OF HUMAN LIFE. 259 



continually riling in importance. The dervife fpeaks 

 of the great journies he had taken, in fuch a manner 

 as to make Lucas conclude, that the man whom he 

 fhould have fet down for about thirty years of age, 

 muft be upwards of a hundred. — I fee Paul Lucas 

 opening his eyes and his mouth wider and wider as he 

 proceeds, to admit this great influx of light and truth ! 

 — There are feven friends of us, continues the dervife, 

 who travel over the world in the view of improving 

 daily in perfection *. As often as we feparate, we ap- 

 point a certain place where we fhall meet again after 

 twenty years. For this time it is BrufTa : four of 

 us are already here, and we daily expect the other 

 three. 



Paul Lucas obferves fuch a good underftanding 

 among the four dervifes, that it was very plain, C€ it 

 " could be no accidental circumftance that had brought 

 cc them together, but the refult of a long and intimate 

 "acquaintance." — Thefe wonderful men, then, as we 

 fee, compofed a private order, of a very remarkable 

 kind. That they appeared at BrufTa in the character 

 of Mohammedan dervifes, muft not make us miftake 

 them. It Is not the cowl that makes the monk. 



The converfation between the ufbec dervife and our 

 inquilitive traveller becomes every moment more inte- 

 terefting : it fell upon alchymy and cabbala, and Lu- 

 cas (who ftill does not perceive with whom he is talk 

 ing) tells him, in the limplicity of his heart, that thefe 



* We hear, to be fure, of the view ; but the means to that end 

 ir.ay perhaps not be the molt infallible. 



$ % fciences> 



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