ly, and fearing left the whole Race of Caliphs Thould be entirely loft, he one Day fent for Helim, and fpoke to him after this manner. Helim, faid he, I have long ad. mired thy great Wisdom, and retired way of living. I shall now how thee the entire Confidence which I place in thee. 1 bave only two Sons remaining who are as yet but Infants. It is my Defign that thou take them home with thee, and educate them as thy own. Train them up in the humble unambitious Purfuits of Knowledge. By this means fhall the Line of Caliphs be preferved, and my Children fucceed after me, without afpiring to my Throne whilst I am yet alive. The Words of my Lord the King fhall be obeyed, faid Helim. After which he bowed, and went out of the King's Prefence. He then received the Children into his own House, and from that time bred them up with him in the Studies of Knowledge and Virtue. The young Princes loved and refpected Helim as their Father, and made fuch Improve ments under him, that by the Age of One and twenty they were inftructed in all the Learning of the East. The Name of the eldeft was Ibrahim, and of the youngest Ab dullah. They lived together in fuch a perfect, Friendship, that to this Day it is faid of intimate Friends, that they live together like Ibrahim and Abdallah. Helim had an only Child, who was a Girl of a fine Soul, and a most beautiful Perfon. Her Father omitted nothing in her Education, that might make her the moft accomplished Woman of her Age. As the young Princes were in a manner excluded from the reft of the World, they frequently converfed with this lovely Virgin, who had been brought up by her Father in the fame Courfe of Knowledge and of Virtue. Abdallah, whofe Mind was of a fofter Turn than that of his Brother, grew by degrees fo enamoured of her Converfation, that he did not think he lived when he was not in Company with his beloved Balfora, for that was the Name of the Maid. The Fame of her Beauty was fo great, that at length it came to the Ears of the King, who pretending to vifit the young Princes his Sons, demanded of Helim the fight of Balfor his fair Daughter. The King was fo enflamed with her Beauty and Behaviour, that he fent for Helim the next Morning, and told him it was now his defign to recompence him for all his faithful Services; and that in order to it, he intended to make his Daughter Queen of Perfia. Helim, who knew very well the Fate of all thofe unhappy Women who had been thus advanced, and could not but be privy to the fecret Love which Abdallah bore his Daughter, Far be it, faid he, from the King of Perfia to contaminate the Blood of the Caliphs, and join himself in Marriage with the Daughter of his Phyfician. The King, however, was fo impatient for fuch a Bride, that without hearing any Excuses, he immediately order'd Balfora to be fent for into his Prefence, keeping the Father with him, in order to make her fenfible of the Honour which he defigned her. Balfora, who was too modeft and humble to think her Beauty had made fuch an Impreffion on the King, was a few Moments after brought into his Prefence as he had commanded. SHE appeared in the King's Eye as one of the Virgins of Paradife. But upon hearing the Honour which he intended her, fhe fainted away, and fell down as Dead at his Feet. Helim wept, and after having recovered her out of the Trance into which he was fallen, represented to the King, that fo unexpected an Honour was too great to have been communicated to her all at once; but that, if he pleased, he would himself prepare her for it. The King bid him take his own way, and difmift him. Balfora was convey'd again to her Father's Houfe, where the Thoughts of Abdallah renewed her Affli&tion every Mc ment; infomuch that at length fhe fell into a raging Fcver. The King was informed of her Condition by those that faw her. Helim finding no other means of extrica ting her from the Difficulties fhe was in, after having compofed her Mind, and made her acquainted with his Intentions, gave her a certain Potion, which he knew would lay her asleep for many Hours; and afterwards, in all the feeming Diftrefs of a difconfolate Father, informed the King fhe was dead. The King, who never let any Sentiments of Humanity come too near his Heart, did not much trouble hirnfelf about the Matter; however, for his own Reputation, he told the Father, that fince 'twas known through the Empire that Balfora died at a time when he defigned her for his Bride, it was his Intention that the fhould be honoured as fuch after her Death, that her Body fhould be laid in the Black Palace, among those of his Deceafed Queens. IN the mean time Abdallah, who had heard of the Р N° 167 King's defign, was not lefs afflicted than his beloved Bal fora. As for the feveral Circumftances of his Diftrefs, as alfo how the King was informed of an Irrecoverable Ditemper into which he was fallen, they are to be found at length in the Hiftory of Helim. It fhall fuffice to ac quaint my Reader, that Helim, fome Days after the fupFofed Death of his Daughter, gave the Prince a Potion of the fame nature with that which had laid asleep Balfora. IT is the Custom among the Perfians, to convey in a private manner the Bodies of all the Royal Family, a little after their Death, into the Black Palace; which is the Repofitory of all who are defcended from the Caliphs, or any way allied to them. The Chief Phyfician is always Governor of the Black Palace, it being his Office to Embalm and Preferve the Holy Family after they are Dead, as well as to take care of them while they are yet Living. The Black Palace is fo called from the Colour of the Building, which is all of the fineft polished black Marble. There are always burning in it five thousand everlafting Lamps. It has also a hundred folding Doors of Ebony, which are each of them watched Day and Night by a hundred Negroes, who are to take care that no body enters, befides the Governor. HELIM, after having convey'd the Body of his Daughter into this Repofitory, and at the appointed time received her out of the Sleep into which he was fallen, took care fome time after to bring that of Abdallah into the fame place. Balfora watched over him, till fuch time as the Dofe he had taken loft its effect. Abdallah was not acquainted with Helim's Defign when he gave him this leepy Potion. It is impoffible te defcribe the Surprize, the Joy, the Transport he was in at his firft awaking. He fancied himfelf in the Retirements of the Bleft, and that the Spirit of his dear Balfora, who he thought was just gone before him, was the first who came to congratulate his Arrival. She foon informed him of the Place he was in, which, notwithstanding all its Horrors, appeared to him more fweet than the Bower of Mahomet, in the Company of his Balfora. HELIM, who was fuppofed to be taken up in the embalming of the Bodies, visited the Place very frequently. His greatest Perplexity was how to get the Lovers out of sit the Gates being watched in fuch a manner as I have before ་ before related. This Confideration did not a little difturb the two interred Lovers.At length Helim bethought himself, that the first Day of the Full Moon, of the Month Tizpa, was near at Hand. Now it is a received Tradition among the Perfians, that the Souls of thofe of the Royal Family, who are in a State of Blifs, do, on the first full Moon after their Decease, pass through the Eastern Gate of the Black Palace, which is therefore called the Gate of Paradife, in order to take their flight for that happy Place. Helim therefore having made due Preparations for this Night, drefs'd each of the Lovers in a Robe of Azure Silk, wrought in the finest Looms of Perfia, with a long Train of Linnen whiter than Snow, that floated on the Ground behind them. Upon Abdallah's Head he fixed a Wreath of the greenest Mirtle, and on Balfora's a Garland of the fresheft Rofes. Their Garments were fcented with the richeft Perfumes of Arabia. Having thus prepared every thing, the Full Moon was no fooner up, and fhining in all its Brightness, but he privately opened the Gate of Paradife, and fhut it after the fame manner, as foon as they had pafs'd through it. The band of Negroes, who were pofted at a little Distance from the Gate, feeing two fuch beautiful Apparitions, that fhow'd themselves to Advantage by the Light of the Full Moon, and being ravished with the Odour that flowed from their Garments, immediately concluded 'em to be the Ghosts of the two Perfons lately deceased. They fell upon their Faces as they paft through the midft of them, and continued proftrate on the Earth till fuch time as they were out of Sight. They reported the next Day what they had feen, but this was looked upon, by the King himself, and most others, as the Compliment that was usually paid to any of the deceased of his Family. Helim had placed two of his own Mules at about a Mile's Distance from the black Temple, on the Spot which they had agreed upon for their Ren dezvous. He here met them, and conducted them to one of his own Houfes, which was fituated on Mount KhaThe Air on this Mountain was fo very healthful, that Helim had formerly tranfported the King thither, in order to recover him out of a long Fit of Sickness; which fucceeded fo well that the King made him a Present of the whole Mountain, with a beautiful House and Gardens that were on the Top of it. In this Retirement li can. P 2 ved ved Abdallah and Balfora. They were both fo fraught with all kinds of Knowledge, and poffeft with fo con ftant and mutual a Paffion for each other, that their Soli tude never lay heavy on them. Addallah applied himself to thofe Arts which were agreeable to his manner of li ving, and the Situation of the Place, infomuch that in a few Years he converted the whole Mountain into a kind of Garden, and covered every Part of it with Plantations or Spots of Flowers. Helim was too good a Father to let him want any thing that might conduce to make his Retirement pleasant. IN about ten Years after their Abode in this Place the old King died, and was fucceeded by his Son Ibrahim, who, upon the fuppofed Death of his Brother, had been called to Court, and entertained there as Heir to the Perfian Em pire. Though he was for fome Years inconfolable for the Death of his Brother, Helim durft not trust him with the Secret, which he knew would have fatal Confequen ces, fhould it by any means come to the Knowledge of the old King. Ibrahim was no fooner mounted to the Throne, but Helim fought after a proper Opportunity of making a Difcovery to him, which he knew would be very agreeable to fo good-natured and generous a Prince. It fo happened, that before Helim found fuch an Oppor tunity as he defired, the new King Ibrahim, having been feparated from his Company in a Chafe, and almost fainting with Heat and Thirft, faw himself at the Foot of Mount Khacan; he immediately afcended the Hill, and coming to Helim's Houfe demanded fome Refreshments. Helim was very luckily there at that time, and after having fet before the King the choiceft of Wines and Fruits, finding him wonderfully pleafed with fo feasonable a Treat, told him that the beft Part of his Entertainment was to come, upon which he opened to him the whole Hiftory of what had paft. The King was at once afton ifhed and tranfported at fo ftrange a Relation, and feeing his Bro ther enter the Room with Balfora in his Hand, he leaped of from the Sofa on which he fat, and cry'd out 'tis he! 3tis my Abdallah! having faid this he fell upon his Neck and wept. The whole Company, for fome time, remained filect and fedding Tears of joy. The King at length, after havis. kindly reproached Helim for depriving him fo leng fuch a Brother, embraced Balfora with the greatest Te d |