I was not surprised that the Arabs had been amazed and terrified at this apparition. It required no stretch of imagination to conjure up the most strange fancies. This gigantic head, blanched with age, thus rising from the bowels of the earth, might well have belonged to one of those fearful beings which are pictured in the traditions of the country as appearing to mortals, slowly ascending from the regions below. One of the workmen, on catching the first glimpse of the monster, had thrown down his basket and run off towards Mosul as fast as his legs could carry him. I learned this with regret, as I anticipated the conse

quences.

As

Whilst I was superintending the removal of the earth, which still clung to the sculpture, and giving directions for the continuation of the work, a noise of horsemen was heard, and presently Abdur-rahman, followed by half his tribe, appeared on the edge of the trench. soon as the two Arabs had reached the tents, and published the wonders they had seen, every one mounted his mare and rode to the mound, to satisfy himself of the truth of these inconceivable reports. When they beheld the head, they all cried together: "There is no god but God, and Mohammed is his prophet!" It was some time before the sheikh could be prevailed upon to descend into the pit, and convince himself that the image he saw was of stone. "This is not the work of men's hands," exclaimed he, "but of those infidel giants of whom the prophet -peace be with him!-has said that they were higher than the tallest date-tree; this is one of the idols which Noah-peace be with him!-cursed before the

THE CITY OF BAGHDAD, OR
BAGDAT.

WE are now amid the date-groves. If it be autumn, clusters of golden fruit hang beneath the fan-like leaves; if spring, the odour of orange blossoms fills the air. The cooing of the doves that flutter among the branches begets a pleasant melancholy, and a feeling of listlessness and repose. The raft creeps round a projecting bank, and two gilded domes and four stately minarets, all glittering in the rays of an Eastern sun, rise suddenly high above the dense bed of palms. They are of the mosque of Kaithaman, which covers the tombs of two of the Imaums or holy saints of the Sheeah sect. The low banks swarm with Arabs-men, women, and naked children. Mud hovels screened by yellow mats, and groaning water-wheels worked by the patient ox, are seen beneath the plains. The Tigris becomes wider and wider, and the stream is almost motionless. Circular boats of reeds, coated with bitumen, skim over the water. Horsemen and riders on white asses hurry along the river-side. Turks in flowing robes and broad turbans ; Persians in high black caps and closefitting tunics; the Bokhara pilgrim in his white head-dress and way-worn garments; the Bedouin chief in his tasselled keffiih and striped aba; Baghdad ladies with their scarlet and white draperies, fretted with threads of gold, and their black horsehair veils concealing even their wanton eyes; Persian women wrapped in their sightless garments; and Arab girls in their simple blue skirts, are all mingled together in one motley crowd. A busy stream of travellers flows without ceasing from the gates of the western suburb of Baghdad to the sacred precincts of Kaithaman.

[It is impossible to trace to their true sources all the short sentences of wit or wisdom that float

through English literature, or have found their way into school books, and which survive in the conversation of educated people. The readers of Fuller, Jeremy Taylor, Selden, Lord Bacon, Shakspeare, Milton, Addison, Steele, Pope, Swift, Sir Thomas Browne, Sterne, Johnsonand other authors of their age-will probably be familiar with many of the gems of thought and expression collected in the following pages; nor I will the readers of more modern authors-as Scott, Lytton, Jerrold, and Dickens-fail to recognise some old friends.]

THERE is an heroic innocence, as well as an heroic courage.

There is a mean in all things. Even virtue itself hath its stated limits; which not.being strictly observed, it ceases to be virtue.

It is wiser to prevent a quarrel beforehand, than to revenge it afterwards.

A man may have a thousand intimate acquaintances, and not a friend among them all. If you have one friend, think yourself happy.

No revenge is more heroic, than that which torments envy, by doing good. Money, like manure, does no good till it is spread. There is no real use of riches, except in the distribution.

When once you profess yourself a friend endeavour to be always such. He can never have any true friends, that will be often changing them.

Excess of ceremony shows want of breeding. That civility is best, which excludes all superfluous formality.

Ingratitude is a crime so shameful, that the man was never yet found, who would acknowledge himself guilty of it.

No man hath a thorough taste of pros perity, to whom adversity never happened.

When our vices leave us, we flatter ourselves that we leave them.

It is as great a point of wisdom to hide ignorance, as to discover knowledge.

Choose that course of life which is the most excellent; and habit will render it delightful.

As to be perfectly just, is an attribute of the divine nature; to be so to the utmost of our abilities, is the glory of man.

None more impatiently suffer injuries, than those that are most forward in doing them.

By taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior.

The prodigal robs his heir; the miser robs himself.

We should take a prudent care for the future, but so as to enjoy the present. It is no part of wisdom to be miserable today, because we may happen to be so

to-morrow.

Some would be thought to do great things, who are but tools and instruments; like the fool who fancied he played upon the organ, when he only blew the bellows.

Though a man may become learned by another's learning, he never can be wise but by his own wisdom.

The coin that is most current among mankind is flattery; the only benefit of

which is, that by hearing what we are not, we may be instructed what we ought to be.

The character of the person who commends you, is to be considered before you set a value on his esteem. The wise man

applauds him whom he thinks most virtuous; the rest of the world him who is most wealthy.

The temperate man's pleasures are durable, because they are regular; and all his life is calm and serene, because it is innocent.

A good word is an easy obligation; but not to speak ill requires only our silence, which costs us nothing.

It is the infirmity of little minds to be taken with every appearance, and dazzled with everything that sparkles; but great minds have but little admiration, because few things appear new to them.

It happens to men of learning, as to ears of corn; they shoot up, and raise their heads high, while they are empty; but when full, and swelled with grain, they begin to flag and droop.

He that is truly polite, knows how to contradict with respect, and to please without adulation; and is equally remote from an insipid complaisance and a low familiarity.

The failings of good men are commonly more published in the world than their good deeds; and one fault of a deserving man shall meet with more reproaches than all his virtues praise: such is the

force of ill will and ill nature.

It is harder to avoid censure, than to gain applause; for this may be done by one great or wise action in an age; but to escape censure, a man must pass his whole life without saying or doing one ill or foolish thing.

When Darius offered Alexander ten

thousand talents to divide Asia equally with him, he answered, the earth cannot bear two suns, nor Asia two kings. Parmenio, a friend of Alexander's. hearing

the great offers Darius had made, said, were I Alexander I would accept them. So would I, replied Alexander, were I Parmenio.

Nobility is to be considered only as an with the practice of those generous virimaginary distinction, unless accompanied tues by which it ought to be obtained. Titles of honour conferred upon such as have no personal merit, are at best but the royal stamp set upon base metal.

Though an honourable title may be conveyed to posterity, yet the ennobling qualities which are the soul of greatness are a sort of incommunicable perfections, and cannot be transferred. If a man could bequeath his virtues by will, and settle his sense and learning upon his heirs, as certainly as he can his lands, a noble descent would then indeed be a valuable privilege.

It is

Truth is always consistent with itself, and needs nothing to help it out. always near at hand, and sits upon our lips, and is ready to drop out before we are aware: whereas a lie is troublesome, and one trick needs a great many more to and sets a man's invention upon the rack; make it good.

The latter part of a wise man's life is taken up in curing the follies, prejudices, and false opinions he had contracted in the former.

Very few men properly speaking live at present, but are providing to live another

time.

To endeavour to work upon the vulgar with fine sense, is like attempting to hew blocks of marble with a razor.

Some people will never learn anything, because they understand everything too

soon.

Economy is no disgrace; it is better living on a little than out-living a great deal.

Next to the satisfaction I receive in the

prosperity of an honest man, I am best pleased with the confusion of a rascal. What is often termed shyness is nothing more than refined sense, and an indifference to common observations.

The higher character a person supports, the more he should regard his minutest

actions.

To endeavour all one's days to fortify our minds with learning and philosophy, is to spend so much in armour, that one has nothing left to defend.

The difference there is betwixt honour and honesty seems to be chiefly in the motive. The honest man does that from duty, which the man of honour does for the sake of character.

Virtue should be considered as a part of taste; and we should as much avoid deceit, or sinister meanings in discourse, as we would puns, bad language, or false grammar.

To be at once a rake, and to glory in the character, discovers at the same time a bad disposition and a bad taste.

How is it possible to expect that mankind will take advice, when they will not so much as take warning?

Although men are accused for not knowing their own weakness, yet perhaps as few know their own strength. It is in men as in soils, where sometimes there is a vein of gold which the owner knows not

of.

Fine sense and exalted sense are not half so valuable as common sense. There are forty men of wit for one man of sense; and he that will carry nothing about him but gold, will be every day at a loss for want of ready change.

It often happens that those are the best people, whose characters have been most injured by slanderers: as we usually find

that to be the sweetest fruit which the birds have been pecking at.

discovers the atoms, grains, and minutest articles, without ever comprehending the whole, comparing the parts, or seeing all at once the harmony.

The chief advantage that ancient writers can boast over modern ones seems owing to simplicity. Every noble truth and sentiment was expressed by the former in a natural manner, in word and phrase simple, perspicuous, and incapable of improvement. What then remained for later writers, but affectation, witticism, and conceit ?

We have just religion enough to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.

When a true genius appeareth in the world, you may know him by this infallible sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.

It is in disputes as in armies, where the weaker side setteth up false lights, and maketh a great noise, that the enemy may believe them to be more numerous and strong than they really are.

I have known some men possessed of able to others, but useless to themselves; good qualities, which were very servicelike a sun-dial on the front of a house, to inform the neighbours and passengers, but not the owner within.

If a man would register all his opinions upon love, politics, religion, learning, &c., beginning from his youth, and so go on to old age, what a bundle of inconsistencies and contradictions would appear at last!

The stoical scheme of supplying our wants by lopping off our desires, is like cutting off our feet when we want shoes.

The power of fortune is confessed only by the miserable, for the happy impute all their success to prudence and merit.

Censure is the tax a man payeth to the public for being eminent.

No wise man ever wished to be younger.

Complaint is the largest tribute heaven receives, and the sincerest part of our devotion.

The common fluency of speech in many men and most women, is owing to a scarcity of matter and scarcity of words; for whoever is a master of language, and hath a mind full of ideas, will be apt, in speaking, to hesitate upon the choice of both; whereas common speakers have only one set of ideas, and one set of words to clothe them in, and these are always ready at the mouth. So people come faster out of a church when it is almost empty, than when a crowd is at the

door.

Every man desireth to live long, but no man would be old.

A nice man is a man of nasty ideas. If a man maketh me keep my distance, the comfort is, he keepeth his at the same

time.

Princes in their infancy, childhood, and youth, are said to discover prodigious parts and wit, to speak things that surprise and astonish: strange, so many hopeful princes, so many shameful kings! If they happen to die young, they would have been prodigies of wisdom and virtue : if they live, they are often prodigies indeed, but of another sort.

A single snow-flake-who cares for it? But a whole day of snow-flakes, obliterating the landmarks, drifting over the doors, gathering on the mountain to crash in avalanches-who does not care for that? Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent.

Stones and idle words are things not to be thrown at random.

We ought to be ashamed of our pride, but never proud of our shame.

By an agreeable and respectful deportment a good reputation is gained.

The more we help others to bear their burdens, the lighter our own will be.

A man of the world may have enough of the world to sink him; but he can never have enough to satisfy him.

The object of all ambition should be to be happy at home. If we are not happy where. It is the best proof of the virtues there, we certainly cannot be happy elseof a family circle, to see a happy fireside.

Temper is so good a thing that we should never lose it.

It is not work that kills men, it is It is not the revolution that worry. destroys the machinery, but the friction.

He who brings ridicule to bear against truth finds in his hand a blade without a hilt-more likely to cut himself than anybody else.

Happiness is a fruit, which, if it grows not at our own homes, we need not expect to gather in strangers' gardens.

None are so fond of secrets as those who don't mean to keep them; such persons covet secrets as a spendthrift covets money-for the purpose of circulation.

There are men, who, by long consulting only their own inclination, have forgotten that others have a claim to the same deference.

It is more important to discover a new source of happiness on earth than a new planet in the sky.

A man's own good breeding is the best security against other people's ill manners.

Men do not have their choice whether

they will accept life or not; but they can choose how they will live.