OMAR* 467 



u Them pi sin extraordinary philofopher r cc Abftairi 

 and enjoy !" Having faid thefe word^ the fage arofe, 

 leaving Omar fitting. 



& H A I*. if* 

 OMAR &EARS HOW A MAN MAY BECOME WISE. 



OMAR Ihook his head, and returned to Bagdat. 

 He pondered the words df the fage, and found them 

 void of all meaning* In the city he met one of his 

 greateft friends • his name was Ali. H Whence comeft 

 fchou, that thou art fo melancholy ?" faid he. Is one 

 of thy females faithlefs." " I come from yon philofo- 

 pher^ " What haft thou to do with that hoary fage, 

 young man, thou hall not yet feen twenty winters J'* 



I have been alking advice;" c c May t be fo bold as to 

 enquire on what fuhjedl ?" * c I confefs freely td thee^ 

 that I am not at eafe concerning my fate." " Take 

 hellebore, Omar, to make thee fneeze^ Something is 

 amifs in the upper region of thy brain. And what did 

 the wife man fay to thee ?" * Something that I do not 

 underftand." " Ha, ha, ha ! fure as the prophet lives I 

 could have told thee that beforehand." * Poor Omar ! 

 I took thee to be much wifer than thou really art. What 

 wilt thou venture, that in a year's time I am reputed to be 

 the wifeft man in Bagdat ?" 1 ' Thou, Ali ? I think thou 

 haft drunk a little too much wine. But how wilt thou 

 begin ?" " I will juft do the contrary to all other. honeft 

 people ; will have to drink, yet not drink ; to -eat, yet 

 not eat ; to love, yet not love ; and when I fay any thing, 

 fay it with fo much brevity and obfcurity as that no one 

 can underftand me. I will be content, Omar, to be 



h # Or fox 



