Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-02-05
THE HISTORY OF RASSELAS,
PRINCE OF ABYsslNlA.
CHAPTER |.

Description Ct pdtdce IN tdttey'
We who listen with credulity to the
whispers of fancy, and pursue with ca
gerness the phantoms of hope; who eX-
poet that age will perform the promises
of youth, and that the deficiencies of the
present day will be supplied by the NOR
row; attend to the history of Rasselas,
prince of Abyssinia.
Rasselas was the fourth son of the
mighty emperor, in whose dominions the
Father of Waters begins his course;
whose bounty pours down the stream of
plenty, and -scatters over half the world
the harvests of Egypt
According to the custom which has de
scended from age to age among the mon
archs of the torrid zone, Rasselas was
confined to a private palace. with the
other sons and daughters of Abyssinian
royalty, till the order of succession
should call him to the throne.
The place. which the wisdom or pol
icy of antiquity, had destined for the res
idence of the Abyssinian princes, was a
spacious valley in the kingdom of Amha-
ra. surrounded on all sides by mountains,
of which the SUBMITS overhang the mid
die part. The only passage by which it
could be entered was a cavern that pass
ed under a rock. of which it has long
been disputed whether it was the work of
nature or of human industry. The out
let of the cavern was concealed by a thick
wood. and the mouth which opened into
the valley was closed with gates of iron
forged by the artifcers of ancient days.
so massey that no man could without the
help of engines open or shut them.
From the mountains on every side, rivu-
lets descended that filled all the valley
with verdure and fertility, and formed a
lake in the middle, inhabited by fish of
every species, and frequented by every
fowl whom nature has taught to dip the
wing in water. This lake discharged its
superfuities by stream which entered a
dark cleft of the mountain on the north
ern side, and fell with dreadful noise
from precipice to precipice till it was
heard no more.
The sides of the mountain were covered
with trees, the banks of the brooks were
, diversified with flowers; every blast
; shook spices from the rocks, and every
, month dropped fruits upon the ground
, All animals that bite the grass or browse
the shrub, whether wild or tame, wander
al In OH
, beasts of prey by the mountains which
, confined them. On one part were flock
and herds feeding in the pastures. on
another all the beasts of chase frisking il
3 the lawns; the sprightly kid was bound
. ing on the rocks, the subtitle monkey frol
, licking in the trees, and the solemn ele
plant repOsing in the shade. All the di
vcrSties of the world were brough
collected, and its evils extracted and eX
cluded.
o The valley, wide ana fruitful, supple
e its inhabitants with the neceSSarieS q
life. and all delights and superiluitie
T. were added at the annual visit which tn
T emperor paid his children, when the iro
5 gate was opened to the sound of music :an
1t during eight days every one that reside
IS in the valley was required to propos
n whatever might contribute to make secll
l. sion pleasant, to fill up the vacancies {
II attention, and lessen the tediousness {
2 time. Every desire was immediatel
IL granted. All the artitcers of pleasur
x were called to gladden. the festivity; tn
musicians eXerted the power of harmon,
at and the dancers showed their activity b.
p fore the princes, in hope that they shoul
Of pass their lives in this blissful captivity
s to which those only were admitted who's
IN performance was thought able to ad
10 novelty to luxury. Such was the appea
IN ance of security and delight, which tn
I'd retirement afforded, that they, to who
ne it was new, always desired that it migl
IN be perpetual; and as those, on whom Il
X iron gate had been closed, were new
IN suffered to return, the effect of longer e
n perience could not be known. Thu
rs every year produced new schemes of d
IT. light, and new competitors for impriso
st ment.
en- The palace stood on an eminence rails
IN about thirty PAGES above the surface