I79I« MEiAI, -A TALE. 37 



praife. The deitv and I were always mentioned togetner^ 

 in thofe flattering panegyrics which I daily received ; and 

 even in many of them. I was impioully preferred. I light- 

 ened as much as pofTible the burdens of the ftate ; I con- 

 cluded a peace with all my neighbours ; and can fay with 

 truth, that I was. often Ilcepk-t'l^rmyfelt, in order that my 

 ful>j<icls might rell in tranquillity. 



1 had already a; fon born to :ne in the lifetime of my fa- 

 ther ; but his mo%lier died a few minutes after his birth : I 

 hadldm,inted her ijncerely, and I had buried her magnificent- 

 ly ; and the whole of my affeclion now centered in her 

 child. Although in confequence of my accelTion to the 

 throne, I became the fole mailer of innumerable beauties, 

 the poffeluon of them occupied but very little of my atten- 

 tion J 1 looked upon my kingdom, and upon the welfare of 

 mypeoDiP, to be the nobleil objecl: of my affeclion and CTlre. 



But love had quitted me only for a feafon ; I was yet in 

 poffelnon, at my forty-eighth year, of all the health, the vi- 

 gour, and the cheerfulneis of youth At this period, I be- 

 held a virgin throw herfelf proftrate upon the fteps of my 

 throne ; a virgin, whofe equal I had never yet feen. An eye 

 of more iweetnefs, a ftiapo of more elegance, and a bofom 

 of more allurement, it was ImpoiTible to conceive-, and when 

 fhe Wegan to fpeak, the tones of her voice mull have prepof- 

 feffed in her favour, even thole who were ignorant of the 

 language which fl\e ufed. Long before the caufe of her af- 

 flitlion was known, every one prefent was eager to redrefs 

 It ; and had her fui^ been as totally inconliftent with juftice, 

 as it was in reality conformable to it* I am very much a- 

 fraid that it would not have been denied. 



Her complaintwas againll an avaricious uncle, who want- 

 ed to IcU her to a lupcrannuated wretch, equally deformed 

 both in body and in mind, who intended that fhe fnoxild 

 ferve as tiie flave of his pleafures, or rather as a provocative 

 to his impotent deilres. What was my fentence, you m-ay 

 fafily fuppofe. ! 



But you will not> I imagine, fo readily conjecture with 

 what uneafmefs and melancholy I was feized, when fhe was 

 >bout to retire from my prefence. The feelings of a youth 

 ^f fixteen, wlicn deprived of the objetfl of his firtl love, weTC 

 only a jeft in comparifcn of mine, li^d I not been reftrain- 



