To Lyce, an elderly lady Page 364 On the death of Mr. Robert Levet, a practiser in phyfick 365 Epitaph on Claude Philips, an itinerant mufician Epitaphium in Thomam Hanmer, Baronettum Paraphrafe of the above epitaph To Mifs Hickman, playing on the spinnet Paraphrafe of Proverbs, chap. vi. verfes 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Horace, lib. iv. ode vii. tranflated On seeing a buft of Mrs. Montague 367 367 373 374 Anacreon. Ode ix. Lines written in ridicule of certain poems, published in 1777 375 376 dary Tales. An Impromptu Tranflation of the two first stanzas of the song "Rio verde, Imitation of the style of **** Burlesque of the following lines of Lopez de Vega. An Tranflation of fome lines at the end of Baretti's Eafy 378 Improvifo. Tranflation of a Diftich on the Duke of Modena's running away from the Comet in 1742 or 1743 379 Improvifo. Tranflation of fome lines of Monf. Benferade Impromptu. On hearing Mifs Thrale confulting with a friend about a gown and hat fhe was inclined to To Mrs. Thrale, on her completing her thirty-fifth year. 380 380 381 wear Impromptu. Translation of an air in the Clemezza de 381 382 THE HISTORY OF RASSE LA S, PRINCE OF ABISSINIA. CHAP. I. DESCRIPTION OF A PALACE IN A VALLEY. YE E who liften with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and perfue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be fupplied by the morrow; attend to the hiftory of Raffelas prince of Abiffinia. Raffelas was the fourth fon of the mighty emperour, in whofe dominions the Father of Waters begins his courfe; whose bounty pours down the ftreams of plenty, and scatters over half the world the harvests of Egypt. According to the custom which has defcended from age to age among the monarchs of the torrid zone, Raffelas was confined in a private palace, with the other fons and daughters of Abiffinian royalty, till the order of fucceffion fhould call him to the throne. The place, which the wisdom or policy of antiquity had deftined for the refidence of the AbiffiVOL. XI. B nian nian princes, was a fpacious valley in the kingdom of Amhara, furrounded on every fide by mountains, of which the fummits overhang the middle part. The only paffage, by which it could be entered, was a cavern that paffed under a rock, of which it has long been difputed whether it was the work of nature or of human induftry. The outlet of the cavern was concealed by a thick wood, and the mouth which opened into the valley was closed with gates of iron, forged by the artificers of ancient days, fo maffy that no man could without the help of engines open or fhut them. From the mountains on every fide, rivulets defcended that filled all the valley with verdure and fertility, and formed a lake in the middle inhabited by fish of every fpecies, and frequented by every fowl whom nature has taught to dip the wing in water. This lake difcharged its fuperfluities by a ftream which entered a dark cleft of the mountain on the northern fide, and fell with dreadful noife from precipice to precipice till it was heard no more. The fides of the mountains were covered with trees, the banks of the brooks were diverfified with flowers; every blaft fhook fpices from the rocks, and every month dropped fruits upon the ground. All animals that bite the grafs, or brouse the fhrub, whether wild or tame, wandered in this extenfive circuit, fecured from beafts of prey by the mountains which confined them. On one part were flocks and herds feeding in the paftures, on another all the beafts of chafe frifking in the lawns; the sprightly kid was bounding on the rocks, the fubtle monkey frolicking in the trees, and the folemn |