The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-11-10
THE ANGEL OF PATIENCE.

municate us wisdom directly 10 man, an angel
was intrusted with the duty Of mpar,ing lessons
in patience,
splendid apartment, surrounded by every luxury
which his own and neighboring countries could
produce, and waited on by troops Of menals
who were ready TO obey his most slightly ex-
pressed wish. But, amidst all his enioymcnls,
the great lord wrthed in mental anguish. The
king had that afternoon passed him without no
tice and the want OF one word from the royal
lips had been sufficient TO produce complete in
sensibiity TO all the other blessings Of life, of
which he possessed such abundance "Was
there ever any mortal so miserable as | am p
he bitterly exclaimed; and next minute, when
his butler presented him with cup of the most
delicious wine, he started up in paroxysm of
anger, and threw the liquor in the mans face,
merely because he observed a speck Of dust upon
the salver on which the cup was borne.
He had no sooner been left alone, than the
Angel of Patience stood before him, and, hold
ing up mirror, desired him to look in it, He
coldly raised his eyes, and looking into The mir
ror, beheld vessel struggling with tempest,
while the merchant, its proprietor was directing
the sailors TO throw bales of rich merchandise
overheard in order to save it from destruction
$ Great lord" said the angel, "behold this
scene. 1t is one really taking place this mo-
ment. An honest and industrious merchant has
vessel, with the hope of turning il to profit but
he has been overtaken by storm, and now, for
the sake OF bare life, he is compelled to sacrifice
all that property which was the result OF so many
years Of toll, and upon which he calculated for
the means of spending his latter days in peace,
and portioning his sons and daughters Is he
not more miserable than thou ~
The great lord held his peace, and, after
brief pause, the angel desired him to look again
rh1ta Ia h..t
thrown from the vessel, and the merchant show
ed by his attitude and looks, that he was resign.
ed TO the great loss which it had been the will of
| Heaven that he should experience. "Seest
| thou said the angel g how patient the mer-
chant is 2 He knows that he is pennyless, and
must once more begin the world, if he would be
wealthy, or even to acquire the means of subsis-
tenee. Yeti he breathes not word of complaint.
He submits to fate, and his soul is at peacen
sob, angel" said the great lord II see all that
thou showest to me, and am corrected. MAY
never again repine about trilles, or fall into such
unworthy fits of angerm The angel then de-
parted, for her purpose had been accomplished.
Bakrak sat in his magnificent bazaar in the
city of Belts, which was filed with all the rich
spices and cloths, and porcelain Of the east He
was the richest man in the city, and fortune still
continued to flow upon him in an unremitting
stream. But at this moment a cloud SAT on the
brow of Bakrak One of his slaves had that
| day disappeared with package of the rich
| shawls Of Lahore, and as misfoTtunes rarely come
single, his coffee had not been scorched exactly
to the right degree of dryness. so that it want d
much of its usual flavor. He was in such an
angry mood, that not one Of his remaining SER
wants burst approach him. His favorite son,
Young Bakrak, whom he rarely saw without
loading with caresses, had gone up to him as he
was accustomed to do, and laid his head aifec
tionately on his shoulder; when, instead of pat
| ting the child as usual on the check he had given
him a box on the ear, which caused the blood to
flow from his mouth. AT that moment the
Angel of Patience suddenly entered the gorgeous
bazaar
Holding up her mirror before Bakrak, she de-
sired him to look therein. He complied with
sulky careessness, but was soon arrested by the
| sight which met his eyes. 1t was one of those
beautiful wales which one can never see without
supposing them to have been designed for the
habitation of innocent and happy human beings.
The full moon had risen over the centre of the
vale, and was looking mildly down into it, as if
il had been divine thing created for the use of
that valley alone, and which would remain to be
admired and worshipped there forever But
band of lawess men had this evening entered
the valley. and were now engaged in plundering
| the inhabitants. The picture delineated in the
mirror more particularly displayed in the fore
ground cottage in flames, while the family that
lately occupied ii sat bound with cords on the
sward in front, surrounded by a small party of
the depredators Then the scene was slightly
changed. The children, five in number. were
commanded to mount behind as many troopers,
in order TO be carried away from their native
country, the girls to be sold at prices proportion
ed TO their beauty, in some distant slave market,
and the boys to be brought up recruits for the
army of the sultan, and neither ever again to see
their parents Bakrak saw the struggles and
tears of the father and mother, as their children
were borne away, and, thinking of young Bak-
rak, he groaned aloud. This" said the angel,
rs a real scene, which is at this moment passing
in certain part of the world. What are all your
troubles TO the misery Of the desolate pair? Be
hold, and be thou restored to equanimity.o 81
am restored" said Bakrak and the angel left
him.
An artisan had returned from his daily toll TO
the tranquil home, where, though no la ury ever
appeared, there was at least suficency of ne
cessares and even of comforts. His wife smiled
on him as he entered, and his children ran TO
embrace his knees, and offer the kiss which was
as much homage as affection But the heart of
the artisan was heavy within him, and he looked
round on his neat household, and the clean and
healthful meal prepared for him, with dissatis
faction. lie had been torturing himself all day
with reflections on his incessant abors, and the
apparently superior happiness of others, and he
mad atlength arrived at the conclusion, that the
class to which he belonged were treated by the
wealthy only as slaves, born to minister to their
pleasures. His wife and children shrunk from
his cold eye and gloomy brow, and the evening
passed in silence and sadness. AT length, no
longer able 70 bear the agony of his thoughts in
the presencel of his family, he walked out into
his garden, Which he paced for some time with
hurried steps, as if seeking to escape from some
demon which tormented him. Al this moment,
the Angel of Patience presented herself, and
held up her mirror before his eyes
He saw man and woman, who from their
dress, seemed to belong TO country different