>>

,

thoughts and if you had known the va»lue of this candlestick, you would never » have brought it to me; I will make you » sensible of its use. » Immediately he placed a light in each of its branches; and when the twelve Dervises had turned round for some time, Abounadar gave each of them a blow with a cane and in a moment they were converted into twelve heaps of sequins, diamonds, and other precious stones. « This, said he, is the proper use to be » made of this marvellous candlestick. As > to me, I never desired it, but to place in << my cabinet, as a talisman composed by a »sage whom I revere, and am pleased to » expose it sometimes to those who come > to visit me: And to prove to you, added » he, that curiosity was the only occasion » of my search for it, here are the keys of › my magazines, open them, and you »shall judge of my riches you shall tell » me whether the most insatiable miser » would not be satisfied with them. » Abdallah obeyed him, and examined twelve magazines of great extent, so full of all manner of riches, that he could not distinguish which merited his admiration most; they all deserved it, and produced new

desires. The regret of having found out the use of it, pierced the heart of Abdallah. Abounadar seemed not to perceive it on the contrary, he loaded him with caresses, kept him some days in his house, and commanded him to be treated as himself. When he was at the eve of the day which he had fixed for his departure, he said to him:

"

Abdallah, my son, I believe, by what » has happened to you, you are corrected » of the frightful vice of ingratitude; how»ever, I owe you a mark of my affections, » for having undertaken so long a journey, >> with a view of bringing me the thing I had » desired; you may depart, I shall detain » you no longer. You shall find to-morrow, >> at the gate of my palace, one of my » horses to carry you; I make you a present » of it, as well as of a slave who shall » conduct you to your house; and two ca» mels loaded with gold and jewels, which » you shall chuse yourself out of my trea»sures. » Abdallah said to him all that a heart sensible to avarice could express, when its passion was satisfied, and went to lie down till the morning arrived, which was fixed for his departure.

During the night he was still agitated,

without being able to think of any thing but the candlestick, and what it had produced. « I had it, said he, so long in my power; » Abounadar, without me, had never been » possessor of it: What risks did I not run » in the subterraneous vault? Why does he >> now possess this treasure of treasures? Be» cause I had the probity, or rather the folly, >> to bring it back to him: He profits by my » labour, and the danger I have incurred » in so long a journey. And what does le » give me in return? Two camels loaded » with gold and jewels; in one moment >> the candlestick will furnish him with ten » times as much; it is Abounadar who is » ungrateful: What wrong shall I do him >> in taking this candlestick? None certainly; » for he is rich: and what do I possess? » These ideas determined him, at length, to make all possible attempts to seize upon the candlestick. The thing was not difficult, Abounadar having trusted him with the keys of his magazines. He knew where the candlestick was placed; he seized upon it, hid it in the bottom of one of the sacs, which he filled with pieces of gold and other riches which he was allowed to take, and loaded it, as well as the rest, upon his camels

camels. He had no other eagerness now than for his departure; and after having hastily bid adieu to the generous Abounadar, he delivered him his keys, and departed with his horse, his slave, and two camels.

When he was some days journey from Balsora, he sold his slave, resolving not to have a witness of his former poverty, nor of the source of his present riches. He bought another, and arrived without any. obstacle at his mother's, whom he would scarce look upon, so much was he taken up with his treasure. His first care was to place the loads of his camels and the candlestick in the most private room of the house; and, in his impatience to feed his eyes with his great opulence, he placed lights immediately in the candlestick: The twelve Dervises appearing, he gave each of them a blow with a cane with all his strength, lest he should be failing in the laws of the talisman: but he had not remarked, that, Abounadar, when he struck them, had the cane in his left hand. Abdallah, by a natural motion, made use of his right, and the Dervises, instead of becoming heap of riches, immediately drew from beneath their robes each a formidable club, with which

H

they struck him so hard and so long, that they left him almost dead, and disappeared, carrying with them all his treasure, the camels, the horse, the slave and the candlestick.

Thus was Abdallah punished by poverty, and almost by death, for his unreasonable ambition, which perhaps might have been pardonable, if it had not been accompanied by an ingratitude as wicked as it was audacious, since he had not so much as the resource of being able to conceal his perfidies from the too piercing eyes of his benefactor.

TIME.

GEN. MAG.

I

A vision.

was conveyed, methought, into the entrance of the infernal regions; here I saw Rhadamanthus, one of the judges of the dead, seated in his tribunal. On his left hand stood the keeper of Erebus, on his right the keeper of Elysium. I was told he sat upon women that day, there being several of the sex lately arrived, who had not yet