racious and refulgent presence of that pearl of royalty,
that gem of magnificence, the quintessence of all earthly perfection,
the great king of kings! that as the vilest reptile that crawls is
permitted to enjoy the warmth of the glorious sun, so he, the meanest
of the king's subjects, hoped once more to bask in the sunshine of the
royal countenance; and, finally, he humbly prayed, that his long absence
might not deprive him of the shadow of the throne; that he might aspire
to reoccupy his former post near his majesty's person, and once again
be permitted to vie with the nightingale, and sing of the charms and
perfections of his lovely rose.

The next letter was addressed to the prime vizier, in which that
notorious minister, decrepit in person, and nefarious in conduct, was
called a planet among the stars, and the sheet anchor of the state, and
in which the poet sues for his protection. There was nearly a similar
one to his former enemy, the lord high treasurer. I then inspected the
letters addressed to his family, of which one was to his wife, another
to his son's tutor, and a third to his steward. To his wife, he talked
of the interior arrangements of his anderun; hoped that she had been
economical in her dress, that she had kept the female slaves in good
order, and desired her immediately to set herself and them about making
clothes for him, as he was destitute of everything.

To the tutor, he enjoined great attention to his son's manners; hoped
that he had been taught all the best forms of cant and compliment; that
he never omitted to say his prayers; that he was by this time able to
sit a horse, to perform the spear exercise, and to fire a gun on the
full gallop.

To his steward, he gave some general instructions concerning the
administration of his affairs--enjoined great economy; that he should
daily go and stand before the prime vizier; praise him to the skies; and
make all sorts of professions, on his part, to his excellency; that he
should keep a good watch upon his women and slaves; that his wife should
not go too often to the bath; that when she and her slaves went abroad
to take the air, he should accompany them. He hoped that no intriguing
old women, particularly Jewesses, had been admitted into his harem; and
that the walls, which surrounded the women's apartments, had always been
kept in good repair, in order to prevent gadding on the housetop with
the neighbours. He ordered that his black slave, Joh