iT'pZ. Z'meo, a tale. ^ 



ZIMEO, A TALE. 



Continued from p. ^i, 



1 HE grea' Darnel, sovereign of Benin, ^vhosc heir I 

 am, sent me, ^iccordiug to the ?ncient ci.istf^<na of the king- 

 dom, to be educated by the husbandmen of Oneho, I 

 ■was given in cliarge to Matomba, the wisest among them„ 

 the wisest of men I At the coiirt of my father, his coun- 

 sel had often prevented evil, and been productive of good. 

 While he was yet young, he retired to that village, in 

 which, for ages, the Iieirs of the empire have been educa- 

 ted. There Matomba enjoyed all the pleasures that a be- 

 nign Iky, a bountiful soil, and a good conscience can be- 

 stow. In the village of Onebo there were no animosities, 

 no idlenefs, no deceit, no .designing priests, no hardnefs of 

 heart. The young princes had none but the most excel- 

 lent examples before their eyes, i'he wise IVIatomba made 

 me lose those sentiments of pride, i.:A of indolence, that 

 the court and my earlier instructors had inspired me with. 

 I laboured the ground, like my master and his servants ; 

 1 was instructed in the operations of agriculture, which 

 makes all our riches : I was taught the necefsity of being 

 just, a duty incumbent on all men, that they may be able 

 to educate their children, and cultiv-ate their fields in peace \ 

 and I was fhewn, that princes, like the labourers of Ontbo, 

 must be just towards one anotlier, that they and their sub- 

 jects may live happy and contented, 



■ My master had a daughter, the young EUarpe j I lo- 

 ved her, and soon found that my pafsion was returned ^ 

 We had both of us preserved our innocence inviolate j I 

 saw no other in the creation but her j flie saw no otliec 

 but me, and wc were happy. Her parents turned thi* 



