifland of the Lake Dambea, to be prepared for his reception. I will retire," fays he, for ten days, from tumult and care, from counfels and decrees. Long quiet is not the lot of the governors of nations, but a ceffation of ten days cannot be denied me. This short interval of happiness may furely be fecured from the interruption of fear or perplexity, forrow or difappointment. I will exclude all trouble from my abode, and remove from my thoughts whatever may confute the harmony of the concert, or abate the fweetness of the banquet. I will fill the whole capacity of my foul with enjoyment, and try what it is to live without a wifh unfatisfied.'

In a few days the orders were performed, and Seged hafted to the palace of Dambea, which ftood in an island cultivated only for pleafure, planted with every flower that fpreads it's colours to the fun, and every thrub that theds fragrance in the air. In one part of this extenfive garden were open walks for excurfions in the morning; in another, thick groves, and filent arbours, and bubbling fountains, for repofe at noon. All that could folace the fenfe, or flatter the fancy, all that industry could extort} from nature, or wealth furnish to art, all that conqueft could feize, or beneficente attract, was collected together, and every perception of delight was excited and gratified.

Into this delicious region Seged fummoned all the perfons of his court who feemed eminently qualified to receive or communicate pleasure. His call was readily obeyed; the young, the fair, the vivacious, and the witty, were all in hafte to be fated with felicity. They failed jocund over the lake, which feemed to fmooth it's furface before them: their paffage was cheered with mufick, and their hearts dilated with expecta tion.

Seged

Seged landing here with his band of pleature, determined from that hour to break off all acquaintance with difcontent, to give his heart for ten days to cafe and jollity, and then fall back to the common state of man, and fuffer his life to be diverfified, as before, with joy and forrow.

He immediately entered his chamber, to confider where he fhould begin his circle of happiness. He had all the artifts of delights before him, but knew not whom to call, fince he could not enjoy one, but by delaying the performance of another. He chofe and rejected, he refolved and changed his refolution, till his faculties were haraffed, and his thoughts confufed; then returned to the aportment where his prefence was expected, with languid eyes and clouded countenance, and spread the infection of uneasiness over the whole affembly. He obferved their depreffion, and was offended, for he found his vexation increafed by those whom he expected to diffipate and relieve it. He retired again to his private chamber, and fought for confolation in his own mind; one thought flowed in upon another; a long fucceffion of images feized his attention; the moments crept imperceptibly away through the gloom of penfivenefs, till having recovered his tranquility, he lifted up his head, and faw the lake bright ened by the fetting fun. Such, aid Seged, fighing, is the longest day of human exiftence: before we have learn, ed to ule it, we find it at an end.'

The regret which he felt for the lofs of fo great a part of his firft day, teok from him all difpofition to enjoy the evening; and after having endeavoured, for the fake of his attendants, to force an air of gaiety, and excite that mirth which he could not fhare, he refolved to refer his hopes to the next morning, and lay down to partake with the flaves of labour and poverty the bleffing of fleep.

He rofe early the fecond morning, and refolved now to be happy. He therefore fixed upon the gate of the palace an edict, importing, that whoever, during nine days, fhould appear in the prefence of the king with a dejected countenance, or utter any expreffion of difcontent or forrow, fhould be driven for ever from the palace of Dambea.

This cdict was immediately made known in every chamber of the court,

and bower of the gardens. Mirtk was frighted away, and they who were before dancing in the lawns, or finging in the fhades, were at once engaged in the care o regulating their looks, that Seged might find his will punctually obeyed, and fee none among them liable to banishment.

Seged now met every face fettled in a fmile; but a smile that betrayed folicitude, timidity, and constraint. He accofted his favourites with familiarity and softness; but they durst not speak without premeditation, left they should be convicted of difcontent or forrow. He propofed diverfions, to which no objec tion was made, because objection would have implied uneafinefs; but they were regarded with indifference by the cour tiers, who had no other defire than to fignalize themfelves by clamorous exultation. He offered various topicks of converfation, but obtained only forced jefts, and laborious laughter; and after many attempts to animate his train to confidence and alacrity, was obliged to confels to himfelf the impotence of command, and refign another day to grief and difappointment.

He at laft relieved his companions from their terrors, and fhut himfelf up in his chamber, to afcertain, by different meafures, the felicity of the fucceeding days. At length he threw himfelf on the bed, and clofed his eyes, but imagined, in his fleep, that his palace and gardens were overwhelmed by an inundation, and waked with all the terrors of a max ftruggling in the water. He compoted himself again to reft, but was affrighted by an imaginary irruption into his kingdon, and itriving, as is ufual in dreams, without ability to move, fancied himself betrayed to his enemies, and again started up with horror and indignation.

It was now day, and fear was so ftrongly impreffed on his mind, that he could fleep no more. He rose, but his thoughts were filled with the deluge and invafion, nor was he able to difengage his attention, or mingle with vacancy and eafe in any amufement. At length his perturbation gave way to reason, and he refolved no longer to be haraffed by vifionary miferies; but before this refolution could be completed, half the day had clapfed: he felt a new conviction of the uncertainty of human fchemes, and could not forbear to bewail the weakness of that being whofe quiet was

to be interrupted by vapours of the fancy. Having been firft difturbed by a dream, he afterwards grieved that a dream could difturb him. He at laft difcovered, that his terrors and grief were equally vain, and that to lose the

prefent in lamenting the paft was voluntarily to protract a melancholy vision. The third day was now declining, and Seged again refolved to be happy on the morrow.

VOLAT AMBIGUIS

ON

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N the fourth morning Seged rofe early, refreshed with fleep, vigorous with health, and eager with expectation. He entered the garden, attended by the princes and ladies of his court, and feeing nothing about him but airy cheerfulness, began to fay to his heartThis day thall be a day of pleasure.' The fun played upon the water, the birds warbled in the groves, and the gales quivered among the branches. He roved from walk to walk as chance directed him, and fometimes liftened to the fongs, fometimes mingled with the dancers, fometimes let loofe his imagination in flights of merriment, and fometimes uttered grave reflections, and fententious maxims, and feafted on the admiration with which they were received.

Thus the day rolled on, without any accident of vexation, or intrufion of melancholy thoughts. All that beheld him caught gladnefs from his looks, and the fight of happiness conferred by himfelf filled his heart with fatisfaction: but having paffed three hours in this harmlefs luxury, he was alarmed on- a fudden by an univerfal fcream among the women, and turning back, faw the whole affembly flying in confufion. A young crocodile had rifen out of the lake, and was ranging the garden in wantonnefs or hunger. Seged beheld him with indignation, as a disturber of his felicity, and chafed him back into the lake, but could not perfuade his retinue to ftay, or free their hearts from the terror which had feized upon them. The princeffes inclofed themfelves in the palace, and could yet fcarcely believe homfelves in fafety. Every attention

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was fixed upon the late danger and efcape, and no mind was any longer at leifure for gay fallies or careless prattle.

Seged had now no other employment than to contemplate the innumerable cafualties which lie in ambush on every fide to intercept the happinefs of man, and break in upon the hour of delight and tranquillity. He had, however, the confolation of thinking, that he had not been now difappointed by his own fault, and that the accident which had blafted the hopes of the day might eafily be prevented by future caution.

That he might provide for the pleasure of the next morning, he resolved to repeal his penal edict, fince he had already found that difcontent and melancholy were not to be frighted away by the threats of authority, and that pleasure would only refide where he was exempted from controul. He therefore invited all the companions of his retreat to unbounded pleafantry, by propofing prizes for thofe who fhould, on the following day, diftinguish themselves by any feftive performances; the tables of the antechamber were covered with gold and pearls, and robes and garlands decreed the rewards of those who could refine elegance or heighten pleasure.

At this difplay of riches every eye immediately fparkled, and every tongue was bufied in celebrating the bounty and magnificence of the emperor. But when Seged entered, in hopes of uncommon entertainment from univerfal emulation, he found that any paffion too strongly agitated puts an end to that tranquillity which is necessary to mirth, and that the mind that is to be moved by the gentle ventilations