§1. The Vision of Mirza, exhibiting a Picture of Human Life.

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N the fifth day of the moon, which, according to the custom of my forefathers, I always keep holy, after having washed myself, and offered up my morning devotions, I afcended the high hills of Bagdat, in order to pass the reit of the day in meditation and prayer. As I was here airing myself on the tops of the mountains, I fell into a profound contemplation on the vanity of human life; and paffing from one thought to another, Surely, faid I, man is but a shadow, and life a dream. Whilst I was thus musing, I my eyes towards the fummit of rock that was not far from me, where I discovered one in the habit of a shepherd, with a little musical 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 exceeding fweet, and wrought into a variety of tunes that were inexpressibly melodious, and altogether different from any thing I had ever heard: they put me in mind of those heavenly airs that are played to the departed fouls of good men upon their first arrival in Paradise, to wear out the impressions of the last agonies, and qualify them for the pleasures of that happy place. My heart melted away in fecret raptures, I had been often told, that the rock before me was the haunt of a genius; and that several had been entertained with that mufic, who had passed by it, but never heard that the musician had before made himself visible. When he had raised my thoughts, by those transporting airs which

he played, to taste the pleasures of his conversation, as I looked 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 superior nature; and as my heart was entirely subdued by the captivating strains I had heard, I fell down at his feet, and wept. The genius smiled upon me with a look of compaffion and affability that familiarized him to my imagination, and at once difpelled all the 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 placing me on the top of it, Cast thy eyes eastward, faid he, and tell me what thou seest. I fee, faid I, a huge valley, and a prodigious tide of water rolling through it. The valley that thou seest, faid he, is the vale of mifery; and the tide of water that thou seest, is part of the great tide of eternity. What is the reason, faid I, that the tide I see rises out of a thick mist at one end, and again loses itself in a thick mist at the other? What thou seest, said he, is that portion of eternity which is called Time, meafitred out by the fun, and reaching from the beginning of the world to its confunimation. Examine now, faid he, this sea that is bounded with darkness at both ends, and tell me what thou difcoverest in it. I fee a bridge, faid I, standing in the midst of the tide. The bridge thou seest, said he, is human life; confider it attentively. Upon a more leisurely fur

vey of it, I found that it confifted of threescore and ten entire arches, with feveral 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 confifted at first of a thousand arches; but that a reat flood swept away the reft, and left the bridge in the ruinous condition I now beheld it: but tell me further, faid he, what thou discoverett on it. I see multitudes of people pafling over it, faid I, and a black cloud hanging on each end of it. As I looked more attentively, I faw several of the paffengers dropping through the bridge into the great tide that flowed underneath it; and upon further examination, perceived there were innumerable trap-doors that lay concealed in the bridge, which the passengers no fooner trod upon, but they fell through them into the tide, and immediately difappeared. These hidden pit-falls were set very thick at the entrance of the bridge, so 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 closer together towards the end of the arches that were entire.

There were indeed some persons, but their number was very small, that continued a kind of hobbling march on the broken arches, but fell through one after another, being quite tired and spent with fo long a walk.

I passed some time in the contemplation of this wonderful structure, and the great variety of objects which it presented. My heart was filled with a deep melancholy, to fee feveral dropping unexpectedly in the midst of mirth and jollity, and catching at every thing that stood by them, to fave themselves. Some were looking up towards the heavens in a thoughtful pofture, and, in the midst of a fpeculation, stumbled and fell out of fight. Multitudes were very bufy in the pursuit 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 observed some with scimitars in their hands, and others with urinals, who ran to and fro upon the bridge, thrusting several perfons on trapdoors which did not seem to lie in their way, and which they might have escaped had they not been thus forced upon them.

The genius feeing the indulge myself in this melancholy profpect, told me I had dwelt long enough upon it: Take thine eyes off the bridge, faid he, and tell me if thou seest any thing thou doft not comprehend. Upon looking up, What mean, faid I, those great flights of birds that are perpetually hovering about the bridge, and fettling upon it from time to time? I fee vultures, harpies, ravens, cormorants, and, among many other feathered creatures, feveral little winged boys, that perch in great numbers upon the middle arches. These, said the genius, are envy, avarice, fuperftition, despair, love, with the like cares and passions that infest human life.

I here fetched a deep figh: Alas, faid I, man was made in vain ! how is he given away to mifery and mortality! tortured in life, and swallowed up in death! The genius being moved with compaffion towards me, bid me quit so uncomfortable a prospect. Look no more, faid he, on man in the first stage of his existence, in his fetting out for eternity; but cast thine eye on that thick mist into which the tide bears the several generations of mortals that fall into it. I directed my fight as I was ordered, and (whether or no the good genius strengthened it with any supernatural force, or diffipated part of the mift that was before too thick for the eye to penetrate) I faw the valley opening at the farther end, and spreading forth into an immenfe ocean, that had a huge rock of adamant running through the midst of it, and dividing it into two equal parts. The clouds itill rested on one half of it, infomuch that I could discover nothing in it: but the other appeared to me a vait ocean, planted with innumerable islands, that were covered with fruits and flowers, and interwoven. with a thousand little shining seas that ran among them. I could fee persons dreffed in glorious habits, with garlands upon their heads, paffing among the trees, lying down by the fides of fountains, or refting on beds of flowers; and could hear a confufed harmony of finging birds, falling waters, human voices, and musical instruments. Gladness grew in me at the difcovery of so delightful a scene. I withed for the wings of an eagle, that I might fly away to those happy feats; but the genius told me there was no paflage to them, except through the gates of death that Ifaw opening every moment upon the bridge. The islands, faid he, that lie