( 129 ) HISTORY of MAHMUT and IDRIS! A PERSIAN ANECDOTE: AMONG the dancers of the pa- the new dancer: Every one admired lace, in the reign of Abbas the great, king of Perfia, there was a young maid, named Idris, whom the mafter of the revels, on the report of her charms, had fent for from Cafbin to Ifpahan. Her mother being of the fame profeffion, fhe had followed this way of life: But as the honourably diftinguished herself from her female companions, the demonftrated that virtue is practicable in every fituation of life, however flippery or dangerous. Scarcely had Idris appeared on the theatre of the capital, but the found herself befet by the grandees, who Itrove to please her by the fame means that had won many others in that ftation. One exhaufted all his rhetoric in cominending her shape and manner; another extolled the form of her face, her complexion, and the regularity of her features. A third, to give weight to the encomiums he had bestowed on her voice, repeated an air he had heard her fing, and declared his distraction to arrive at that grace with which the A fourth, gave life to the words. boafting his skill and precifion in dancing, exhibited inftantly fome of the attitudes he had learnt of her. A first-rate Sir Fopling gave her a lift of the pretty women he had deferted from the moment he first faw her. A young Iman, by birth entitled to become a nolah, filently difplayed his figure and bis drefs. An old pilferer of the public money dazzled her eyes with a diamond of the first water, and offered it, befides the perquifities of contracts which it was his custom to beltow upon his miftrefs. An officer of the grown made a pompous defeription of the prefents with which he had recompened the frienfhip of the little Zaki. In fine, every one exerted his faculties and addrefs, in order to gain a preference over his rivals. But Idris was not to be caught by fuch baits. At the palace, at affem blies, in the public walks, and in all companies, the difcourfe turned upon Vos. VII. her beauty, her wit, and her engaging Mahmut bore, among the young R 130 Hiftory of Mahmut and Idris. he diftinguished himself no less among them by his natural and acquired talents. Idris could not behold this amiable Perfian without emotion; the immediately fhunned all her importunate fuitors; and complacently fancying him free from all their faults, the fecretly wished that the beauty which they had fo highly extolled might make an impreffion on him. Her wishes were met more than half-way. Mahmut foon let her know, that he loved her paffionately, and her answer to his declaration, on account of its fingularity, deferves to be given en tire. "Doubtless you give the name of love," (faid fhe with a charming finile) "to that which is only an effect of your taste for novelty. I will not, my lord, go farther at prefent on this head; tis your business to fix my judgment. I will ingenuoufly confefs, though it will give you an unfavourable opinion of me, if you are not the man I take you to be, that I am not difpleafed at your declaration. But if ever I fee occafion to alter the idea I have conceived of you, hope not that I shall in the leaft indulge my inclination. I fhall not take it if, if you give your heart to a woman more virtuous than I; threfore do not complain of your lot, if I difpofe of mine in favour of any man whom I may And fuperior to you in virtue." Mahmut, ftruck with admiration, and overflowing with joy, laboured to rife to fuch a pitch as might oblige Idris to be conftant to him. He applied himself with freth vigour to acquire the arts and fciences neceflary for a man in his ftation. He made it his bufinefs to relieve indigent merit, and unfortunate virtue. His humanity, generofity, capacity, and modefty, were equally confpicuous, and Idris abundantly rewarded him for all the pains he took to please her. Praife grounded on truth, and coming from the mouth of fo charming a perfon, filled the tender Mahinut's heart with joy and fatisfaction. He read in the eyes of his charming miftrefs, how dear he was to her; he talked of his paffion, and defcribed its violence: dris listened to him with pleafure, vowed fhe would make him a just return, and thus animated him to give her no occafion to repent her engagement. In thefe overflowings of their hearts, which none but true lovers can know and feel, they laid open to each other the most fecret receffes of their fouls. Mahmut was grieved when. ever he took leave of Idris; nor could fhe bear his abfence without a visible concern: They always parted under the greatest impatience to meet again. Between two neighbours fo powerful as the Grand Signior and the king of Perfia, there can be no long peace; a war foon broke out, and Mahmut was obliged to fet out for the ariny. He waited upon Idris, to deplore with her the die neceffity that forced them afander: But while he lay at her feet, he durft not difclofe to her all his grief; the fortitude of the fair-one daunted him; he was afraid of leffening himfelf in her esteem, by difcovering any weakness. Idris perceived the fore conflict in his breast, and loved him for it the more ardently. Mahmut had not been gone a month when he gave way to his defire of an interview with Idris. He flipped away privately from the army, and with the help of relays, which he had got ready on the road, he was at the gates of Ifpahan before they miffed him in the camp. Alighting at the houfe of one of his old fervants, he difguifed himself in the apparel of a peafant, that he might not be known in the city, and impatient of an im terview with Idris, he flew to her house. The charming maid was fitting at her balcony as Mahmut was advancing, and knew him, notwithstanding his difguife. Grieved to fee him thus neglect his glory and his duty, the ran directly to her closet, charging her flave to admit no visitor whatever. She melted into tears at the 'weaknefs of her lover; but foon recovered herfelf, and wrote him the following billet. Idris to the Peasant. "Friend, I know that thou art to be forthwith at the army. Call upon Mahmut, and tell him from me, that I defire him to remember the condi tione Hiftory of Mahmur and Idris. tions on which the heart of Idris is to be fecured." Mahmut was too much confounded with these few words to ask any queftions of the flave that delivered him the billet. He went back to the domeftic's house, to put off his difguife, and fluctuating between admiration, grief, and fear, he repaired again to the army, with as much hafte as he had travelled up to 1fpahan. His chief ftudy being to make amends for the. fault he had committed, he behaved with fo much ardour, bravery, and conduct, that he was defervedly promoted to a higher poft, which the king conferred on him with the most honourable eulogies at the head of the army. Idris wrote him a congratulatory letter on his promotion, in which, without mentioning his weaknefs, he gave him to understand, that he had forgiven him. Mahmut, tranfported with joy, haftened back to Ifpahan, as foon as the army was ordered into winterquarters; and liftened to no other confideration, but his efteem for this virtuous girl: He entreated her to complete his happinefs, by becoming his wife. Your wife, my lord! answered Idris, with a kind of furprize, mixed with indignation: What! would Mahmut forget himself fo far; in difpofing of your heart, you may indeed confult nothing but your inclination; but when the question is to choose a partner in your dignity and fortune, you are accountable to thofe from whom you hold both. I that am ready to facrifice my life, were it neceffary, to preferve your glory, fhall not be inftrumental myself in fullying it. Sentiments like thefe made the paffionate Mahmut only more preffing. What are these things, faid he, which create fo great a disparity between us? An instant may deprive me of them; but the dowry which you will bring me, charming Idris, is a bleffing that depends not on men nor fortune. In uttering these words, his countenance began to be clouded with grief; fresh denials drove him to defpair, he drew his poignard, and was going to plunge it into his breaft. The tender Idris could hold out no longer. Ah! Mah 131 mut, cried fhe, ftop your hand, and live; to-morrow I fhall be yours; grant me this fhort refpite. She could not utter more; tears put an end to her furprize, and stopped her breath. Ashamed of her weakness, fhe broke lofe from her lover's arms, and with. drew to her clofet, where the foon repented the promise fhe had madę. In the mean while Mahmut was defperate enough to refolve on death, if the denied his request; and the maid, wavering between tender paffion, and her concern for the glory of her lover, foon hit upon a device that would fatisfy both. While the was free, notwithstanding the meannefs of her condition, fhe could not give herself to him upon any other terms than marriage, and confidering the diftance which fortune had put between them, the was fenfible fhe could not receive the title of wife, without disgracing her admirer. She refolved then to remove thofe obftacles to her Mahmut's happiness, at the expence of what was moft dear to her. Wrapping herself up therefore in a long mantle, the left her house in the dufk of the evening, and went to fell herself to a dealer in flaves; after this fhe wrote the following letter to Mahmut. "My Lord, "You have not thought me unworthy to be your wife, and I have the deepest fenfe of gratitude for this fingular teftimony of your esteem. I think my heart and fentiments would not have difgraced that honourable quality; but what would your relations fay? What would all Perfia fay, whose eyes are upon you, and who fee nothing in me, but the mean profeffion I was bred to? I allow that, in one moment, you may be deprived of every thing that makes the disparity between us: But if ever you should be borne down by adverfe fortune, the whole world would be forced to acknowledge my injuftice, and to pity and admire you. You love Idris; you are refolved to die, if he does not make herself yours: Come then, and take her out of the houfe of the mafter to whom. fhe has fold herself, in R. 2. order Account of the Murder of the Monk of Whitby. order that yourfelf may become her mafter. She is not qualified to be come your wife; take her then as your flave." For the OXFORD MAGAZINE. The true Account of the Murder of the Monk of Whitby, by Lord William de Bruce, of Uglebarnby, Lord Ralph de Pearfy, of Sneton, and Allatson, a Freeholder; with the Monk's Penance laid upon them, to be performed on Afcention Evening every Year, otherwise to forfeit their Lands to the Abbot of Whitby. IN the fifth year of the reign of king Henry the fecond,. A. D. 1158, the Lord of Uglebarnby, then called William de Bruce; the Lord of Sneton, called Ralph de Pearly, with a gentleman, and a freeholder, called Allation, did, on the 16th day of October, appoint to meet, and hunt the wild boar, in a certain wood, or defart place, belonging to the Abbot of Whitby; the place's name is Efkdale-fide, the Abbot's name was Sedman. Then thefe gentlemen being met, with their hounds and boar-ftaves, in the place before-mentioned, and there having found a great wild boar, the hounds ran him well near about the chapel and hermitage of Efkdale-fide, where was a Monk of Whitby, who was an hermit. The boar being very fore, and very hotly pursued, and dead run, took in at the chapel-door, and there died; whereupon the hermit fhut the hounds out of the chapel, and kept himfelf within at his meditations and prayers, the hounds ftanding at bay without. The gentlemen, in the thick the wood, being put behind their game, followed the cry of their hounds, and fo came to the hermitage, called on the hermit, who opened the door, and came fortb, and within they found the boar lying dead; for which the gentlemen, in very great fury, because their hounds were put from their game, did mot violently and cruelly run at the hermit with their boar. ftaves, whereby he died foon after: Thereupon the gentlemen, perceiving and knowing that they were in peril of death, took fanctuary at Scarborough. But at that time the Abbot being in very great favour with King Henry, removed them out of the finttuary, whereby they came in danger of the law, and not to be privileged; but likely to have the feverity of the law, which was death. But the hermit being a holy and devout man, and at the point of death, fent for the Abbot, and defired him to fend for the gentlemen who had wounded him: The Abbot fo doing, the gentlemen came, and the hermit being very fick and weak, faid unto them, I am fure to die of thofe wounds you have given me : The Abbot anfwered, they fhall furely die for the fame. But the hermit anfwered, Not fo; for I will freely forgive them my death, if they will be contented to be enjoined this penance for the fafe-guard of their fouls. The gentlemen being prefent, and terrified with the fear of death, bid him enjoin what penance he would, fo that he would but fave their lives. Then, faid the hermit, you and yours fhall hold your lands upon the Abbot of Whitby, and his fucceffors, in this manner; That upon Afcenfion Evening, you, or fome of you, fhall come to the wood of the Stray-heads, which is in Efkdale-fide, the fame day at fun. rifing, and there fhall the Abbot's officer blow his horn, to the intent that you may know how to find him; and he thall deliver unto William de Bruce, ten ftakes, eleven ftout ftowers, and eleven yethers, to be cut by you, or fome for you, with a knife of one penny price; and you Ralph de Pearly fhall take twenty one of each fort, to be cut in the fame manner; and you Allatfon fhail take nine of each fort, to be cut as aforefaid, and to be taken on your backs, and carried to the town of Whitby, and to be there before ning of the clock the fame day before-men |