FADLALLAH, a Prince of great Virtues, fuc<ceeded his Father Bin-Ortoc, in the Kingdom of Moufel. He reigned over his faithful Subjects for fome time, and lived in great Happiness with his beauteous • Confort Queen Zemroude; when there appeared at his Court a young Dervis of fo lively and entertaining 2 Turn of Wit, as won upon the Affections of every .6 one he conversed with. His Reputation grew so fast every Day, that it at laft raised a Curiofity in the Prince himself to fee and talk with him. He did fe, and far from finding that common Fame had flatter'd him, he was foon convinced that every thing he had heard of him fell fhort of the Truth.

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FADLALLAH immediately loft all manner of Relish for the Converfation of other Men; and as he was every Day more and more fatisfied of the Abilities of this Stranger, offered him the first Posts in his Kingdom. The young Dervis, after having thanked him with a very fingular Modefty, defired to be excused, as having made a Vow never to accept of any Employment, and preferring a free and independent State of Life to all other Conditions.

THE King was infinitely charm'd with fo great an Example of Moderation; and tho' he could not get him to engage in a Life of Bufinefs, made him however his chief Companion and firft Favourite.

AS they were one Day hunting together, and happened to be feparated from the rest of the Compa· ny, the Dervis entertained Fadlallab with an Account ' of his Travels and Adventures. After having related to him feveral Curiofities which he had feen in the "Indies, It was in this Place, fays he, that I contracted an Acquaintance with an old Brachman, who was skilled in the most hidden Porvers of Nature: He died within my Arms, and with his parting Breath com'municated to me one of the most valuable of his Secrets, on Condition I should never reveal it to any Man. The King immediately reflecting on his young Favourite's having refus'd the late Offers of Greatnefs he ⚫ had made him, told him he prefumed it was the Power of making Gold. No, Sir, fays the Dervis, it is fome

what

'what more wonderful than that; it is the Power of re-animating a dead Body, by flinging my own Soul ' into it.

WHILE he was yet fpeaking a Doe came bounding by them; and the King who had his Bow ready, hot her through the Heart; telling the Dervis, that a fair Opportunity now offered for him to fhow his Art. The young Man immediately left his own Body breathlefs on the Ground, while at the fame Inftant that of the Doe was re-animated, he came to the King, fawned upon him, and after having play'd feveral wanton Tricks, fell again upon the Grafs; at the fame Inftant the Body of the Dervis recovered its Life. The King was infinitely pleafed at fo uncommon an Operation, and conjured his Friend by every thing that was facred to communicate it to him. The Dervis at firft made fome Scruple of violating his Promise to the dying Brachman; but told him at laft that he found he could conceal nothing from fo excellent a Prince; after having obliged him therefore by an Oath to Secrecy, he taught him to repeat two Cabaliftick Words, in pronouncing of which the whole Secret confifted. The King, impatient to try the Experiment, immediately repeated them as he had been taught, and in an Inftant found himfelf in the Body of the Doe. He had but little Time to contemplate himself in this new Being; for the treacherous Dervis fhooting his own Soul into the Royal Corps, and bending the Prince's own Bow against him, had laid him dead on the Spot, had not the King, who perceiv'd his Intent, fled fwiftly to the Woods.

THE Dervis, now triumphant in his Villany, returned to Moufel, and filled the Throne and Bed of the unhappy Fadlallah.

The first thing he took care of, in order to fecure himself in the Poffeffion of his new-acquired Kingdom, was to iffue out a Proclamation, ordering his Subjects to destroy all the Deer in the Realm. The King had perifhed among the reft, had he not avoided his Purfuers by re-animating the Body of a Nightin

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96 gale which he faw lie dead at the Foot of a Tree. In this new Shape he winged his Way in Safety to the Palace, where perching on a Tree which ftood near his Queen's Apartment, he filled the whole Place with fo many melodious and melancholy Notes as drew her to the Window. He had the Mortification to fee ⚫ that instead of being pitied, he only moved the Mirth of his Princefs, and of a young Female Slave who was with her. He continued however to ferenade her every Morning, till at laft the Queen, charmed with his Harmony, fent for the Bird-catchers, and ordered them to employ their utmoft Skill to put that little Creature into her Poffeffion. The King, pleased with an Opportunity of being once more near his beloved Confort, eafily fuffered himself to be taken; and when he was prefented to her, tho' he fhewed a Fearfulness to be touched by any of the other Ladies, ⚫ flew of his own Accord, and hid himself in the Queen's • Bofom. Zemroude was highly pleafed at the unexpected Fondness of her new Favourite, and ordered him to be kept in an open Cage in her own Apartment. He had there an Opportunity of making his Court to her every Morning, by a thousand little Actions which his Shape allowed him. The Queen paffed away whole Hours every Day in hearing and playing with him. Fadlallah could even have thought himfelf happy in this State of Life, had he not frequently endured the inexpreffible Torment of feeing the Dervis enter the Apartment, and carefs his Queen 6 even in his Prefence.

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THE Ufurper, amidft his toying with the Princess, ⚫ would often endeavour to ingratiate himself with her Nightingale; and while the enraged Fadlallah peck'd at him with his Bill, beat his Wings, and fhewed all the Marks of an impotent Rage, it only afforded his Rival and the Queen new Matter for their Diver• fion.

ZEMROUDE was likewife fond of a little LapDog which fhe kept in her Apartment, and which one Night happened to die.

THE

THE King immediately found himself inclined to quit the fhape of the Nightingale, and enliven this new Body. He did fo, and the next Morning Zemroude faw her favourite Bird lie dead in the Cage. It is impoffible to exprefs her Grief on this Occafion, and when he called to mind all its little Actions, ⚫ which even appeared to have somewhat in them like Reafon, fhe was inconfolable for her Lofs.

HER Women immediately fent for the Dervis, to come and comfort her, who after having in vain reprefented to her the Weakness of being grieved at fuch an Accident, touched at laft by her repeated Complaints; Well, Madam, fays he, I will exert the utmost of my Art to please you. Your Nightingale fhall again revive every Morning and ferenade you as before. The Queen beheld him with a Look which eafily fhewed she did not believe him; when laying himfelf down on a Sofa, he shot his Soul into the Nightingale, and Zemroude was amazed to fee her Bird

revive.

THE King, who was a Spectator of all that paffed, lying under the Shape of a Lap-Dog, in one Corner of the Room, immediately recovered his own Body, and running to the Cage with the utmost Indignation, twifted off the Neck of the falfe Nightingale.

ZEMROUDE was more than ever amazed and • concerned at this fecond Accident, 'till the King in⚫ treating her to hear him, related to her his whole • Adventure.

THE Body of the Dervis which was found dead in the Wood, and his Edict for killing all the Deer, left her no Room to doubt of the Truth of it: But the Story adds, That out of an extreme Delicacy (peculiar to the Oriental Ladies) fhe was fo highly af⚫flicted at the innocent Adultery in which she had for fome time lived with the Dervis, that no Arguments even from Fadlallah himself could compofe her Mind. She fhortly after died with Grief, begging his l'ardon with her laft Breath for what the most rigil Juftice ⚫ could not have interpreted as a Crime.

VOL. VIII.

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THE

THE King was fo afflicted with her Death, that he left his Kingdom to one of his nearest Relations, and paffed the reft of his Days in Solitude and Retire

ment.

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579. Wednesday, August 11.

Odora canum vis.

Virg.

N the Reign of King Charles I, the Company of Stationers, into whole Hands the Printing of the Bible is committed by Patent, made a very remarkable Erratum or Blunder in one of their Editions: For infead of Thou shalt not commit Adultery, they printed of feveral thousands of Copies with Thou shalt commit dultery. Archbishop Laud, to punish this their Negligence, laid a confiderable Fine upon that Company in the Star-Chamber.

BY the Practice of the World, which prevails in this degenerate Age, I am afraid that very many young Profligates, of both Sexes, are poffeffed of this fpurious Edition of the Bible, and obferve the Commandment according to that faulty Reading.

ADULTERERS, in the firft Ages of the Church, were excommunicated for ever, and unqualified all their Lives from bearing a Part in Chriftian Affemblies, notwithstanding they might feek it with Tears, and all the Appearances of the most unfeigned Repentance.

I might here mention fome ancient Laws among the Heathens which punished this Crime with Death; and others of the fame Kind, which are now in Force among feveral Governments that have embraced the Reformed Religion. But because a Subject of this Nature may be too ferious for my ordinary Readers, who are very apt to throw by my Papers, when they are not enlivened with fomething that is diverting or uncommon; I fhall here publish the Contents of a little Manu