KNOW, assuredly, ye babbling fools! and corrupt children of better sires, and ye posterity, know, I live in degenerate times! Learn wisdom, ye sons and daughters of men, and all ye curious prattling wives! from the experience of the past-and be taught by what I now reveal, to shun a like calamity! I, Muilharek ben Hazri, the last descendant of those ancient men, whose story is here recorded, dwelling in the deserted land of Karsarmar Kerselkolf, which lieth toward the East, write this woful chronicle ! O sublimated spirit of the great Rehobah! bear witness to my truth. And thou soul of defunct Schemarthar! confirm my words. Cause to be believed the writings of Muilharek ben Hazri, who was never known to lie-recorded by him in the full of the moon of the month Tathar, in the year J. 6. 7.* while reposing in the fragrant shade of the tall Arbama.

AN ANCIENT CHRONICLE,

BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE DIREFUL CONSEQUENCES OF WOMAN'S UNCONQUER

ABLE PROPENSITIES.

ANTECEDENT to all story-telling, or history of any kind, when 'coming events cast no shadows before,' and past ones left scarcely a trace behind; there was a period, of which even tradition affords us hardly a particle of information. Over the doings and sayings of that age antiquity has thrown her gorgeous mantle, and so effectually hid them from the inquisitive and penetrating vision of these modern times, that all seems blended as in one dim and sombre twilight. During this remarkable time, there dwelt somewhere in fairy-land, a curious, interesting, and happy people. Being temperate in their desires, they possessed and enjoyed all that heart could wish; for their wants and wishes did not exceed their means-while the contentment which dwelt in each breast, told plainly how good a thing is an equal distribution of the blessings and bounties of providence. Every one was happy, because no one saw any one to envy, and no one coveted the gold and silver of his neighbor, because all were equally rich. All their intercourse with each other was a communion of love and affection-a harmless reciprocation of the feelings and sentiments of the heart. They knew no law but the law of Love; acknowledged no sway but that of the gentler emotions; and while they banished all the turbulent and angry passions, they yielded sweetly to the influence of the pure and holy cords of Friendship. Peace and plenty were enjoyed by all. Joy and

* This most probably is the date, but I am not clear of scruples in fixing from it the exact chronology. Sufficient, however, is known from the middle character, to place it long anterior to the deluge. Certainly it is very ancient, though undoubtedly since Adam.

gladness pervaded each heart. The old did not possess the petulance of age, and the young vied with each other in their reverence for grey hairs. Man usurped not undue authority over woman, while tender, gentle woman was a true help-mate for man. They acknowledged no profound allegiance to the divine right of kings,' but paid true homage to the divine right of beauty.

O ye wise, be not confounded! Here woman alone wore the diadem, and her kind hand so mildly swayed the sceptre, that all bowed down to her decree. She that was most discreet and virtuous, chaste and lovely, was chosen out of all the fairest and loveliest maidens of the land, to be the queen and rule. To her will all yielded a readier compliance, in as much as they were wont to revere it through force of long precedent: for, from time immemorial, there was no example of disloyalty. This virgin queen had no councillors but the MAGI, who received all wisdom from the great First Principles of Good and Evil. They held familiar intercourse with the GENII, those strange aerial things of ancient times, which-invisible-pervaded all space-now flitting unseen through the air; and now wandering among tombs, and other dark and dreary places of the earth. This virgin queen and queen of virgins, was bound by fate to keep pure her heart, and never fall in love; but bestow all her affections on her people. These are the words of the mighty Rehobah! "Let your queen be more spotless than the white snow of the mountain,-more pure than the stream which flows down from its melting,-and colder in love than its gelid waters. Let her be fairer than the fairy-reared blossoms of Aizu-discreet as the Magi, and more virtuous than the mother of the stars-and may she rule until there is born another maiden, excelling her in all things. Moreover, listen, ye inhabitants of Karsarmar Kerselkolf, to the decree of Fate! When your queen shall lose her beauty, and her loveliness vanish away, then shall be crowned a new queen from all the damsels of the land. But if it be your queen shall fall in love, the nation shall be destroyed!"

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Here occurs the first illegible part of the manuscript. The sense is not entirely obscure, nor so clear as to make it possible to give a correct and accurate interpretation. It is, for the most part, a further delineation of the habits and customs of this country. The sense of the history appears to be, that in these, they were not so dissimilar to those cotemporary with the writer, as to be altogether uninteresting. That, indeed, if perhaps in this respect, they were found to be a little unique, even this very circumstance might add novelty and interest to their history, and considerably augment the reader's curiosity and thereby gratify

wonderful propensity of man-a love for the marvelous. That, all of Elysium or Paradise ever dreamt of, in the wild dreams of the wildest dreamer, or crazed brain of the craziest poet, was here enjoyed! That in their feelings, passions, loves, and all desires, they were not unlike men of his day, because they lived so long ago; and a knowledge of them might be useful from the important truth, none the less so, for being reiterated ten thousand times, by every school-boy of every age-the truth, that "there is a great deal of human nature in man ;" and that that "human nature has been the same in all ages.'

As for their valor he could not vouch, for the simple reason that they never had cause to contend in warfare; but for their virtues they were proverbial. That in this as in every other age, there were retreats called the shades or groves of Academus, whither resorted the rising generation, in order to listen to the wisdom of the Magi, and hearken to the superior knowledge of the sage, and where, strange to tell, their disciples were not taken for knaves, as matter of course; but rather considered honest, till such time, as they by some overt act of rascality, proved themselves bona fide such. That a much greater proportion than one in twenty of their women were supposed to have souls: and that, for such as had, beautiful bowers, fragrant and shady arbors, overhung with divers vinous and creeping plants, were prepared, as preferable to houses of wood, and enclosed walls of brick or stone, fifty feet high; so that these fair ones might not be shut in from the pleasant world around, which was very beautiful to look upon, even as all creation. That here they were fanned by soft winds and gentle gales, bearing sweet perfumes-inhaling a pure atmosphere, under a pure, clear canopy, improving and cultivating their minds, as they skipped among flowers, and over green lawns, singing and tuning their voices in unison with the songsters of nature, even as they skip and sing among the branches-since ladies, especially such as have souls, have also common sense! That in all matters of the heart, the gentle archer so directed his arrows, as to produce the desired effect, always causing a reciprocation, and preventing so direful a calamity as unrequited love! Unrequited! Horror!! Horror!! O my Theodo.* O my Theodo.* Love unrequited! unrequi-unreq-un—.

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Alas! Theodosia !!

Near the interior of the Queendom, in a quiet vale, sequestered by circumambient hills, and beautifully diversified with all kinds of shrubbery and green herbage, there was a stately grove of tall Arbamas. Through this flowed a crystal river, with banks

*My uncle seems here to have given quite away to his old malady, or rather the association of ideas came too thick and fast upon him, and caused a return of the old monomania. But he again resumes the translation.

sprinkled profusely with flowers of every hue exhaling spicy odors, very grateful to the sense. It was a custom received from olden time, and hallowed by associations of ancestral usage, for all the beautiful and discreet maidens of this peaceful land, here to assemble once a year, and under the teaching of the chief of the Magi, enjoy the companionship of their virgin queen. Here they were wont to pass many happy days in various pastimes and recreations—learning and reciting the precepts of the wisecomposing and singing pleasant songs-and making melody upon the lute and harp. Here one damsel vied with another in displaying her charms, both of person and mind-in exhibiting the the gifts of Nature-and the talents which each possessed. Here, also, the queen strove with the rest, lest even she might be excelled by some more fortunate and happy rival: for it was a decree of Fate, that "when the queen should lose her beauty, and her loveliness vanish away; and when another maiden should be born excelling her in all things-then a new queen should be crowned from all the damsels of the land." Many qualifications were required, many and severe were the tests of excellence, and but few were found to contend for the scepter. At length, after a lapse of many ages, during which many lovely queens reigned prosperously over this goodly country, there was a time, when all the maidens, according to their custom, were assembled at the grove of tall Arbamas. Here also came the Magi in order to perform their appointed offices, in presiding over the exercises and pastimes, in judging of beauty, wit, penetration and all other excellences-in awarding the Queendom according to the decree of Fate to the "most discreet and virtuous, chaste and beautiful, of all the fairest and loveliest maidens of the land."

"And it came to pass, that at this time there were found among the daughters of the land, two most lovely damsels, sisters, born at one birth, who each excelled the queen in all things. They bore such perfect resemblance, that one could not be told from the other; and even the mother who cherished and brought them up, could find no mark of distinction. They were alike in stature and in form, in the expression of their countenances, in all the perfections of beauty, and excellencies of mind. Both were highly accomplished, possessing wit, courage, judgment and discretion infinitely beyond their sex. In treasuring up the knowledge of the Magi, they surpassed all; since they never forgot any thing they had ever read or heard, and their compositions in poetry were far superior to all others of their time. Moreover, these fairest of women loved each other so tenderly that one could not be happy when the other was absent, and they were accustomed to go hand in hand about their daily avocations-singing and en

deavoring to please and amuse each other, by relating tales and fables-reciting poetry and displaying for each other's happiness in many ways, their great treasures of knowledge.

"Hearken, O ye wise, to the mighty wisdom of the great Schemarthar, to whom the past, present and future are all as one; for he was the most wonderful of all prognosticators! During the space of three moons he wandered alone upon the mountains, watching the planetary host of heaven and reading the courses of the stars. For the space of three moons he had familiar intercourse with the Genii, and held with them secret councils respecting which of the lovely sisters should be chosen queen. And this was the decree of Fate. Entrust the damsels to the wisdom of the great Schemarthar. Let him practice according to his knowledge of woman's propensitics-for he is mighty in these things.""

The narration here breaks out into an extravagant eulogium of the curious and sagacious Schemarthar, and his most wonderful doings. "O deviser and machinator of expedients! O pink and flower of handicraft; thou double-distilled quintessence and soul of soothsaying! O unriddler of riddles, and chief in prognostication! perfect wert thou in skill and cunning -for, possessing all knowledge of woman's heart, and understanding all its tergiversations and subterfuges, by means of this knowledge, the science of the stars and thy acquaintance with the Genii, thou didst hit on an exceedingly adroit and witty expedient-didst learn that woman was very curious and would never bear to have bounds set to her inquisitiveness, even though the consequences might be fatal to herself, especially if a secret was designedly concealed. Thou sawest that the more improved her mind, the less would she be restrained, and the greater her solicitude to find out hidden things; and that two of such superior intellects, to whom all knowledge was manifest, and who had been wont to solve all doubts aud mysteries, would not suffer any restraint on minds so acute and enquiring, but risk all rather than remain in ignorance."

After this the history again resumes its regular thread.

During his sojourn upon the mountains, the great Schemarthar was led by invisible agents into a spacious grotto, and there, after many mysterious ceremonies, presented with a small golden box, very beautifully wrought, of singular qualities, set with pearls and precious rubies, and otherwise ornamented, so as to excite great wonder in the beholder. This he was instructed to place in the presence of these matchless beauties, and also to warn them of the loss of the Queendom, besides other most fearful and terri