gin, and fet immediately about making the experiment." The lot fell upon Mefrour. "In aftrology," returned the other; "a fcience which is the key to all other sciences."-" Were you fkilled in aftrology?"-" I should have been fskilled in it; but my proficiency was interrupted."-" Did you correfpond with the stars?”— "I did."" Whofe good graces among them did you enjoy ?"— "The Moon's."" Are you no longer in favour with her ". done with me as the pleases. She had great obligations to me former They all three went within the court; and the chief eunuch went ftrait up to the first cell. Within it was a man about forty years of age, fmoking a pipe with a very ferious air, while his elbow refted upon a table, on which lay fome papers. He faluted the fmoker, and his falutation was returned. "I fuppofe," Since my confinement, she has fir," faid Mefrour," that you have the care of thofe people who are making a noife in the court "ly; but now the thinks not of those. "hat charge," replied the other, is a burden which does not lye upen my fhoulders. I find enough to do in taking care of my felf; and there is nothing more required of me."-" But furely," faid Mefrour, you are not confined here for madnefs." Why should not I? Dɔ. you think me wifer than another? They have done that juftice to me, which should have been done for all the inhabitants of Bagdad, if they had their due. I have no reafon to complain. The judgment of my friends and acquaintance has fent me hither, and they come daily to fee me." 66 She had a huge wart on her nose, but I removed it. She is obliged to me, therefore, for that fine face which you fometimes fee. Befides, by directing her to turn a little out of the way, I faved her from an eclipfe, which all the aftronomers were expecting. She was at first grateful for these favours; but, fince my confinement, if I address myself to her when she is waxing, the is ftill too feeble to do any thing in my favour; when the is full, the covers herself up with clouds and mifts; but when the is waning, all her malignant influence is very much at my fervice; fhe rains defluxions, rheums, and catarrhs upon me in great plenty. I am feeking at prefent to deliver myself from this latter mark of her beneficence. Ah! if ever I can lay hold on her, the fhall learn, that he has not obliged an ungrateful perfon." "Ah!" interrupted the smoker; "And if you had her, how would "men forgive one another any com- you keep her?" replied Mefrour.mon piece of folly, however ridicu- " "Nothing eafier," replied the genops. But whenever any one is able tleman who was enjoying his pipe, to exalt his ideas and his fentiments" if I had the affiftance of fuch a above thofe of others; they feel the difgrace of their inferiority, and ftrive to remove him out of the way. This is my own cafe. I know more than the vulgar, and the reward of my knowledge is my confinement here." "In what branch of knowledge excel" replied Mefrour. man as you. She will come this evening, about nine o'clock, to view herfelf, and to bathe in that well within the court. I will give you my table; you fhall lye in ambufh under it. She will have no fear of you; and while the amufes herfelf in the water, you must fuddenly fhut the mouth of the well upon upon her, and then we fhall have her. This would be a lucky hit for us both; and we should then hear what she could fay to justify herself." : "Will the speak " faid Mefrour, "and fhall we understand her?"-" I fay not, that you will very diftinctly under.tand her but as for me, my ear is practifed 'in liftening to the harmony of the celeftial bodies; 1 fhall not lofe a fingle word; we must know the ftructure of your ear again." So faying, the fmoker laid down his pipe, and fet to examine Mefrour's ear. But, feizing it abrupt ly, he pulled it with all his might, and cried "Your ear is too fhort!" -Mefrour cried aloud for pain. The keeper ran up, and relieved him from the aftrologer's hands; and. Mefrour, holding his car with both hands, thus returned to give the caliph an account of his unpleafant adventure. quired Giafar. "What! can you not diftinguish, in these characters, the finger of God, and the dictates of the angel Gabriel? A muffulman! and yet not know the divine keran, nor recognife, in him who is before you, the infpired of God, the great prophet Mahomet ?" The vizier, at this exclamation, arofe and retired. He again joined the caliph. "Commander of the faithful," faid he, "I am driven off the ftage. The man to whom I addreffed myself, utters the most horrid blafphemy. He fays that he is our great prophet." "You cannot be abfolutely cer"I have been long perfuaded," tain that this is blafphemy," refaid Haroun, laughing, "that mad-turned the caliph. Any man may men, who have an air of wildom, call himfelf a prophet, who can are those against whom we should be prove his miffion by miracles. Go, molt upon our guard." "Come, Giafar," faid he to his grand vizier, "you are forewarned to take care of your ears. Go, make your tria! among these people. Mefrour and I will keep near the cell you enter, that we may be ready to come to your affiftance. The grand vizier had already turned his eye towards the door of a cell, at which fat a man with a venerable beard, and an air of reverence. He began with giving the old man alms before he would falute him. The man feemed to value the civility more than the alms. He returned Giatar's falutation, and made a fignal to him to fit down befide him. Young man," faid he, you no doubt came hither to receive inftruction. You may thank heaven for fending you tɔ VOL. XXVI. ask him to fhew you a miracle.". Giafar obeyed; and returning to the old man, If you are Mahomet," laid he," who could put you into fuch a place of confinement as this ?" "My ungrateful people," replied the pretended prophet, "would not believe in me; a circumflance at which I am more diftreffed than turprised: they scarcely believe in God." "But," replied Giafar, "a prophet proves his miffion by miracles; why have you performed none of theft ?" My people," replied the pretended Mahomet, "fhould firit have afked for them; but they are airaid of conviction; they defire not to believe." "But could you perform miraN.n cles?" cles?" faid Giafar. "Is it a doubt with you, whether Mahomet can or not ""Perform one immediately then."" Moft willingly. Climb up to the top of that minaret, by the flight of steps upon the outside : throw yourself headlong, without fear; and, when you fall, although you should be dashed into a thousand pieces, depend upon it I fhall set you on your feet again ftouter and ftraighter and handsomer than you are at present." "Ah!" faid Giafar retiring, I had rather believe you a prophet, than bring you to this proof of your prophetic authority." The vizier accordingly proceeded to inform the caliph of the propofal that had been made to him. "You have learned nothing fatisfactory," faid Haroun; "for you would make no trial."-" If any body else be fond of the trial," faid Giafar, "the man and the minaret are there; I fhall not difpute with him the credit of the adventure." upon a fopha, and feemed to be buried in deep melancholy. He held the koran in his hand. The caliph accofted him; gave him the ufual falutation; and spoke to him in that kind, familiar tone, which his dervife's drefs authorised him to affume: «Oh! handsome young man," said he, "why do I meet in this place with a man of fo much good fenfe as you feem to poffefs?" At this question the young man clofed his book, modeftly opened his eyes, looked upon the dervife, and replied: "All the actions of my life have not been guided by good fenfe: I have given grounds for the unjust pretexts upon which I am here detained."-" And, pray, may not I hear your hiftory," faid the dervife," fince you appear to be in fo fit a condition to give it?" "Pious dervife," replied the young man, "if you were the caliph, I fhould defire you to fit down befide me, and would open my heart to you. I daily ask God to fend hither that juft prince to hear my complaint; but it were vain for me to make any other perfon my confident. You fee before you the victim of his grand vizier Giafar, by whofe orders I have been brought hither, upon a pretext which has the femblance of being well-founded. The converfation between the printe and his confidents was interrupted by fome perfons who came up and accolted them. One was the caliph, and propofed to Haroun to quit the dervife's gown and become his vizier. He offered to array him in a fuperb pellice; but what he produced under this name was an old ragged piece of ftuff, dirty, and crawling with vermin. Another came with a basket of nutfhells, offering fweet-meats for fale. But thefe fhort interviews in pub-Itrefs and horror of my fituation." lic did not answer the end which Haroun had in view; nor did they ferve to fulfill his part of the compact. It was now his turn to enter a cell, where he might, like his two companions, have a particular converfation with the perfon who occupied it. He went up to one which feemed to be larger and better furnished than the others. A young man, of a foft and engaging afpect, fat in it But I can aver, that I am detained here without any good reason; and, were I not fupported by religion, I fhould fink under the di The caliph was in the highest degree aftonifhed to hear fo rational and connected a train of difcourfe. He called Giafar and Mefrour, and repeated to them what he had heard. The grand vizier looked attentively upon the young man; and affured the caliph that the prifoner and his ftory were to him abfolutely unknown. Haroun's curiofity became more eager, and made him urgent. He entered entered the cell with the freedom which all dervifes naturally use, and feated himself befide the young man who afcribed his fufferings to Grafar. "Unfortunate young man," said he, "you know that perfons in my condition of life enjoy many privileges, and, among others, that of accefs to the great, and of speaking to them with freedom. The commander of the faithful makes himself acceffible to us, above all others; depend upon my zeal for your intereft; it will be in my power to serve you; and you are going to confide your forrows to a discreet ear, and a feeling heart." The young man fighed again, mufed for a few moments, fhed fome tears, and then began his story. (To be continued.) DESCRIPTION O F THE LADIES' DRESSES on his MAJESTY'S BIRTH-DAY. A The Queen. Crape petticoat, fpangled with fpangled and drawn up with blue bands, and trimmed with black lace and diamonds, with a blue and filver train. Princess of Wales. Crape richly embroidered with filver laurel, blue and filver belt, a white and filver train with purple embroidered with filver. Princess Royal. Crape richly embroidered with green and purple foil, with a fpangled crape drapery feftocned with laurel, tied up with bunches of filver laurel. Princefs Augufta. Spangled crape with border of blue, and filver embroidered fpangled drapery, with blue and filver bands, and feftooned with filver laurel. | Princefs Sophia of Gloucefter. A rich filver embroidered petticoat, with bunches of yellow rofes, and an elegant yellow crape drapery, richly embroidered with filver, and a taffel fringe to correfpond. Her train was yellow and filver tiffue; fleeves looped up with filver taffels. Duchefs of Rutland. A white crape petticoat, with yellow crape fafh across, and tied up with cord and taffels, Duchefs of Buccleugh. A train and petticoat, green filk and filver fringe; her cap richly fpangled and ornamented with diamonds. Duchefs of Leeds. A crape petticoat, richly embroidered in ftripes' of coloured foil, laurel leaves, and ftripes forming a checquered work, in white foil and fpangles, trimmed with taffel fringe. Countess of Dalkeith. A rich fpangled petticoat, with crefcents; purple crape train, trimmed with filver; purple and filver cap, with a Brunswick plume. Countess of Morton. A rich filver vermicella gauze petticoat, with green and filver taffel fringe; green train, with elegant filver trimmings; cap of fine blond, and Brunswick plume. Countess of Macclesfield. A rich vermicella gauze petticoat, with filver fringe. Viscountess Sidney: A rich striped filver gauze petticoat; green and filver train. Lady Gertrude Villiers. Yellow crape, embroidered in fhapes of lilac and filver, and bunches of filver wheat-ears, and fpangled drapery with a rich filver and purple border, and tied with laurel cord and taffels. Lady L. Gordon. Green gauze, with an embroidered border, and Nnz drawn Mrs. Nesbitt. A plain crape petticoat, fpotted with filver. Mifs Whitaker. Crape petticoat, with very handfome fringe at the bottom, and lilac drapery spotted; a filver border of lilac flowers, filver cord and taffels. Mifs Nefbitt. A white crape petticoat, in ftripes of fpangling. Mifs Foley. Crape embroidered with filver, and wreaths of roses across the petticoat. Mifs Townshend. A striped gauze petticoat, with lilac drapery and rofes; filver train. The ladies' dreffes were quite of the fummer kind; the prevailing colours white, cream-colour, yellow, pale blue, pale pink, pale green, violet, lilac, lemon-colour, and a few orange. The petticoats were almost all coloured crapes, richly embroidered, and tied up in feftoons with draperies over them. The dreffes were extremely open about the bofom, having only very narrow buffons, and small filver laurel tippet edging round the neck of the gown. The head-dreffes compofed moftly of embroidered bandeaus, and coloured and filver crape intermixed through the hair, with large plumes of feathers. Scarcely a cap was worn. The hair was dreffed very loofe. THE BALL ROOM. At nine o'clock, their majefties, accompanied by the princeffes, entered the ball-room, and were followed, in ten minutes after, by their royal highneffes the prince and princefs of Wales. The company was nume rous and brilliant. The ufual formalities having paffed, their majefties took their feats at a quarter paft nine, when the minuets commenced, and were danced in the following order: Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Princess of Wales. Princess Royal. Princefs Augufta. Princefs Elizabeth. Duke |