rangements taken immediately, and the number of fhips required, properly fitted out by a given time. On the receipt of the orders, Mr. Cleveland was fent from the Admiralty to remonftrate on the impoffibility of obeying them. He found his Lordship in the most excruciating pain, from one of the most severe fits of the gout he had ever experienced." Impoffible, Sir," faid he, " don't talk to me of impoffibilities," and then raifing himfelf upon his legs, while the fweat flood in large drops on his forehead, and every fibre of his body was convulfed with agony, "Go, Sir, and tell his Lordship, that he has to do with a minifter who actually treads on impoffibilities."

ON THE

VANITY of HUMAN LIFE.

THE VISION OF MIRZA.

"Oh! what is Life? that thoughtless Wish of all!
"A Drop of Honey, in a Draught of Gall!"

N the fifth day of the Moon, which, according to the custom of my forefathers, I always kept holy, after having wafhed myfelf, and offered up my morning devotions, I afcended up

the

the high hills of Bagdad, in order to pass the reft of the day in meditation and prayer. As I was here airing myself on the top of the mountains, I fell into a profound contemplation on the vanity of human life; and paffing from one thought to another, furely, faid I, Man is but a fhadow, and Life a dream. Whilft I was thus mufing, I caft my eye towards the fummit of a rock that was not far from me, where I difcovered one in the habit of a fhepherd, with a mufical inftrument in his hand. As I looked upon him, he applied it to his lips, and began to play upon it.-The found of it was exceedingly fweet, and wrought into a variety of tunes that were inexpreffibly melodious, and altogether different from any thing I had ever heard. This puts me in mind of those heavenly airs that are played to the departed fouls of good men upon their first arrival in paradife, to wear out the impreffions of their agonies, and to qualify them for the pleafures of that happy place.My heart melted away in fecret rapture. I had often been told that the rock before me was the haunt of a genius; and that feveral had been entertained with mufic who hath paffed by it, but never heard that the musician had before made himself vifible. When he had raised my thoughts, by thofe transporting airs which he played, to tafte the pleasures of his converfation, as I looked

проп

upon him like one aftonished, he beckoned to me, and by the waving of his hand directed me to approach the place where he fat: I drew near with that reverence which is due to a fuperior nature; and as my heart was entirely fubdued by the captivating ftrains I had heard, I fell down at his feet and wept. The genius fmiled upon me with a look of compaffion and affability, that familiarized him to my imagination, and at once difpelled all my fears and apprehenfions with which I approached him. He lifted me from the ground; and taking me by the hand, Mirza, faid he, I have heard thee in thy foliloquies: follow me. He then led me to the highest pinnacle of the rock, and placed me on the top of it: Caft thine eye Eaftward, faid he, and tell me what thou fee'ft. I fee, faid I, a huge Valley, and a prodigious tide of water rolling through it. The valley that thou fee'ft faid he, is the vale of mifery; and the tide of water that thou fee'ft, is part of the great tide of eternity. What is the reafon, faid I, that the tide I fee rifes out of a thick mift at one end, and again lofes itself in a thick mift at the other? What thou fee'ft faid he, is that portion of eternity which is called time, measured out by the fun, and reaching from the beginning of the world to its confummation. Examine now, faid he, this fea that is thus bounded with darkness on both ends, and

tell

tell me what thou difcovereft in it. I fee a Bridge, faid I, ftanding in the midft of the tide. The bridge thou fee'ft, faid he, is human life; confider it attentively. Upon a more leifurely furvey of it, I found that it confifted of threefcore and ten entire arches, with several broken arches, which, added to those that were entire, made up the number about an hundred. As I was counting the arches, the genius told me, that this bridge at first confifted of a thousand arches; but that a great flood fwept away the reft, and left the bridge in the ruinous condition I now beheld it. But tell me further, faid he, what thou discovercft on it. I fee multitudes of people paffing over it, faid I, and a black cloud hanging on each end of it. As I looked more attentively, I faw feveral of the paffengers dropping through the bridge into the great tide that flowed underneath it; and, upon further examination perceived, there were innumerable trapdoors that lay concealed in the bridge, which the paffengers no fooner trod upon, but they fell thro' them into the tide, and immediately difappeared. Thefe hidden pit-falls were fet very thick at the entrance of the bridge, fo that throngs of people no fooner broke through the cloud, but many of them fell into them. They grew thinner towards the middle, but multiplied and lay clofer together towards the end of the arches that were en

tire. There were indeed fome perfons, but their numbers were very fmall, that continued a kind of hobbling march on the broken arches, but fell through, one after another, being quite tired and fpent with fo long a walk. I paffed fome time in the contemplation of this wonderful structure, and the great variety of objects which it prefented.My heart was filled with a deep melancholy, to fee several dropping unexpectedly in the midst of mirth and jollity, and catching at every thing that flood by them to fave themselves. Some were looking upwards towards the heavens in a thoughtful posture, and, in the midst of a fpeculation ftumbled and fell out of fight. Multitudes were very bufy in the purfuit of bubbles that glittered in their eyes and danced before them; but often, when they thought themselves within the reach of them, their footing failed, and down they funk.In this confufion of objects I obferved fome with fcymetars in their hands, and others with urinals, who ran too and fro upon the bridge, thrufting feveral perfons on trap-doors, which did not feem to lie in their way, and which they might have efcaped, had they not thus been forced upon them. The genius feeing me indulge myfelf in this melancholy profpe&t, told me I had dwelt long enough upon it: Take thine eyes off the bridge, faid he, and tell me if thou yet fee'ft any thing

thou