first of the seven, was a Arayoung bian Prince named Ameriolkeis, who was no less celebrated by the fire and fertility of his imagination, than by the misfortunes with which his life was interwoven. He begins thus: Kiffa nebki mi 'dhirai habibi wamenzili Besikti 'llawi beiná ddahuli fahoumeli. "Stay; let us give some tears to the remembrance of the dwelling place of our beloved, in the sandy valleys which are between Dahul and Houmel."

He afterwards regrets the tents he has left, and is afflicted with the absence of his lover. His companions strive to allay his grief in relating to him an unlucky accident, which had formerly separated him from beloved objects; he replies:

"My grief was then not less than at present for, when those whom I loved were on the eve of their departure, when their sighs embalmed the air with the sweet breath of musk, like the Zephyrs of the evening which bring the odour of Pinks, agitated by the most ardent passion, my eyes o'erflowed with tears; they trickied down my neck, and bathed my girdle in their

course.

His friends finding that they had .not taken the right method to dissipate his grief made use of another.They exhorted him to remember the happy days which he had passed with his beloved, and told him, he ought to expect some portion of pain after so much felicity. This discourse gives him occasion to relate the adventures of his youth, among which he gives the following recital with all the richness and harmony of the Arabian language.

"I loved a beautiful maiden, who was held secretly confined in a deep retreat : nevertheless I enjoyed her charms without fear.

I flew to her through a crowd of guards, ardent to tear my life from me.

The names of the seven poets are Amraikeis, Tarafa, Zoheir, Lebid, Antara, Am. ru, and Hareth. In the same collection, No. 174, there is a manuscript containing above forty other poems, which had the honour of being suspended in the temple of Mecca this volume is an inestimable treasure of ancient Arabick Literature.

I arose; I carried her away with me, and she effaced the traces of our steps with the train of her superb robe. And when we had passed beyond the habitation of the tribes, she stopped at the shelter of a winding hill.

I drew her softly towards me by her lovely tresses and she fell upon my breast; nothing could equal the beauty of her slender figure; her breast was as smooth as a polished mirror.

She turned towards me her charming countenance, and discovered to me her beautiful cheeks; she looked around her with the soft affright of a Hind alarmed for her young Fauns. Her neck was like that of an Antelope,

white, strait, and adorned with precious ornaments.

Her hair, which flowed upon her shoulders,

was black as jet, and entwined like the branches of a palm tree. The ringlets of this elegant hair had a thousand various forms, some were skilfully tied, others agreeably scattered.

Her waist was like a fine cord, and her leg like the stem of the Palm tree, moistened with the rain.

The odour of musk was spread upon the

bed which she composed, and she slept until the morning, wrapped up in her cloak of soft texture.

She distributed her gifts with her fingers charming and slender as the crimson worms of the sandy hill, or as the stalk of the tree Echel.

Her beauty dispersed the shades of the night, like the light of the lamp of the Dervis retired into his cell.

The most chaste of men would certainly

have been inflamed with love at the sight of so rare a beauty, in the age of pleasure, and with a robe of such grandeur.

And whose face resembled the egg of an Ostrich preserved in a clear brook, which the traveller has not disturbed by the impression of his steps. The insensible, alone, defend their hearts against Love, mine will never alienate

itself from the charms of my beloved."

Among the other descriptions of this Poem, those of the authour's passage across the Desert, of his horse,

ways saleable, and never fluctuated in value, but were likely to rise in publick estimation; and satisfying himself with this excuse for the breach of his contract, he obstinately persisted in refusing to give more than 25 "Washingtons," for the 50" Jeffersons:" that the 25" Washingtons" had been received; and this action was brought for the value of the remaining 25 "Jeffersons," agreeably to the terms

Day

V.

Jarvis.

1808.

Action on the case to Sept. term, 1805.

Piff. declares for goods sold and quantum valebant.

A Jury being called and duly im

The defendant's counsel denied the contract set up on the other side, although he admitted the receipt of the 50" Jeffersons." He lamented that the absence of his client prevented him from fully demonstrating the injustice and extrava

It appeared that the parties were both printsellers; the plaintiff residing in Philadelphia, the defendant in New-York: that in

the

plaintiff having published a large number of engravings of President Jefferson" proposed an exchange with the defendant, for Heath's engravings of " Washington:" that the "Jeffersons" were INTENDED TO MATCH the "Washingtons!" and the subscription for each was the same, $5 25 a piece; with a customary allowance of 25 per cent. to the trade: that the defendant, consenting to the exchange, the plaintiff had in good faith sent him 50 "Jef fersons," expecting to receive 50 "Washingtons" in return; that some time having elapsed, and the " Washingtons" not arriving, the plaintiff pressed the defendant to perform his contract: but Jarvis replied, that it was unreasonable to require it; for that " Jefferson" himself had already lost so much of his popularity, and was sinking so rapidly, that his likenesses (which, of course, were depreciated with the origina!), had already fallen to almost nothing; and, as there was no chance of HIS ever being reelected, there was no probability of THEIR ever rising: that the "Washngtons," on the contrary, were al

proving that, whatever the artist might have intended, the "Jeffersons"

never were considered matches for the "Washingtons," by persons of the least taste or judgment: that although a few of the "Jeffersons" were put off, at the subscription price, soon after publication, and had a tolerably brisk sale, the moment they were submitted to the test of criticism, and were compared with the " Washingtons," they were condemned by the unbiassed judgment of the publick, and fell, as he was able to prove by a deposition, which he held in he was not permited to read) to 12 his hand (but which being ex parte, and 13 cents a-piece, by wholesale, and at that price were a dull article; and that to him it appeared monstrous

ex

that when the plaintiff had found a ready sale, and received a full price for the 25" WASHINGTONS,' ceeding the value of all the "JEFFERSONS that were ever turned from forward, and demand the same price his plate, he should at this time come for his " Jeffersons," which began to depreciate before they were dry from the press, and were now of less value than waste paper.

The plaintiff's counsel insisted totis viribus upon his contract. He preciation of the "Jeffersons" but his did not pretend to deny the terrible de

client was a Printseller, and did not mean to speculate upon the continuance of the popularity of his PRINT or its LIKENESS: his object was, to turn the one to good account, while the other was in publick favour, and if the defendant had made a bad bargain, he had himself alone to blame for it.

It appeared in the course of the evidence, that the plaintiff had offered to receive" HAMILTONS," in lieu of the "WASHINGTONS," but the defendant declined giving either of them, for the "JEFFERSONS," alleging that the HAMILTONS," like theWASHINGTONS,' 99 were of increasing value, and daily rising in publick estimation.

The judge charged the jury, that all they had to look to, was the contract between the parties, which was fully proved: that they had nothing to do with the relative value of the prints, however proper it might have been for the consideration of the parties when they contracted; and that the rapid depreciation of the "JEFFERSONS," since the contract, the only defence set up, amounted to no justification of the breach of it.

Verdict for the plaintiff. Damages $118, 12.

For The Port Folio. MEMOIRS OF ANACREON.

CHAP. VII.

Continued from page 28.

We returned to the city, and refreshed ourselves in a bath; after which we dined together. Anthes, whether from mortification or reflection, I know not, had lost all his gayety. The Poet endeavoured to rouse him from the lethargy into which he seemed to have fallen, by a song, which he gave us, accompanied by his harp:

Awake to life, my dulcet shell,

To Phœbus ail thy sighs shall swell;*

*This hymn to Apollo is supposed not to have been written by Anacreon, and it certainly is rather a sublimer flight than

And though no glorious prize be thine, No Pythian wreath around thee twine, Yet every hour is glory's hour

To him who gathers wisdom's flower! Then wake thee from thy magick slumbers,

Breathe to the soft and Phrygian numbers,
Which, as my trembling lips repeat,
Thy chords shall echo back as sweet.
The cygnet thus, with fading notes,
As down Cayster's stream he floats,
Plays with his snowy plumage fair
Upon the wanton murmuring air,
Which amorously lingers round,
And sighs responsive sound for sound!
Muse of the Lyre! illume my dream,
Thy Phœbus is my fancy's theme;
And hallowed is the harp I bear,
And hallowed is the wreath I wear,
Hallowed by him, the god of lays,
Who modulates the choral maze'
I sing the love which Daphne twined
Around the godhead's yielding mind;
I sing the blushing Daphne's flight
From this ethereal youth of light;
And how the tender, timid maid
Resigned a form too tempting fair,
Flew panting to the kindly shade,
And grew a verdant laurel there,
Whose leaves, with sympathetick thrill,
In terrour seemed to tremble still!
The god pursued with winged desire,
And when his hopes were all on fire,
And when he thought to hear the sigh,
With which enamoured virgins die,
He only heard the pensive air
Whispering amid her leafy hair!
But, oh my soul! no more-no more!
Enthusiast, whither do I soar?
This sweetly maddening dream of soul
Has hurried me beyond the goal.
Why should I sing the mighty darts
Which fly to wound celestial hearts,
When sure the lay, with sweeter tone,
Can tell the darts that wound my own?
Still be Anacreon, still inspire
The descant of the Teian lyre :
Still let the nectared numbers float,
Distilling love in every note!

And when the youth, whose burning soul
Has felt the Paphian star's control,
When he the liquid lays shall hear,

and their unreasonable and impertinent philosophers, as well as we. But the ruins of time have kindly relieved us from the far greatest part of them, and in those who remain, along with native good sense and cultivated taste, we discover only the errours of the times wherein they lived and those personal vices and weaknesses from which human nature in no age has been entirely exempted.

In considering the works of the ancients as models of good sense, true taste, and sound judgment, we may find occasion to wonder at the agreement we find among them, and to ask why so many different opinions on the most important subjects have prevailed among men, when we find that the original maxims of wisdom and science have so uniformly manifested themselves to the minds of men in very distant ages and countries. It is astonishing how many just notions of the Divine Being, his attributes, nature, laws and government, are to be found in their writings; enough surely to make us wonder why our modern infidels, who pretend to philosophy and good taste, should pay no regard to the many sublime truths contained in the classicks, merely because they are also to be found in the Bible.

ture.

Another benefit arising from the study of the classicks, is that they exhibit for the most part, very just notions of human naBeing studious of beautiful and elegant composition, as well as justness of sentiment, they endeavoured to adapt their works to the feelings of men. The modern infidel philosophiers suppose man to be a mere reasoning animal and therefore require a reason even for our assent to the testimony of our senses, and sometimes suppose man to be without passions altogether, whence their doctrines are absurd, and the rules they lay down for philosophizing impracticable; as it is not in our power to devest ourselves of any part of our na

ture.

But such descriptions of human nature, as are found in the Classicks, exhibit Man as endued with senses, imagination, passions, and intuitive faculties, as well as reason, for which their works will continue to please, when those of our modern scepticks are buried in oblivion.

Whatever is unnatural, is not pleasing; and for this reason, it would be impossible to compose a work on sceptical principles, that should be agreeable to the feelings and experience of mankind. Lucretius, though a determined Epicurean, was sensible of this, and therefore, in order to make his poem pleasing and natural, was obliged to digress, into the popular belief, contrary to the principles he wanted to establish. He was sensible, that a world without a Governour, a fortuitous congeries of atoms, jum. bled together by the hand of Chance, would

not be a very pleasing picture to the human imagination; and that even the invocation of deities that he disbelieved, would appear a less shocking absurdity to the human understanding. Mr. Pope's Essay on Man, although it is more natural and pleasing than the work of Lucretius, in so far as it allows a Supreme Governour of the Universe, yet as it excludes a particular Providence, leaves a very gloomy impression on the mind.

The works of the poets, oratours, and historians of antiquity are addressed to the heart and imagination, as well as to the reason of men, which is the reason why they are so generally pleasing, and have obtained the approbation of so many ages. The novelty of sceptical philosophy may please some cold speculative men, who have almost lost their natural feelings, by the indulgence of intemperance, or gratify the pride of others, who desire to be distinguished from the vulgar, but it can never become pleasing to mankind in general, as it degrades human nature to a level with the brutes and presents no object to our imagination or passions, that is in the least worthy of them.

The due cultivation of our intuitive faculties is so far from being any impediment to the exercise of reason, that it affords it the greatest assistance. Right reasoning is the act of a sound and discerning mind, that distinctly perceives the nature, properties, place, and importance of those objects, about which it is employed. That sense of order then, and that distinctness of perception, which is acquired by perusing the works of genius, employed in describing the most interesting parts of human nature, must be of the greatest use to philosophick investigation.

As all philosophick reasoning rests on certain primary truths, or first principles, which must be assumed without demonstration, in order to deduce other truths from them, the study of simple and unadulterated nature, as described in the writings of the ancients, must strengthen and exercise our intuitive capacities, and enable us to relish the study of true philosophy, which, by fair and orderly deduction, may make Truth as agreeable to our understandings, as the beauties of Nature are to our perceptive faculties.

It is likewise to be considered, that some of the Classick authours are likewise eminent philosophers. Cicero, who first treated these subjects in the Latin language, and who had made himself master of all the learning of Greece, was conversant both with the Peripatetick and Stoick Philosophy, though he unfortunately preferred the Academick to both of them. In his philosophical works, we find the most profound subjects of philosophy treated in