rumbles into atoms void of force, id of refiftance-it eludes our thought: Take place of right and wrong; the golden chain Of beings melts away; and the mind's eye New OPIUM difcovered. From the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris. Boulduc has communicated to the Academy the difcovery of a new um. Having tried feveral ways to cor: the common opium, which cannot be en but in a very fmall dofe, and yet frently produces fad effects; and, perceive that all his corrections made no alterain the opium, he tried different narco. He was in hopes that an extract of flowers of wild poppy would afford an dyne quality; but he did not find it, in the extract was only made with the leaves of the flower. He obferved that the fyrup of wild poppy, and the extract, were a little foporiferous, when he left the heads of the wild poppy with the leaves of the flowers: Which moved him to make an extract of the heads only, and it proved one of the mildeft fomniferous remedies; a dofe of four grains being sufficient to make one fleep without disordering the head. This remedy is the more useful, because we need not import it from Turkey, fince it is very common in France. The fame may be faid of its plenty in England. 1 remarkable Paffage concerning E A GLES, related in the Life of Thuanus. the year 1589, Schomberg, Thuanus, and some other Gentlemen came to Manthe capital city of Givaudan, and were y entertained by the Bishop. At their meal they obferved, not without fome rife, that every fowl, or wild fowl, ght up to the table, wanted the head, or a g, or a leg, or fome other part. My Lord, thofe Gentlemen, how comes it that e of your fowls are intire? Gentlemen, ied the Bishop, you must forgive the tony of my Purveyor, who never fails fte every thing before it is brought up ne. His guests asked him, who that reyor was; and then he went on thus: hese mountains, faid he, which are none e moft barren in the kingdom, eagles e their aires in the hollow of fome high , that can hardly be reached with ladand grappling-irons. As foon as the herds perceive it, they build a lodge at foot of the rock, to fecure themfelves the fury of those dangerous birds, n they bring their prey to their young The male does not forfake them for space of three months, and the female not leave the aire, as long as the young e has not strength enough to come out t. During all that time both of them plundering about: They get capons, , ducks, and every thing they can find in s, and even fometimes lambs, kids, and which they carry to their young ones. their greateft plunder is in the fields, re they take pheafants, partridges, wood, wild ducks, and hares. As foon as hepherds perceive the father and mo ther are gone abroad, they quickly climb up upon the rock, and take away what the eagles have brought to their young ones, leaving in the room of it the guts of fome animals. But, becaufe they cannot do this before the eagles, or the young ones, have eaten fome part of it, this is the reason why every thing brought up to my table is thus mangled. However, it has a much better tafte, than what is fold at the market. The Bishop added, that when the young eagle is ftrong enough to fly away, (which happens but late, because it has been deprived of its food) the fhepherds chain it up, that the father and mother may continue to bring fome prey, till they couple and forget it intirely. And then the fhepherds leave the young one there, or bring it home out of pity. Thus the Bishop's table was provided by fuch Purveyors. Thuanus had the curiofity to fee thofe eagles, and went up to an aire through a very difficult way. The young eagle was chained up. The mother came quickly after, brought a pheasant to her young one, and immediately went away for more prey. Thuanus and those who attended him, hid themselves in a small lodge to avoid her fury; for the peasants told them, that those mischievous birds had torn fome young people, who looked for thofe aires without any caution. The Bishop affured his guefts, that three or four of thofe nefts were almost fufficient for him to keep a very noble table all the year round. An An Account of the Hiftory of RASSELAS, Prince of ABISSINIA. the father of waters begins his courfe; whofe bounty pours down the ftreams of plenty, and scatters over half the world the harvest of Egypt. According to the custom which has defcended from age to age among the Monarchs of the torrid zone, he was confined in a private palace, with the other fons and daughters of Abiffinian royalty, till the order of fucceffion should call him to the throne. The place, which the wifdom or policy of antiquity had deftined for the refidence of the Abiffinian Princes, was a fpacious valley in the kingdom of Ambara, fur rounded on every fide by mountains, of which the fummits overhang the middle part. The only paffage, by which it could be entered, was a cavern that paffed under a rock, of which it has long been difputed whether it was the work of nature or of human industry. The outlet of the cavern was concealed by a thick wood, and the mouth, which opened into the valley, was clofed with gates of iron, forged by the artificers of ancient days, fo massy that no man could, without the help of engines, open or fhut them. From the mountains on every fide, rivulets defcended that filled all the valley with verdure and fertility, and formed a lake in the middle inhabited by fish of every species, and frequented by every fowl whom Nature has taught to dip the wing in water. This lake difcharged its fuperfluities by a ftream which entered a dark cleft of the mountain on the northern fide, and fell with dreadful noife from precipice to precipice till it was heard no more. The fides of the mountains were covered with trees, the banks of the brooks were diverfified with flowers; every blast shook fpices from the rocks, and every month dropped fruits upon the ground. In short, all the diverfities of the world were brought together, the bleffings of Nature were collected, and its evils extracted and excluded. lake. It was divided into many fquares or courts, built with greater or lefs magni ficence according to the rank of thofe for whom they were defigned. Here the fons and daughters of Abiffinia lived only to know the foft viciffitudes of pleasure and repose, attended by all that were skilful to delight, and gratified with whatever the fenfes can enjoy. They wandered in gardens of fragrance, and fept in the fortreffes of fecurity. Every art was practifed to make them pleased with their own condition. Their appetites were excited by frequent enumerations of different enjoyments, and revelry and merriment was the bufinefs of every hour. Thus they rofe in the morning, and lay down at night, pleased with each other and with themselves, all but Raffelas, who, in the 26th year of his age, began to withdraw himself from their paftimes and af femblies, and to delight in solitary walks and filent meditation. At last having difclofed his thoughts to an old inftructor, he told him that he had already enjoyed too much, and begged 'e would give him fomething to defire: Sir, faid the inftructor, if you had feen the miferies of the world, you would know how to value your present ftate.' Now, faid the Prince, you have given me fomething to defire; I fhall long to see the miseries of the world, fince the fight of them is necessary to happiness.' 6 By what means Raffelas efcaped from this luxurious prifon; how he obtained companions of his flight; the feveral adventures that befel them; and the general refult of their inquiries; are best known from the perufal of the history, which, as it abounds with elegant and affecting pic. tures of life and nature, acute difquifitions, and happy illustrations of the most impor tant truths, we shall beg leave to extract from it, under diftinct heads, the most striking parts, which, it is hoped, will not be unacceptable to our readers. A DISSERTATION on the Art of Flying.—From the Hiflory of RASSELAS, Prince of Abiffinia. MONG the artists that had been al- turned, he forced the water into a tower, Alured into the happy valley, to labour for the accommodation and pleasure of its inhabitants, was a man eminent for his knowledge of the mechanic powers, who had contrived many engines both of ufe and recreation: By a wheel, which the stream whence it was diftributed to all the apart ments of the palace: He erected a pavilion in the garden, around which he kept the air always cool by artificial fhowers. One of the groves, appropriated to the Ladies, was ventilated by fans, to which the rivulet that run run through it gave a conftant motion; and inftruments of foft mufic were placed at proper diftances, of which fome played by the impulfe of the wind, and fome by the power of the stream. This artift was fometimes vifited by Raffelas, who was pleased with every kind of knowledge, imagining that the time would come when all his acquifitions fhould be of ufe to him. He came one day to amufe himself in his usual manner, and found the mafter bufy in building a failing chariot; he faw that the defign was practicable upon a level surface, and with expreffions of great efteem follicited its completion. The workman was pleafed to find himself fo much regarded by the Prince, and refolved to gain yet higher honours: Sir, faid he, you have feen but a small part of what the mechanic fciences can perform; I have been long of opinion, that, instead of the tardy conveyance of fhips and chariots, man might use the swifter migration of wings; that the fields of air are open to knowledge; and that only ignorance and idleness need crawl upon the ground.' This hint rekindled the Prince's defire of paffing the mountains; and, having feen what the mechanift had already performed, he was willing to fancy that he could do more; yet refolved to enquire further be fore he fuffered hope to afflict him by difappointment: I am afraid, faid he to the artift, that your imagination prevails over your skill, and that you now tell me rather what you with than what you know. Every animal has his element affigned him; the birds have the air, and man and beafts the earth.' So, replied the mechanist, fifhes have the water; in which yet beafts can fwim by nature, and men by art. He that can swim needs not defpair to fly; to fwim is to fly in a groffer fluid, and to fly is to swim in a fubtiler: We are only to proportion our power of refiftance to the different denfity of the matter through which we are to pafs: You will be neceffarily upborne by the air, if you can renew any impulse upon it, fafter than the air can recede from the preffure.' But the exercise of swimming, faid the Prince, is very laborious; the ftrongest limbs are foon wearied; I am afraid the act of flying will be yet more violent, and wings will be of no great ufe, unless we can fly further than we can swim.' The labour of rifing from the ground, faid the artift, will be great, as we fee it in the heavier domeftic fowls; but, as we mount higher, the earth's attraction and the body's gravity will be gradually diminished, till we fhall arrive at a region where the man will float in the air without any tendency to fall; no care will then be neceffary but to move forwards, which the gentleft impulfe will effect. You, Sir, whose curiofity is fo extenfive, will easily conceive with what pleasure a philofopher, furnished with wings and hovering in the sky, would fee the earth and all its inhabitants rolling beneath him, and prefenting to him fucceffively, by its diurnal motion, all the countries within the fame parallel. How must it amuse the pendent fpectator to see the moving fcene of land and ocean, cities and defarts! To furvey with equal fecurity the marts of trade and the fields of battle; mountains infefted by barbarians, and fruitful regions gladdened by plenty, and lulled by peace! How eafily fhall we then trace the Nile through all his paffage; pafs over to distant regions, and examine the face of nature from one extremity of the earth to the other!' All this, faid the Prince, is much to be defired; but I am afraid that no man will be able to breathe in these regions of fpeculation and tranquillity. I have been told that refpiration is difficult upon lofty mountains; yet from these precipices, though fo high as to produce great tenuity of the air, it is very easy to fall; and I fufpect, that, from any height where life can be fupported, there may be danger of too quick descent.' 'Nothing, replied the artist, will ever be attempted, if all poffible objections muft be firft overcome. If you will favour my project, I will try the firft flight at my own hazard. I have confidered the structure of all volant animals, and find the folding continuity of the bat's wings moft easily accommodated to the human form. Upon this model I shall begin my task to-morrow; and in a year expect to tower into the air, beyond the malice or purfuit of man. But I will work only on this condition, that the art fhall not be divulged, and that you shall not require me to make wings for any but ourselves.' Why, faid the Prince, fhould you envy others fo great an advantage? All skill ought to be exerted for univerfal good; every man has owed much to others, and ought to repay the kindness that he has received.' • If men were all virtuous, returned the artift, I should with great alacrity teach them all to fly. But what would be the security of the good, if the bad could at pleasure invade them from the sky? Against an army failing through the clouds, neither walls, nor mountains, nor feas, could afford any fecurity. A flight of northern savages might hover hover in the wind, and light at once, with irrefiftible violence, upon the capital of a fruitful region that was rolling under them. Even this valley, the retreat of Princes, the abode of happiness, might be violated by the fudden descent of fome of the naked nations that fwarm on the coaft of the fouthern fea.' The Prince promised fecrecy, and waited for the performance, not wholly hopeless of fuccefs: He vifited the work from time to time, observed its progrefs, and remarked the ingenious contrivances to facilitate motion, and unite levity with strength. The artist was every day more certain that he fhould leave vultures and eagles behind him, and the contagion of his confidence feized upon the Prince. In a year the wings were finished; and, on a morning appointed, the maker appear. ed, furnished for flight, on a little promontory: He waved his pinions a-while to ga ther air, then leaped from his ftand, and in an inftant dropped into the lake. wings, which were of no ufe in the air, fuftained him in the water; and the Prince drew him to land, half dead with terror and vexation. His The Hiftory of IMLAC.-From the Hiftory of RASSELAS, Prince of Abiffinia. HE close of the day is, in the regions Tof the torrid zone, the only feafon of diverfion and entertainment; and it was therefore midnight before the mufic ceafed and the Princeffes retired. Raffelas then called for his companion, and required him to begin the ftory of his life. • Sir, said Imlac, my history will not be long; the life that is devoted to knowledge paffes filently away, and is very little diverfified by events. To talk in public, to think in folitude, to read and to hear, to inquire and answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar: He wanders about the world without pomp or terror, and is neither known nor valued but by men like himself. "I was born in the kingdom of Goiama, at no great distance from the fountain of the Nile: My father was a wealthy merchant, who traded between the inland countries of Africa and the ports of the Red fea: He was honeft, frugal, and diligent, but of mean fentiments and narrow comprehenfion: He defired only to be rich, and to conceal his riches, left he should be spoiled by the Governors of the province.' Surely faid the Prince, my father muft be negligent of his charge, if any man in his dominions dares take that which belongs to another. Does he not know that Kings are accountable for injuftice permitted as well as done? If I were Emperor, not the meanest of my fubjects fhould be oppreffed with impunity My blood boils when I am told that a merchant durft not enjoy his honeft gains, for fear of lofing by the rapa city of power. Name the Governor who robbed the people, that I may declare his crimes to the Emperor.' Sir, faid Imlac, your ardour is the natural effect of virtue animated by youth; the time will come when you will acquit your father, and perhaps hear with lefs impatience of the Governor. Oppreffion is, in the Abiffinian dominions, neither fre quent nor tolerated; but no form of government has been yet discovered by which cruelty can be wholly prevented. Subordi nation fuppofes power on one part and subjection on the other; and, if power be in the hands of men, it will fometimes be abufed. The vigilance of the fupreme Magistrate may do much, but much will still remain undone. He can never know all the crimes that are committed, and can seldom punish all that he knows." This, faid the Prince, I do not underftand; but I had rather hear thee than difpute.-Continue thy narration.' My father, proceeded Imlac, originally intended that I should have no other education, than fuch as might qualify me for commerce; and, discovering in me great strength of memory and quickness of apprehenfion, often declared his hope that I should be fome time or other the richest man in Abiffinia.' • With this hope he fent me to school; but, when I had once found the delight of knowledge, and felt the pleasure of intelligence and the pride of invention, I began filently to defpife riches, and determined to difappoint the purpose of my father, whose groffness of conception raifed my pity. I was twenty years old before his tenderness would expofe me to the fatigue of travel, in which time I had been inftructed, by fucceffive mafters, in all the literature of my native country. As every hour taught me fomething new, I lived in a continual course of gratifications; but, as I advanced towards manhood, I lost much of the reverence with which I had been used to look on my inftructors; because, when the leffon was ended, I did not find them wifer or better than common men. At length my father refolved to initiate me in commerce, and, opening one of his fubterranean treasuries, counted out ten thoufand pieces of gold. "This, young man, faid he, is the stock with which you must negociate. negociate. I began with less than the fifth part, and you fee how diligence and parfimony have increafed it. This is your own to wafte or to improve; if you fquander it by negligence or cap.ics, you mult wait for my death before you will be rich: If in four years you double your ftock, we will thenceforward let fubordination cease, and live together as friends and partners; for he hall always be equal with me, who is equally skilled in the art of growing rich," 'We laid our money upon camels, concealed in bales of cheap goods, and travelled to the shore of the Red fea. When I caft my eye on the expanfe of waters, my heart bounded like that of a prifoner escaped. I felt an unextinguishable curiofity kindle in my mind, and refolved to fnatch this opportunity of seeing the manners of other nations, and of learning sciences unknown in Abiffinia. • I remembered that my father had obliged me to the improvement of my stock, not by a promife which I ought not to violate, but by a penalty which I was at liberty to incur; and therefore determined to gratify my predominant defire, and, by drink ing at the fountains of knowledge, to quench the thirft of curiofity. 'As I was fupposed to trade without connection with my father, it was eafy for me to become acquainted with the mafter of a fhip, and procure a paffage to fome other country. I had no motives of choice to regulate my voyage; it was fufficient for me, that, wherever I wandered, I fhould fee a country which I had not feen before. I therefore entered a fhip bound for Surat, having left a letter for my father declaring my intention. When I first entered upon the world of waters, and loft fight of land, I looked round about me with pleafing terror, and, thinking my foul enlarged by the boundless prof. pect, imagined that I could gaze round for ever without fatiety; but, in a short time, I grew weary of looking on barren uniformity, where I could only fee again what I had already feen. I then defcended into the ship, and doubted for a while whether all my future pleasures would not end like this in difguft and difappointment: Yet, furely, faid I, the ocean and the land are very different; the only variety of water is reft and motion; but the earth has mountains and vallies, defarts and cities; it is inhabited by men of different customs and contrary opinions; and I may hope to find variety in life, though I should miss it in nature. With this hope I quieted my mind, and amufed myself during the voyage; fome times by learning from the failors the art of navigation, which I have never practised; and fometimes by forming schemes for my conduct in different fituations, in not one of which I have been ever placed. 'I was almoft weary of my naval amusements, when we landed fafely at Surat. I fecured my money, and, purchafing fome commodities for thew, joined myself to a caravan that was paffing into the inland country. My companions, for fome reason or other, conjecturing that I was rich, and, by my inquiries and admiration, finding that I was ignorant, confidered me as a novice whom they had a right to cheat, and who was to learn, at the ufual expence, the art of fraud: They expofed me to the theft of fervants and the exaction of Officers, and faw me plundered upon false pretences, without any advantage to themselves but that of rejoicing in the fuperiority of their own knowledge." Stop a moment, faid the Prince, is there fuch depravity in man, as that he should injure another without benefit to himself? I can easily conceive that all are pleased with fuperiority; but your ignorance was merely accidental, which, being neither your crime nor your folly, could afford them no reason to applaud themselves; and the knowledge which they had, and which you wanted, they might as effectually have fhewn by warning you as betraying you.' Pride, faid Imlac, is feldom delicate, it will please itself with very mean advantages; and envy feels not its own happinefs, but when it may be compared with the mifery of others: They were my enemies because they thought me rich, and my oppreffors because they delighted to find me weak.' Proceed, faid the Prince: I doubt not of the facts which you relate, but imagine that you may impute them to mistaken motives." In this company, said Imlac, I arrived at Agra, the capital of Indoftan, the city in which the Great Mogul commonly refides. I applied myself to the language of the country, and in a few months was able to converfe with the learned men; fome of whom I found morofe and reserved, and others eafy and communicative; some were unwilling to teach another what they had with difficulty learned themselves; and fome fhewed that the end of their studies was to gain the dignity of instructing. To the tutor of the young Princes I recommended myself so much, that I was presented to the Emperor as a man of uncommon knowledge. The Emperor asked me many questions concerning my country Hh and |