them up in the humble and unambitious her out of the trance into which she was pursuits of knowledge. By this means shall fallen, represented to the king, that so unthe line of Caliphs be preserved, and my expected an honour was too great to have children succeed after me, without aspiring been communicated to her all at once; but to my throne whilst I am yet alive.” "The that, if he pleased, he would himself prepare words of my lord the king shall be obeyed," | her for it. The king bid him take his own said Helim. After which he bowed, and way, and dismissed him. Balsora was conwent out of the king's presence. He then veyed again to her father's house, where the received the children into his own house, thoughts of Abdallah renewed her affliction and from that time bred them up with him every moment; insomuch that at length she in the studies of knowledge and virtue. The fell into a raging fever. The king was inyoung princes loved and respected Helim as formed of her condition by those that saw their father, and made such improvements her. Helim, finding no other means of exunder him, that by the age of one and twen-tricating her from the difficulties she was in, ty they were instructed in all the learning of after having composed her mind, and made the East. The name of the eldest was her acquainted with his intentions, gave her Ibrahim, and of the youngest Abdallah. a potion, which he knew would lay her They lived together in such a perfect friend- asleep for many hours; and afterwards, in ship, that to this day it is said of intimate all the seeming distress of a disconsolate friends, that they live together like Ibrahim father, informed the king she was dead. The and Abdallah. Helim had an only child, king, who never let any sentiments of huwho was a girl, of a fine soul, and a most manity come too near his heart, did not beautiful person. Her father omitted no- much trouble himself about the matter thing in her education, that might make her however, for his own reputation, he told the the most accomplished woman of her age. father, that since it was known through the As the young princes were in a manner ex- empire that Balsora died at a time when he cluded from the rest of the world, they fre- designed her for his bride, it was his intention quently conversed with this lovely virgin, that she should be honoured as such after who had been brought up by her father in her death, and that her body should be laid the same course of knowledge and of virtue. in the Black Palace, among those of his deAbdallah, whose mind was of a softer turn ceased queens. than that of his brother, grew by degrees so enamoured of her conversation, that he did not think he lived when he was not in company with his beloved Belsora, for that was the name of the maid. The fame of her beauty was so great, that at length it came to the ears of the king, who pretending to visit the young princes his sons, demanded of Helim the sight of Balsora, his fair daughter. The king was so inflamed with her beauty and behaviour, that he sent for Helim the next morning, and told him it was now his design to recompense him for all his faithful services; and that, in order to it, he intended to make his daughter queen of Persia. Helim, who knew very well the fate of all those unhappy women who had been thus advanced, and could not but be privy to the secret love which Abdallah bore his daughter, "Far be it," said he, "from the king of Persia to contaminate the blood of the Caliphs, and join himself in marriage with the daughter of his physician." The king, however, was so impatient for such a bride, that, without hearing any excuses, he immediately ordered Balsora to be sent for into his presence, keeping the father with him, in order to make her sensible of the honour which he designed her. Balsora, who was too modest and humble to think her beauty had made such an impression on the king, was a few moments after brought into his presence as he had commanded.

In the mean time Abdallah, who had heard of the king's design, was not less afflicted than his beloved Balsora. As for the several circumstances of his distress, as also how the king was informed of an irrecoverable distemper into which he was fallen, they are to be found at length in the history of Helim. It shall suffice to acquaint my reader, that Helim, some days after the sup posed death of his daughter, gave the prince a potion of the same nature with that which had laid asleep Balsora.

It is the custom among the Persians, 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 repository of all who are descended from the Caliphs, or any way allied to them. The chief physician is always governor of the Black Palace, it being his office to embalm and preserve the holy family after they are dead, as well as to take care of them while they are yet living. The Back Palace is so called from the colour of the building, which is all of the finest polished black marble. There are always burning in it five thousand everlasting 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 nobody enters besides the governor.

Helim, after having conveyed the body of his daughter into this repository, and at the She appeared in the king's eye as one of appointed time received her out of the sleep the virgin's of Paradise; but, upon hearing into which she was fallen, took care some the honour which he intended her, she faint-time after to bring that of Abdallah into the ed away, and fell down as dead at his feet. same place. Balsora watched over him, till Helim wept, and, after having recovered such time as the dose he had taken lost its

king thither, in order to recover him out of a long fit of sickness; which succeeded so 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 lived Abdallah and Balsora. They were both so fraught with all kinds of knowledge, and possessed with so constant and mutual a passion for each other, that their solitude never lay heavy on them. Abdallah applied himself to those arts which

effect. Abdallah was not acquainted with Helim's design when he gave him this sleepy potion. It is impossible to describe the surprise, the joy, the transport he was in at his first awaking. He fancied himself in the retirements of the blessed, and that the spirit of his dear Balsora, who he thought was just gone before him, was the first who came to congratulate his arrival. She soon informed him of the place he was in, which, notwithstanding all its horrors, appeared to him more sweet than the bower of Maho-were agreeable to his manner of living, and met, in the company of his Balsora.

the situation of the place, insomuch 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.

Helim, who was supposed 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 it, the gates being watched in such a manner as I have before related. This consideration did not a little disturb the two interred In about ten years after their abode in this lovers. At length Helim bethought himself, place, the old king died, and was succeeded that the first day of the full moon of the by his son Ibrahim, who, upon the supposed month Tizpa, was near at hand. Now, it is death of his brother, had been called to a received tradition among the Persians, that court, and entertained there as heir to the the souls of those of the royal family, who Persian empire. Though he was for some are in a state of bliss, do, on the first full years inconsolable for the death of his brothmoon after their decease, pass through the er, Helim durst not trust him with the se eastern gate of the Black Palace, which is cret, which he knew would have fatal contherefore called the gate of Paradise, in or- sequences, should it by any means come to der to take their flight for that happy place. the knowledge of the old king. Ibrahim Helim, therefore, having made due prepa- was no sooner mounted on the throne, but rations for this night, dressed each of the Helim sought after a proper opportunity of lovers in a robe of azure silk, wrought in the making a discovery to him, which he knew finest looms of Persia, with a long train of would be very agreeable to so good natured linen, whiter than snow, that floated on the and generous a prince. It so happened, that, ground behind them. Upon Abdallah's before Helim found such an opportunity as head he fixed a wreath of the greenest myr- he desired, the new king Ibrahim, having tle, and on Balsora's a garland of the fresh- been separated from his company in a chase, est roses. Their garments were scented and almost fainting with heat and thirst, saw with the richest perfumes of Arabia. Hav- himself at the foot of mount Khacan; he ing thus prepared every thing, the full moon immediately ascended the hill, and coming was no sooner up, and shining in all its to Helim's house, demanded some refreshbrightness, but he privately opened the gate ments. Helim was very luckily there at of Paradise, and shut it after the same man- that time, and after having set before the ner, as soon as they had passed through it. king the choicest of wines and fruits, finding The band of negroes, who were posted at a him wonderfully pleased with so seasonable little distance from the gate, seeing two such a treat, told him that the best part of his enbeautiful apparitions, that showed them- tertainment was to come, upon which he selves to advantage by the light of the full opened to him the whole history of what had moon, and being ravished with the odour passed. The king was at once astonished that flowed from their garments, immedi- and transported at so strange a relation, and, ately concluded them to be the ghosts of the seeing his brother enter the room with Baltwo persons lately deceased. They fell sora in his hand, he leaped off from the sofa upon their faces as they passed through the on which he sat, and cried out, "It is he ! nidst of them, and continued prostrate on it is my Abdallah!"- -Having said this, he the earth till such time as they were out of fell upon his neck and wept. The whole sight. They reported the next day what company, for some time, remained silent, they had seen; but this was looked upon, by and shed tears of joy. The king at length, the king himself, and most others, as the after having kindly reproached Helim for compliment that was usually paid to any of depriving him so long of such a brother, the deceased of his family. Helim had embraced Balsora with the greatest tenderplaced two of his own mules at about a ness, and told her, that she should now be a mile's distance from the Black Temple, on queen indeed, for that he would immediatethe spot which they had agreed upon for ly make his brother king of all the conquertheir rendezvous. He here met them, and ed nations on the other side the Tigris. He conducted them to one of his own houses, easily discovered in the eyes of our two lovwhich was situated on mount Khacan. The ers, that, instead of being transported with air on this mountain was so very healthful, the offer, they preferred their present rethat Helim had formerly transported thelement to empire. At their request

THE FREEHOLDER.

No. 1.] Friday, December 23, 1715.

Rara temporum felicitas, ubi sentire quæ velis, et quæ

sentias dicere licet.-Tacit.

THE arguments of an author lose a great deal of their weight, when we are persuaded that he only writes for argument's sake, and has no real concern in the cause which he espouses. This is the case of one, who draws his pen in the defence of property, without having any; except, perhaps, in the copy of a libel, or a ballad. One is apt to suspect, that the passion for liberty, which appears in a Grub-street patriot, aríses only from his apprehensions of a jail; and that, whatever he may pretend, he does not write to secure, but to get, something of his own. Should the government be overturned, he has nothing to lose but an old standish.

I question not but the reader will conceive a respect for the author of this paper, from the title of it; since, he may be sure, I am so considerable a man, that I cannot have less than forty shillings a year.

freeholder, I do not exclude myself from any other title. A freeholder may be either a voter, or a knight of the shire; a wit, or a fox-hunter; a scholar, or a soldier; an alderman, or a courtier; a patriot, or a stockjobber. But I choose to be distinguished by this denomination, as the freeholder is the basis of all other titles. Dignities may be grafted upon it; but this is the substantial stock, that conveys to them their life, taste, and beauty; and without which they are no more than blossoms, that would fall away with every shake of wind.

And here I cannot but take occasion to congratulate my country upon the increase of this happy tribe of men, since, by the wisdom of the present parliament, I find the race of freeholders spreading into the remotest corners of the island. I mean that act which passed in the late session for the encouragement of loyalty in Scotland: by which it is provided, "That all and every vassal and vassals in Scotland, who shall continue peaceable, and in dutiful allegiance to his majesty, his heirs, and successors, holding lands or tenements of any offender (guilty of high-treason) who holds such lands or tenements immediately of the crown, shall be vested and seized, and are hereby enact

I have rather chosen this title than any other, because it is what I most glory in, and what most effectually calls to my mind the happiness of that government under which I live. As a British freeholder, I should not scruple taking place of a French mar-ed and ordained to hold the said lands or quis; and when I see one of my countrymen amusing himself in his little cabbage-garden, I naturally look upon him as a greater person than the owner of the richest vineyard in Champagne.

The House of Commons is the representative of men in my condition. I consider myself as one who give my consent to every law which passes: a freeholder in our government being of the nature of a citizen of Rome in that famous commonwealth; who, by the election of a tribune, had a kind of remote voice in every law that was enacted. So that a freeholder is but one remove from a legislator, and for that reason ought to stand up in the defence of those laws, which are in some degree of his own making. For such is the nature of our happy constitution, that the bulk of the people virtually give their approbation to every thing they are bound to obey, and prescribe to themselves those rules by which they are to walk.

At the same time that I declare I am a

tenements of his majesty, his heirs, and successors, in fee and heritage for ever, by such manner of holding, as any such offender held such lands or tenements of the crown, &c."

By this means it will be in the power of a Highlander to be at all times a good tenant, without being a rebel; and to deserve the character of a faithful servant, without thinking himself obliged to follow his master to the gallows.

How can we sufficiently extol the goodness of his present majesty, who is not willing to have a single slave in his dominions! or enough rejoice in the exercise of that loyalty, which, instead of betraying a man into the most ignominious servitude, (as it does in some of our neighbouring kingdoms,) entitles him to the highest privileges of freedom and property ! It is now to be hoped, that we shall have few vassals, but to the laws of our country.

When these men have a taste of property, they will naturally love that constitution