The Vision of Almet (1827)

For other versions of this work, see The Vision of Almet.

THE

VISION of ALMET.

AND

No LIFE Pleasing to GOD, that is not Useful to MAN.

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TWO EASTERN STORIES.

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Fortune her gifts may variously dispose;
And these be happy called, unhappy those;
But Heaven's just balance equal will appear,
While those are plac'd in Hope, and these in fear,
Thus God and Nature link'd the gen'ral frame,
And bade Self-love and Social be the same,

POPE.

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TO WHICH ARE ADDED.

The Art of Growing Rich.

AN INSTRTCTIVE TALE.

FALKIRK:

Printed by T. Johnston.

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1827.

THE

Vision of Almet, &c.

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ALMET the Dervise, who watched the sacred lamp in the sepulchre ⟨of⟩ the Prophet, as he one day rose up ⟨from⟩ the devotions of the morning, ⟨which⟩ he had performed at the gate of ⟨the⟩ temple, with his body turned towards the east, and his forehead upon ⟨the⟩ earth, he saw before him a man in ⟨splendid⟩ apparel, attended by a long retinue, who gazed steadfastly on him, with ⟨a⟩ look of mournful complacency, and ⟨seemed⟩ desirous to speak, with unwilling ⟨to⟩ offend.

The Dervise, after a short silence, ⟨advanced⟩ and saluted him with the calm ⟨dignity⟩, which independence confers ⟨upon⟩ humility, requested that he would ⟨reveal⟩ his purpose.

"Almet," said the stranger, "thou seest before thee a man, whom the hand of Prosperity has overwhelmed with wretchedness. Whatever I once desired as the means of happiness, I now possess but I am not yet happy, and therefore I despair. I regret the lapse of time, because it glides away without enjoyment and as I expect nothing in the future but the vanities of the past, I do not wish that the future should arrive. Yet ⟨I⟩ tremble lest it should be cut off; and my heart sinks, when I anticipate the moment in which eternity shall close even the vacuity of my life, like the seas upon the path of a ship, and leave no traces of my existence more durable than the furrow which remains after the waves have united. If, in the treasures of thy wisdom, there is any precept to obtain felicity, vouchsafe it to me: for this purpose I am come; a purpose which I yet fear to reveal, lest, like all the former, it should be disappointed."

Almet listened with looks of astonishment ind pity, to this complaint of a being, an whom reason was known to be a pledge of immortality: bnt the serenity of his countenance soon returned; and stretching out his hands towards heaven. "Stranger," said he, "the knowledge which I have received from the Prophet, I will communicate to thee.

"As I was sitting once at the porch of the Temple pensive and alone mine eyes wandered among the multitude that was scattered before me; and while I remarked the warines and solicitude which was visible in every countenance, I was suddenly struck with a sense of condition. Wretched mortals, said I, to what purpose are you busy? If to produce happiness, by whom is it enjoyed? Do the linens of Egypt, and the silks of Persia, bestow felicity on those who wear them, equal to the wretchedness of yonder slaves, whom I, see leading the camels who bring them? Is the fierceness of the texture, or the splendor of the tints, regarded with delight by those to whom custom has tendered them familiar? Or, can the power of habit render others insensible of pain. who live only to traverse the Desert: a scene of dreadful uniformity, where a barren level is bounded only by the horizon; where no change of prospect nor variety of images, relieve the traveller from a sense of toil and danger; of whirlwinds, which in a moment may bury him in the sand; and of thirst which the wealthy have given half their possessions to allay? Do those on whom hereditary diamonds sparkle with unregarded lustre, gain from the possession what is lost by the wretch who seeks them in the mine; who lives excluded from the common bounties of nature; to whom even the vicissitude of day and night is not known; who sighs in perpetual darkness, and whose life is one mournful alternative of insensibility and labour? If those are not happy who possess in proportion as those are wretched who bestow, how vain a dream is the life of man! And if there is indeed such difference in the value of existence, how shall we acquit of partiality, the hand by which this difference has been made?

"While my thoughts thus multipled, and my heart burnt within me, I became sensible of a sudden influence from above.--The streets and the crouds of Mecca disappeared. I found myself sitting on the declivity of a mountain, and perceived at my right hand an angel, whom I knew to be Azoran, the Minister of Reproof. When I saw him I was afraid. I cast my eyes on the ground, and was about to deprecate his anger. when he commanded me to be silent.

'Almet,' said he, 'thou hast devoted thy life to meditation, that thy counsel might deliver ignorance from the mazes of error, and deter presumption from the precipice of gilt: but the Book of Nature thou hast read without understanding: it is again open before thee; look up, consider it, and be wise,'

"I looked up, and beheld an inclosure, beautiful as the Garden of Paradise, but of a small extent. Through the middle, there was a green walk; at the end a wild desert: and beyond, impenetrable darkness. The walk was shaded with trees of every kind, that were covered at once with blossoms and fruit; innumerable birds were singing in the branches; the grass was intermingled which flowers, which impregnated the breeze with fragrance, and painted the path with beauty. On the one side flowed a gentle transparent stream, which was just heard to murmur over the golden sands that sparkled at the bottom; and on the others were walks and bowers, fountains, grottos and cascades, which deversified the scene with endless variety, but did not conceal the bounds.

"While I was gazing in the transport of delight and wonder on this enchanting spot, I perceived a man stealing along the walk, with a thoughtful and deliberate pace, his eyes were fixed on the earth, and his arms crossed on his bosom; he sometimes started, as if a sudden pang had seized him; his countenance expressed solicitude and terror; he looked round with a sigh, and having gazed a moment on the desert that lay before him, he seemed as if he wished to stop, but was imelled forward by some invisible power: His features, however, soon settled again into a calm melancholy; his eyes were again fixed on the ground, & he went on as before, with apparent reluctance, but without emotion. I was struck with this appearance, and turning hastily to the angel, was about to enquire, what could produce such felicity in a being surrounded by every object that could gratify every sense; but he prevented my request.

'The Book of Nature,' said he, 'is before thee, look up, consider it, and be wise.'

"I looked and beheld a valley between two mountains that were craggy and barren: On the path there was no verdure, and the mountains afforded no shade: the sun burned in the Zenith, and every spring was dried up: But the valley terminated in a country that was pleasant and fertile, shaded with woods and adorned with buildings. At a second view, I discovered a man in this valley, meagre, indeed, and naked, but his countenance was cheerful, and his deportment active: He kept his eye fixed on the country before him, and looked as if he would have run, but that he was restrained as the other had been impelled by some secret influence: Sometimes, indeed, I perceived a sudden expression of pain, and sometimes he stepped short, as if his foot was pierced by the asperities of the way, but the sprightliness of his countenance instantly returned, and he passed forward without appearance of repining or complaint

I turned again toward the angel impatient to enquire from what secret source happiness is derived, in a situation so different from that in which it might have been expected; but he again prevented my request: 'Almet,' said he, 'remember what thou hast seen, and let this memorial be written upon the tablet of thy heart. Remember, Almet, that the world in which thou art placed, is but the road to another, and that happiness depend not upon the path, but the end: The value of this period of thy existence is fixed by hope and fear. The wretch who wished to linger in the garden, who looked round upon its limits with terror, was destitute of hope, and was perpetually tormented with the dread of losing that which he did enjoy. The song of the birds had been repeated till it was not heard, and the flowers had so often recurred, that their beauty was not seen; the rivers glided by unnoticed, and he feared to lift his eye to the prospect, lest he should behold the waste that circumscribed it. But he that toiled through the valley was happy, because he looked forward with hope. Thus, to the sojourner upon earth, it is of little moment whether the path he treads be strewed with flowers, or with thorns if he perceive himself to approach those regions, in comparison of which the thorns and the flowers of this wilderness lose their distinction, and are both alike impotent to give pleasure or pain.

'What then has eternal wisdom unequally distributed? That which can make every station happy, and without which every station must be wretched, is acquired by virtue; and virtue is possible to all, Remember, Almet, the vision which thou hast seen; and let my words be written on the tablet of thy heart, that thou mayest direct the wanderer to happiness, and justify God to man.'

While the voice of Azoran was yet sounding in my ear the prospect vanished from before me, and I found myself again sitting at the porch of the temple The sun was gone down, the multitude was retired to rest, and the solomon quiet of midnight concurred with the resolution of my doubts to complete the tranquillity of my mind.

"Such, my son, was the vision which the Prophet vouchsafed me, not for my sake only, but for thine. Thou hast not found felicity in temporal things; and therefore thou art disappointed. Let not instruction be lost upon thee; but go thy way, let thy flock clothe the naked, and thy table feed the hungry; deliver the poor from oppression, and let thy conversation be above. Thus shalt thou rejoice in Hope, and look forward to the end of life, as the consummation of thy felicity."

Almet in whose breast devotion kindled as he spake, returned into the Temple, and the stranger departed in peace.

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No LIFE PLEASING to GOD, that is not USEFUL to MAN.

AN EASTERN STORY.

It pleased the mighty sovereign Abbas Carascan, from whom the Kings of the earth derive honour and dominion to set Mirza, his servant over the province of Tauris. In the hand of Mirza, the balance of distribution was splendid with impartiality; and under his administration the weak were protected, the learned received honour, and the diligent became rich. Mirza, therefore, was beheld by every eye with complacency, while every tongue pronounced blessings on his head. But it was observed that he derived no joys, from the benefits which he diffused, he became pensive and melancholy; he spent his leisure in solitude; in his place he sat motionless upon a sofa; and when be went out, his walk was slow, and his eyes were fixed upon the ground. He applied to the business of state with reluctance: and resolved to relinquish the toils of government of which he could no longer enjoy the reward.

He therefore obtained permission to approach the throne of his Sovereign; and being asked what was his request, he made this reply.

"May the Lord of the World forgive the slave whom he hath honoured. If Mirza presume again to lay the bounty of Abbas at his feet. Thou hast given me the dominion of a country, fruitful as the gardens of Damascus; and of a city, glorious above all others, except that only which reflects the splendour of thy presence. But the longest life is a period scarce sufficient to prepare for death. All other business is vain and trivial, as the toils of emits in the path of the traveller, under whose feet they perish for ever: and all enjoyment is unsubstantial and evanescent, as the colours of the bow that appear in the interval of a storm. Suffer me, therefore, to prepare for the approach of eternity; let me give up my soul to meditation; let solitude and silence acquaint me with the mysteries of devotion; let me forget the world, and by the world be forgotten, till the moment arrives in which the vale of eternity shall fall, and I shall be found at the bar of the Almighty." Mirza then bowed himself to the earth, and stood silent.

By the command of Abbas it is recorded, that at these words he trembled upon that throne, at the footstool o which the world pays homage: He looked round upon his nobles; but every countenance was pale, and every eye was upon the earth. No man opened his mouth: and the King first broke silence, after it had continued near an hour.

"Mirza, terror and doubt are come upon me: I am alarmed, as a man who suddenly perceives that he is near the brink of a precipice, and is urged forward by an irresistable force; but yet I know not whether my danger is a reality or a dream; I am as thou art a reptile on the earth: my life is a moment; and eternity, in which days, and years, and ages are nothing, eternity is before me, for which I should also prepare: But by whom then must the Faithful be governed? By these only, who have no fear of judgement? By those alone whose life is brutal, because, like brutes, they do not consider that they should die?--Or who, indeed, are the Faithful?--Are the busy multitudes that crowd the city, in a state of perdition? And is the cell of the Dervise alone the gate of Paradise? To all, the life of a Dervise is not possible: To all, therefore, it can not be a duty. Depart to the house which has in the city been prepared for thy residence; I shall meditate the reason of thy request; and may He who illuminates the mind of the humble, enable me to determine with wisdom!"

Mirza departed; and on the third day, having reccived no commands, he again requested an audience, and it was granted. When he entered the royal presence, his countenance appeared more cheerful; he drew a letter from his bosom, and having kissed it, he presented it with his right hand.

"My lord," said he, "I have learned by this letter, which I received from Cosrou, the Iman. who now stands before thee, in what manner life may be best improved. I am enabled to look back with pleasure, and forward with hope; and I shall now rejoice still to be the shagow of thy power at Tauris, and to keep those honours which I so lately wished to resign."—The King who had listened to Mirze with a mixture of surprize and curiosity, immediately gave the letter to Coseou, and commanded that it should be read. The eyes of the court were at once turned on the hoary sage, whose countenance was suffused with an honest blush; and it was not without some hesitation that he read these words.

"To Mirza, whom the wisdom of Abbas, our mighty lord has honoured with dominion, be everlasting health! When I heard thy purpose to withdraw the blissings of thy government from the thousands of Touris, my heart was wounded with the arrow of affliction, and my eyes became dim with sorrow. But who shall speak before the king, when he is troubled? And who shall boast of knowledge, when he is distressed by doubt? To thee I will relate the events of my youth, which thou hast renewed before me; and those truths which they taught me, may the Prophet multiply to thee.

"Under the instruction of the physician Aluazer, I obtained an early knowledge of his art. To those who were smitten with diseases, I could administer plants, which the sun had impregnated with the spirit of health. But the scenes of pain, languor, and mortality, which were perpetually rising before me, made me often tremble for myself. I saw the grave open at my feet: I determined therefore to contemplate only the regions beyond it, and to despise every acquisition which I could not keep. I conceived an opinion, that as there was no merit but a voluntary poverty, and silent meditation, those who desired money were not proper objects of bounty; therefore money was despised. I buried mine in the earth; and renouncing society, I wandered into a wild and sequestered part of the country; my dwelling was a cave by the side of a hill: I drank the running water from the spring, and ate such fruits and herbs as I could find. To encrease the austerity of my life, I frequently watched all night; sitting at the entrance of the cave, with my face to the east, resigning myself to the secret influences of the Prophet, and expecting illumination from above. One morning after my nocturnal vigil, just as I perceived the horizon glow at the approach of the sun, the power of sleep became irresistable, and I sunk under it. I imagined myself still sitting at the entrance of my cell that the gawn increased, and that as I looked earnestly for the first beam of day, a dark spot appeared to intercept it. I perceived that it was in motion; it increased in size as it drew near, and at length I discovered it to be an eagle. I still kept my eye fixed stedfastly upon it, and saw it alight at a small distance, where I now discried a fox, whose two fore-legs appeared to be broken. Before this fox the eagle laid part of a kid, which it had brought in its talons and disappeared. When I awaked, I laid my fore-head upon the ground, and blessed the Prophet for the instruction of the morning, I reviewed my dream, and said thus to myself, 'Cofrou, thou hast done well to renounce the tumult, and business and the vanities of life: but thou hast as yet only done it in part; Thou art still every day busied in the search of food; thy mind is not wholly at rest neither is thy trust in Providence complete. What art thou taught by this vision? if thou hast seen an eagle commissioned by Heaven to feed a fox that is lame, shall not the hand of Heaven also supply thee with food, when that which prevents thee from procuring it to thyself, it is not necessity, but devotion? I was now so confident of a miraculous supply, that I neglected to walk out for my repast, which, after the first day, I expected with an impatience that left me little power of attending unto any other object: This impatience, however, I laboured to supress and persisted in my resolution: but my eyes at length began to fail me, and my knees smote each other; I threw myself backward, and hoped my weakness would soon increase to insensibility. But I was suddenly roused by the voice of an invisible being, who pronounced these words: 'Cofrou, I'm the angel who by the command of the Almighty, have registered the thoughts of thy heart, which I am now commissioned to reprove. Whilst thou wast attempting to become wise above that which is revealed thy folly has perverted the instructions which were vouchsafed to thee. Art thou disabled as a fox? Hast thou not rather the powers of the eagle? Arise, let the eagle be the object of thy emulation. To pain and sickness be thou again the messenger of ease and health. Virtue is not rest but action. If thou dost good to man, as an evidence of thy love to God, thy virtue will be exalted from mortal to divine; and that happiness, which is the pledge of Paradise, will be thy reward upon earth."

"At these words, I was not less astonished than if a mountain had been overturned at my feet. I humbled myself in the dust; I returned to the city; I dug up my treasure; I was liberal, yet I became rich. My skill in restoring health to the body, gave me frequent opportunities of curing the diseses of the soul. I put on the secret vestments; I grew eminent beyond my merit; and it was the pleasure of the King that I should stand before him. Now, therefore, be not offended; I boast of no knowledge that I have not recieved: As the sands of the desart drink up the drops of rain, or the dew of the morning, so do, also, who am but dust, imbibe the instructions of the Prophet. Believe then, that it is he who tells thee all knowledge is prophane, which terminates in thyself; and by a life wasted by speculation, little even of this can be gained. When the gates of Paradise are thrown open before thee, thy mind shall be eradiated in a moment; here thou canst little more than pile error upon error, there thou shalt build truth upon truth. Wait, therefore for the glorious vision; and in the mean time, emulate the eagle. Much is in thy power, and, therefore, much is expected of thee. Though the Almighty alone can give virtue; yet, as a prince, thou mayest stimulate those to beneficence, who act from no higher motive than immediate interest: thou canst not produce the principle, thou mayest enforce the practice. The relief of the poor is equal, whether they receive it from ostentation or charity; and the effect of example is the same, whether it be intended to obtain the favour of God or man. Let thy virtue be thus diffused; and if thou believest with reverence, thou shalt be accepted above. Farewell, May the smile of Him who resides in the Heaven of Heavens be upon thee! And against thy name in the volume of His will may happiness be written!"

The King, whose doubts like those of Mirza, were now removed, looked up with a smile that communicated the joy of his mind. He dismissed the prince to his government; and commanded these events to be recorded, to the end that posterity may know, "That no life is pleasing to God, but that which is useful to mankind!"

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THE WAY TO GROW RICH.

COSMO de Medicis, Grand Duke of Tuscany, concerning whom, on account of his prodigious wealth, it was rumoured, that he had the art of, transmutation. A noble Venetian who, tho' he had but a small fortune, was extremely well recommended to his Highness (and, by by his polite behaviour, added daily to his credit in that court, one day fairly put the question, and asked the duke if he had the philospher's stone or not? My friend, said the duke, I have: and because I have a regard for you, I will give you the receipt in few words, I never bid another do that which I can do myself; I never put of till to-morrow what may be done to-day; nor do I ever think any matter so trivial as not to deserve notice. The Venetian thanked his serene Highness for his secret: and by observing his rules acquired a great estate. How well should I be pleased, if not, a few of my readers should do the like by observing mine!

FINIS.