No. LXXIII. Tuesday, July 17, 1753

-Numinibus vota exaudita malignis.

Prayers made and granted in a luckless hour.

Jov..

DRYDEN.

WHILE Nouraddin was thus abandoned to defpair, Nardic's defcription of Amana had rouzed Ofmin from his apathy. He commanded that she should be prepared to receive him, and foon after went alone into her apartment. Familiar as he was with beauty, and fa tiated with enjoyment, he could not behold. Amana without emotion: he perceived, indeed, that he was in tears, and that his prefence covered her with confufion; yet he believed that her terrors would be cafily removed, that by kindness she might be foothed to familiarity, and. by careffes excited to dalliance; but the moment he approached her, fhe threw herself at his feet, and entreated to be heard, with an importunity: which he chofe rather to indulge than refift: he therefore, raised her from the ground, and fupporting her in his arms, encouraged her to proceed. "Let my Lord," faid the, "difmifs a wretch who is not worthy of his 66 prefence, and compaffionate the diftress which is not fufceptible of delight. I am the daughter of a shep

"herd,

"herd, betrothed to the merchant Nouraddin, from "whom my body has been forced by the perfidy of a "flave, and to whom my foul is united by indiffoluble "bonds. O let not the terrors of thy frown be up

on me! Shall the fovereign of Egypt stoop to a rep"tile of the duft? shall the judge of nations retain the "worthiefs theft of treachery and revenge? or fhall he, "for whom ten thousand languish with defire, rejoice. "in the fufferance of one alienated mind?" Ofmin, whose breast had by turns been inflamed with defire and indignation, while he gazed upon the beauties of Amana, and listened to her voice, now fuddenly threw. her from him, and departed without reply.

When he was alone, he remained a few moments in fufpence but the paffions which eloquence had repreffed, foon became again predominant; and he commanded Amana to be told, that if within three hours

he did not come prepared to gratify his wishes, he would caft the head of the flave for whom he was rejected at her feet..

The eunuch by whom this meffage was delivered, and the woman who had returned to Amana when the Caliph retired, were touched with pity at her distress, and trembling at her danger: the evils which they could fcarce hope to prevent, they were yet folicitous to delay; and, therefore, advised her to request three days of preparation, that she might fufficiently recover the tranquillity of her mind, to make a juft estimate of her own happiness; and with this request to fend, as a pledge of her obedience, a bowl of fherbet, in which a pearl had been diffolved, and of which the had firft drank herself.

To

To this advice, after fome throbs of defperation, fhe at length confented, and prepared to put it in execution. At the time when this refolution was taken, Nouraddin fuddenly ftarted from a reftlefs flumber; he was again ftung by an inftantaneous reflection upon his own mifery, and indulged the difcontent of his mind in this exclamation: "If wisdom and goodness do indeed "prefide over the works of omnipotence, whence is "oppreffion, injustice, and cruelty? As Nouraddin a"lone has a right to Amana, why is Amana in the

power of Ofmin? O that now the juftice of Heaven “would appear in my behalf! O that from this hour I "6 was Ofmin, and Osmin Nouraddin !" The moment he had uttered this wish, his chamber was darkened as with a thick cloud, which was at length diffipated by a burft of thunder; and a being, whose appearance was more than human, ftood before him. "Nouraddin," faid the vifion, "I am of the region above thee; but

my business is with the children of the earth. Thou "haft wished to be Ofmin, and as far as this with is "poffible it fhall be accomplished; thou fhalt be en"abled to affume his appearance, and to exercise his power. I know not yet whether I am permitted to "conceal Ofmin under the appearance of Nouraddin, "but till to-morrow he shall not interrupt thee."

Nouraddin, who had been held motionless by astonishment and terror, now recovered his fortitude as in the prefence of a friend, and was about to express his gratitude and joy, when the genius bound a talifman on his left arm, and acquainted him with its power: "As "often as this bracelet," faid he, " fhall be applied to "the region of thy heart, thou shalt be alternately changed in from Nouraddin to Ofmin,

appearance

"and.

ed to receive it; and having gazed a moment at the fuperfcription, preffed it upon his forehead in an agony of fufpence and terror. The wretch who had betrayed him enjoyed the anguifh which he suffered; and perceiving that he was fainting, and had not fortitude to read the paper, acquainted him with the contents: at the name of Amana he started, as if he had felt the fting of a scorpion, and immediately fell to the ground.

Caled proceeded to execute his commiffion without remorfe; he was not to be moved by fwooning. expoftulation, entreaty, or tears; but having conducted Amana to the feraglio, presented her to Nardic, with exultation and hope. Nardic, whofe with was flattered by her ftature and her fhape, lifted up her veil with impatience, timidity, and folicitude: but the moment he beheld her face, his doubts were at an end: he prof trated himself before her, as a perfon on whofe pleasure his life would from that moment depend. She was conducted to the chamber of the women, and Caled was the fame hour invested with his new dignity; an apartment was affigned him in the palace, and he was made captain of the guard that kept the gates.

Nouraddin when he recovered his fenfibility, and found that Amana had been conducted to the feraglio, was feized by turns with distraction and stupidity: he paffed the night in agitations, by which the powers of nature were exhausted, and in the morning he locked himself into the chamber of Amana, and threw himfelf on a fofa, determined to admit no comforter, and to receive no fuftenance.

No. LXXIII. Tuesday, July 17, 1753+

-Numinibus vota exaudita malignis.

Prayers made and granted in a luckless hour.

Jov.

DRYDEN.

WHILE Nouraddin was thus abandoned to defpair, Nardic's defcription of Amana had rouzed Ofmin from his apathy. He commanded that she should be prepared to receive him, and foon after went alone into her apartment. Familiar as he was with beauty, and fatiated with enjoyment, he could not behold Amana without emotion: he perceived, indeed, that he was in tears, and that his prefence covered her with confufion; yet he believed that her terrors would be cafily removed, that by kindness she might be foothed to familiarity, and by careffes excited to dalliance; but the moment he approached her, fhe threw herself at his feet, and entreated to be heard, with an importunity: which he chofe rather to indulge than refift: he therefore, raised her from the ground, and fupporting her in his arms, encouraged her to proceed. "Let my Lord," faid fhe, "difmifs a wretch who is not worthy of his "prefence, and compaffionate the diftress which is not "fufceptible of delight. I am the daughter of a fhep,

"herd