Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-01-11
CHAPTER I.
THE EYE.

H. the time Of the King Moabdar there
lhel IN Babylon young mau named
Z,l q, Of fine natural gits, fortified By
suarii,r education. Although rich and
yolnl be wa able to mOde.aiehis pa-siOnsi
he ailectcl nothing, and he knew how g.
resrcci ile Weaklcss,s Of mtn. IL was
ast.tishiir o see how one po. sessng spch
sIirtud ute l.ti cou q be ~ WitA so mach
tatltuce tie iet y glsslp. ,he iauOrRnt de-
ci.ion-. e. ras h heuiies. the arse sturle4,
ard t.c VAN fluit If words viii h were
called n,ersaiion IN Babylon. Instruct
calm & Sc eucts Of the ancient Chaldcau-,
he understood the prIneipl Of physicil
naiure such rs were knoNn In those days,
and as much Of metaphysics as has been
known in any age-that Is TO say, very
little He WAS firmly persuaded that the
year was thr,e hundred AMI siXty-iive days
and % quarter long, in spite oi the new
philosophy Of his time, and that the sun
vas the centre of the planetary system
aud when the principal magis assured him
With insulting haughtiness that lie had
ahgmiuable sentiments, and that only au
eauny of the State could believe that the
sun reyoycd upon himself and the year
Was twelve months long, he held his tongue
without anger and without disdain.
Zidig, with great riches, and by cOnfe-
Quracc " IA many friends, having health,
handsome figure, five intellect and Il
nohleand sincere heart, believed that he
cOu.l be happy. lie was TO marry Il lady
named Semira, Of beauty, birth and for
tune, whom he loved with true affection,
and who was passionately devoted to him.
On the eve Of their marriage, as they
walked together near Babylon, under the
palms which bordered the river Enphrntes.
ihet were suddenly set upon by party of
NE armed with snbres and spears. They
wee the satellites of the young Lord Or
can. nephew of the prime minister who
wiz neither the graccs nor the virtues Of
Zadls valued himself immensely higher,
than hip, and desperate at not being pre-
ferel before him, persuaded himself, In Il
jealousy horn of vanity, that he himself
was passiuna.cly in love with Semira. 1t
was Wy his order that these ruilians now
seized upon her aud wished to carry her
off, She pierced the air with her shrieks,
calling upon the name Of her dear Xadig.
lie animated by his valour and his love,
succeeded, with the he,p of his two slaves
only, in putting the rayishcrs to Night, but
in the ailray be received Il dangerous
stroke Of a lance, near the eye.
II was borne home TO his owu house, art
semra bnthed in iucessant tears, besieg,t
The gods with prayers for the recovery o.
her betrothed The great physician llerme'
Was sent FOR from Memphis, and came ut
tended with numerous train. He yisitCt
the wounded man, and declared that h,
must lose his eye predicting even thu
day and the hour when the sad event mus
occur.
"llad It been the right eye" said he, &"
could hnyc cured him, bnt wound IN thi
left i. incurahlc."
All Babylon, while lameutiug the desiinl
Of Ladig, admired the profundiiy of III
learning Of llermes. Two days after th'
abscess which had formed near the eyl
discharged Of itself, aud Iadlg was per
iectly cured, Hermes wrote a book in whlcl
he proved that 1t was not true cure
Zadlg did not read this learned work, bu
at the first moment possible prepared {,
visit her who was the happiness of his life
for whom alone he wished to have eyes
semira had three days before gone into tn
country, and was that same evening TO b
united to the young Lord Orcan, havin!
found in her heart an insurmouniabl
aversion to one eyed men.
At this news Zadig suffered a relaps
which brought him to the borders Of tn
grave, Finally he recovered, and reas on
which showed him the atrocily Of Semira'
conduct, consoled him for her loss. II
did not do Injustice to her whole sex f,
oOc woman Ssalle, but remembering tia
SIZE bad been brought up in the coutt, II
solved to seek love in maiden Of hun
bier rank.