came into it, or issued out of it, we could not discover any communication that it had with the tongue.

We could not but take notice likewise that several of those little nerves in the heart which are affected by the sentiments of love, hatred, and other passions, did not descend to this before us from the brain, but from the muscles which lie about the eye.

pan of burning coals, when we observed in it a certain salamandrine quality, that made it capable of living in the midst of fire and flame, without being consumed or so much as singed. As we were admiring this strange phenomenon, and standing round the heart in a circle, it gave a most prodigious sigh, or rather crack, and dispersed all at once in smoke and vapour. This imaginary noise, which methought was louder than the burst of a cannon, produced such a violent shake in my brain, that it dissipated the fumes of sleep, and left me in an

Upon weighing the heart in my hand, I found it to be extremely light, and consequently very hollow, which I did not wonder at, when, upon looking into the inside of it, I saw multi-instant broad awake. tudes of cells and cavities running one within another, as our historians describe the apartments of Rosamond's bower.* Several of these

THE VISION OF MIRZA.

little hollows were stuffed with innumerable The Spectator, No. 159. Saturday, September sorts of trifles, which I shall forbear giving any particular account of, and shall, therefore,

1, 1711.

only take notice of what lay first and upper--Omnem, quæ nunc obducta tuenti most, which, upon our unfolding it, and apply- Mortales hebetat visus tibi, et humida circum ing our microscopes to it, appeared to be a ('aligat, nubem eripiamflame-coloured hood.

We are informed that the lady of this heart, when living, received the addresses of several who made love to her, and did not only give each of them encouragement, but made everyone she conversed with believe that she regarded him with an eye of kindness; for which reason we expected to have seen the impression of multitudes of faces among the several plaits and foldings of the heart; but to our great surprise not a single print of this nature discovered itself till we came into the very core and centre of it. We there observed a little figure, which, upon applying our glasses to it, appeared dressed in a very fantastic manner. The more I looked upon it, the more I thought I had seen the face before, but could not possibly recollect either the place or time; when at length one of the company, who had examined this figure more nicely than the rest, showed us plainly by the make of its face, and the several turns of its features, that the little idol which was thus lodged in the very middle of the heart was the deceased beau, whose head I gave some account of in my last Tuesday's

Virg. Æn. ii. 604.

The cloud, which, intercepting the clear light, langs o'er thy eyes, and blunts thy mortal

sight,

I will remove

When I was at Grand Cairo, I picked up 32veral Oriental manuscripts, which I have still by me. Among others I met with one entitled The Visions of Mirza, which I have read over with great pleasure. I intend to give it to the public when I have no other entertainment for them; and shall begin with the first vision, which I have translated word for word as follows:

"On the fifth day of the moon, which according to the custom of my forefathers I always keep holy, after having washed myself, and offered up my morning devotions, I ascended the high hills of Bagdad, in order to pass the rest of the day in meditation and prayer. As I was here airing myself on the tops of the mountains, I fell into a profound contemplation on the vanity of human life; and passing from one thought to another, 'Surely,' said I, 'man is but a shadow, and life a dream.' Whilst I was thus musing, I cast my eyes towards the summit of a rock that was not far from me, where I discovered one in the habit of a shepherd, with a musical instrument in his hand. As I looked upon him he applied it to his lips, and began to play upon it. The sound of it was exceedingly sweet, and wrought into a variety of tunes that

were inexpressibly melodious, and altogether | made up the number about a hundred. As I different from anything I had ever heard. was counting the arches, the Genius told me They put me in mind of those heavenly airs that are played to the departed souls of good men upon their first arrival in Paradise, to wear out the impressions of their last agonies, and qualify them for the pleasures of that happy place. My heart melted away in secret raptures.

"I had been often told that the rock before me was the haunt of a Genius;1 and that several had been entertained with music who had passed by it, but never heard that the musician had before made himself visible. When he had raised my thoughts by those transporting airs which he played to taste the pleasures of his conversation, as I looked upon him like one astonished, he beckoned to me, and by the waving of his hand directed me to approach the place where he sat. I drew near with that reverence which is due to a superior nature; and as my heart was entirely subdued by the captivating strains I had heard, I fell down at his feet and wept. The Genius smiled upon me with a look of compassion and affability that familiarized him to my imagination, and at once dispelled all the fears and apprehensions with which I approached him. He lifted me from the ground, and taking me by the hand, 'Mirza,' said he, 'I have heard thee in thy soliloquies; follow me.'

that this bridge consisted at first of a thousand arches; but that a great flood swept away the rest, and left the bridge in the ruinous condition I now beheld it. 'But tell me farther,' said he, 'what thou discoverest on it.' 'I see multitudes of people passing over it,' said I, 'and a black cloud hanging on each end of it.' As I looked more attentively, I saw several of the passengers dropping through the bridge into the great tide that flowed underneath it; and upon farther examination, perceived there were innumerable trap-doors that lay concealed in the bridge, which the passengers no sooner trod upon, but they fell through them into the tide, and immediately disappeared. These hidden pit-falls were set very thick at the entrance of the bridge, so that throngs of people no sooner broke through the cloud, but many of them fell into them. They grew thinner towards the middle, but multiplied and lay closer together towards the end of the arches that were entire.

"There were indeed some persons, but their number was very small, that continued a kind of hobbling march on the broken arches, but fell through one after another, being quite tired and spent with so long a walk.

"I passed some time in the contemplation of this wonderful structure, and the great variety of objects which it presented. My heart was filled with a deep melancholy to see several dropping unexpectedly in the midst of mirth and jollity, and catching at everything that stood by them to save themselves. Some were looking up towards the heavens in a thoughtful posture, and in the midst of a speculation stumbled and fell out of sight. Multitudes were very busy in the pursuit of bubbles that glittered in their eyes and danced before them; but often when they thought themselves within the reach of them, their footing failed and down they sunk. In this confusion of objects, I observed some who ran to and fro upon the bridge, thrusting several persons on trap-doors which did not seem to lie in their way, and which they might have escaped had they not been thus forced upon them.

"He then led me to the highest pinnacle of the rock, and placing me on the top of it, 'Cast thy eyes eastward,' said he, 'and tell me what thou seest.' 'I see,' said I, ‘a huge valley, and a prodigious tide of water rolling through it.' 'The valley that thou seest,' said he, 'is the Vale of Misery, and the tide of water that thou seest is part of the great Tide of Eternity.' 'What is the reason,' said I, 'that the tide I see rises out of a thick mist at one end, and again loses itself in a thick mist at the other?' 'What thou seest,' said he, 'is that portion of eternity which is called time, measured out by the sun, and reaching from the beginning of the world to its consummation. Examine now,' said he, 'this sea that is bounded with darkness at both ends, and tell me what thou discoverest in it.' 'I see a bridge,' said I, 'standing in the midst of the tide.' 'The bridge thou seest,' said he, 'is Human Life: consider it attentively.' Upon a more leisurely survey of it, I found that it consisted of three-bridge,' said he, 'and tell me if thou yet seest score and ten entire arches, with several broken arches, which added to those that were entire, 1 spirit

"The Genius seeing me indulge myself on this melancholy prospect, told me I had dwelt long enough upon it. "Take thine eyes off the

anything thou dost not comprehend.' Upon looking up, 'What mean,' said I, 'those great flights of birds that are perpetually hovering

bout the bridge, and settling upon it from | excelled, are distributed among these several ime to time? I see vultures, harpies, ravens, islands, which abound with pleasures of differormorants, and among many other feathered ent kinds and degrees, suitable to the relishes reatures several little winged boys, that perch and perfections of those who are settled in n great numbers upon the middle arches. them: every island is a paradise accommodated These,' said the Genius, 'are Envy, Avarice, to its respective inhabitants. Are not these, O Superstition, Despair, Love, with the like cares | Mirza, habitations worth contending for? Does nd passions that infest human life.'

MATTHEW PRIOR (1664-1721)

OLD

life appear miserable that gives thee oppor"I here fetched a deep sigh. 'Alas,' said tunities of earning such a reward? Is death , 'Man was made in vain! how is he given to be feared that will convey thee to so happy way to misery and mortality! tortured in life, an existence? Think not man was made in nd swallowed up in death!' The Genius being vain, who has such an eternity reserved for noved with compassion towards me, bid me him.' I gazed with inexpressible pleasure on quit so uncomfortable a prospect. Look no these happy islands. At length, said I, 'Show more,' said he, 'on man in the first stage of me now, I beseech thee, the secrets that lie hid is existence, in his setting out for eternity; under those dark clouds which cover the ocean out cast thine eye on that thick mist into which on the other side of the rock of adamant.' The he tide bears the several generations of mor- Genius making me no answer, I turned me als that fall into it. I directed my sight as about to address myself to him a second time, was ordered, and (whether or no the good but I found that he had left me; I then turned Genius strengthened it with any supernatural again to the vision which I had been so long force, or dissipated part of the mist that was contemplating; but instead of the rolling tide, before too thick for the eye to penetrate) Ithe arched bridge, and the happy islands, I saw saw the valley opening at the farther end, and nothing but the long hollow valley of Bagdad, spreading forth into an immense ocean, that with oxen, sheep, and camels grazing upon the had a huge rock of adamant running through sides of it." the midst of it, and dividing it into two equal parts. The clouds still rested on one half of it, insomuch that I could discover nothing in it; but the other appeared to me a vast ocean TO A CHILD OF QUALITY FIVE YEARS planted with innumerable islands, that were covered with fruits and flowers, and interwoven with a thousand little shining seas that ran among them. I could see persons dressed in glorious habits with garlands upon their heads, passing among the trees, lying down by the sides of fountains, or resting on beds of flowers; and could hear a confused harmony of singing birds, falling waters, human voices, and musical instruments. Gladness grew in me upon the discovery of so delightful a scene. wished for the wings of an eagle, that I might fly away to those happy seats; but the Genius told me there was no passage to them, except through the gates of death that I saw opening every moment upon the bridge. The islands,' said he, 'that lie so fresh and green before thee, and with which the whole face of the ocean appears spotted as far as thou canst sec, are more in number than the sands on the sea-shore: there are myriads of islands behind those which thou here discoverest, reaching farther than thine eye, or even thine imagination can extend itself. These are the mansions of good men after death, who, according to the degree and kinds of virtue in which they

J

Lords, knights, and 'squires, the numerous
band,

That wear the fair Miss Mary's fetters,
Were summoned by her high command,
To show their passions by their letters.
My pen among the rest I took,

Lest those bright eyes that cannot read
Should dart their kindling fires, and look
The power they have to be obeyed.
Nor quality, nor reputation,

Forbid me yet my flame to tell,
Dear Five-years-old befriends my passion,
And I may write till she can spell.

For, while she makes her silk-worms beds

8

16

With all the tender things I swear;
Whilst all the house my passion reads
In papers round her baby's hair;
She may receive and own my flame,
For, though the strictest prudes should know
it,

She'll pass for a most virtuous dame
And I for an unhappy poet,