CHAP. VIII.

CHAP. VIII.In the mean time,Omar, to whomHamethad from time to time disclosed the minutest particulars of his situation and design, kept his eye almost continually uponAlmoran; and observed him with an attention and sagacity, which it was difficult either to elude or deceive. He perceived, that he was more than usual restless and turbulent; that in the presence ofHamethe frequently changed countenance; that his behaviour was artificial and inconsistent, frequently shifting from gloomy discontent and furious agitation, to forced laughter and noisymerriment. He had also remarked, that he seemed most discomposed after he had been withHamettoAlmeida, which happened generally once in a week; that he was become fond of solitude, and was absent several days together from the apartment of his women.Omar, who from this conduct ofAlmoranhad begun to suspect his principles, determined to introduce such topics of discourse, as might lead him to discover the state of his mind; and enable him to enforce and confirm the principles he had taught him, by new proofs and illustrations.Almoran, who, since the death of his father, had nothing to apprehendfrom the discovery of sentiments which before he had been careful to conceal; now urged his objections against religion, whenOmargave him opportunity, without reserve. 'You tell me,' says he, 'of beings that are immortal, because they are immaterial; beings which do not consist of parts, and which, therefore, can admit no solution, the only natural cause of corruption and decay: but that which is not material, can have no extension; and what has no extension, possesses no space; and of such beings, the mind itself, which you pretend to be such a being, has no conception.''If the mind,' saysOmar, 'can perceive that there is in itself anysingle, property of such a being, it has irrefragable evidence that it is such a being; though its mode of existence, as distinct from matter, cannot now be comprehended.' 'And what property of such a being,' saidAlmoran, 'does the mind of man perceive in itself?' 'That ofacting, saidOmar, 'withoutmotion. You have no idea, that a material substance can act, but in proportion as it moves: yet tothink, is toact; and with the idea of thinking, the idea of motion is never connected: on the contrary, we always conceive the mind to be fixed, in proportion to the degree of ardour and intenseness with which the power of thinking is exerted. Now, if that which is material cannot act without motion; and if man isconscious, that to think, is to act and not to move; it follows, that there is, in man, somewhat that is not matter; somewhat that has no extension, and that possesses no space; somewhat which, having no contexture or parts that can be dissolved or separated, is exempted from all the natural causes of decay.'Omarpaused; andAlmoranhaving stood some moments without reply, he seized this opportunity to impress him with an awful sense of the power and presence of the Supreme and Eternal Being, from whom his own existence was derived: 'Let us remember,' said he, 'that to every act of this immaterial and immortal part, the Father of spirits, from whom itproceeds, is present: when I behold the busy multitudes that crowd the metropolis of Persia, in the persuit of business and projects infinitely complicated and various; and consider that every idea which passes over their minds, every conclusion, and every purpose, with all that they remember of the past, and all that they imagine of the future, is at once known to the Almighty, who without labour or confusion weighs every thought of every mind in His balance, and reserves it to the day of retribution; my follies cover me with confusion, and my soul is humbled in the dust.'Almoran, though he appeared to listen with attention, and offered nothingagainst the reasoning ofOmar, yet secretly despised it as sophistry; which cunning only had rendered specious; and which he was unable to confute, merely because it was subtil, and not because it was true: he had been led, by his passions, first to love, and then to adopt different opinions; and as every man is inclined to judge of others by himself, he doubted, whether the principles whichOmarhad thus laboured to establish; were believed even byOmarhimself.Thus was the mind ofAlmoranto the instructions ofOmar, as a rock slightly covered with earth, is to the waters of heaven: the craggs are left bare by the rain that washes them; and the same showers that fertilize the fieldcan only discover the sterility of the rock.Omar, however, did not yet disclose his suspicions toHamet, because he did not yet see that it could answer any purpose. To removeAlmeidafrom her apartment, would be to shew a distrust, for which there would not appear to be any cause; and to refuseAlmoranaccess to her when he desired it, might precipitate such measures as he might meditate, and engage him in some desperate attempt: he, therefore, contented himself with advisingHamet, to conceal the time of his marriage till the evening before he intended it should take place, without assigning the reason on which his advice was founded.To the council ofOmar,Hametwas implicitly obedient, as to the revelations of the Prophet; but, like his instructions, it was neglected byAlmoran, who became every moment more wretched. He had a graceful person, and a vigorous mind; he was in the bloom of youth, and had a constitution that promised him length of days; he had power which princes were emulous to obey, and wealth by which whatever could administer to luxury might be bought, for every passion, and every appetite, it was easy for him to procure a perpetual succession of new objects: yet wasAlmoran, not only without enjoyment, but without peace; he was by turns pining with discontent, and raving with indignation; his vices had extractedbitter from every sweet; and having exhausted nature for delight in vain, he was repining at the bounds in which he was confined, and regretting the want of other powers as the cause of his misery.Thus the year of mourning for Solyman was compleated, without any act of violence on the part ofAlmoran, or of caution on the part ofHamet: but on the evening of the last day,Hamet, having secretly prepared every thing for performing the solemnity in a private manner, acquaintedAlmoranby a letter, whichOmar, undertook to deliver, that he should celebrate his marriage on the morrow.Almoran, who never doubted but he should have notice of thisevent much longer before it was to happen, read the letter with a perturbation that it was impossible to conceal: he was alone in his private apartment, and taking his eye hastily from the paper, he crushed it together in his hand, and thrusting it into his bosom, turned fromOmarwithout speaking; andOmar, thinking himself dismissed, withdrew.The passions whichAlmorancould no longer suppress, now burst out, in a torrent of exclamation: 'Am I then, said he, 'blasted for ever with a double curse, divided empire and disappointed love! What is dominion, if it is not possessed alone? and what is power, which the dread of rival power perpetually controuls? Is it forme to listen in silence to the wrangling of slaves, that I may at last apportion to them what, with a clamorous insolence, they demand as their due! as well may the sun linger in his course, and the world mourn in darkness for the day, that the glow-worm may still be seen to glimmer upon, the earth, and the owls and bats that haunt the sepulchres of the dead enjoy a longer night. Yet this have I done, because this has been done byHamet: and my heart sickens in vain with the desire of beauty, because my power extends not toAlmeida. With dominion undivided andAlmeida, I should beAlmoran; but without them, I am less than nothing.'Omar, who, before he has passed the pavilion, heard a sound which he knew to be the voice ofAlmoran, returned hastily to the chamber in which he left him, believing he had withdrawn too soon, and that the king, as he knew no other was present, was speaking to him: he soon drew near enough to hear what was said; and while he was standing torpid in suspense, dreading to be discovered, and not knowing how to retire,Almoranturned about.At first, both stood motionless with confusion and amazement; busAlmoran'spride soon surmounted his other passions, and his disdain ofOmargave his guilt the firmness of virtue.'It is true,' said he, 'that thou hast stolen the secret of my heart; but do not think, that I fear it should be known: though my poignard could take it back with thy life; I leave it with thee. To reproach, or curse thee, would do thee honour, and lift thee into an importance which otherwise thou canst never reach.'Almoranthen turned from him with a contemptuous frown: butOmarcaught him by the robe; and prostrating himself upon the ground, intreated to be heard. His importunity at length prevailed; and he attempted to exculpate himself, from the charge of having insiduously intruded upon the privacy of his prince, butAlmoransternly interrupted him: 'And what art thou,' said he, 'that Ishould care, whether thou art innocent or guilty?' 'If not for my sake,' saidOmar, 'listen for thy own; and though my duty is despised, let my affection be heard. That thou art not happy, I know; and I now know the cause. Let my lord pardon the presumption of his slave: he that seeks to satisfy all his wishes, must be wretched; he only can be happy, by whom some are suppressed.' At these wordsAlmoransnatched his robe from the hand ofOmar, and spurned him in a transport of rage and indignation: 'The suppression of desire,' said he, 'is such happiness, as that of the deaf who do not remember to have heard. If it is virtue, know, that, as virtue, I despise it; for though it may securethe obedience of the slave, it can only degrade the prerogative of a prince. I cast off all restraint, as I do thee: begone, therefore, toHamet, and see me no more.'Omarobeyed without reply; andAlmoranbeing again alone, the conflict in his mind was renewed with greater violence than before. He felt all that he had disguised toOmar, with the keenest sensibility; and anticipated the effects of his detection, with unutterable anguish and regret. He walked backward and forward with a hasty but interrupted pace; sometimes stopping short, and pressing his hand hard upon his brow; and sometimes by violent gestures showing the agitation of his mind: he sometimesstood silent with his eyes, fixed upon, the ground, and his arms folded together; and sometimes a sudden agony of thought forced him into loud and tumultuous exclamations: he cursed the impotence of mind that had suffered his thoughts to escape from him unawares; without reflecting that he was even then repeating the folly; and while he felt himself the victim of vice, he could not suppress his contempt of virtue: 'If I must perish,' said he, 'I will at least perish unsubdued: I will quench no wish that nature kindles in my bosom; nor shall my lips utter any prayer, but for new powers to feed the flame.'As he uttered this expression, he felt the palace shake; he heard a rushing,like a blast in the desart; and a being of more than human appearance stood before him.Almoran, though he was terrified, was not humbled; and he stood expecting the event, whether evil or good, rather with obduracy than courage.'Thou seest,' says the Appearance, 'a Genius, whom the daring purpose of thy mind has convoked from the middle region, where he was appointed to wait the signal; and who is now permitted to act in concert with thy will. Is not this the language of thy heart?—"Whatever pleasure I can snatch from the hand of time, as he passes by me, I will secure for myself: my passions shall be strong, that my enjoyments may begreat; for what is the portion allotted to man, but the joyful madness that prolongs the hours of festivity, the fierce delight that is extorted from injury by revenge, and the sweet succession of varied pleasures which the wish that is ever changing prepares for love?"''Whatever thou art,' saidAlmoran, 'whose voice has thus disclosed the secret of my soul, accept my homage; for I will worship thee: and be thou henceforth my wisdom and my strength.''Arise,' said the Genius, 'for therefore am I sent. To thy own powers, mine shall be superadded: and if, as weak only, thou hast been wretched;henceforth thou shalt be happy. Take no thought for to-morrow; to-morrow, my power shall be employed in thy behalf. Be not affrighted at any prodigy; but put thy confidence in me.' While he was yet speaking and the eyes ofAlmoranwere fixed upon him, a cloud gathered round him; and the next moment dissolving again into air, he disappeared.CHAP. IXAlmoran, when he recovered from his astonishment, and had reflected upon the prodigy, determined to wait the issue, and refer all his hopes to the interposition of the Genius, without attempting any thing to retard the marriage; at which he resolved to be present, that he might improve any supernatural event which might be produced in his favour.Hamet, in the mean time, was anticipating the morrow with a mixture of anxiety and pleasure; and though he had no reason to think any thingcould prevent his marriage, yet he wished it was over, with an impatience that was considerably increased by fear.Though the anticipation of the great event that was now so near, kept him waking the greatest part of the night, yet he rose early in the morning; and while he waited tillAlmeidashould be ready to see him, he was told thatOmarwas without, and desired admittance. When he came in,Hamet, who always watched his countenance as a mariner the stars of heaven, perceived that it was obscured with perplexity and grief. 'Tell me,' saidHamet, 'whence is the sorrow that I discover in thy face?' 'I am sorrowful,' saidOmar, 'not for myself, but for thee.' At these wordsHametstept backward,and fixed his eyes uponOmar, without power to speak. 'Consider, saidOmar, 'that thou art not a man only, but a prince: consider also, that immortality is before thee; and that thy felicity, during the endless ages of immortality, depends upon thyself: fear not, therefore, what thou canst suffer from others; the evil and the good of life are transient as the morning dew, and over these only the hand of others can prevail.'Hamet, whose attachment to life was strong, and whose expectations of immediate enjoyment were high, did not feel the force of whatOmarhad said, though he assented to its truth. 'Tell me,' said he, 'at once, what thou fearest for me; deliver me fromthe torments of suspense, and trust my own fortitude to save me from despair.' 'Know then,' saidOmar, 'that thou art hated byAlmoran, and that he lovesAlmeida.' At this declaration, the astonishment ofHametwas equal to his concern; and he was in doubt whether to believe or disbelieve what he heard: but the moment he recollected the wisdom and integrity ofOmar, his doubts were at an end; and having recovered from his surprize, he was about to make such enquiries as might gratify the anxious and tumultuous curiosity which was excited in his breast, whenOmar, lifting up his hand, and beginning again to speak,Hametremained silent.'Thou knowest,' saidOmar, 'that when my checks were yet ruddy with youth, and my limbs were braced by vigour, that mine eye was guided to knowledge by the lamp that is kindled at midnight, and much of what is hidden in the innermost recesses of nature, was discovered to me: my prayer ascended in secret to Him, with whom there is wisdom from everlasting to everlasting, and He illuminated my darkness with His light. I know, by such sensations as the world either feels not at all, or feels unnoticed without knowledge of their use, when the powers that are invisible are permitted to mingle in the walks of men; and well I know, that some being, who is more than mortal, has joined withAlmoranagainst thee, since the veil of night was last spread upon the earth.'Hamet, whose blood was chilled with horror, and whose nerves were no longer obedient to his will, after several ineffectual attempts to speak, looked up atOmar; and striking his hand upon his breast, cried out, in an earnest, but faultering voice, 'What shall I do?' 'Thou must do,' saidOmar, 'that which is RIGHT. Let not thy foot be drawn by any allurement, or driven by any terror, from the path of virtue. While thou art there, thou art in safety: and though the world should unite against thee, by the united world thou canst not be hurt.''But what friendly power,' saidHamet, 'shall guard even the path of virtue from grief and pain; from the silent shaft of disappointed love, or the sounding scourge of outrageous jealousy? These, surely, have overtaken the foot of perseverance; and by these, though I should persevere, may my feet be overtaken.' 'What thou sayest,' repliedOmar, 'is true; and it is true also, that the tempest which roots up the forest, is driven over the mountain with unabated rage: but from the mountain, what can it take more than the vegetable dust, which the hand of nature has scattered upon the moss that covers it? As the dust is to the mountain, so is all that the storms of life can take from virtue, to thesum of good which the Omnipotent has appointed for its reward.'Hamet, whose eye now expressed a kind of doubtful confidence, a hope that was repressed by fear, remained still silent; andOmar, perceiving the state of his mind, proceeded to fortify it by new precepts: 'If heaven,' said he, 'should vanish like a vapour, and this firm orb of earth should crumble into dust, the virtuous mind would stand unmoved amidst the ruins of nature: for He, who has appointed the heavens and the earth to fail, has said to virtue, "Fear not; for thou canst neither perish, nor be wretched." Call up thy strength, therefore, to the fight in which thou art sure of conquest: do thou onlythat which is RIGHT, and leave the event to Heaven.'Hamet, in this conference withOmar, having gradually recovered his fortitude; and the time being now near, when he was to conductAlmeidato the court of the palace, where the marriage ceremony was to be performed; they parted with mutual benedictions, each recommending the other to the protection of the Most High.At the appointed hour, the princes of the court being assembled, the mufti and the imans being ready, andAlmoranseated upon his throne;HametandAlmeidacame forward, and were placed one on the right hand,and the other on the left. The mufti was then advancing, to hear and to record the mutual promise which was to unite them;Almoranwas execrating the appearance of the Genius, as a delusive dream, in all the tumults of anguish and despair; andHametbegan to hope, that the suspicions ofOmarhad been ill founded; when a stroke of thunder shook the palace to its foundations, and a cloud rose from the ground, like a thick smoke, betweenHametandAlmeida.Almoran, who was inspired with new confidence and hope, by that which had struck the rest of the assembly with terror, started from his seat with an ardent and furious look; and at the same moment, a voice, that issued fromthe cloud, pronounced with a loud but hollow tone,'Fate has decreed, toAlmoran,Almeida.'At these words,Almoranrushed forward, and placing himself by the side ofAlmeida, the cloud disappeared; and he cried out, 'Let me now proclaim to the world the secret, which to this moment I have hidden in my bosom: I loveAlmeida. The being who alone knew my love, has now by miracle approved it. Let his decree be accomplished.' He then commanded that the ceremony should proceed; and seizing the hand of the lady, began to repeat that part of it which was to have been repeated byHamet. ButAlmeidainstantly drew her hand from him in an agony of distress;andHamet, who till then had stood motionless with amazement and horror, started from his trance, and springing forward rushed between them.Almoranturned fiercely upon him; butHamet, who having been warned byOmar, knew the prodigy to be effected by some evil being whom it was virtue to resist, laid his hand upon his scymitar, and, with a frown of indignation and defiance, commanded him to stand off: 'I now know thee,' said he, 'as a man; and, therefore, as a brother I know thee not.'Almoranreflecting, that the foundation of this reproach was unknown to all who were present, and that to them he would therefore appear to be injured; looked round with an affectedsmile of wonder and compassion, as appealing to them from a charge that was thus fiercely and injuriously brought against him, and imputing it to the violence of sudden passions by which truth and reason were overborne. The eye ofHametat once detected the artifice, which he disdained to expose; he, therefore, commanded the guard that attended to carry offAlmeidato her apartment. The guard was preparing to obey, whenAlmoran, who thought he had now such an opportunity to get her into his own power as would never return, ordered them to see her safely lodged in his own seraglio.The men, who thus received opposite commands from persons to whomthey owed equal obedience, stood still in suspense, not knowing which to prefer:Almoranthen reproached them with want of obedience, not to him, but to God, appealing to the prodigy for the justification of his claim.Hamet, on the contrary, repeated his order, with a look and emphasis scarce less commanding than the thunder and the voice. But the priests interposing in favour ofAlmoran, upon presumption that his right had been decided by a superior power; the guard rushed betweenHametandAlmeida, and with looks that expressed the utmost reluctance and regret, attempted to separate their hands, which were clasped in each other. She was affrighted at the violence, but yet more at the apprehension of what was tofollow; she, therefore, turned her eyes uponHamet, conjuring him not to leave her, in a tone of tenderness and distress which it is impossible to describe: he replied with a vehemence that was worthy of his passion, 'I will not leave thee,' and immediately drew his sabre. At the same moment they forced her from him; and a party having interposed to cover those that were carrying her off,Hametlifted up his weapon to force his passage through them; but was prevented byOmar, who, having pressed through the crowd, presented himself before him. 'Stop me not,' saidHamet, 'it is forAlmeida.' 'If thou wouldst saveAlmeida,' saidOmar, 'and thyself, do that only which is RIGHT. What have these done who oppose thee,more than they ought? and what end can their destruction answer, but to stain thy hands with unavailing murder? Thou canst only take the life of a few faithful slaves, who will not lift up their hands against thee: thou canst not rescueAlmeidafrom thy brother; but thou canst preserve thyself from guilt.'These words ofOmarsuspended the rage ofHamet, like a charm; and returning his scymitar into its sheath, 'Let me then,' said he, 'suffer, and be guiltless. It is true, that against these ranks my single arm must be ineffectual; but if my wrongs can rouse a nation to repress the tyranny, that will shortly extend over it the injuries that now reachonly to me, justice shall be done toHamet.' Then turning toAlmoran, 'Henceforth,' said he, 'the kingdom shall be mine or thine. To govern in concert with thee, is to associate with the powers of hell. The beings that are superior to evil, are the friends ofHamet; and if these are thy enemies, what shall be thy defence?'Almoranreplied only by a contemptuous smile; and the assembly being dismissed he retired to his apartment: andHametandOmarwent out to the people, who had gathered in an incredible multitude about the palace.CHAP. X.A rumour of what had happened within had reached them, which some believed, and some doubted: but when they sawOmarandHametreturn together, and observed that their looks were full of resentment and trouble, they became silent with attention in a moment; whichOmarobserving, addressed them with an eloquence of which they had often acknowledged the force, and of which they never repented the effect.He told them the tender connexion betweenHametandAlmeida, anddisclosed the subtil hypocrisy ofAlmoran: he expatiated upon the folly of supposing, that the power that was supreme in goodness and truth, should command a violation of vows that had been mutually interchanged, and often repeated; and devote toAlmoranthe beauties, which could only be voluntarily surrendered toHamet. They heard him with a vacant countenance of surprize and wonder; and while he waited for their reply, they agreed among themselves, that no man could avoid the destiny that was written upon his head; and that ifAlmeidahad thus been taken fromHamet, and given toAlmoran, it was an event that by an unchangeable decree was appointed to happen; and that, therefore, it was their duty to acquiesce.Omarthen beckoned with his hand for audience a second time, and told them, thatAlmoranhad not only practised the arts of sorcery to depriveHametofAlmeida, but that he meditated a design to usurp the sole dominion, and deprive him of the share of the government to which he had a right by the will of Solyman his father. This also they heard with the same sentiments of wonder and acquiescence: If it is decreed, said they, thatAlmoranshall be king alone, who can prevent it? and if it is not, who can bring it to pass? 'But know ye not,' saidOmar, 'that when the end is appointed, the means are appointed also. If it is decreed that one of you shall this night die bypoison, is it not decreed also that he shall drink it?'The crowd now gazed upon each other, without reply, for some minutes: and at last they only said, that no effort of theirs could change the universal appointment of all things; that ifAlmoranwas to be king alone, he would be so notwithstanding all opposition; and that if he was not to be king alone, no attempt of his own, however supported, could make him so. 'I will not,' saidOmar, 'contradict your opinion; I will only tell you what I have heard, and leave you to, suffer the calamities which threaten you, with a fortitude and resignation that are suitable to your principles; having no consolation tooffer you, but thatHamet, whose destiny it was not to make you happy, will suffer with you the evils, that neither he nor you could prevent: the mournful comfort of this fellowship, he will not be denied; for he loves you too well, to wish even to be happy alone.' The crowd fixed their eyes uponHamet, for whom their affection was now strongly moved, with looks of much greater intelligence and sensibility; a confused murmur, like the fall of the pebbles upon the beach when the surge retires from the shore, expressed their gratitude toHamet, and their apprehensions for themselves.Omarwaited till they were again silent, and then improved the advantage he had gained. 'Almoran,'said he, 'considers you as the slaves of his power;Hametas the objects of his benevolence: your lives and your properties, in the opinion ofAlmoran, are below his notice; butHametconsiders his own interest as connected with yours. WhenAlmoran, therefore, shall be unchecked by the influence ofHamet; he will leave you to the mercy of some delegated tyrant, whose whole power will be exerted to oppress you, that he may enrich himself.'A new fire was now kindled in their eyes, and their cheeks glowed with indignation at the wrongs that threatened them; they were no longer disposed to act upon the principles of fatality, as they had perversely understoodthem; and they argued at once like reasonable and free beings, whose actions were in their choice, and who had no doubt but that their actions would produce adequate effects. They recollected thatOmarhad, in the reign of Solyman, often rescued them from such oppression, as now threatened them; and that the power ofHamethad since interposed in their behalf, whenAlmoranwould have stretched his prerogative to their hurt, or have left them a prey to the farmer of a tax. 'ShallHamet,' said they, 'be deprived of the power, that he employs only for our benefit; and shall it center inAlmoran, who will abuse it to our ruin? Shall we rather supportAlmoranin the wrong he has done toHamet, than HAMET to obtain justice ofAlmoran?Hametis our king; let him command us, and we will obey.' This was uttered with a shout that ecchoed from the mountains beyond the city, and continued near a full hour. In the mean time, the multitude was increasing every moment; and the troops that lay in and near the city, having taken arms, fell in with the stream: they were secretly attached toHamet, under whose eye they had been formed, and of whose bounty they had often partaken; and their fear being removed by the general cry, which left them no room to apprehend an opposition in favour ofAlmoran, they were now at full liberty to follow their inclinations.In the mean time,Almoran, who had retired to the innermost court of the palace, had heard the tumult, and was alarmed for his safety: he ran from room to room, confused and terrified, without attempting or directing any thing either for his defence or escape, yet he sent every moment to know the state of the insurrection, and to what end its force would be directed.Among those whom accident rather than choice had attached to the interest ofAlmoran, were Osmyn and Caled: they were both distinguished by his favour; and each had conceived hopes that, if he should possess the throne alone, he would delegate his authority to him.Almorannow ordered themto take the command of the troops, that were appointed to attend his person as their peculiar duty, with as many others as had not declared forHamet, and to secure all the avenues that led to his seraglio.OmarandHametwere now on horseback, and had begun to form the troops that had joined them, and as many others as were armed, which were before mingled together in a confused multitude. An account of this was brought toAlmoranby Osmyn; and threw him into a perturbation and perplexity, that disgraced his character, and confounded his attendants. He urged Osmyn, in whom he most confided, to dispatch, without giving him any orders to execute; then turningfrom him, he uttered, in a low and inarticulate voice, the most passionate exclamations of distress and terror, being struck with the thought that his guard might betray him: when he recollected himself, and perceived that Osmyn was still present, he burst into a rage, and snatching out his poignard, he swore by the soul of the Prophet, that if he did not instantly attempt something, he would stab him to the heart. Osmyn drew back trembling and confused; but having yet received no orders, he would have spoken, butAlmorandrove him from his presence with menaces and execrations.The moment that Osmyn left him, his rage subsided in his fears, and hisfears were mingled with remorse: 'Which way soever I turn,' said he, 'I see myself surrounded by destruction. I have incensed Osmyn by unreasonable displeasure, and causeless menaces. He must regard me at once with abhorrence and contempt: and it is impossible, but he should revolt toHamet.'In this agony, the terrors of futurity rushed upon his mind with all their force; and he darted as if at the bite of a scorpion: 'To me,' said he, 'death, that now approaches, will be but the beginning of sorrow. I shall be cut off at once from enjoyment, and from hope; and the dreadful moment is now at hand.' While he was speaking, the palace again shook,and he stood again in the presence of the Genius.'Almoran,' said the inhabitant of the unapparent world, 'the evil which thou fearest, shall not be upon thee. Make haste, and shew thyself from the gallery to the people, and the tumult of faction shall be still before thee: tell them, that their rebellion is not against thee only, but against Him by whom thou reignest: appeal boldly to that power for a confirmation of thy words, and rely for the attesting sign upon me.'Almoran, who had stooped with his face to the ground, now looked upward, and found himself alone: he hasted, therefore, to follow the directions hehad received; and hope was again kindled in his bosom.Osmyn, in the mean time, made a proper disposition of the troops now under his command; and had directed a select company to remain near the person of the king, that they might at least make good his retreat. While he was waiting at his post, and revolving in his mind the total disappointment of his hopes, and considering what he should do ifHametshould establish himself alone, he was joined by Caled.Caled had a secret enmity against Osmyn, as his rival in the favour ofAlmoran; but as he had concealed his own pretensions from Osmyn, Osmyn had no ill will against Caled. Asthey were now likely to be involved in one common calamity, by the ruin of the prince whose party they had espoused; Caled's enmity subsided, and the indifference of Osmyn was warmed into kindness: mutual distress produced mutual confidence; and Caled, after condoling with Osmyn on their present hopeless situation, proposed that they should draw off their forces, and revolt toHamet. This proposition Osmyn rejected, not only from principle, but from interest: 'Now we have accepted of a trust,' said he, 'we ought not to betray it. If we had gone over toHamet, when he first declared against his brother, he would have received us with joy, and probably have rewarded our service; but I know, that his virtuewill abhor us for treachery, though practised in his favour: treachery, under the dominion ofHamet, will not only cover us with dishonour, but will probably devote us to death.'In this reasoning, Caled could not but acquiesce; he felt himself secretly but forcibly reproved, by the superior virtue of Osmyn: and while he regretted his having made a proposal, which had been rejected not only as imprudent but infamous; he concluded, that Osmyn would ever after suspect and despise him; and he, therefore, from a new cause, conceived new enmity against him. They parted, however, without any appearance of suspicionor disgust; and, in a short time, they were in circumstances very different from their expectations.END OF VOL. I.VOLUME SECOND.CHAP. XI.Almoranhad now reached the gallery; and when the multitude saw him, they shouted as in triumph, and demanded that he should surrender.Hamet, who also perceived him at a distance, and was unwilling that any violence should be offered tohis person, pressed forward, and when he was come near, commanded silence. At this momentAlmoran, with a loud voice, reproached them with impiety and folly; and appealing to the power, whom in his person they had offended, the air suddenly grew dark, a flood of lightning descended from the sky, and a peal of thunder was articulated into these words:Divided sway, the God who reigns aloneAbhors; and gives toAlmoranthe throne.The multitude stood aghast at the prodigy; and hiding their faces with their hands, every one departed in silence and confusion, andHametandOmarwere left alone.Omarwas taken by some of the soldiers who hadadhered toAlmoran, butHametmade his escape.Almoran, whose wishes were thus far accomplished by the intervention of a power superior to his own, exulted in the anticipation of that happiness which he now supposed to be secured; and was fortified in his opinion, that he had been wretched only because he had been weak, and that to multiply and not to suppress his wishes was the way to acquire felicity.As he was returning from the gallery, he was met by Osmyn and Caled, who had heard the supernatural declaration in his behalf, and learned its effects.Almoran, in that hasty flow of unbounded but capricious favour, which,in contracted minds, is the effect only of unexpected good fortune, raised Osmyn from his feet to his bosom: 'As in the trial,' said he, 'thou hast been faithful, I now invest thee with a superior trust. The toils of state shall from this moment devolve upon thee; and from this moment, the delights of empire unallayed shall be mine: I will recline at ease, remote from every eye but those that reflect my own felicity; the felicity that I shall taste in secret, surrounded by the smiles of beauty, and the gaities of youth. Like heaven, I will reign unseen; and like heaven, though unseen, I will be adored.' Osmyn received this delegation of power with a tumultuous pleasure, that was expressed only by silence and confusion.Almoranremarked it; and exulting in the pride of power, he suddenly changed his aspect, and regarding Osmyn, who was yet blushing, and whose eyes were swimming in tears of gratitude, with a stern and ardent countenance; 'Let me, however,' said he, 'warn thee to be watchful in thy trust: beware, that no rude commotion violate my peace by thy fault; lest my anger sweep thee in a moment to destruction.' He then directed his eye to Caled: 'And thou too,' said he, 'hast been faithful; be thou next in honour and in power to Osmyn. Guard both of you my paradise from dread and care; fulfill the duty that I have assigned you, and live.'He was then informed by a messenger, thatHamethad escaped, and thatOmarwas taken. As he now despised the power both ofHametandOmar, he expressed neither concern nor anger thatHamethad fled; but he orderedOmarto be brought before him.WhenOmarappeared bound and disarmed, he regarded him with a smile of insult and derision; and asked him, what he had now to hope. 'I have, indeed,' saidOmar, 'much less to hope, than thou hast to fear.' 'Thy insolence,' saidAlmoran, 'is equal to thy folly: what power on earth is there, that I should fear?' 'Thy own,' saidOmar. 'I have not leisure now,' repliedAlmoran, 'tohear the paradoxes of thy philosophy explained: but to shew thee, that I fear not thy power, thou shalt live. I will leave thee to hopeless regret; to wiles that have been scorned and defeated; to the unheeded petulance of dotage; to the fondness that is repayed with neglect; to restless wishes, to credulous hopes, and to derided command: to the slow and complicated torture of despised old age; and that, when thou shalt long have abhorred thy being, shall destroy it.' 'The misery,' saidOmar, 'which thou hast menaced, it is not in thy power to inflict. As thou hast taken from me all that I possessed by the bounty of thy father, it is true that I am poor; it is true also, that my knees are now feeble, andbend with the weight of years that is upon me. I am, as thou art, a man; and therefore I have erred: but I have still kept the narrow path in view with a faithful vigilance, and to that I have soon returned: the past, therefore, I do not regret; and the future I have no cause to fear. In Him who is most merciful, I have hope; and in that hope even how I rejoice before thee. My portion in the present hour, is adversity: but I receive it, not only with humility, but thankfulness; for I know, that whatever is ordained is best.'Almoran, in whose heart there were no traces ofOmar'svirtue, and therefore no foundation for his confidence; sustained himself against theirforce, by treating them as hypocrisy and affectation: 'I know,' says he, 'that thou hast long learned to eccho the specious and pompous sounds, by which hypocrites conceal their wretchedness, and excite the admiration of folly and the contempt of wisdom: yet thy walk, in this place, shall be still unrestrained. Here the splendor of my felicity shall fill thy heart with envy, and cover thy face with confusion; and from thee shall the world be instructed, that the enemies ofAlmorancan move no passion in his breast but contempt, and that most to punish them is to permit them to live.'Omar, whose eye had till now been fixed upon the ground, regardedAlmoranwith a calm but steady countenance: 'Here then,' said he, 'will I follow thee, constant as thy shadow; tho', as thy shadow, unnoticed or neglected: here shall mine eye watch those evils, that were appointed from everlasting to attend upon guilt: and here shall my voice warn thee of their approach. From thy breast may they be averted by righteousness! for without this, though all the worlds that roll above thee should, to aid thee, unite all their power, that power can aid thee only to be wretched.'Almoran, in all the pride of gratified ambition, invested with dominion that had no limits, and allied with powers that were more than mortal;was overawed by this address, and his countenance grew pale. But the next moment, disdaining to be thus controuled by the voice of a slave, his cheeks were suffused with the blushes of indignation: he turned fromOmar, in scorn, anger, and confusion, without reply; andOmardeparted with the calm dignity of a benevolent and superior being, to whom the smiles and frowns of terrestrial tyranny were alike indifferent, and in whom abhorrence of the turpitude of vice was mingled with companion for its folly.CHAP. XII.In the mean time,Almeida, who had been conveyed to an apartment inAlmoran'sseraglio, and delivered to the care of those who attended upon his women, suffered all that grief and terror could inflict upon a generous, a tender, and a delicate mind; yet in this complicated distress, her attention was principally fixed uponHamet. The disappointment of his hope, and the violation of his right, were the chief objects of her regret and her fears, in all that had already happened, and in all that was still to come; every insult that might be offeredto herself, she considered as an injury to him. Yet the thoughts of all that he might suffer in her person, gave way to her apprehensions of what might befall him in his own: in his situation, every calamity that her imagination could conceive, was possible; her thoughts were, therefore, bewildered amidst an endless variety of dreadful images, which started up before them which way soever they were turned; and it was impossible that she could gain any certain intelligence of his fate, as the splendid prison in which she was now confined, was surrounded by mutes and eunuchs, of whom nothing could be learned, or in whole report no confidence could be placed.While her mind was in this state of agitation and distress, she perceived the door open, and the next momentAlmoranentered the apartment. When she saw him, she turned from him with a look of unutterable anguish; and hiding her face in her veil, she burst into tears. The tyrant was moved with her distress; for unfeeling obduracy is the vice only of the old, whose sensibility has been worn away by the habitual perpetration of reiterated wrongs.He approached her with looks of kindness, and his voice was involuntarily modulated to pity; she was, however, too much absorbed in her own sorrows, to reply. He gazed upon her with tenderness and admiration;and taking her hand into his own, he pressed it ardently to his bosom: his compassion soon kindled into desire, and from soothing her distress, he began to solicit her love. This instantly roused her attention, and resentment now suspended her grief: she turned from him with a firm and haughty step, and instead of answering his professions, reproached him with her wrongs.Almoran, that he might at once address her virtue and her passions, observed, that though he had loved her from the first moment he had seen her, yet he had concealed his passion even from her, till it had received the sanction of an invisible and superior power; that he came, therefore, the messenger of heaven; and that he offered her unrivalled empire and everlastinglove. To this she answered only by an impatient and fond enquiry afterHamet. 'Think not ofHamet,' saidAlmoran; 'for why should he who is rejected of Heaven, be still the favorite ofAlmeida?' 'If thy hand,' saidAlmeida, 'could quench in everlasting darkness, that vital spark of intellectual fire, which the word of the Almighty has kindled in my breast to burn for ever, then mightAlmeidacease to think ofHamet; but while that shall live, whatever form it shall inhabit, or in whatever world it shall reside, his image shall be for ever present, and to him shall my love be for ever true.' This glowing declaration of her love forHamet, was immediately succeeded by a tender anxiety for his safety; and a suddenreflection upon the probability of his death, and the danger of his situation if alive, threw her again into tears.Almoran, whom the ardour and impetuosity of her passions kept sometimes silent, and sometimes threw into confusion, again attempted to sooth and comfort her: she often urged him to tell her what was become of his brother, and he as often evaded the question. As she was about to renew her enquiry, and reflected that it had already been often made, and had not yet been answered, she thought thatAlmoranhad already put him to death: this threw her into a new agony, of which he did not immediately discover the cause; but as he soon learned it fromher reproaches and exclamations, he perceived that he could not hope to be heard, while she was in doubt about the safety ofHamet. In order, therefore, to sooth her mind, and prevent its being longer possessed with an image that excluded every other; he assumed a look of concern and astonishment at the imputation of a crime, which was at once so horrid and so unnecessary. After a solemn deprecation of such enormous guilt, he observed, that as it was now impossible forHametto succeed as his rival, either in empire or in love, without the breach of a command, which he knew his virtue would implicitly obey; he had no motive either to desire his death, or to restrain his liberty: 'His walk' says he, 'is still uncircumscribed inPersia, and except this chamber, there is no part of the palace to which he is not admitted.'To this declarationAlmeidalistened, as to the music of paradise; and it suspended for a-while every passion, but her love: the sudden ease of her mind made her regardless of all about her, and she had in this interval sufferedAlmoranto remove her veil, without reflecting upon what he was doing. The moment she recollected herself, she made a gentle effort to recover it, with some confusion, but without anger. The pleasure that was expressed in her eyes, the blush that glowed upon her cheek, and the contest about the veil, which to an amorous imagination had an air of dalliance, concurredto heighten the passion ofAlmoranalmost to phrensy: she perceived her danger in his looks, and her spirits instantly took the alarm. He seized her hand, and gazing ardently upon her, he conjured her, with a tone and emphasis that strongly expressed the tumultuous vehemence of his wishes, that she would renounce the rites which had been forbidden above, and that she would receive him to whom by miracle she had been alloted.Almeida, whom the manner and voice ofAlmoranhad terrified into silence, answered him at first only with a look that expressed aversion and disdain, overawed by fear. 'Wilt thou not,' saidAlmoran, 'fulfill the decrees of Heaven? I conjure thee,'by Heaven, to answer.' From this solemn reference to Heaven,Almeidaderived new fortitude: she instantly recollected, that she stood in the presence of Him, by whose permission only every other power, whether visible or invisible, can dispense evil or good: 'Urge no more,' said she, 'as the decree of Heaven, that which is inconsistent with Divine perfection. Can He in whose hand my heart is, command me to wed the man whom he has not enabled me to love? Can the Pure, the Just, the Merciful, have ordained that I should suffer embraces which I loath, and violate vows which His laws permitted me to make? Can He have ordained a perfidious, a loveless, and a joyless prostitution? Whatif a thousand prodigies should concur to enforce it a thousand times, the deed itself would be a stronger proof that those prodigies were the works of darkness, than those prodigies that the deed was commanded by the Father of light.'Almoran, whose hopes were now blasted to the root, who perceived that the virtue ofAlmeidacould neither be deceived nor overborne; that she at once contemned his power, and abhorred his love; gave way to all the furies of his mind, which now slumbered no more: his countenance expressed at once anger, indignation, and despair; his gesture became furious, and his voice was lost in menaces and execrations.Almeidabeheld himwith an earnest yet steady countenance, till he vowed to revenge the indignity he had suffered, uponHamet. At the name ofHamet, her fortitude forsook her; the pride of virtue gave way to the softness of love; her cheeks became pale, her lips trembled, and taking hold of the robe ofAlmoran, she threw herself at his feet. His fury was it first suspended by hope and expectation; but when from her words, which grief and terror had rendered scarce articulate, he could learn only that she was pleading forHamet, he burst from her in an extasy of rage, and forcing his robe from her hand, with a violence that dragged her after it, he rushed out of the chamber, and left her prostrate upon the ground.As he passed through the gallery with a hasty and disordered pace, he was seen byOmar; who knowing that he was returned from an interview withAlmeida, and conjecturing from his appearance what had happened, judged that he ought not to neglect this opportunity to warn him once more of the delusive phantoms, which, under the appearance of pleasure, were leading him to destruction: he, therefore, followed him unperceived, till he had reached the apartment in which he had been used to retire alone, and heard again the loud and tumultuous exclamations, which were wrung, from his heart by the anguish of disappointment: 'What have I gained,' said he, 'by absolute dominion! The slave who, secluded from the gales of lifeand from the light of heaven toils without hope in the darkness of the mine, riots in the delights of paradise compared with me. By the caprice of one woman, I am robbed not only of enjoyment but of peace, and condemned for ever to the torment of unsatisfied desire.'Omar, who was impatient to apprize him that he was not alone, and to prevent his disclosing sentiments which he wished to conceal, now threw himself upon the ground at his feet. 'Presumptuous slave!' saidAlmoran, 'from whence, and wherefore art thou come?' 'I am come,' saidOmar, 'to tell thee that not the caprice of a woman, but the wishes ofAlmoran, have madeAlmoranwretched.' The king, slung with the reproach, drew back, and with a furious look laid his hand upon his poignard; but was immediately restrained from drawing it, by his pride. 'I am come,' saidOmar, 'to repeat that truth, upon which, great as thou art, thy fate is suspended. Thy power extends not to the mind of another; exert it, therefore, upon thy own: suppress the wishes, which thou canst not fulfill, and secure the happiness that is within thy reach.'Almoran, who could bear no longer to hear the precepts which he disdained to practice, sternly commandedOmarto depart: 'Be gone,' said he, 'lest I crush thee like a noisome reptile, which men cannot but abhor,though it is too contemptible to be feared.' 'I go,' saidOmar, 'that my warning voice may yet again recall thee to the path of wisdom and of peace, if yet again I shall behold thee while it is to be found.'CHAP. XIII.Almoranwas now left alone; and throwing himself upon a sofa, he sat some time motionless and silent, as if all his faculties had been suspended in the stupefaction of despair. He revolved in his mind the wishes that had been gratified, and the happiness of which he had been disappointed: 'I desired,' said he, 'the pomp and power of undivided dominion; andHametwas driven from the throne which he shared with me, by a voice from heaven: I desired to break off his marriage withAlmeida; and it was broken off by a prodigy,when no human power could have accomplished my desire. It was my wish also to have the person ofAlmeidain my power, and this wish also has been gratified; yet I am still wretched. But I am wretched, only because the means have not been adequate to the end: what I have hitherto obtained, I have not desired for itself; and of that, for which I desired it, I am not possessed: I am, therefore, still wretched, because I am weak. With the soul ofAlmoran, I should have the form ofHamet: then my wishes would indeed be filled; then wouldAlmeidabless me with consenting beauty, and the splendor of my power should distinguish only the intervals of my love; my enjoyments would then be certainand permanent, neither blasted by disappointment, nor withered by satiety.' When he had uttered these reflections with the utmost vehemence and agitation, his face was again obscured by gloom and despair; his posture was again fixed; and he was falling back into his former state of silent abstraction, when he was suddenly roused by the appearance of the Genius, the sincerity of whose friendship he began to distrust.'Almoran,' said the Genius, 'if thou art not yet happy, know that my powers are not yet exhausted: fear me not, but let thine ear be attentive to my voice.' The Genius then stretched out his hand towards him, in which there was an emerald ofgreat lustre, cut into a figure that had four and twenty sides, on each of which was engraven a different letter. 'Thou seest,' said he, 'this talisman: on each side of it is engraven one of those mysterious characters, of which are formed all the words of all the languages that are spoken by angels, genii, and men. This shall enable thee to change thy figure: and what, under the form ofAlmoran, thou canst not accomplish; thou shalt still be able to effect, if it can be effected by thee, in the form of any other. Point only to the letters that compose the name of him whose appearance thou wouldst assume, and it is done. Remember only, that upon him, whose appearance thou shalt assume, thine shall be imprest, till thourestorest his own. Hide the charm in thy bosom, and avail thyself of its power.'Almoranreceived the talisman in a transport of gratitude and joy, and the Genius immediately disappeared.The use of this talisman was so obvious, that it was impossible to overlook it.Almoraninstantly conceived the design with which it was given, and determined instantly to put it in execution: 'I will now,' said he, 'assume the figure ofHamet; and my love, in all its ardour, shall be returned byAlmeida.' As his fancy kindled at the anticipation of his happiness, he stood musing in a pleasing suspense, and indulged himself in the contemplation of the several gradations, bywhich he would ascend to the summit of his wishes.Just at this moment, Osmyn, whom he had commanded to attend him at this hour, approached his apartment:Almoranwas roused by the sound of his foot, and supposed it to beOmar, who had again intruded upon his privacy; he was enraged at the interruption which had broken a series of imaginations so flattering and luxurious; he snatched out his poignard, and lifting up his arm for the stroke, hastily turned round to have stabbed him; but seeing Osmyn, he discovered his mistake just in time to prevent the blow.Osmyn, who was not conscious of any crime, nor indeed of any act thatcould have given occasion of offence; started back terrified and amazed, and stood trembling in suspense whether to remain or to withdraw.Almoran, in the mean time, sheathed the instrument of death, and bid him fear nothing, for he should not be hurt. He then turned about; and putting, his hand to his forehead, stood again, silent in a musing posture: he recollected, that if he assumed the figure ofHamet, it was necessary he should give orders forHametto be admitted toAlmeida, as he would otherwise be excluded by the delegates of his own authority; turning, therefore, to Osmyn, 'Remember,' said he, 'that wheneverHametshall return, it is my command, that he be admitted toAlmeida.'Osmyn; who was pleased with an opportunity of recommending himself toAlmoran, by praising an act of generous virtue which he supposed him now to exert in favour of his brother, received the command with a look, that expressed not only approbation but joy: 'Let the sword of destruction,' said he, 'be the guard of the tyrant; the strength of my lord shall be the bonds of love: those, who honour thee asAlmoran, shall rejoice in thee as the friend ofHamet.' ToAlmoran, who was conscious to no kindness for his brother, the praise of Osmyn was a reproach: he was offended at the joy which he saw kindled in his countenance, by a command to shew favour toHamet; and was firedwith sudden rage at that condemnation of his real conduct, which was implied by an encomium on the generosity of which he assumed the appearance for a malevolent and perfidious purpose: his brow was contracted, his lip quivered, and the hilt of his dagger was again grasped in his hand. Osmyn was again overwhelmed with terror and confusion; he had again offended, but knew not his offence. In the mean time,Almoranrecollecting that to express displeasure against Osmyn was to betray his own secret, endeavoured to suppress his anger; but his anger was succeeded by remorse, regret, and disappointment. The anguish of his mind broke out in imperfect murmurs: 'What I am, said, he, 'is, to this wretch, the object not only of hatred but of scorn; andhe commends only what I am not, in what to him I would seem to be.These sounds, which, tho' not articulate, were yet uttered with great emotion, were still mistaken by Osmyn for the overflowings of capricious and causeless anger: 'My life,' says he to himself, 'is even now suspended in a doubtful balance. Whenever I approach this tyrant, I tread the borders of destruction: like a hood-winked wretch, who is left to wander near the brink of a precipice, I know my danger; but which way soever I turn, I know not whether I shall incur or avoid it.'In these reflections, did the reign and the slave pass those momentsin which the sovereign intended to render the slave subservient to his pleasure or his security, and the slave intended to express a zeal which he really felt, and a homage which his heart had already paid. Osmyn was at length, however, dismissed with an assurance, that all was well; andAlmoranwas again left to reflect with anguish upon the past, to regret the present, and to anticipate the future with solicitude, anxiety, and perturbation.He was, however, determined to assume the figure of his brother, by the talisman which had been put into his power by the Genius: but just as he was about to form the spell, he recollected, that by the same act he would impress his own likeness uponHametwho would consequently be invested with his power, and might use it to his destruction. This held him some time in suspense: but reflecting thatHametmight not, perhaps, be apprized of his advantage, till it was too late to improve it; that he was now a fugitive, and probably alone, leaving Persia behind him with all the speed he could make; and that, at the worst, if he should be still near, if he should know the transformation as soon as it should be made, and should instantly take the most effectual measures to improve it; yet as he could dissolve the charm in a moment, whenever it should be necessary for his safety, no formidable danger could be incurred by the experiment, to which he, therefore, proceeded without delay.

In the mean time,Omar, to whomHamethad from time to time disclosed the minutest particulars of his situation and design, kept his eye almost continually uponAlmoran; and observed him with an attention and sagacity, which it was difficult either to elude or deceive. He perceived, that he was more than usual restless and turbulent; that in the presence ofHamethe frequently changed countenance; that his behaviour was artificial and inconsistent, frequently shifting from gloomy discontent and furious agitation, to forced laughter and noisymerriment. He had also remarked, that he seemed most discomposed after he had been withHamettoAlmeida, which happened generally once in a week; that he was become fond of solitude, and was absent several days together from the apartment of his women.

Omar, who from this conduct ofAlmoranhad begun to suspect his principles, determined to introduce such topics of discourse, as might lead him to discover the state of his mind; and enable him to enforce and confirm the principles he had taught him, by new proofs and illustrations.

Almoran, who, since the death of his father, had nothing to apprehendfrom the discovery of sentiments which before he had been careful to conceal; now urged his objections against religion, whenOmargave him opportunity, without reserve. 'You tell me,' says he, 'of beings that are immortal, because they are immaterial; beings which do not consist of parts, and which, therefore, can admit no solution, the only natural cause of corruption and decay: but that which is not material, can have no extension; and what has no extension, possesses no space; and of such beings, the mind itself, which you pretend to be such a being, has no conception.'

'If the mind,' saysOmar, 'can perceive that there is in itself anysingle, property of such a being, it has irrefragable evidence that it is such a being; though its mode of existence, as distinct from matter, cannot now be comprehended.' 'And what property of such a being,' saidAlmoran, 'does the mind of man perceive in itself?' 'That ofacting, saidOmar, 'withoutmotion. You have no idea, that a material substance can act, but in proportion as it moves: yet tothink, is toact; and with the idea of thinking, the idea of motion is never connected: on the contrary, we always conceive the mind to be fixed, in proportion to the degree of ardour and intenseness with which the power of thinking is exerted. Now, if that which is material cannot act without motion; and if man isconscious, that to think, is to act and not to move; it follows, that there is, in man, somewhat that is not matter; somewhat that has no extension, and that possesses no space; somewhat which, having no contexture or parts that can be dissolved or separated, is exempted from all the natural causes of decay.'

Omarpaused; andAlmoranhaving stood some moments without reply, he seized this opportunity to impress him with an awful sense of the power and presence of the Supreme and Eternal Being, from whom his own existence was derived: 'Let us remember,' said he, 'that to every act of this immaterial and immortal part, the Father of spirits, from whom itproceeds, is present: when I behold the busy multitudes that crowd the metropolis of Persia, in the persuit of business and projects infinitely complicated and various; and consider that every idea which passes over their minds, every conclusion, and every purpose, with all that they remember of the past, and all that they imagine of the future, is at once known to the Almighty, who without labour or confusion weighs every thought of every mind in His balance, and reserves it to the day of retribution; my follies cover me with confusion, and my soul is humbled in the dust.'

Almoran, though he appeared to listen with attention, and offered nothingagainst the reasoning ofOmar, yet secretly despised it as sophistry; which cunning only had rendered specious; and which he was unable to confute, merely because it was subtil, and not because it was true: he had been led, by his passions, first to love, and then to adopt different opinions; and as every man is inclined to judge of others by himself, he doubted, whether the principles whichOmarhad thus laboured to establish; were believed even byOmarhimself.

Thus was the mind ofAlmoranto the instructions ofOmar, as a rock slightly covered with earth, is to the waters of heaven: the craggs are left bare by the rain that washes them; and the same showers that fertilize the fieldcan only discover the sterility of the rock.

Omar, however, did not yet disclose his suspicions toHamet, because he did not yet see that it could answer any purpose. To removeAlmeidafrom her apartment, would be to shew a distrust, for which there would not appear to be any cause; and to refuseAlmoranaccess to her when he desired it, might precipitate such measures as he might meditate, and engage him in some desperate attempt: he, therefore, contented himself with advisingHamet, to conceal the time of his marriage till the evening before he intended it should take place, without assigning the reason on which his advice was founded.

To the council ofOmar,Hametwas implicitly obedient, as to the revelations of the Prophet; but, like his instructions, it was neglected byAlmoran, who became every moment more wretched. He had a graceful person, and a vigorous mind; he was in the bloom of youth, and had a constitution that promised him length of days; he had power which princes were emulous to obey, and wealth by which whatever could administer to luxury might be bought, for every passion, and every appetite, it was easy for him to procure a perpetual succession of new objects: yet wasAlmoran, not only without enjoyment, but without peace; he was by turns pining with discontent, and raving with indignation; his vices had extractedbitter from every sweet; and having exhausted nature for delight in vain, he was repining at the bounds in which he was confined, and regretting the want of other powers as the cause of his misery.

Thus the year of mourning for Solyman was compleated, without any act of violence on the part ofAlmoran, or of caution on the part ofHamet: but on the evening of the last day,Hamet, having secretly prepared every thing for performing the solemnity in a private manner, acquaintedAlmoranby a letter, whichOmar, undertook to deliver, that he should celebrate his marriage on the morrow.Almoran, who never doubted but he should have notice of thisevent much longer before it was to happen, read the letter with a perturbation that it was impossible to conceal: he was alone in his private apartment, and taking his eye hastily from the paper, he crushed it together in his hand, and thrusting it into his bosom, turned fromOmarwithout speaking; andOmar, thinking himself dismissed, withdrew.

The passions whichAlmorancould no longer suppress, now burst out, in a torrent of exclamation: 'Am I then, said he, 'blasted for ever with a double curse, divided empire and disappointed love! What is dominion, if it is not possessed alone? and what is power, which the dread of rival power perpetually controuls? Is it forme to listen in silence to the wrangling of slaves, that I may at last apportion to them what, with a clamorous insolence, they demand as their due! as well may the sun linger in his course, and the world mourn in darkness for the day, that the glow-worm may still be seen to glimmer upon, the earth, and the owls and bats that haunt the sepulchres of the dead enjoy a longer night. Yet this have I done, because this has been done byHamet: and my heart sickens in vain with the desire of beauty, because my power extends not toAlmeida. With dominion undivided andAlmeida, I should beAlmoran; but without them, I am less than nothing.'

Omar, who, before he has passed the pavilion, heard a sound which he knew to be the voice ofAlmoran, returned hastily to the chamber in which he left him, believing he had withdrawn too soon, and that the king, as he knew no other was present, was speaking to him: he soon drew near enough to hear what was said; and while he was standing torpid in suspense, dreading to be discovered, and not knowing how to retire,Almoranturned about.

At first, both stood motionless with confusion and amazement; busAlmoran'spride soon surmounted his other passions, and his disdain ofOmargave his guilt the firmness of virtue.

'It is true,' said he, 'that thou hast stolen the secret of my heart; but do not think, that I fear it should be known: though my poignard could take it back with thy life; I leave it with thee. To reproach, or curse thee, would do thee honour, and lift thee into an importance which otherwise thou canst never reach.'Almoranthen turned from him with a contemptuous frown: butOmarcaught him by the robe; and prostrating himself upon the ground, intreated to be heard. His importunity at length prevailed; and he attempted to exculpate himself, from the charge of having insiduously intruded upon the privacy of his prince, butAlmoransternly interrupted him: 'And what art thou,' said he, 'that Ishould care, whether thou art innocent or guilty?' 'If not for my sake,' saidOmar, 'listen for thy own; and though my duty is despised, let my affection be heard. That thou art not happy, I know; and I now know the cause. Let my lord pardon the presumption of his slave: he that seeks to satisfy all his wishes, must be wretched; he only can be happy, by whom some are suppressed.' At these wordsAlmoransnatched his robe from the hand ofOmar, and spurned him in a transport of rage and indignation: 'The suppression of desire,' said he, 'is such happiness, as that of the deaf who do not remember to have heard. If it is virtue, know, that, as virtue, I despise it; for though it may securethe obedience of the slave, it can only degrade the prerogative of a prince. I cast off all restraint, as I do thee: begone, therefore, toHamet, and see me no more.'

Omarobeyed without reply; andAlmoranbeing again alone, the conflict in his mind was renewed with greater violence than before. He felt all that he had disguised toOmar, with the keenest sensibility; and anticipated the effects of his detection, with unutterable anguish and regret. He walked backward and forward with a hasty but interrupted pace; sometimes stopping short, and pressing his hand hard upon his brow; and sometimes by violent gestures showing the agitation of his mind: he sometimesstood silent with his eyes, fixed upon, the ground, and his arms folded together; and sometimes a sudden agony of thought forced him into loud and tumultuous exclamations: he cursed the impotence of mind that had suffered his thoughts to escape from him unawares; without reflecting that he was even then repeating the folly; and while he felt himself the victim of vice, he could not suppress his contempt of virtue: 'If I must perish,' said he, 'I will at least perish unsubdued: I will quench no wish that nature kindles in my bosom; nor shall my lips utter any prayer, but for new powers to feed the flame.'

As he uttered this expression, he felt the palace shake; he heard a rushing,like a blast in the desart; and a being of more than human appearance stood before him.Almoran, though he was terrified, was not humbled; and he stood expecting the event, whether evil or good, rather with obduracy than courage.

'Thou seest,' says the Appearance, 'a Genius, whom the daring purpose of thy mind has convoked from the middle region, where he was appointed to wait the signal; and who is now permitted to act in concert with thy will. Is not this the language of thy heart?—"Whatever pleasure I can snatch from the hand of time, as he passes by me, I will secure for myself: my passions shall be strong, that my enjoyments may begreat; for what is the portion allotted to man, but the joyful madness that prolongs the hours of festivity, the fierce delight that is extorted from injury by revenge, and the sweet succession of varied pleasures which the wish that is ever changing prepares for love?"'

'Whatever thou art,' saidAlmoran, 'whose voice has thus disclosed the secret of my soul, accept my homage; for I will worship thee: and be thou henceforth my wisdom and my strength.'

'Arise,' said the Genius, 'for therefore am I sent. To thy own powers, mine shall be superadded: and if, as weak only, thou hast been wretched;henceforth thou shalt be happy. Take no thought for to-morrow; to-morrow, my power shall be employed in thy behalf. Be not affrighted at any prodigy; but put thy confidence in me.' While he was yet speaking and the eyes ofAlmoranwere fixed upon him, a cloud gathered round him; and the next moment dissolving again into air, he disappeared.

Almoran, when he recovered from his astonishment, and had reflected upon the prodigy, determined to wait the issue, and refer all his hopes to the interposition of the Genius, without attempting any thing to retard the marriage; at which he resolved to be present, that he might improve any supernatural event which might be produced in his favour.

Hamet, in the mean time, was anticipating the morrow with a mixture of anxiety and pleasure; and though he had no reason to think any thingcould prevent his marriage, yet he wished it was over, with an impatience that was considerably increased by fear.

Though the anticipation of the great event that was now so near, kept him waking the greatest part of the night, yet he rose early in the morning; and while he waited tillAlmeidashould be ready to see him, he was told thatOmarwas without, and desired admittance. When he came in,Hamet, who always watched his countenance as a mariner the stars of heaven, perceived that it was obscured with perplexity and grief. 'Tell me,' saidHamet, 'whence is the sorrow that I discover in thy face?' 'I am sorrowful,' saidOmar, 'not for myself, but for thee.' At these wordsHametstept backward,and fixed his eyes uponOmar, without power to speak. 'Consider, saidOmar, 'that thou art not a man only, but a prince: consider also, that immortality is before thee; and that thy felicity, during the endless ages of immortality, depends upon thyself: fear not, therefore, what thou canst suffer from others; the evil and the good of life are transient as the morning dew, and over these only the hand of others can prevail.'

Hamet, whose attachment to life was strong, and whose expectations of immediate enjoyment were high, did not feel the force of whatOmarhad said, though he assented to its truth. 'Tell me,' said he, 'at once, what thou fearest for me; deliver me fromthe torments of suspense, and trust my own fortitude to save me from despair.' 'Know then,' saidOmar, 'that thou art hated byAlmoran, and that he lovesAlmeida.' At this declaration, the astonishment ofHametwas equal to his concern; and he was in doubt whether to believe or disbelieve what he heard: but the moment he recollected the wisdom and integrity ofOmar, his doubts were at an end; and having recovered from his surprize, he was about to make such enquiries as might gratify the anxious and tumultuous curiosity which was excited in his breast, whenOmar, lifting up his hand, and beginning again to speak,Hametremained silent.

'Thou knowest,' saidOmar, 'that when my checks were yet ruddy with youth, and my limbs were braced by vigour, that mine eye was guided to knowledge by the lamp that is kindled at midnight, and much of what is hidden in the innermost recesses of nature, was discovered to me: my prayer ascended in secret to Him, with whom there is wisdom from everlasting to everlasting, and He illuminated my darkness with His light. I know, by such sensations as the world either feels not at all, or feels unnoticed without knowledge of their use, when the powers that are invisible are permitted to mingle in the walks of men; and well I know, that some being, who is more than mortal, has joined withAlmoranagainst thee, since the veil of night was last spread upon the earth.'

Hamet, whose blood was chilled with horror, and whose nerves were no longer obedient to his will, after several ineffectual attempts to speak, looked up atOmar; and striking his hand upon his breast, cried out, in an earnest, but faultering voice, 'What shall I do?' 'Thou must do,' saidOmar, 'that which is RIGHT. Let not thy foot be drawn by any allurement, or driven by any terror, from the path of virtue. While thou art there, thou art in safety: and though the world should unite against thee, by the united world thou canst not be hurt.'

'But what friendly power,' saidHamet, 'shall guard even the path of virtue from grief and pain; from the silent shaft of disappointed love, or the sounding scourge of outrageous jealousy? These, surely, have overtaken the foot of perseverance; and by these, though I should persevere, may my feet be overtaken.' 'What thou sayest,' repliedOmar, 'is true; and it is true also, that the tempest which roots up the forest, is driven over the mountain with unabated rage: but from the mountain, what can it take more than the vegetable dust, which the hand of nature has scattered upon the moss that covers it? As the dust is to the mountain, so is all that the storms of life can take from virtue, to thesum of good which the Omnipotent has appointed for its reward.'Hamet, whose eye now expressed a kind of doubtful confidence, a hope that was repressed by fear, remained still silent; andOmar, perceiving the state of his mind, proceeded to fortify it by new precepts: 'If heaven,' said he, 'should vanish like a vapour, and this firm orb of earth should crumble into dust, the virtuous mind would stand unmoved amidst the ruins of nature: for He, who has appointed the heavens and the earth to fail, has said to virtue, "Fear not; for thou canst neither perish, nor be wretched." Call up thy strength, therefore, to the fight in which thou art sure of conquest: do thou onlythat which is RIGHT, and leave the event to Heaven.'

Hamet, in this conference withOmar, having gradually recovered his fortitude; and the time being now near, when he was to conductAlmeidato the court of the palace, where the marriage ceremony was to be performed; they parted with mutual benedictions, each recommending the other to the protection of the Most High.

At the appointed hour, the princes of the court being assembled, the mufti and the imans being ready, andAlmoranseated upon his throne;HametandAlmeidacame forward, and were placed one on the right hand,and the other on the left. The mufti was then advancing, to hear and to record the mutual promise which was to unite them;Almoranwas execrating the appearance of the Genius, as a delusive dream, in all the tumults of anguish and despair; andHametbegan to hope, that the suspicions ofOmarhad been ill founded; when a stroke of thunder shook the palace to its foundations, and a cloud rose from the ground, like a thick smoke, betweenHametandAlmeida.

Almoran, who was inspired with new confidence and hope, by that which had struck the rest of the assembly with terror, started from his seat with an ardent and furious look; and at the same moment, a voice, that issued fromthe cloud, pronounced with a loud but hollow tone,

At these words,Almoranrushed forward, and placing himself by the side ofAlmeida, the cloud disappeared; and he cried out, 'Let me now proclaim to the world the secret, which to this moment I have hidden in my bosom: I loveAlmeida. The being who alone knew my love, has now by miracle approved it. Let his decree be accomplished.' He then commanded that the ceremony should proceed; and seizing the hand of the lady, began to repeat that part of it which was to have been repeated byHamet. ButAlmeidainstantly drew her hand from him in an agony of distress;andHamet, who till then had stood motionless with amazement and horror, started from his trance, and springing forward rushed between them.Almoranturned fiercely upon him; butHamet, who having been warned byOmar, knew the prodigy to be effected by some evil being whom it was virtue to resist, laid his hand upon his scymitar, and, with a frown of indignation and defiance, commanded him to stand off: 'I now know thee,' said he, 'as a man; and, therefore, as a brother I know thee not.'

Almoranreflecting, that the foundation of this reproach was unknown to all who were present, and that to them he would therefore appear to be injured; looked round with an affectedsmile of wonder and compassion, as appealing to them from a charge that was thus fiercely and injuriously brought against him, and imputing it to the violence of sudden passions by which truth and reason were overborne. The eye ofHametat once detected the artifice, which he disdained to expose; he, therefore, commanded the guard that attended to carry offAlmeidato her apartment. The guard was preparing to obey, whenAlmoran, who thought he had now such an opportunity to get her into his own power as would never return, ordered them to see her safely lodged in his own seraglio.

The men, who thus received opposite commands from persons to whomthey owed equal obedience, stood still in suspense, not knowing which to prefer:Almoranthen reproached them with want of obedience, not to him, but to God, appealing to the prodigy for the justification of his claim.Hamet, on the contrary, repeated his order, with a look and emphasis scarce less commanding than the thunder and the voice. But the priests interposing in favour ofAlmoran, upon presumption that his right had been decided by a superior power; the guard rushed betweenHametandAlmeida, and with looks that expressed the utmost reluctance and regret, attempted to separate their hands, which were clasped in each other. She was affrighted at the violence, but yet more at the apprehension of what was tofollow; she, therefore, turned her eyes uponHamet, conjuring him not to leave her, in a tone of tenderness and distress which it is impossible to describe: he replied with a vehemence that was worthy of his passion, 'I will not leave thee,' and immediately drew his sabre. At the same moment they forced her from him; and a party having interposed to cover those that were carrying her off,Hametlifted up his weapon to force his passage through them; but was prevented byOmar, who, having pressed through the crowd, presented himself before him. 'Stop me not,' saidHamet, 'it is forAlmeida.' 'If thou wouldst saveAlmeida,' saidOmar, 'and thyself, do that only which is RIGHT. What have these done who oppose thee,more than they ought? and what end can their destruction answer, but to stain thy hands with unavailing murder? Thou canst only take the life of a few faithful slaves, who will not lift up their hands against thee: thou canst not rescueAlmeidafrom thy brother; but thou canst preserve thyself from guilt.'

These words ofOmarsuspended the rage ofHamet, like a charm; and returning his scymitar into its sheath, 'Let me then,' said he, 'suffer, and be guiltless. It is true, that against these ranks my single arm must be ineffectual; but if my wrongs can rouse a nation to repress the tyranny, that will shortly extend over it the injuries that now reachonly to me, justice shall be done toHamet.' Then turning toAlmoran, 'Henceforth,' said he, 'the kingdom shall be mine or thine. To govern in concert with thee, is to associate with the powers of hell. The beings that are superior to evil, are the friends ofHamet; and if these are thy enemies, what shall be thy defence?'Almoranreplied only by a contemptuous smile; and the assembly being dismissed he retired to his apartment: andHametandOmarwent out to the people, who had gathered in an incredible multitude about the palace.

A rumour of what had happened within had reached them, which some believed, and some doubted: but when they sawOmarandHametreturn together, and observed that their looks were full of resentment and trouble, they became silent with attention in a moment; whichOmarobserving, addressed them with an eloquence of which they had often acknowledged the force, and of which they never repented the effect.

He told them the tender connexion betweenHametandAlmeida, anddisclosed the subtil hypocrisy ofAlmoran: he expatiated upon the folly of supposing, that the power that was supreme in goodness and truth, should command a violation of vows that had been mutually interchanged, and often repeated; and devote toAlmoranthe beauties, which could only be voluntarily surrendered toHamet. They heard him with a vacant countenance of surprize and wonder; and while he waited for their reply, they agreed among themselves, that no man could avoid the destiny that was written upon his head; and that ifAlmeidahad thus been taken fromHamet, and given toAlmoran, it was an event that by an unchangeable decree was appointed to happen; and that, therefore, it was their duty to acquiesce.Omarthen beckoned with his hand for audience a second time, and told them, thatAlmoranhad not only practised the arts of sorcery to depriveHametofAlmeida, but that he meditated a design to usurp the sole dominion, and deprive him of the share of the government to which he had a right by the will of Solyman his father. This also they heard with the same sentiments of wonder and acquiescence: If it is decreed, said they, thatAlmoranshall be king alone, who can prevent it? and if it is not, who can bring it to pass? 'But know ye not,' saidOmar, 'that when the end is appointed, the means are appointed also. If it is decreed that one of you shall this night die bypoison, is it not decreed also that he shall drink it?'

The crowd now gazed upon each other, without reply, for some minutes: and at last they only said, that no effort of theirs could change the universal appointment of all things; that ifAlmoranwas to be king alone, he would be so notwithstanding all opposition; and that if he was not to be king alone, no attempt of his own, however supported, could make him so. 'I will not,' saidOmar, 'contradict your opinion; I will only tell you what I have heard, and leave you to, suffer the calamities which threaten you, with a fortitude and resignation that are suitable to your principles; having no consolation tooffer you, but thatHamet, whose destiny it was not to make you happy, will suffer with you the evils, that neither he nor you could prevent: the mournful comfort of this fellowship, he will not be denied; for he loves you too well, to wish even to be happy alone.' The crowd fixed their eyes uponHamet, for whom their affection was now strongly moved, with looks of much greater intelligence and sensibility; a confused murmur, like the fall of the pebbles upon the beach when the surge retires from the shore, expressed their gratitude toHamet, and their apprehensions for themselves.

Omarwaited till they were again silent, and then improved the advantage he had gained. 'Almoran,'said he, 'considers you as the slaves of his power;Hametas the objects of his benevolence: your lives and your properties, in the opinion ofAlmoran, are below his notice; butHametconsiders his own interest as connected with yours. WhenAlmoran, therefore, shall be unchecked by the influence ofHamet; he will leave you to the mercy of some delegated tyrant, whose whole power will be exerted to oppress you, that he may enrich himself.'

A new fire was now kindled in their eyes, and their cheeks glowed with indignation at the wrongs that threatened them; they were no longer disposed to act upon the principles of fatality, as they had perversely understoodthem; and they argued at once like reasonable and free beings, whose actions were in their choice, and who had no doubt but that their actions would produce adequate effects. They recollected thatOmarhad, in the reign of Solyman, often rescued them from such oppression, as now threatened them; and that the power ofHamethad since interposed in their behalf, whenAlmoranwould have stretched his prerogative to their hurt, or have left them a prey to the farmer of a tax. 'ShallHamet,' said they, 'be deprived of the power, that he employs only for our benefit; and shall it center inAlmoran, who will abuse it to our ruin? Shall we rather supportAlmoranin the wrong he has done toHamet, than HAMET to obtain justice ofAlmoran?Hametis our king; let him command us, and we will obey.' This was uttered with a shout that ecchoed from the mountains beyond the city, and continued near a full hour. In the mean time, the multitude was increasing every moment; and the troops that lay in and near the city, having taken arms, fell in with the stream: they were secretly attached toHamet, under whose eye they had been formed, and of whose bounty they had often partaken; and their fear being removed by the general cry, which left them no room to apprehend an opposition in favour ofAlmoran, they were now at full liberty to follow their inclinations.

In the mean time,Almoran, who had retired to the innermost court of the palace, had heard the tumult, and was alarmed for his safety: he ran from room to room, confused and terrified, without attempting or directing any thing either for his defence or escape, yet he sent every moment to know the state of the insurrection, and to what end its force would be directed.

Among those whom accident rather than choice had attached to the interest ofAlmoran, were Osmyn and Caled: they were both distinguished by his favour; and each had conceived hopes that, if he should possess the throne alone, he would delegate his authority to him.Almorannow ordered themto take the command of the troops, that were appointed to attend his person as their peculiar duty, with as many others as had not declared forHamet, and to secure all the avenues that led to his seraglio.

OmarandHametwere now on horseback, and had begun to form the troops that had joined them, and as many others as were armed, which were before mingled together in a confused multitude. An account of this was brought toAlmoranby Osmyn; and threw him into a perturbation and perplexity, that disgraced his character, and confounded his attendants. He urged Osmyn, in whom he most confided, to dispatch, without giving him any orders to execute; then turningfrom him, he uttered, in a low and inarticulate voice, the most passionate exclamations of distress and terror, being struck with the thought that his guard might betray him: when he recollected himself, and perceived that Osmyn was still present, he burst into a rage, and snatching out his poignard, he swore by the soul of the Prophet, that if he did not instantly attempt something, he would stab him to the heart. Osmyn drew back trembling and confused; but having yet received no orders, he would have spoken, butAlmorandrove him from his presence with menaces and execrations.

The moment that Osmyn left him, his rage subsided in his fears, and hisfears were mingled with remorse: 'Which way soever I turn,' said he, 'I see myself surrounded by destruction. I have incensed Osmyn by unreasonable displeasure, and causeless menaces. He must regard me at once with abhorrence and contempt: and it is impossible, but he should revolt toHamet.'

In this agony, the terrors of futurity rushed upon his mind with all their force; and he darted as if at the bite of a scorpion: 'To me,' said he, 'death, that now approaches, will be but the beginning of sorrow. I shall be cut off at once from enjoyment, and from hope; and the dreadful moment is now at hand.' While he was speaking, the palace again shook,and he stood again in the presence of the Genius.

'Almoran,' said the inhabitant of the unapparent world, 'the evil which thou fearest, shall not be upon thee. Make haste, and shew thyself from the gallery to the people, and the tumult of faction shall be still before thee: tell them, that their rebellion is not against thee only, but against Him by whom thou reignest: appeal boldly to that power for a confirmation of thy words, and rely for the attesting sign upon me.'Almoran, who had stooped with his face to the ground, now looked upward, and found himself alone: he hasted, therefore, to follow the directions hehad received; and hope was again kindled in his bosom.

Osmyn, in the mean time, made a proper disposition of the troops now under his command; and had directed a select company to remain near the person of the king, that they might at least make good his retreat. While he was waiting at his post, and revolving in his mind the total disappointment of his hopes, and considering what he should do ifHametshould establish himself alone, he was joined by Caled.

Caled had a secret enmity against Osmyn, as his rival in the favour ofAlmoran; but as he had concealed his own pretensions from Osmyn, Osmyn had no ill will against Caled. Asthey were now likely to be involved in one common calamity, by the ruin of the prince whose party they had espoused; Caled's enmity subsided, and the indifference of Osmyn was warmed into kindness: mutual distress produced mutual confidence; and Caled, after condoling with Osmyn on their present hopeless situation, proposed that they should draw off their forces, and revolt toHamet. This proposition Osmyn rejected, not only from principle, but from interest: 'Now we have accepted of a trust,' said he, 'we ought not to betray it. If we had gone over toHamet, when he first declared against his brother, he would have received us with joy, and probably have rewarded our service; but I know, that his virtuewill abhor us for treachery, though practised in his favour: treachery, under the dominion ofHamet, will not only cover us with dishonour, but will probably devote us to death.'

In this reasoning, Caled could not but acquiesce; he felt himself secretly but forcibly reproved, by the superior virtue of Osmyn: and while he regretted his having made a proposal, which had been rejected not only as imprudent but infamous; he concluded, that Osmyn would ever after suspect and despise him; and he, therefore, from a new cause, conceived new enmity against him. They parted, however, without any appearance of suspicionor disgust; and, in a short time, they were in circumstances very different from their expectations.

Almoranhad now reached the gallery; and when the multitude saw him, they shouted as in triumph, and demanded that he should surrender.Hamet, who also perceived him at a distance, and was unwilling that any violence should be offered tohis person, pressed forward, and when he was come near, commanded silence. At this momentAlmoran, with a loud voice, reproached them with impiety and folly; and appealing to the power, whom in his person they had offended, the air suddenly grew dark, a flood of lightning descended from the sky, and a peal of thunder was articulated into these words:

The multitude stood aghast at the prodigy; and hiding their faces with their hands, every one departed in silence and confusion, andHametandOmarwere left alone.Omarwas taken by some of the soldiers who hadadhered toAlmoran, butHametmade his escape.

Almoran, whose wishes were thus far accomplished by the intervention of a power superior to his own, exulted in the anticipation of that happiness which he now supposed to be secured; and was fortified in his opinion, that he had been wretched only because he had been weak, and that to multiply and not to suppress his wishes was the way to acquire felicity.

As he was returning from the gallery, he was met by Osmyn and Caled, who had heard the supernatural declaration in his behalf, and learned its effects.Almoran, in that hasty flow of unbounded but capricious favour, which,in contracted minds, is the effect only of unexpected good fortune, raised Osmyn from his feet to his bosom: 'As in the trial,' said he, 'thou hast been faithful, I now invest thee with a superior trust. The toils of state shall from this moment devolve upon thee; and from this moment, the delights of empire unallayed shall be mine: I will recline at ease, remote from every eye but those that reflect my own felicity; the felicity that I shall taste in secret, surrounded by the smiles of beauty, and the gaities of youth. Like heaven, I will reign unseen; and like heaven, though unseen, I will be adored.' Osmyn received this delegation of power with a tumultuous pleasure, that was expressed only by silence and confusion.Almoranremarked it; and exulting in the pride of power, he suddenly changed his aspect, and regarding Osmyn, who was yet blushing, and whose eyes were swimming in tears of gratitude, with a stern and ardent countenance; 'Let me, however,' said he, 'warn thee to be watchful in thy trust: beware, that no rude commotion violate my peace by thy fault; lest my anger sweep thee in a moment to destruction.' He then directed his eye to Caled: 'And thou too,' said he, 'hast been faithful; be thou next in honour and in power to Osmyn. Guard both of you my paradise from dread and care; fulfill the duty that I have assigned you, and live.'

He was then informed by a messenger, thatHamethad escaped, and thatOmarwas taken. As he now despised the power both ofHametandOmar, he expressed neither concern nor anger thatHamethad fled; but he orderedOmarto be brought before him.

WhenOmarappeared bound and disarmed, he regarded him with a smile of insult and derision; and asked him, what he had now to hope. 'I have, indeed,' saidOmar, 'much less to hope, than thou hast to fear.' 'Thy insolence,' saidAlmoran, 'is equal to thy folly: what power on earth is there, that I should fear?' 'Thy own,' saidOmar. 'I have not leisure now,' repliedAlmoran, 'tohear the paradoxes of thy philosophy explained: but to shew thee, that I fear not thy power, thou shalt live. I will leave thee to hopeless regret; to wiles that have been scorned and defeated; to the unheeded petulance of dotage; to the fondness that is repayed with neglect; to restless wishes, to credulous hopes, and to derided command: to the slow and complicated torture of despised old age; and that, when thou shalt long have abhorred thy being, shall destroy it.' 'The misery,' saidOmar, 'which thou hast menaced, it is not in thy power to inflict. As thou hast taken from me all that I possessed by the bounty of thy father, it is true that I am poor; it is true also, that my knees are now feeble, andbend with the weight of years that is upon me. I am, as thou art, a man; and therefore I have erred: but I have still kept the narrow path in view with a faithful vigilance, and to that I have soon returned: the past, therefore, I do not regret; and the future I have no cause to fear. In Him who is most merciful, I have hope; and in that hope even how I rejoice before thee. My portion in the present hour, is adversity: but I receive it, not only with humility, but thankfulness; for I know, that whatever is ordained is best.'

Almoran, in whose heart there were no traces ofOmar'svirtue, and therefore no foundation for his confidence; sustained himself against theirforce, by treating them as hypocrisy and affectation: 'I know,' says he, 'that thou hast long learned to eccho the specious and pompous sounds, by which hypocrites conceal their wretchedness, and excite the admiration of folly and the contempt of wisdom: yet thy walk, in this place, shall be still unrestrained. Here the splendor of my felicity shall fill thy heart with envy, and cover thy face with confusion; and from thee shall the world be instructed, that the enemies ofAlmorancan move no passion in his breast but contempt, and that most to punish them is to permit them to live.'

Omar, whose eye had till now been fixed upon the ground, regardedAlmoranwith a calm but steady countenance: 'Here then,' said he, 'will I follow thee, constant as thy shadow; tho', as thy shadow, unnoticed or neglected: here shall mine eye watch those evils, that were appointed from everlasting to attend upon guilt: and here shall my voice warn thee of their approach. From thy breast may they be averted by righteousness! for without this, though all the worlds that roll above thee should, to aid thee, unite all their power, that power can aid thee only to be wretched.'

Almoran, in all the pride of gratified ambition, invested with dominion that had no limits, and allied with powers that were more than mortal;was overawed by this address, and his countenance grew pale. But the next moment, disdaining to be thus controuled by the voice of a slave, his cheeks were suffused with the blushes of indignation: he turned fromOmar, in scorn, anger, and confusion, without reply; andOmardeparted with the calm dignity of a benevolent and superior being, to whom the smiles and frowns of terrestrial tyranny were alike indifferent, and in whom abhorrence of the turpitude of vice was mingled with companion for its folly.

In the mean time,Almeida, who had been conveyed to an apartment inAlmoran'sseraglio, and delivered to the care of those who attended upon his women, suffered all that grief and terror could inflict upon a generous, a tender, and a delicate mind; yet in this complicated distress, her attention was principally fixed uponHamet. The disappointment of his hope, and the violation of his right, were the chief objects of her regret and her fears, in all that had already happened, and in all that was still to come; every insult that might be offeredto herself, she considered as an injury to him. Yet the thoughts of all that he might suffer in her person, gave way to her apprehensions of what might befall him in his own: in his situation, every calamity that her imagination could conceive, was possible; her thoughts were, therefore, bewildered amidst an endless variety of dreadful images, which started up before them which way soever they were turned; and it was impossible that she could gain any certain intelligence of his fate, as the splendid prison in which she was now confined, was surrounded by mutes and eunuchs, of whom nothing could be learned, or in whole report no confidence could be placed.

While her mind was in this state of agitation and distress, she perceived the door open, and the next momentAlmoranentered the apartment. When she saw him, she turned from him with a look of unutterable anguish; and hiding her face in her veil, she burst into tears. The tyrant was moved with her distress; for unfeeling obduracy is the vice only of the old, whose sensibility has been worn away by the habitual perpetration of reiterated wrongs.

He approached her with looks of kindness, and his voice was involuntarily modulated to pity; she was, however, too much absorbed in her own sorrows, to reply. He gazed upon her with tenderness and admiration;and taking her hand into his own, he pressed it ardently to his bosom: his compassion soon kindled into desire, and from soothing her distress, he began to solicit her love. This instantly roused her attention, and resentment now suspended her grief: she turned from him with a firm and haughty step, and instead of answering his professions, reproached him with her wrongs.Almoran, that he might at once address her virtue and her passions, observed, that though he had loved her from the first moment he had seen her, yet he had concealed his passion even from her, till it had received the sanction of an invisible and superior power; that he came, therefore, the messenger of heaven; and that he offered her unrivalled empire and everlastinglove. To this she answered only by an impatient and fond enquiry afterHamet. 'Think not ofHamet,' saidAlmoran; 'for why should he who is rejected of Heaven, be still the favorite ofAlmeida?' 'If thy hand,' saidAlmeida, 'could quench in everlasting darkness, that vital spark of intellectual fire, which the word of the Almighty has kindled in my breast to burn for ever, then mightAlmeidacease to think ofHamet; but while that shall live, whatever form it shall inhabit, or in whatever world it shall reside, his image shall be for ever present, and to him shall my love be for ever true.' This glowing declaration of her love forHamet, was immediately succeeded by a tender anxiety for his safety; and a suddenreflection upon the probability of his death, and the danger of his situation if alive, threw her again into tears.

Almoran, whom the ardour and impetuosity of her passions kept sometimes silent, and sometimes threw into confusion, again attempted to sooth and comfort her: she often urged him to tell her what was become of his brother, and he as often evaded the question. As she was about to renew her enquiry, and reflected that it had already been often made, and had not yet been answered, she thought thatAlmoranhad already put him to death: this threw her into a new agony, of which he did not immediately discover the cause; but as he soon learned it fromher reproaches and exclamations, he perceived that he could not hope to be heard, while she was in doubt about the safety ofHamet. In order, therefore, to sooth her mind, and prevent its being longer possessed with an image that excluded every other; he assumed a look of concern and astonishment at the imputation of a crime, which was at once so horrid and so unnecessary. After a solemn deprecation of such enormous guilt, he observed, that as it was now impossible forHametto succeed as his rival, either in empire or in love, without the breach of a command, which he knew his virtue would implicitly obey; he had no motive either to desire his death, or to restrain his liberty: 'His walk' says he, 'is still uncircumscribed inPersia, and except this chamber, there is no part of the palace to which he is not admitted.'

To this declarationAlmeidalistened, as to the music of paradise; and it suspended for a-while every passion, but her love: the sudden ease of her mind made her regardless of all about her, and she had in this interval sufferedAlmoranto remove her veil, without reflecting upon what he was doing. The moment she recollected herself, she made a gentle effort to recover it, with some confusion, but without anger. The pleasure that was expressed in her eyes, the blush that glowed upon her cheek, and the contest about the veil, which to an amorous imagination had an air of dalliance, concurredto heighten the passion ofAlmoranalmost to phrensy: she perceived her danger in his looks, and her spirits instantly took the alarm. He seized her hand, and gazing ardently upon her, he conjured her, with a tone and emphasis that strongly expressed the tumultuous vehemence of his wishes, that she would renounce the rites which had been forbidden above, and that she would receive him to whom by miracle she had been alloted.

Almeida, whom the manner and voice ofAlmoranhad terrified into silence, answered him at first only with a look that expressed aversion and disdain, overawed by fear. 'Wilt thou not,' saidAlmoran, 'fulfill the decrees of Heaven? I conjure thee,'by Heaven, to answer.' From this solemn reference to Heaven,Almeidaderived new fortitude: she instantly recollected, that she stood in the presence of Him, by whose permission only every other power, whether visible or invisible, can dispense evil or good: 'Urge no more,' said she, 'as the decree of Heaven, that which is inconsistent with Divine perfection. Can He in whose hand my heart is, command me to wed the man whom he has not enabled me to love? Can the Pure, the Just, the Merciful, have ordained that I should suffer embraces which I loath, and violate vows which His laws permitted me to make? Can He have ordained a perfidious, a loveless, and a joyless prostitution? Whatif a thousand prodigies should concur to enforce it a thousand times, the deed itself would be a stronger proof that those prodigies were the works of darkness, than those prodigies that the deed was commanded by the Father of light.'

Almoran, whose hopes were now blasted to the root, who perceived that the virtue ofAlmeidacould neither be deceived nor overborne; that she at once contemned his power, and abhorred his love; gave way to all the furies of his mind, which now slumbered no more: his countenance expressed at once anger, indignation, and despair; his gesture became furious, and his voice was lost in menaces and execrations.Almeidabeheld himwith an earnest yet steady countenance, till he vowed to revenge the indignity he had suffered, uponHamet. At the name ofHamet, her fortitude forsook her; the pride of virtue gave way to the softness of love; her cheeks became pale, her lips trembled, and taking hold of the robe ofAlmoran, she threw herself at his feet. His fury was it first suspended by hope and expectation; but when from her words, which grief and terror had rendered scarce articulate, he could learn only that she was pleading forHamet, he burst from her in an extasy of rage, and forcing his robe from her hand, with a violence that dragged her after it, he rushed out of the chamber, and left her prostrate upon the ground.

As he passed through the gallery with a hasty and disordered pace, he was seen byOmar; who knowing that he was returned from an interview withAlmeida, and conjecturing from his appearance what had happened, judged that he ought not to neglect this opportunity to warn him once more of the delusive phantoms, which, under the appearance of pleasure, were leading him to destruction: he, therefore, followed him unperceived, till he had reached the apartment in which he had been used to retire alone, and heard again the loud and tumultuous exclamations, which were wrung, from his heart by the anguish of disappointment: 'What have I gained,' said he, 'by absolute dominion! The slave who, secluded from the gales of lifeand from the light of heaven toils without hope in the darkness of the mine, riots in the delights of paradise compared with me. By the caprice of one woman, I am robbed not only of enjoyment but of peace, and condemned for ever to the torment of unsatisfied desire.'

Omar, who was impatient to apprize him that he was not alone, and to prevent his disclosing sentiments which he wished to conceal, now threw himself upon the ground at his feet. 'Presumptuous slave!' saidAlmoran, 'from whence, and wherefore art thou come?' 'I am come,' saidOmar, 'to tell thee that not the caprice of a woman, but the wishes ofAlmoran, have madeAlmoranwretched.' The king, slung with the reproach, drew back, and with a furious look laid his hand upon his poignard; but was immediately restrained from drawing it, by his pride. 'I am come,' saidOmar, 'to repeat that truth, upon which, great as thou art, thy fate is suspended. Thy power extends not to the mind of another; exert it, therefore, upon thy own: suppress the wishes, which thou canst not fulfill, and secure the happiness that is within thy reach.'

Almoran, who could bear no longer to hear the precepts which he disdained to practice, sternly commandedOmarto depart: 'Be gone,' said he, 'lest I crush thee like a noisome reptile, which men cannot but abhor,though it is too contemptible to be feared.' 'I go,' saidOmar, 'that my warning voice may yet again recall thee to the path of wisdom and of peace, if yet again I shall behold thee while it is to be found.'

Almoranwas now left alone; and throwing himself upon a sofa, he sat some time motionless and silent, as if all his faculties had been suspended in the stupefaction of despair. He revolved in his mind the wishes that had been gratified, and the happiness of which he had been disappointed: 'I desired,' said he, 'the pomp and power of undivided dominion; andHametwas driven from the throne which he shared with me, by a voice from heaven: I desired to break off his marriage withAlmeida; and it was broken off by a prodigy,when no human power could have accomplished my desire. It was my wish also to have the person ofAlmeidain my power, and this wish also has been gratified; yet I am still wretched. But I am wretched, only because the means have not been adequate to the end: what I have hitherto obtained, I have not desired for itself; and of that, for which I desired it, I am not possessed: I am, therefore, still wretched, because I am weak. With the soul ofAlmoran, I should have the form ofHamet: then my wishes would indeed be filled; then wouldAlmeidabless me with consenting beauty, and the splendor of my power should distinguish only the intervals of my love; my enjoyments would then be certainand permanent, neither blasted by disappointment, nor withered by satiety.' When he had uttered these reflections with the utmost vehemence and agitation, his face was again obscured by gloom and despair; his posture was again fixed; and he was falling back into his former state of silent abstraction, when he was suddenly roused by the appearance of the Genius, the sincerity of whose friendship he began to distrust.

'Almoran,' said the Genius, 'if thou art not yet happy, know that my powers are not yet exhausted: fear me not, but let thine ear be attentive to my voice.' The Genius then stretched out his hand towards him, in which there was an emerald ofgreat lustre, cut into a figure that had four and twenty sides, on each of which was engraven a different letter. 'Thou seest,' said he, 'this talisman: on each side of it is engraven one of those mysterious characters, of which are formed all the words of all the languages that are spoken by angels, genii, and men. This shall enable thee to change thy figure: and what, under the form ofAlmoran, thou canst not accomplish; thou shalt still be able to effect, if it can be effected by thee, in the form of any other. Point only to the letters that compose the name of him whose appearance thou wouldst assume, and it is done. Remember only, that upon him, whose appearance thou shalt assume, thine shall be imprest, till thourestorest his own. Hide the charm in thy bosom, and avail thyself of its power.'Almoranreceived the talisman in a transport of gratitude and joy, and the Genius immediately disappeared.

The use of this talisman was so obvious, that it was impossible to overlook it.Almoraninstantly conceived the design with which it was given, and determined instantly to put it in execution: 'I will now,' said he, 'assume the figure ofHamet; and my love, in all its ardour, shall be returned byAlmeida.' As his fancy kindled at the anticipation of his happiness, he stood musing in a pleasing suspense, and indulged himself in the contemplation of the several gradations, bywhich he would ascend to the summit of his wishes.

Just at this moment, Osmyn, whom he had commanded to attend him at this hour, approached his apartment:Almoranwas roused by the sound of his foot, and supposed it to beOmar, who had again intruded upon his privacy; he was enraged at the interruption which had broken a series of imaginations so flattering and luxurious; he snatched out his poignard, and lifting up his arm for the stroke, hastily turned round to have stabbed him; but seeing Osmyn, he discovered his mistake just in time to prevent the blow.

Osmyn, who was not conscious of any crime, nor indeed of any act thatcould have given occasion of offence; started back terrified and amazed, and stood trembling in suspense whether to remain or to withdraw.Almoran, in the mean time, sheathed the instrument of death, and bid him fear nothing, for he should not be hurt. He then turned about; and putting, his hand to his forehead, stood again, silent in a musing posture: he recollected, that if he assumed the figure ofHamet, it was necessary he should give orders forHametto be admitted toAlmeida, as he would otherwise be excluded by the delegates of his own authority; turning, therefore, to Osmyn, 'Remember,' said he, 'that wheneverHametshall return, it is my command, that he be admitted toAlmeida.'

Osmyn; who was pleased with an opportunity of recommending himself toAlmoran, by praising an act of generous virtue which he supposed him now to exert in favour of his brother, received the command with a look, that expressed not only approbation but joy: 'Let the sword of destruction,' said he, 'be the guard of the tyrant; the strength of my lord shall be the bonds of love: those, who honour thee asAlmoran, shall rejoice in thee as the friend ofHamet.' ToAlmoran, who was conscious to no kindness for his brother, the praise of Osmyn was a reproach: he was offended at the joy which he saw kindled in his countenance, by a command to shew favour toHamet; and was firedwith sudden rage at that condemnation of his real conduct, which was implied by an encomium on the generosity of which he assumed the appearance for a malevolent and perfidious purpose: his brow was contracted, his lip quivered, and the hilt of his dagger was again grasped in his hand. Osmyn was again overwhelmed with terror and confusion; he had again offended, but knew not his offence. In the mean time,Almoranrecollecting that to express displeasure against Osmyn was to betray his own secret, endeavoured to suppress his anger; but his anger was succeeded by remorse, regret, and disappointment. The anguish of his mind broke out in imperfect murmurs: 'What I am, said, he, 'is, to this wretch, the object not only of hatred but of scorn; andhe commends only what I am not, in what to him I would seem to be.

These sounds, which, tho' not articulate, were yet uttered with great emotion, were still mistaken by Osmyn for the overflowings of capricious and causeless anger: 'My life,' says he to himself, 'is even now suspended in a doubtful balance. Whenever I approach this tyrant, I tread the borders of destruction: like a hood-winked wretch, who is left to wander near the brink of a precipice, I know my danger; but which way soever I turn, I know not whether I shall incur or avoid it.'

In these reflections, did the reign and the slave pass those momentsin which the sovereign intended to render the slave subservient to his pleasure or his security, and the slave intended to express a zeal which he really felt, and a homage which his heart had already paid. Osmyn was at length, however, dismissed with an assurance, that all was well; andAlmoranwas again left to reflect with anguish upon the past, to regret the present, and to anticipate the future with solicitude, anxiety, and perturbation.

He was, however, determined to assume the figure of his brother, by the talisman which had been put into his power by the Genius: but just as he was about to form the spell, he recollected, that by the same act he would impress his own likeness uponHametwho would consequently be invested with his power, and might use it to his destruction. This held him some time in suspense: but reflecting thatHametmight not, perhaps, be apprized of his advantage, till it was too late to improve it; that he was now a fugitive, and probably alone, leaving Persia behind him with all the speed he could make; and that, at the worst, if he should be still near, if he should know the transformation as soon as it should be made, and should instantly take the most effectual measures to improve it; yet as he could dissolve the charm in a moment, whenever it should be necessary for his safety, no formidable danger could be incurred by the experiment, to which he, therefore, proceeded without delay.

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