From Hingpo to Lien Chi Altangi, by the way of Moscow.

You will probably be pleafed to fee my letter dated from Terki, a city which lies beyond the bounds of the Perfian empire: here, bleffed with fecurity, with all that is dear, I double my raptures, by communicating them to you; the mind fympathizing with the freedom of the body, my whole foul is dilated in gratitude, love, and praife.

Yet were my own happiness all that infpired my prefent joy, my raptures might juftly merit the imputation of felf-intereft; but when I think that the beautiful Zelis is alfo free, forgive my triumph when I boaft of having refcued from captivity the most deferving object upon earth.

You remember the reluctance fhe teftified at being obliged to marry the tyrant fhe hated. Her compliance at last was only feigned, in order to gain time to try fome future means of efcape. During the interval between her promife and the intended performance of it, fhe came undifcovered one evening to the place where I generally retired after the fatigues of the day; her appearance was like that of an aerial genius, when it defcends to minifter comfort to undeferved diftrefs; the mild luftre of her eye ferved to banifh my timidity; her accents were fweeter than the echo of fome diftant fymphony. Unhappy ftranger," faid fhe, in the Perfian lanJuage, you here perceive one more wretched than thyfelf; all this folemnity of preparation, this elegance of drefs, and the number of my attendants "ferve but to encrease my miferies; if

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courage

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courage to rescue an unhappy woman from approaching ruin, and our detefted tyrant, you may depend upon my future gratitude." I bowed to the ground, and she left me, filled with rapture and aftonishment. Night brought me no reft, nor could the enfuing morning calm the anxieties of my mind. I projected a thoufand methods for her delivery; but each, when strictly examined, appeared impracticable; in this uncertainty the evening again arrived, and I placed myself on my former ftation in hopes of a repeated vifit. After fome fhort expectation, the bright perfection again appeared; I bowed, as before, to the ground; when raifing me up the obferved, that the time was not to be spent in uselefs ceremony; fhe obferved that the day following was appointed for the celebration of her nuptials, and that fomething was to be done that very night for our mutual deliverance. I offered with the utmost humility to purfue whatever fcheme fhe fhould direct; upon which the propofed that inftant to fcale the garden wall, adding, that the had prevailed upon a female flave, who was now waiting at the appointed place, to affift her with a ladder.

Pursuant to this information I led her trembling to the place appointed; but instead of the flave we expected to fee, Moftadad himself was there awaiting our arrival; the wretch in whom we confided, it feems, had betrayed our defign to her mafter, and he now faw the moft convincing proofs of her information. He was just going to draw his fabre, when a principle of avarice repreffed his fury, and he refolved, after a fevere chaftifement, to difpofe of me to another mafter, in the mean time ordered me to be confined in the ftricteft manner, and the next day to receive an hundred blows on the foles of my feet.

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When the morning came I was led out in order to receive the punishment, which, from the feverity with which it is generally inflicted upon flaves, is

worfe even than death.

A trumpet was to be a fignal for the folemnization of the nuptials of Zelis, and for the infliction of my punishment. Each ceremony to me equally dreadful were juft going to begin, when we were informed that a large body of Circaffian Tartars had invaded the town, and were laying all in ruin. Every perfon now thought only of faving himself; I inftantly unloofed the cords with which I was bound, and feizing a fcimetar from one of the flaves who had not courage to refift me, flew to the women's apartment where Zelis was confined, dreffed out for the intended nuptials. I bade her follow me without delay; and going forward, cut my way through eunuchs, who made but a faint refiftance. The whole city was now a scene of conflagration and terror; every perfon was willing to fave himfelf, unmindful of others. In this confufion, feizing upon two of the fleeteft courfers in the ftable of Moftadad, we fled Northward towards the kingdom of Circaffia. As there were feveral others flying in the fame manner, we paffed without notice, and in three days arrived at Terki, a city that lies in a valley within the bofom of the frowning mountains of Caucafus.

Here, free from every apprehenfion of danger, we enjoy all those fatisfactions which are confiftent with virtue; though I find my heart at intervals give way to unufual paffions, yet fuch is my admiration for my fair companion, that I lofe even tenderness in diftant refpect. Though her perfon demands particular regard even among the beauties of Circaffia, yet is her mind far more lovely. How very different is a woman who thus has cultivated her underftand

ing, and been refined into delicacy of fentiment, from the daughters of the Eaft, whofe education is only formed to improve the perfon, and make them more tempting objects of proftitution! Adieu.

LETTER LIX.

FROM THE SAME.

WHEN fufficiently refreshed after the fatigues of our precipitate flight, my curiofity, which had been reftrained by the appearance of immediate danger, now began to revive: I longed to know by what diftrefsful accidents my fair fugitive became a captive, and could not avoid teftifying a furprize how fo much beauty could be involved in the calamities from whence the had been fo lately rescued.

Talk not of perfonal charms, cried fhe with emotion, fince to them I owe every misfortune: look round on the numberless beauties of the country where we are; and fee how Nature has poured its charms upon every face, and yet by this profufion Heaven would feem to fhew how little it regards fuch a bleffing, fince the gift is lavished upon a nation of prostitutes.

I perceive you defire to know my story, and your curiofity is not fo great as my impatience to gratify it I find a pleasure in telling paft misfortunes to any, but when my deliverer is pleased with the relation, my pleasure is prompted by duty.

I was born in a country far to the Weft, where the men are braver, and the women more fair than thofe of Circaffia; where the valour of the hero is guided by wifdom, and where delicacy of fentiment points the fhafts of female beauty. I was the only daughter of an officer in the army, the child of his age, and as he used fondly to exprefs it, the only chain that bound him to the world, or made his life pleafing. His ftation procured him an acquaintance with men of greater rank and of fortune than himfelf, and his regard for me induced him to bring me into every family where he was acquainted. Thus I was early taught all the elegancies and fashionable foibles of fuch as the world calls polite, and though without fortune myfelf, was taught to defpife those who lived as if they were poor.

My intercourfe with the great, and my affectation of grandeur procured me many lovers; but want of fortune deterred them all from any other views than thofe of paffing the prefent moment agreeably, or of meditating my future ruin. In every company I found myself addreffed in a warmer ftrain of paffion, than other ladies who were fuperior in point of rank and beauty; and this I imputed to an excefs of refpect, which in reality proceeded from very different motives.

Among the number of fuch as paid me their addreffes, was a gentleman, a friend of my father, rather in the decline of life, with nothing remarkable either in his perfon or addrefs to recommend him. His age which was about forty, his fortune which was moderate, and barely fufficient to support him, ferved to throw me off my guard, fo that I confidered him as the only fincere admirer I had.

*This ftory bears a ftriking fimilitude to the real history of Mifs Sd who accompanied Lady W--e, in her retreat near Florence, and which the editor had from her own mouth.

Defigning