not be satisfied with such an Answer, but forced him to repeat word for word every thing the Owls had said. You must know then, said the Visier, that one of these Owls has a Son, and the other a Daughter, between whom they are now upon a Treaty of Marriage.  The Father of the Son said to the Father of the Daughter, in my hearing, Brother, I consent to this Marriage, provided you will settle upon your Daughter fifty ruined Villages for her Portion.  To which the Father of the Daughter replied, Instead of fifty I will give her five hundred, if you please.  God grant a long Life to Sultan Mahmoud; whilst he reigns over us, we shall never want ruined Villages.

The Story says, the Sultan was so touched with the Fable, that he rebuilt the Towns and Villages which had been destroyed, and from that time forward consulted the Good of his People. [2]

To fill up my Paper, I shall add a most ridiculous piece of natural Magic, which was taught by no less a Philosopher than Democritus, namely, that if the Blood of certain Birds, which he mentioned, were mixed together, it would produce a Serpent of such a wonderful Virtue, that whoever did eat it should be skill’d in the Language of Birds, and understand every thing they said to one another.  Whether the Dervise abovementioned might not have eaten such a Serpent, I shall leave to the Determinations of the Learned.

O.

[Footnote 1:  Dryden’s satire on the intrigues of the Duke of Monmouth and Lord Shaftesbury to exclude the King’s brother from the Throne.  Monmouth was Absalom, and Shaftesbury Achitophel.]

[Footnote 2:  Pilpay’s Fables.]

* * * * *

No. 513.  Saturday, October 18, 1712.  Addison.

  ’—­Afflata est numine quando
  Jam propiore Dei—­’

  Virg.

The following Letter comes to me from that excellent Man in Holy Orders, whom I have mentioned more than once as one of that Society who assist me in my Speculations.  It is a Thought in Sickness, and of a very serious Nature, for which Reason I give it a place in the Paper of this Day.

  SIR,

’The Indisposition which has long hung upon me, is at last grown to such [a [1]] Head, that it must quickly make an End of me, or of it self.  You may imagine, that whilst I am in this bad state of Health, there are none of your Works which I read with greater Pleasure than your Saturday’s Papers.  I should be very glad if I could furnish you with any Hints for that Day’s Entertainment.  Were I able to dress up several Thoughts of a serious nature, which have made great Impressions on my Mind during a long Fit of Sickness, they might not be an improper Entertainment for that Occasion.

’Among all the Reflections which usually rise in the Mind of a sick Man, who has Time and Inclination to consider his approaching End,