No. CXLVIII. -In some 66 dogs there" are found- Fidelity, that neither bribe nor threat Can move or warp; and gratitude -lasting as the life, And glist'ning even in the dying eye. COWPER. In spite of the ardour of my attachment to Gulmanac, I was almost, if not wholly, a stranger to jealousy, that fury with which love is so frequently attended. She was not only the mistress of my heart, but also the mistress of her own freedom, as far, at least, as the customs of the country, and the dignity of her exalted station, would allow I frequently permitted some of my courtiers to wait upon us at our little suppers, and thus gave them an opportunity of seeing my wife: nay, so far did I forget the pride of a sovereign, that I more than once suffered Ebu Mahmud to sit beside us, and to share in our repast. Fool that I was for so doing; did I not know how impossible it was to behold Gulmanac and not to love her? "I have never discovered, whether Ebu Mahmud, out of some remains of gratitude and fide lity, might not, at first, have endeavoured to stifle those passions which soon after took possession of his soul. But I discovered, alas, too soon, that a rival is formidable even to a prince. My visier, who saw no hopes, during my reign, of being able to pilfer the fairest jewel of my crown, began therefore to meditate the treacherous design of raising himself to the throne of Indostan. Perhaps he saw somewhat in the eyes of Gulmanac, which intimated too plainly, that she would not be averse to exchange a husband of my years for one who was still in the bloom of youth; or, perhaps, he was too well acquainted with the female disposition, not to be sensible, that their inclinations follow, for the most part, the favourites of fortune. "The whole of his abilities were now exerted to secure to himself the affections of the people; and his attempt succeeded but too well; for, when I told you just now that I was adored by my subjects, I spoke only of the greater part of them. The vain expectation of being universally beloved, which, in any situation, is sufficiently ridiculous, would be the height of absurdity in that of a monarch. The party, which in my case were the most discontented, consisted chiefly of the military profession, which, although the least in number, was the most for midable in power. My peaceful government gave them no opportunity of enriching their rapacity with the spoils of war, which they had so frequently done under the reign of my father; and they beheld with an indignation which they could not conceal, that it was possible to protect by political wisdom, what they imagined could be defended only by the sword. My treacherous visier, perceiving their discontent, persuaded them secretly to petition for war, and to demand at the same time an addition to their pay. Both of these requests, by his advice, I refused; but scarcely had I uttered the unfortunate denial, when he stood forth at their head in his native colours, and spoke to his sovereign in the tone of a rebel. "I was now forced by necessity, however reluctant, to try the most dreadful of all expedients, the uncertain issue of a civil war. Those of my subjects who remained faithful, assembled around me in a numerous body, the command of which I entrusted to my son. Twice was he victorious; but in the third engagement he fell. When his body was brought to me, I threw myself upon it, and indulged in all the extravagance of grief, till one of his slaves, who was the most in his confidence, endeavoured to comfort me by discovering a circumstance, which added new horror to my unhappy situation. He brought me some papers which shewed but too clearly, that Ebu Mahmud had alienated the affections of my son, by representing the dangers to which he was exposed from the influence of Gulmanac over his father, and that nothing but their disagreement about the partition of the provinces had hitherto prevented his open revolt. He had been compelled by his own troops to this last engagement, and had fallen by the ignorance of one of the enemies, in spite of the caution of his treacherous accomplice, who had expressly forbidden his life to be taken. "If the perfidy of my favourite had wounded me deeply, what must I have suffered from the fate of my son, and from the reflection that his fate was no more than he deserved. I now at last took up arms myself. My people appeared transported to see me at their head. My forces were far superior to those of the rebels, and the next engagement promised to be decisive. "As I was inflamed with rage, and Ebu Mahmud with love, our armies were not long in being brought to action. The right wing, which I led, was already victorious, and the left was commanded by Mir Narkuli, an officer illustrious for his military achievements, whom my father had once reluctantly sentenced to death, and who had obtained his pardon at my intercession. Whom could I have trusted with more confidence, than a man who was indebted to me for his life; and yet he betrayed me. In the heat of the engagement, he went over to the enemy, accompanied by the greatest part of his troops. The rest of that division naturally fled; my victorious band fell into disorder, and I was thrown, in the space of a few minutes, from power and greatness, down to misery and flight. "I flew in distraction to the tent of Gulmanac, and entreated her to set herself upon the swiftest of my horses, and follow me immediately to the next fortress. I know (said I) that captivity and death must be our fate; but let us, at least, die as we have lived.' The traitress advised me to submit to the conqueror, promised, herself, to supplicate his mercy; promised,but why should I repeat what she promised? it is enough that I clearly saw her infidelity. And now my rage could no longer be restrained. I drew forth my dagger, and would have pierced her to the heart; but her shrieks brought some of my officers to her assistance, and I saw, for the first time, that I was no longer the monarch, before whom all was obedience and submission. He who the day before had incurred my displeasure, and against whom I had raised my arm, |