To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty space from day to day,To ihe last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusky death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more! It is a rale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

C3

BOOK H.

NARRATIVE PIECES.

CHAPTER I.

THE DERVISE.

A ,

DERVISE, travelling through Tartary, being arrived at the town of Balk, went into the king's palace by mistake, as thinking it to be a public ina or caravansary. Having looked about him for some time, he entered into a long gallery, where he laid down his wallet, and spread his carpet, in order to repose himself upon it after the manner of the eastern nations. He had not been long in this posture, before he was discovered by some of the guards, who asked him what was his business in that place. The Dervise told them he intended to take up his night's loding in that caravansary. The guards let him know, in a very angry inanner, that the house he was in was not a caravansary, but the king's palace. It happened that the king himself passed through the gallery during this debate, and smiling at the mistake of the Dervise, asked hine how bie could possibly be so dull as riot to distinguish a palace from a cara. vansary? Sir, says the Dersise, give me leave to ask your majesty a question or two. Who were the persons that lodged in this house when it was first built? The king replied, His ancestors. And who, says the Dervise, was the Jast person that lodged here? The king replied, His father. And who is it, says the Dervise, that lodges here at present? The king told him, That it was he himself. And wlin, says the Dervise, will be here after you? The king answer

ed, The young prince his son. “Ah, Sir,' said the Dervise, ' a house that changes its inhabitants so often, and receives such a perpetual succession of guests, is not a palace, but a caravansary.'

SPECTATORI

CHAPTER II.

A TURKISH TALE.

We are told that the Sultan Mahmour, by his perpetua: wars abroad, and his tyranny at home, had lilled his dominions with ruin and desolation, and half unpeopled the Persian Empire. The vizier to this great sultan (whether an humourist or an enthusiast, we are not informed) pre. tended to have learned of a certain Dervise to understand tbe language of birds, so there was not a bird that couli open his mouth, but the vizier knew what it was he said. As he was one evening with the emperor, in their return from huniing, they saw a couple of owls upon a tree that grew near an old wall out of a heap of rubbish. I would fain know, says the sultan, what those iwo owls are saying to one another; listen to their discourse, and give me an account of it. The vizier approached the tree, pretending to be very attentive to the two owis. Upon his return to the sultan, Sir, says he, I have heard part of their conversation, but dare not tell you what it is. The sultan would not be satisfied with such an answer, but forced him to repeat word for word, every thing the owls bad said. You must know, then, said the vizier, that one of these owls has a son, and the other a daughter, between whom they are Dow npon a treaty of marriage. The father of the son said: w the father of the daughter, in my hearing, Brother, 1 consent to this marriage, provided you will settle uponyour daughter fifty ruined villages for her portion. To which the father of the daughter replied, instead of fifty I. will give her five hundred, if you please.

God

grant a a long life to Sultan Mahmoud; whilst he reigns over us, we shall.. never svant ruined villages,

a

The story says, the sultan was so touched with the fable, that he rebuilt the towns and villages which had been destroyed, and from that time forward consulted the good of his people.

SPECTATOR.

CHAPTER III.

AVARICE AND LUXURY.

There were two very powerful tyrants engaged in a pere petual war against each other: the name of the first was Luxury, and of the second Avarice. The aim of each of them was no less than universal monarchy over the hearts of mankind. Luxury had many generals under him, who did him great service, as Pleasure, Mirth, Pomp, and Fashion. Avarice was likewise very strong in his officers, being faithfully served by Hunger, Industry, Care, and Watchfulness : he had likewise a privy-counsellor who was always at his elbow, and whispering something or other in his ear: the name of this privy-counsellor was Poverty. As Avarice conducted bimself by the counsels of Poverty, his antagonist was entirely guided by the dictates and ads vice of Plenty, who was his first counsellor and minister of state, that concerted all his measures for him, and never departed out of his sight. While these two great rivals were thus contending for empire, i heir conquests were very various. Luxury got possession of one heart, and Avarice of another. The father of a family would often range bimself under the banners of Avarice, and the son under those of Luxury. The wife and husband would often declare themselves on the two different parties ; nay, the same person would very

often side wjih one in his youth, and revolt to the other in his old age. Indeed the wise men of the world stood neuter; but, alas! their numbers were not considerable. At length, when these two potentates had wearied themselves with waging war upon one another, they agreed upon an interview, at which neither of their counsellors were to be present. It is said that Laxury

began the parley, and after having represented the endless. state of war in which they were engaged, told his enemy, with a frankness of heart which is natural to him, that he believed they two should be very good friends, were it not:: for the instigations of Poverty, that pernicious counsellor, who made an ill use of his ear, and filled him with ground-less-apprehensions and prejudices. To this Avarice replied, that he looked upon Plenty (the first minister of his antagonist) to be a much more destructive counsellor than: Poverty, for that he was perpetually suggesting pleasures, banishing all the necessary cautions against want, and consequently undermining those principles on which the government of Avarice was founded. At last, in order to an accommodation, they agreed upon this preliminary, that each of them should immediately disiniss his privyo counsellor. When things were thus far adjusted towards a peace, all other differences were soon accommodated, insomuch that for the future they resolved to live as good, friends and confederates, and to share between them whatever conquests were made on either side. For this reason we now find Luxury and Avarice taking possession of the same heart, and dividing the same person between them.. To which I shall only add, that since the discarding of the Counsellors above-mentioned, Avarice supplies Luxury in the room of Plenty, as Luxury prompts Avarice in the: place of Poverty,

SPECTATORS

CHAPTER IV.

PLEASURE AND PAIN.

There were two families; which, from the beginning of'. the world, were as opposite to each other as light and darkness. The one of them lived in heaven, and the other in bell. The youngest descendant of the first family was Pleasure, who was the daughter of Happiness, who was thio child of Virtue, who was the offspring of the gods. Tht'se' 25 I said before, had their habitation in heaven. T: