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The employment of (1) rhyme may possibly be traced to the method of chaunting the Psalms and other parts of the Church Ritual, in alternate strains a mode of uniting music and verse which is a relic, it should be remarked, of the ancient Tragic Declamation of the Greek Theatre a custom obviously of very high antiquity, and the only part of our modern music in which remain any traces of the classic Art.

Of the philosophical and scientific literature of the AngloSaxons, very large treasures remain. The treatises of Aldhelm, of Bede, of Alfred, of Alcuin, by the extent and rationality of their views, by their occasional happiness of expression, and by a singular warmth and apostolic earnestness in the inculculation of moral and religious precepts, give us ample proof that it is of no late day that England has assumed her commanding position in the world of intellect that Providence never permits the blessings it confers to be confined to the age or country to which they were vouchsafed; and that, to conclude these pages with the magnificent language of Milton

The benefit and good of their magnanimous example spread far beyond the banks of Tweed, and the Norman «Isles. It would not be the first or second time since our Ancient « Druids,-by whom this Island was the Cathedral of Philosophy to «France, left off their pagan rites-that England hath had this honour vouchsafed from Heaven, to give out Reformation to the « World. Who was it, but the Northumbrian Willibrode, and Winifred " of Devon, with their followers, were the first Apostles in Germany? Who but Alcuin and Wickliffe, our countrymen, opened the eyes " of Europe, the one in Arts, the other in Religion? LET NOT ENGLAND "FORGET HER PRECEDENCE, OF TEACHING NATIONS HOW TO LIVE. »

(2)

(') Turner traces the use of rhyme to the IVth Century; vide Book IX. Cap. V. where the reader will find this curious subject admirably treated.

() Doctrine of Divorce, ad fin.

STORY OF AZBEAZ,

THE SHOEMAKER KING. (')

There was once a small kingdom in the very distant parts of Tartary bordering upon China, of which, perhaps, few traces would be found at this present day, its capital city being situated in a plain surrounded by arid mountains. It was governed by a very tyrannical King, an usurper of the throne, who, upon the most trivial occasions, made it his pleasure to exercise great acts of severity in ruling over his subjects, and although he was in consequence much execrated, yet also he was much feared. Many stories are related concerning this King, his capital city, and the surrounding country and mountains, all tending to prove that they were subject to certain agencies, which, not being accounted for by natural causes, were looked upon as supernatural, and therefore the inhabitants lived in a state of mind always ready to receive and believe any tales, however marvellous.

In the city lived two brothers, men in the middle ranks of life, one of whom was the cause of a great convulsion in the kingdom. The eldest as he grew up was commonly called Sakalchok, or Muchbeard, and the second Azbeaz, or little and white, both designations being derived from their res

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(') Mr. Morier is so fevourably known in Russia, as the author of Hajji Baba, a romance which has perhaps, more than any other, contributed to make Europe acquainted with the manners and character of the Persian nation, that the Readers of the St. Petersburg Review will be gratified by the above extract from a new work of this popular writer, entitled the «Mirza,»

The author, having made the acquaintance of the « Wirza», a distinguished personage at the Court of Ispahan, filling the office of Story-teller to his Highness the Shah, pays a number of visits to this professional novellist; who entertains him with a rehearsal of the tales destined for the sublime ear. The work therefore has much of the character of the «Thousand and One Nights;» and the Story we have extracted is one of the best in the volume.

pective beards, for that characteristic of the face being usually scanty in Tartary, men were subject to many remarks whenever there was a variety.

The elder brother being gifted with much beard, and such a gift being greatly prized, became very arrogant, gave himself great airs, despised others, and was particularly hard upon his younger brother, who having but a small quantity of that appendage, and that so white as to be scarcely perceptible, was looked down upon.

The elder brother enjoyed a higher walk of life than the younger, a circumstance which greatly excited his pride; for he was a jeweller and goldsmith, whilst the other was only a shoemaker. In person too they were so different, that it was difficult to make people believe them to be brothers. Sakalchok was a tall well-grown man, with a commanding face, and one who walked, talked, sat, and conducted himself with the airs of a man of importance, whilst Azbeaz was peculiarly ill-favoured and deficient in beauty. His principal deformity consisted in the singular distribution of the features of his face; his mouth was kept constantly open by the projection of his upper teeth, which were so disposed that, whatever might be the mood of his mind, he always appeared to be laughing, and his eyes being sharp, their lively expression confirmed the beholder in the supposition that he was always indulging in that exercise. This peculiarity had been the means of procuring him many advantages in life, as well as many of its miseries, for by this laughing face, the emblem of good humour, he acquired a corresponding reputation, whilst it also involved him in many a scrape, being frequently accused of laughing out of season. In addition, he was deformed by a curvature of the spine, short crooked legs, and an enormous circumference of hips. Thus equipped, Azbeaz apparently started in life with much greater disadvantages than his brother, but the excellence of his temper and disposition rendered him, in truth, a happier man: he was humble, always ready to oblige, and prone to generosity, whilst Sakalchok lived in the persuasion that all mankind, and his brother in particular, were bound to acknowledge his superiority, and to bend to his decisions.

Sakalchok occupied one of the most respectable jewellers' shops in the goldsmiths' bazaar, where he kept several apprentices at work; whilst his dwelling-house, which was full of luxury within, although it presented but a mean appearance without, was situated in a handsome quarter of the city.

Azbeaz's shop stood at the meeting of four streets in the great bazaar, called Chahar Sun, and there he worked alone at his trade with his own hands, for his dignity among shoemakers was scarcely above that of cobbler, whilst his dwelling-house lay in the outskirts of the town, and consisted of a few mud-built rooms, enclosed within a sorry wall which encircled a small court-yard. Azbeaz was, in truth, a merry fellow at heart, although he had much to complain of in the conduct of his brother, who, although he took no notice of him in the world, was glad to get his shoes made by one whom he never deigned to pay.

The progress of the elder brother through life had been one of unchecked prosperity- from small beginnings he gradually had enriched himself, having made capital hits in the purchase of precious stones was celebrated for his taste in setting them, and could design and chase flowers on gold and silver in a manner unrivalled by other artists; so great was his fame, that he was now bidding fair to become the court jeweller.

Azbeaz, on the contrary, had endured many vicissitudes, which had been the means of forming his character into that habitual resignation prescribed by his law-many of his mishaps had arisen from the cast of his face, for even during his boyhood he had received many an unmerited beating for supposed laughter.

His father, who was a tanner, insisted upon his becoming a shoemaker, in order that he might thus create a purchaser for his leather, although Azbeaz himself had a turn for letters, and longed to be a mollah.

He bad once been nearly put to death for being supposed to laugh when the people had received orders to mourn for the King's death, and at a funeral ceremony, where he had been invited to do honour to the dead by a sad countenance,

his obstinate muscles were so obnoxious, that he was turned out of the house as a pestilent fellow. His reputation for good-nature was the cause of much misfortune, for his creditors were always backward in their payments, whilst those to whom he was a debtor had no compunction in urging their demands. In short, he scarcely ever passed a day without feeling the inconvenience of his face and disposition.

His brother had long been married, a state to which Azbeaz also aspired, but without success. Although his back was crooked, yet nature endowed him with a tender heart, and, moreover, with a great admiration for beauty. By chance, he once had the satisfaction to obtain sight of the face of a neighbour's niece, a most beautiful maiden of sixteen, and from that moment he determined to leave no stone unturned until he obtained possession of her hand.

Without apprehension concerning his own looks, he immediately assumed all the airs of a lover. He endeavoured to coax his grin into a look of despondency, he made verses, and even went the the length of cutting and maiming his body, before the windows of his adored, in order to attract her attention. But what he most required, and which he knew would soften the hearts of her relatives, was money; with that he hoped to dispel every difficulty; for having discovered that his first overtures were unsuccessful, he began to suspect that a crooked spine and an ugly face might prevent the intrusion of love into a maiden's breast, and therefore concluded that, perhaps, it might be softened by the lure of gold and the fascination of finery.

Azbeaz was poor, although had he regularly received the fruits of his industry, he would have been above want. One of his principal debtors was his brother; to him, therefore, he determined to apply, stating the object of his application, and moreover, considering the exigency of the case, he hoped that he might induce him to advance the loan of an additional sum, which he would faithfully promise to discharge in shoes.

When he had made known his demand, and the reason thereof, his brother broke out into a taunting laugh, and ex

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