great powers of mind he possessed a considerable share of wit and humour; though he does not seem to have been able in conversation to command his passions.

In his political principles he was a staunch Tory, and was inimical to all men of Whig opinions, though the shades of his character have been greatly misrepresented by party-writers.— His humanity, generosity, and general philanthropy were unbounded; and it has been justly observed, that in his house the lame, the blind, and the sorrowful found a sure retreat. He always considered a strict adherence to truth as a sacred obligation, and in relating the most trivial anecdote he would not allow himself the smallest addition in the way of embellishment. In short, his veracity was so rigid, that Mr. Tyers, who was well acquainted with his manner, was accustomed to observe that he conversed as if he was talking upon oath.

Dr. Johnson's failings, when contrasted with his virtues, sink into insignificance, and may be compared to specks on the sun. His piety and goodness of heart form a noble subject for imitation, his works will always remain a monument of genius and erudition; and by a diligent attention to them every mind may advance in virtue.

We shall conclude this sketch by a quotation from Horace, which may be considered as Johnson's picture in minia

ture.

"Iracundior est paulo minus aptus acutis Naribus horum hominum, rideri possit eo quod Rusticius tonso toga defluit, et male laxus In pede calceus hæret. At est bonus ut melior vir Non alius quisquam; at tibi amicus, at ingenium ingens

Inculto latet hoc sub corpore.-"

RASSELAS.

CHAP. I.

Description of a Palace ia Valley.

YE who listen with credity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow; attend to the history of Rasselas, prince of Abyssinia.

Rasselas was the fourth son of the mighty emperor, in whose dominions the Father of Waters begins his course; whose bounty pours down streams of plenty, and scatters over half the world the harvests of Egypt.

According to the custom which has descended from age to age among the monarchs of the torrid zone, Rasselas was confined in a private palace, with the other sous and

daughters of Abyssinian royalty, till the order of succession should call him to the throne.

The place, which the wisdom or policy of antiquity had destined for the residence of the Abyssinian princes, was a spacious valley in the kingdom of Amhara, surrounded on every side by mountains, of which the semmits overhang the middle part. The only passage, by thich it could be entered, wa cavern that passed under a rock, of which it has long been disputed 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 closed with gates of iron forged by the artificers of ancient days, so massy that no mau could without the help of engines open or shut them.

From the mountains on every side, rivulets descended 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 discharged its superfluities by a stream which entered a dark cleft of the mountain on the northern side, and fell with dreadful noise from precipice to precipice till it was heard no more.

The sides of the mountains were covered with trees, the banks of the brooks were diversified with flowers; every blast shook spices from the rocks, and every month dropped fruits upon the ground. All animals that bite the grass, or browse the shrub, whether wild or tame, wandered in this extensive circuit, secured from beasts of prey by the mountains which confined them. On one part were flocks and herds feeding in the pastures, on another all the beasts of chase frisking in the lawns; the sprightly kid was bounding on the rocks, the subtle monkey frolicking in the trees, and the solemn elephant reposing in the shade. All the diversities of the world were brought together, the blessings of nature were collected, and its evils extracted and excluded.

The valley, wide and fruitful, supplied its inhabitants with the necessaries of life, and all delights and superfluities were added