my friend in black; this is one of the most important characters of the whole play, nothing pleases the people more than feeing a ftraw balanced; there is a great deal of meaning in the ftraw; there is fomething fuited to every apprehenfion in the fight; and a fellow poffeffed of talents like these is fure of making his fortune. The third act now began with an actor who came to inform us, that he was the villain of the play, and intended to fhew ftrange things before all was over. He was joined by another, who seemed as much dispofed for mischief as he; their intrigues continued through this whole divifion. If that be a villain, faid I, he must be a very ftupid one to tell his fecrets without being asked; fuch foliloquies of late are never admitted in China. The noife of clapping interrupted me once more; a child of fix years old was learning to dance on the ftage, which gave the ladies and mandarines infinite fatisfaction. I am forry, faid I, to fee the pretty creature fo early learning fo bad a trade; dancing being, I prefume, as contemptible here as in China. Quite the reverse, interrupted my companion, dancing is a very reputable and genteel employment here; men have a greater chance for encouragement from the merit of their heels than their heads. One who jumps up and flourishes his toes three times before he comes to the ground, may have three hundred a year; he who flourishes them four times, gets four hundred; but he who arrives at five is ineftimable, and may demand what falary he thinks proper. The female dancers too are valued for this fort of jumping and croffing; and it is a cant word among them, that the deferves moft who fhews higheft. But the fourth act is begun, let us be attentive. In the fourth act the queen finds her long-loft child, now grown up into a youth of smart parts and great great qualifications; wherefore, fhe wifely confiders that the crown will fit his head better than that of her husband, whom he knows to be a driveler. The king difcovers her defign, and here comes on the deep diftrefs; he loves the queen, and he loves the kingdom; he refolves, therefore, in order to poffefs both, that her fon muft die. The queen exclaims at his barbarity, is frantic with rage, and at length, overcome with forrow, falls into a fit; upon which the curtain drops, and the act is concluded. Obferve the art of the poet, cries my companion; when the queen can fay no more, fhe falls into a fit. While thus her eyes are fhut, while fhe is fupported in the arms of Abigal, what horrors do we not fancy! we feel it in every nerve; take my word for it, that fits are the true apofiopefis of modern tragedy. The fifth act began, and a bufy piece it was. Scenes fhifting, trumpets founding, mobs hallooing, carpets fpreading, guards buftling from one door to another; gods, dæmons, daggers, racks, and ratfbane. But whether the king was killed, or the queen was drowned, or the fon was poifoned, I have abfolutely forgotten: When the play was over, I could not avoid obferving, that the perfons of the drama appeared in as much diftrefs in the firft act as the laft: how is it poffible, faid I, to fympathize with them through five long acts! Pity is but a fhort-lived paffion; I hate to hear an actor mouthing trifles, neither startings, ftrainings, nor attitudes affect me, unless there be caufe: after I have been once or twice deceived by thofe unmeaning alarms, my heart fleeps in peace, probably unaffected by the principal diftrefs. There fhould be one great paffion aimed at by the actor as well as the poet, all the reft should be subordinate, and only contribute to make that the greater; if the actor, therefore, exclaims upon every occafion in the tones of defpair, he attempts to move us us too foon; he anticipates the blow, he ceases to affect, though he gains our applaufe. I fcarcely perceived that the audience were almoft all departed, wherefore mixing with the crowd, my companion and I got into the ftreet; where, effaying an hundred obftacles from coach wheels and palanquin poles, like birds in their flight through the branches of a foreft, after various turnings, we both at length got home in fafety. Adieu. THE letter which came by the way of Smyrna, and which you fent me unopened, was from my fon. As I have permitted you to take copies of all those I fent to China, you might have made no ceremony in opening thofe directed to me. Either in joy or forrow, my friend should participate in my feelings. It would give pleasure to fee a good man pleased at my fuccefs; it would give almost equal pleasure to fee him Sympathize at my disappointment. Every account I received from the East seems to come loaded with fome new affliction. My wife and daughter were taken from me, and yet I fuftained the lofs with intrepidity; my fon is made a flave among the barbarians, which was the only blow that could have reached my heart: yes, I will indulge the tranfports of Nature for a little, in order to fhew I can overcome them in the end. True magnanimity confifts not in NEVER falling, but in RISING every time we fall. When When our mighty emperor had published his difpleasure at my departure, and feized upon all that was mine, my fon was privately fecreted from his refentment. Under the protection and guardianship of Fum Hoam, the best and the wifeft of all the inhabitants of China, he was for some time instructed in the learning of the miffionaries, and the wifdom of the Eaft. But hearing of my adventures, and incited by filial piety, he was refolved to follow my fortunes, and fhare my diftrefs. He paffed the confines of China in disguise, hired himself as a camel-driver to a caravan that was croffing the defarts of Thibet, and was within one day's journey of the river Laur, which divides that country from India, when a body of wandering Tartars falling unexpectedly upon the caravan, plundered it, and made thofe who efcaped their firft fury flaves. By thofe he was led into the extenfive and defolate regions that border on the fhores of the Aral lake. Here he lived by hunting; and was obliged to supply every day a certain proportion of the spoil, to regale his favage mafters. His learning, his virtues, and even his beauty, were qualifications that no way served to recommend him; they knew no merit, but that of providing large quantities of milk and raw flesh; and were fenfible of no happiness but that of rioting on the undreffed meal. Some merchants from Mefched, however, coming to trade with the Tartars for flaves, he was fold among the number, and led into the kingdom of Perfia, where he is now detained. He is there obliged to watch the looks of a voluptuous and cruel mafter, a man fond of pleasure yet incapable of refinement, whom many years fervice in war has taught pride, but not bravery. That treasure which I ftill keep within my bofom, my child, my all that was left to me, is now a flave*. Good heavens, why was this? Why have I been introduced into this mortal apartment, to be a fpectator of my own misfortunes, and the misfortunes of my fellow-creatures? Wherever I turn, what a labyrinth of doubt, error, and difappointment appears! Why was I brought into being; for what purposes made; from whence have I come; whither ftrayed; or to what regions am I hastening? Reason cannot refolve. It lends a ray to fhew the horrors of my prifon, but not a light to guide me to escape them. Ye boafted revelations of the earth, how little do you aid the enquiry! How am I furprized at the inconfiftency of the magi! their two principles of good and evil affright me. The Indian who bathes his vifage in urine, and calls it piety, ftrikes me with aftonishment. The Chriftian who believes in three gods is highly abfurd. The Jews who pretend that deity is pleased with the effufion of blood, are not lefs difpleafing. I am equally furprized, that rational beings can come from the extremities of the earth in order to kifs a ftone, or fcatter pebbles. How contrary to reason are those! and yet all pretend to teach me to be happy. Surely all men are blind and ignorant of truth. Mankind wanders, unknowing his way, from morning till evening. Where fhall we turn after happinefs; or is it wifest to defift from the pursuit? Like reptiles in a corner of fome ftupendous palace, we peep from our holes, look about us, wonder at all we fee, but are ignorant of the great architect's defign: O for a revelation of himself, for a plan of his univerfal fyftem! O, for the reasons of our creation; or why were we created to be thus unhappy! If we are to experience no other felicity but what * 'This whole apoftrophe feems most literally translated from Ambulaaohamed, the Arabian poet. his |