we bestow, and
our honour in emulating the benevolence of Heaven.'

As ALMORAN feared, that to proceed farther in this argument would too
far disclose his sentiments, and put HAMET too much upon his guard; he
determined for the present to dissemble: and as he perceived, that
HAMET'S opinion, and an administration founded upon it, would render him
extreamly popular, and at length possibly establish him alone; he was
now felicitous only to withdraw him from public notice, and persuade him
to leave the government, whatever form it should receive, to be
administered by others: returning, therefore, to his seat, and assuming
an appearance of complacence and tranquillity, with which he could not
form his language perfectly to agree; 'Let us then,' said he, 'if a law
must be set up in our stead, leave the law to be executed by our slaves:
and as nothing will be left for us to do, that is worthy of us, let us
devote ourselves to the pleasures of ease; and if there are any
enjoyments peculiar to royalty, let us secure them as our only
distinction from the multitude.'

'Not so,' says HAMET; 'for there is yet much for a prince to do, after
the best system of laws has been established: the government of a nation
as a whole, the regulation and extent of its trade, the establishment of
manufactories, the encouragement of genius, the application of the
revenues, and whatever can improve the arts of peace, and secure
superiority in war, is the proper object of a king's attention.

'But in these,' said ALMORAN, 'it will be difficult for two minds to
concur; let us, then, agree to leave these also to the care of some
other, whom we can continue as long as we approve, and displace when we
approve no longer: we shall, by this expedient, be able to avert the
odium of any unpopular measure; and by the sacrifice of a slave, we can
always satisfy the people, and silence public discontent.'

'To trust implicitly to another,' says HAMET, 'is to give up a
prerogative, which is at once our highest duty and interest to keep; it
is to betray our trust, and to sacrifice our honour to another. The
prince, who leaves the government of his people implicitly to a subject,
leaves it to one, who has many more temptations to betray their interest
than himself: a vicegerent is in a subordinate station; he has,
therefore, much to rear, and much to hope: he may also acquire the power
of obtaining what he hopes, and averting what he rears, at the public
exp