who were least worthy of being benefited by
it: and that those who really deserved the
exercise of my charity were too modest, or
too high-minded, to accept my help. Under
the influence of this delusion, I buried in the
earth all the treasure that I possessed; and
took refuge from human society in the
wildest and most inaccessible mountains of
my native country. My abode was in the
darkest corner of a huge cavern; my drink
was the running water; my food consisted of
the herbs and fruits that I could gather in
the woods. To add to the severe self-restraint
which had now become the guiding principle
of my life, I frequently passed whole nights
in watching on such occasions, keeping my
face turned towards the East, and waiting till
the mercy of the Prophet should find me out,
and unveil the mysteries of Heaven to my
mortal view.

"One morning, after my customary night
of watching, exhaustion overpowered me, at
the hour of sunrise; and I sank prostrate in
spite of myself, on the ground at the entrance
of my cave.

"I slept, and a vision appeared to me.

"I was still at the mouth of the cave, and
still looking at the rays of the rising sun.
Suddenly a dark object passed between me
and the morning light. I looked at it
attentively, and saw that it was an eagle, descending
slowly to the earth. As the bird floated
nearer and nearer to the ground, a fox
dragged himself painfully out of a thicket
near at hand. Observing the animal, as he
sank exhausted close by me, I discovered that
both his fore legs were broken. While I was
looking at him, the eagle touched the earth,
laid before the crippled fox a morsel of goat's
flesh that he carried in his talons, flapped his
huge wings, and, rising again into the air,
slowly disappeared from sight.

"On coming to my senses again, I bowed
my forehead to the earth, and addressed my
thanksgivings to the Prophet for the vision
which he had revealed to me. I interpreted
it, in this manner. ' The divine Power,' I
said to myself, ' accepts the sacrifice that I
have made in withdrawing myself from the
contaminations of the world; but reveals to
me, at the same time, that there is still some
taint of mortal doubt clinging to my mind,
and rendering the trust which it is my duty
to place in the mercy of Heaven less absolute
and unconditional than it ought to be.
So long as I waste even the smallest portion
of my time in the base employment of
providing for my own daily wants, so long will
my confidence in Providence be imperfect, and
my mind be incapable of wholly abstracting
itself from earthly cares. This is what the
vision is designed to teach me. If the bounty
of Heaven condescends to employ an eagle
to provide for the wants of a crippled fox,
how sure I may feel that the same mercy
will extend the same benefits to me! Let
me wholly devote myself, then, to the service
of my Creator, and commit the preservation
of my life to the means which His wisdom is
sure to supply.'

"Strong in this conviction, I searched the
woods no more for the herbs and fruits which
had hitherto served me for food. I sat at the
mouth of my cavern, and waited through the
day, and no heavenly messenger appeared to
provide for my wants. The night passed;
and I was still alone. The new morning
came; and my languid eyes could hardly lift
themselves to the light, my trembling limbs
failed to sustain me when I strove to rise. I
lay back against the wall of my cavern, and
resigned myself to die.

"The consciousness of my own existence
seemed to be just passing from me, when the
voice of an invisible being sounded close at
my ear. I listened, and heard myself
addressed in these words:—

"' Abbas,' said the supernatural voice, ' I
am the Angel whose charge it is to search
out and register your inmost thoughts. I am
sent to you on a mission of reproof. Vain
man! do you pretend to be wiser than the
wisdom which is revealed to you ? The
blindness of your vision and the vainglory of
your heart have together perverted a lesson
which was mercifully intended to teach you
the duties that your Creator expects you
to perform. Are you crippled like the fox?
Has not nature, on the contrary, endowed
you with the strength of the eagle ? Rise,
and bestir yourself! Rise, and let the
example of the eagle guide you, henceforth, in
the right direction. Go back to the city
from which you have fled. Be, for the future,
the messenger of health and life to those who
groan on the hard bed of sickness.
Ill-judging mortal! the virtue that dies in this
solitude, lives in the world from which you
have withdrawn. Prove your gratitude to
your Creator by the good that you do among
his helpless and afflicted creatures. There is
the way that leads you from earth to Heaven.
Rise, Abbas— rise humbly, and take it! '

"An unseen hand lifted me from the
ground, an unseen hand guided me back to
the city. Humbled, repentant, enlightened
at last, I drew my treasure from its hiding
place, and employed it in helping the poor.
Again I devoted all my energies to the blessed
work of healing the sick. Years passed and
found me contented and industrious in my
vocation. As the infirmities of age
approached, I assumed the sacred robe, and
comforted the souls of my fellow-creatures,
as I had formerly comforted their bodies.
Never have I forgotten the lesson that I
learnt in my hermitage on the mountain.
You see me now, high in the favour of my
Sovereign—Know that I have deserved my
honours, because I have done good in my
generation, among the people over whom he
rules.

"Such, oh, pious Vizir, is the story of my
youth. May the lesson which enlightened