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consciousness (fays that author) that I faw the ark and Noah's flood, as that I faw an overflowing of the Thames laft winter; or as that I now write ; F could no more doubt that I who write this now, that faw the Thames overflow laft winter, and that viewed the flood at the general deluge, was the fame felf, place that felf in what fubftance you' please, than that I who write this am the fame my felf now while I write (whether I confift of all the fame fubftance material or immaterial or no) that I was yesterday; for as to this point of being the fame felf, it matters not whether this prefent felf be made up of the fame or other fubftances.

I was mightily pleafed with a story in fome meafure applicable to this piece of philofophy, which read the other day in the Perfian Tales, as they are lately very well tranflated by Mr, Philips; and witle an abridgement whereof I fhall here prefent my readers.

I fhall only premife that thefe ftories are writ after the eastern mainer, but fomewhat more correct.

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Fadlallah, a prince of great virtues, fucceeded his father Bin-Ortoc, in the kingdom of Moufel: He reigned over his faithful fubjects for fome time, and lived in great happinefs with his beau*teous confort Queen Zemroude; when there appeared at his court a young Dervis of fo lively and entertaining a turn of wit, as won upon the 'affections of every one he converfed with. His ' reputation grew fo faft every day, that it at laft 'raifed a curiofity in the prince himself to fee and talk with him. He did fo, and far from finding 'that common fame had flattered 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 relifh for the converfation of other men; and as he

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was every day more and more fatisfied with the abilities of this ftranger, offered him the first pofts in his kingdom. The young Dervis, after having thanked him with a very fingular modefty, defired to be excufed, as having made a 4 vow never to accept of any employment, and preferring a free and independent ftate of life to all other conditions.

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The king was infinitely charmed with fo great an example of moderation; and though 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 reft of the company, the Dervis entertained Fadlallah with an account of his travels and adventures. After < having related to him several 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 killed in the most hidden powers of nature: He died within my arms, and with his parting breath communicated to me one of the most valuable of his fecrets, on condition Ifhould never reveal it to any man. The king inmedi⚫ately reflecting on his young favourite's having refused 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 fomewhat more wonderful than that; it is the power of reanimating a dead body, by flinging my own joul into it.

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While he was yet fpeaking a doe came bound. ing by them, and the king, who had his bow ready, fhot her through the heart; telling the Dervis, that a fair opportunity now offered for him to fhew his art.. The young man immediately left his own body breathless on the ground, ⚫ while at the fame inftant that of the doe was re‹ animated;

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animated; fhe came to the king, fawned upon him, and, after having played 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 first made fome fcruple of violating his promife to the dying Brachman; but told him at last that he found he could conceal nothing from fo excellent a prince; after having obliged him therefore by an oath to fecrecy, he taught him to repeat two cabaliftic words, in pronouncing of which the whole fecret confifted. The king, impatient to try the experiment, immediately repeated them as he had been taught, and in an inftant found himself in the body of the doe. He had but little time to con template himself in this new being; for the trea❝cherous Dervis fhooting his own foul into the royal corpfe, and bending the prince's own bow against him, had laid him dead on the fpot, had not the king, who perceived his intent, fled · fwiftly to the woods.

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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 fe cure himself in the poffeffion of his new-acquired kingdom, was to iffue out a proclamation, ordering his fubjects to deftroy all the deer in the realm. The king had perished among the rest, had he not avoided his purfuers by reanimating the body of a nightingale which he faw lie dead at the foot of a tree. In this new fhape he wing-ed his way in fafety to the palace; where perch ing on a tree which stood near the Queen's apart-ment, he filled the whole place with fo many. melodious and melancholy notes as drew her to

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He had the mortification to fee that, inftead of being pitied, he only moved the mirth of his princefs, and of a young female flave who was with her. He continued however "to ferenade her every morning, until at last the Queen, charmed with his harmony, fent for the bird-catchers, and ordered them to employ their utmoft fkill to put that little creature into her poffeffion. The king, pleased with an opportunity of being once more near his beloved confort, cafily fuffered himfelf to be taken; and when he was prefented to her, though 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 opportu· nity of making his court to her every morning, by a thousand little actions, which his fhape 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 ftate of life, had he not frequently endured the inexpreffible torment of feeing the Dervis en⚫ter the apartment, and carefs the Queen even in • his prefence.

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The ufurper, amidst his toying with the princefs, would often endeavour to ingratiate himself with her nightingale; and while the enraged Fadlallah pecked 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 diverfion.

Zemroude was likewife fond of a little lap-dog, which fhe kept in her apartment, and which one night happened to die.

The king immediately found himself inclined to quit the shape of the nightingale, and enliven

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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 she called to mind all its little ' actions, which even appeared to have fomewhat ' in them like reason, she was inconfolable for her 'lofs.

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'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 re'peated complaints, Well Madam, fays he, I will 'exert the utmost of my art to please you. Your nightingale fball again revive every morning, and ferenade you as before. The queen beheld him with a look which easily fhewed fhe did not believe him; when laying himself down on a fofa, he fhot his foul into the nightingale, and Zemroude was amazed to fee her bird revive.

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The king, who was a fpectator of all that paff ed, lying under the fhape of a lap-dog, in one corner of the room, immediately recovered his own body, and running to the cage with the ut'moft indignation, twisted off the neck of the false nightingale.

Zemroude was more than ever amazed and con⚫cerned at this fecond accident, until the king intreating her to hear him, related to her his whole • adventure.

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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 ftory adds, that out of an extreme delicacy (peculiar to the oriental ladies) fhe was fo highly afflicted at the innocent adultery in which fhe had for fome time lived with the Dervis, that · no arguments even from Fadlallah himfelf could compofe her mind. She fhortly after died with grief, begging his pardon with her laft breath for

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