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him a Pophar, which, in their language, signifies "Father of his People." They usually stayed a year before they returned into their own country, and spared no cost to make their banishment, as they termed it, as easy as they could. As the time for their return was not yet arrived, the Pophar resolved to go down to Alexandria, to see if he could meet with any more European curiosities. While they were at this place, an incident happened, which is so well contrived, and so delightfully told, that we must give the whole of it in the author's own words. As they were walking about the public places, they met the Bassa of Grand Cairo.

"His wife and daughter were then both along with him: the wife was one of the grand Signor's sisters, seemingly about thirty, and a wonderful fine woman. The daughter was about sixteen, of such exquisite beauty and lovely features, as were sufficient to charm the greatest prince in the world. When he perceived them, the Pophar, who naturally abhorred the Turks, kept off, as if he were treating privately with some merchants. But I, being young and inconsiderate, stood gazing, though at a respectful distance, at the Bassa's beautiful daughter, from no other motive but mere curiosity. She had her eyes fixed on my companions and myself at the same time, and, as I supposed, on the same account. Her dress was so magnificent, and her person so charming, that I thought her the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my life. If I could have foreseen the troubles that short interview was going to cost both the Pophar and myself, I should have chose sooner to have looked on the most hideous monster. I observed that the young lady, with a particular sort of emotion, whispered something to an elderly woman that attended her, and she did the same to a page, who immediately went to two natives of the place, whom the Pophar used to hire to carry his things: this was to enquire of them who we were. They, as appeared by the event, told them, I was a young slave lately bought by the Pophar. After a while, the Bassa with his train went away, and for my own part I thought no more of the matter. The next day, as the Pophar and we were walking in one of the publick gardens, a little elderly man like an eunuch, with a most beautiful youth along with him, having dogged us to a private part of the walks, came up to us, and addressing themselves to the Pophar, asked him what he would take for his young slave, pointing at me, because the Bassa desired to buy him. The Pophar seemed to be more surprized at this unexpected question, than I ever observed him at any thing before, which confirmed me more and more in the opinion of the kindness he had for me. But soon coming to himself, as he was a man of a great presence of mind, he said very sedately that I was no slave; nor a person to be sold for any price, since I was as free as he was. They, taking this for a pretext to enhance the price, produced some oriental pearls, with other jewels of immense value, and bid him name what he would have, and it should be paid immediately: adding, I was to be the companion of the Bassa's son, where I might make my fortune for ever, if I would go along with them. The Pophar persisted in the same

answer, and said he had no power over me: they insisted I had been bought as a slave buta short time ago, in the grand Signor's dominions, and they would have me. Here I interposed and answered briskly, that though I had been taken prisoner by the chance of war, I was no slave, nor would I part with my liberty but at the price of my life. The Bassa's son, for so he now declared himself to be, instead of being angry at my resolute answer, replied with a most agreeable smile, that I should be as free as he was, making the most solemn protestations by his holy Alcoran, that our lives and deaths should be inseparable. Though there was something in his words the most persuasive I ever felt within myself; yet, considering the obligations I had to the Pophar, I was resolved not to go, but answered with a most respectful bow, that though I was free by nature, I had indispensable obligations not to go with him, and hoped he would take it for a determinate answer. I pronounced this with such a resolute air, as made him see there was no hopes. Whether his desire was more inflamed by my denial, or whether they took us for persons of greater note than we appeared to be, I can't tell; but I observed he put on a very languishing air, with tears stealing down his cheeks, which moved me to a degree I can't express. I was scarce capable of speaking, but cast down my eyes, and stood as immoveable as a statue. This seemed to revive his hopes; he recovered himself a little, and, with a trembling voice, replied, suppose it be the Bassa's daughter you saw yesterday, that desires to have you for her attendant, what do you say? I started at this, and casting my eyes on him more attentively, I saw his swimming in tears, with a tenderness enough to pierce the hardest heart. I looked at the Pophar, who I saw was trembling for me: and feared it was the daughter herself that asked me the question. I was soon put out of doubt, for she, finding she had gone too far to go back, discovered herself, and said I must go along with her, or one of us must die."

"I considered she was a Turk, and I a Christian: that my death must certainly be the consequence of such a rash affair, were I to engage in it. That whether she concealed me in her father's court, or attempted to go off with me, it was ten thousand to one, we should both be sacrificed neither could the violence of such a sudden passion ever be concealed from the Bassa's spies. In a word I was resolved not to go; but how to get off was the difficulty. I saw the most beautiful creature in the world all in tears before me, after a declaration of love, that exceeded the most romantic tales; youth, love, and beauty, and even an inclination on my side pleaded her cause. But at length the consideration of the endless miseries I was likely to draw on the young lady, should I comply with what she desired, prevailed above all others. I was resolved to refuse, for her sake more than my own, and was just going to tell her so on my knees, with all the arguments my reason could suggest to appease her; when an attendant came running in haste to the other person, who also was a woman, and told her the Bassa was coming that way. She was roused out of her lethargy at this: the other woman, without any demur snatched her away, as the Pophar did me."

Gaudentio was well pleased on reflection that he had not

complied with the wishes of this enchanting object, and the Pophar, thinking the affair might not end so, resolved to make off as fast as they could. They pretend to depart for Cyprus, instead of which they go that evening to Grand Cairo, to get all things ready for their return into their own country. Having prepared every thing for their departure, they left Grand Cairo a little before sun-set. After travelling about a league up the river Nile, they are passed by five or six men on horseback.

"I was the hindmost but one of our train, having staid to give our dromedaries some water. Soon after these, came two ladies riding on little Arabian jennets, with prodigious rich furniture, by which I guessed them to be persons of quality, and the others gone before their attendants. They were not quite over against where I was, when the younger of the two ladies' jennet began to snort and start at our dromedaries, and became so unruly, that I apprehended the lady could scarce sit him. At that instant, one of the led dromedaries coming pretty near, that and the rustling of its loading, so frighted the jennet, that he gave bound all on a sudden, and being on the inside of us towards the river, he ran full speed towards the edge of the bank, where not being able to stop his career, he flew directly off the precipice into the river, with the lady still sitting him; but the violence of the leap, threw her off two or three yards into the water. It happened very luckily there was a little island just by where she fell, and her cloaths keeping her up for some minutes, the stream carried her against some stakes that stood just above the water; the stakes caught hold of her cloaths, and held her there. The shrieks of the other lady brought the nighest attendants up to us; but those fearful wretches durst not venture into the river to her assistance. I jumped off my dromedary with indignation, and throwing off my loose garment and sandals, swam to her, and with much difficulty getting hold of her hand, and loosing her garments from the stakes, I made a shift to draw her a-cross the stream, till I brought her to land. She was quite senseless for some time; I held down her head, which I had not yet looked at, to make her disgorge the water she had swallowed; but I was soon struck with a double surprize, when I looked at her face, to find it was the Bassa's daughter, and to see her in that place, whom I thought I had left at Alexandria. After some time, she came to herself, and looking fixed on me a good while, her senses not being entirely recovered: at last she cried out, O Mahomet, must I owe my life to this man! and fainted away. The other lady who was her confident, with a great deal of pains brought her to herself again; we raised her up, and endeavoured to comfort her as well as we could: No, says she, throw me into the river once more; let me not be obliged to a Barbarian for whom I have done too much already. I told her in the most respectful terms I could think of, that providence had ordered it so, that I might make some recompence for the undeserved obligations she had laid on me; that I had too great value for her merit, ever to make her miserable, by loving a slave such as I was, a stranger, a christian, and one who had indispensible obligations to act as I did. She startled a little

at what I said; but after a short recollection answered, whether you are a slave, an infidel, or whatever you please, you are one of the most generous men in the world. I suppose your obligations are on account of some more happy woman than myself; but since I owe my life to you, I am resolved not to make you unhappy, any more than you do me. I not only pardon you, but am convinced my pretensions are both unjust, and against my own honour. She said this with an air becoming her quality. She was much more at ease, when I assured her I was engaged to no woman in the world; but that her memory should be ever dear to me, and imprinted in my heart till my last breath.

She pulled off this jewel, your reverences see on my finger, and just said, with tears trickling down her beautiful cheeks: take this, and adieu! She then pulled her companion away, and never looked

at me more."

This troublesome adventure disposed of, they proceeded on their journey, being eleven in number, five elderly and five young men, our hero being a supernumerary person. They went up the Nile directly for Upper Egypt, visiting the intervening towns under pretence of merchandizing, which was not really their object. Having procured proper provisions and water for the great voyage across the desert, they at length commenced this dreary enterprize, the progress of which is described in a striking manner. Gaudentio had not yet been able to guess with any satisfaction what these extraordinary people were. An unexpected accident however in the course of their journey, shewed that he was in fact more nearly connected with them than he had imagined: for the heat of the sun having compelled the young men to throw off their upper garments, he observed that one of them wore a bright gold medal, with the figure of the sun engraved on it, surrounded with unknown characters. He asked the meaning of that medal, since he had one of the very same make which his mother used to wear. An eclaircissement takes place, and Gaudentio turns out to be the son of one of the twin sisters of the Pophar, who had been lost in their infancy in Egypt. At length our adventurer approached the land of Promise-the Eden, in which virtue, love, and courtesy are the natural and almost sole produce of the soil.

The author has a very agreeable talent at description, of which the account of Gaudentio's first view of this happy country will be a good specimen.

"The sun now had broke through the clouds, and discovered to us the prospect of the country, but such a one as I am not able to describe; it looked rather like an immense garden than a country: at that distance I could see nothing but trees and groves; whether I look-, ed towards the hills or vales, all seemed to be one continued wood,

though with some seemingly regular intervals of squares and plains, with the glittering of golden globes or suns through the tops of the trees, that it looked like a green mantle spangled with gold. I asked the Pophar if they lived all in woods, or whether the country was only one continued immense forest; he smiled and said, when we come thither you shall see something else besides woods, and then bid me look back and compare the dreary sands we had lately passed with that glorious prospect we saw before us: I did so, and found the dismal barrenness of the one enhanced the beautiful delight of the other. The reason, says he, why it looks like a wood, is, that besides innumerable kinds of fruits, all our towns, squares and streets, as well as fields and gardens, are planted with trees both for delight and conveniency, though you will find spare ground enough for the produce of all things sufficient to make the life of man easy and happy. The glittering of gold through the tops of the trees, are golden suns on the tops of the temples and buildings: we build our houses flat and low on account of hurricanes, with gardens of perfumed ever-greens on the top of them, which is the reason you see nothing but groves. We descended gradually from off the desert through the scattered shrubs, and were saluted every now and then with a gale of perfumes quite different from what are brought us Europeans from foreign parts. The fresh air of the morning, together with their being exhaled from the living stocks, gave them such a fragrancy as can't be expressed."

We have now conducted our hero to this seat of Utopian felicity, in our progress to which we have confined ourselves to the bare narration of his journey and adventures, without reference to the incidental observations of his companions and his own reflections upon their origin, manners, and customs, with which it is interspersed. This we have done for the sake of brevity and convenience, in order that we might concentrate the whole in one view. We have more than once expressed the interest we feel in all schemes, visionary though they appear to us in the present state of society, which have the amelioration of the species for their object, and point out the road to possible perfection. One of these schemes we have before us in these Memoirs, and of it we shall proceed to give a succinct account, embracing the origin, civil and religious polity of this people, their manners and employments, and the happiness which they enjoyed. The author himself does not enter into any lengthened detail on these subjects. Indeed, from the simplicity and artlessness by which he represents them to have been characterized, from the want of commercial intercourse with foreign nations, from the absence of war and the fertility of their imaginary country, their legislative provisions were necessarily few and of the most simple kind.

They derived their origin from Egypt, anciently called Mezorania, from Mezoraim, the name of their first king. They had a tradition amongst them, that when the earth rose from

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