"Be not afraid, prince," replied the magician, "but return me thanks for the precious gift which you disown. These two serpents are the sure pledge of the happiness of your life, and the glory of your reign. Every thing, however, depends upon appeasing their hunger, by providing them with the only aliment they can enjoy. Select, from time to time, a certain number of your subjects, from amidst the lower class, nourish with their flesh these divine animals, and solace their thirst with their blood. Above all things beware lest you listen to a base and dangerous pity; recollect that every thing that pleases you is just, and that it is unworthy of a king not to do harm when it becomes necessary."

Zohak was at first affrighted at this execrable counsel; but, as his happiness seemed connected with it, he did not long hesitate; nay, in a short time the inhuman prince even felicitated himself on the occasion. The hunger of these two monsters, which were now incorporated with, and formed part of himself, became his own, and they never were gorged but he fancied that he felt a delicious sensation. He reckoned for nothing the cries and the tears, the blood and the lives, of the unhappy Persians. In short, he no longer considered his people but as a vile herd, destined to be immolated to satisfy his slightest caprice. The Persians, on the other hand, began to look on Zohak as a monster, eager to devour them; and such were their sufferings, that they, at last, actually ceased to dread him. They accordingly rose against the tyrant, drove him from the throne which he profaned, and shut him up in the frightful cavern in the mountain of Damavend. There, left alone with his two serpents, and no longer able to satisfy their voracity, the body of the pitiless Zohak at length became food for them!"

"What a horrible story!" cried the young prince; "for heaven's sake tell me another, which I can listen to without shuddering." "Most willingly,” replied Saheb; "here is one very simple and very short:

A young sultan bestowed his confidence on an artful and corrupt eunuch; this wretch infused into his mind false ideas respecting the glory and happiness of kings. He accordingly soon engendered in his heart

pride and sloth, the father and mother of all crimes. Delivered over to these two passions, the young monarch sacrificed his people to them; he placed his glory in despising mankind, and his happiness in rendering them miserable. What was the end of all these things? He lost his crown, his treasures, and his flatterers: nothing remained but his pride and sloth; and being unable any longer to satisfy them, he died from mere shame and rage!

The Prince of Carizme did not seem dissatisfied with the latter story. "I like it better than the former," said he, "for it is far less revolting and atrocious." "Alas! Prince," replied his instructor, "it is, nevertheless, one and the same!”

ESSAY ON ORATORY.

Magno in populo cùm sæpè coortus est

Seditio, sævitque animis ignobile vulgus;

Jamque faces et saxa volant; furor arma ministrat :
Tum, pietate gravem ac meritis si fortè virum quem
Conspexere, silent, arréctisque auribus adstant;
Ille regit dictis animos, et pectora mulcet.

B.

VIRGIL.

IT may appear singular that, in a country like ours, where the arts and sciences flourish so luxuriantly; where literature is patronized and encouraged with an enthusiastic ardour that has never been excelled, or hardly equalled by any nation on earth; in a country that abounds with institutions, erected for the laudable purpose of disseminating knowledge; where we have professors of every science, and teachers of every art---we have not a good and systematic professor of Oratory. The consequences of this lamentable deficiency in our system of education are what we might naturally expect---few persons have any pretensions to be called

orators.

It may be said that the English, generally speaking, are not gifted with the faculty of oratory. This we will allow; but surely it should be no reason why they should not pay some attention to the acquirement of an art, attained with no great difficulty, and never an

incumbrance. It should act rather as a stimulus to their exertions---for the greater honour would be attached to their proficiency. "Labor omnia vincit," is a trite quotation, but not the less applicable in the present instance. Demosthenes was not born an orator; so far from it, he had nearly every disadvantage an orator could have---an impediment in his speech---an awkward person, and a violent manner of address; yet by perseverance and indefatigable industry he surmounted all these obstacles, and became the prince of Grecian

orators.

The Roman youth were instructed in oratory with as much care as their soldiers were trained up to arms; and they became the first orators in the world. It is true they possessed a certain vivacity of genius and quickness of conception peculiar to their fertile climate; but notwithstanding these advantages, Cicero would never have attained that superior degree of excellence, had he not called in the assistance of art to facilitate the powers of nature. If we at any time entér the House of Commons, we cannot help observing the great deficiency of eloquence in the British Senate; for out of five hundred members there assembled to dictate laws to the civilized world, scarcely ten can deliver their sentiments with ease and perspicuity. To what cause is this to be attributed? Not to a defect in their education---for in this respect the English gentlemen are unrivalled. There is one reason which may be assigned for it; and that is a peculiar degree of modesty and diffidence inherent in their character. An example of this may be found in one of the greatest literary characters that ever graced the annals of British history: I allude to the well-known anecdote of Addison. This excessive diffidence might certainly be conquered by diligence and resolution. Might not England then produce orators? Undoubtedly---she has. Who has not listened with rapture to the graceful eloquence of a Pitt, a Burke, or a Sheridan? Without proceeding any further, is not this sufficient proof that such a circumstance is possible?

Suppose a school of oratory was established---it would perhaps be attended with the most happy advantages: or suppose oratory was taught with more

attention than it is at present at our public seminaries, and that it constituted a prominent feature of our system of education; the same advantages (advantages too obvious to require enumeration here) would accrue to the country in general; and England might class among her other qualifications the useful and necessary one of public eloquence. D. P.

TO THE

EDITOR OF THE POCKET MAGAZINE.

EFFECTS OF LOVE.

MR. EDITOR,-IF the following short account will gratify any of your readers, and be of the least service to you, I shall be most happy in communicating it.-Yours, Paul-street, June 18, 1818.

B. W.

IN the neighbourhood of Clifton, a few years ago, a respectable young gentleman had formed an attachment for a young lady about his own age, and the attachment was mutual. But, from the superiority of her rank in life above that of her lover, their union was prevented by her friends; who, immediately on discovering that such a connection existed, sent her into France with some relations, where, I understand, the unhappy girl died of a broken heart. In consequence of their separation, and her death, the young man shortly after lost his reason, and has been ever since confined in the receptacle for insane persons, belonging to Dr. F- in the vicinity of Bristol. He was visited one day by his father, during a lucid interval, when he asked for pen and ink, which was brought him; he then sat down, and after a few minutes produced the annexed lines. It appears he would have continued his melancholy strain during this cessation of madness, had he not been disturbed by the appearance of a fellow-unfortunate (a young lady) passing his window. An association of ideas, assimilating this lady with his late beloved, now seemed to pass across his brain he instantaneously started up, ran to the window, looked long and hard after the unfortunate woman, again returned, seated himself despondingly, and burst into a violent flood of tears. Insauity once

more resumed the seat of reason, and he became outrageous. His father then left the place with his heart much fuller than I can describe, and returned home.

P. S. The above is most undoubtedly a fact. After writing the annexed three verses, he continued the poem two lines farther; which lines I could not get possession of, or I would have added them.

TO MARY.

Those charming eyes were never made
To languish on a wretch like me!
Nor were those roses born to fade
In blessing cold mortality!

For sure she's formed for saint's embrace :
O, she's too lovely far for me!
Then from my soul O let me chase
This heavy cold mortality!

Yet memory loves to trace her smile,
For once she deign'd to smile on me;
But, oh! these arms must ne'er defile
What's made for immortality!

CROSS READINGS.*

To the Editor of the Pocket Magazine.

SIR, IF the following trifles are worth such an honour, nothing can give me greater pleasure than their insertion in your valuable miscellany.I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant, JOHN.

A MATCH against time, for a thousand guineas, was most admirably performed last week, on the Doncaster ground, by-Miss Kelly, of the Drury-lane Theatre, with her usual pathos, discrimination, and effect.

Wanted, a young man, of good character and steady habits, to look after a steam-engine in a large factory: -he must possess the manners of a gentleman; have a perfect knowledge of astronomy, geometry, and

We have in this number inserted all the admissible "Cross Readings" with which we have been favoured by our correspondents; and we shall now be glad to see the wit of our friends exercised upon other subjects.-ED.