DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY The Glenn Negley Collection of Utopian Literature ^^' J THE FALL OF UTOPIA BY CHARLES J. BAYNE. AUTHOR OF "A Truant from the Rhone." "Drones and Dreamers." " Ruth and Her Relations." " The Water Spirit's Bride." " The Things we Might Have Said." "Trovato." " Perdita, and Other Poems." "Gioia," Etc. BOSTON : EASTERN PUBLISHING COMPANY, 6 1 COURT STREET. Copyrighted 1900 By CHARLES J. BAYNE. All Rights Reserved. «<» ' Kingdoms and empires in my little day I have outlived, and yet I am not old." -Byron. " Lk, il vizio, la dissolutezza, I'ingiustizia, la rapina, la frode, Bono onorate, ricompensate dal potere supremo .... Lh,, il traditore della patria diviene il piu potente cittadino dello Stato. Lk, colui non fe oppressore, ^ oppresso." — Gaetano FiLANGiERi, Scienza della Legislazione. ifk ■»^i tlm "L'opulence d'une cit^ de commerce s'est clian- g6e en une pauvretd hideuse ... et les reptiles immondes habitent le sanctuaire des dieux .... Ainsi done p^rissent les ouvrages des liommes; ainsi s'^vanouissent les empires et les nations." — YoLNEY, Les Euines. '^'(^' The Fall of Utopia, Chapter I. AM a Moor. My birth, which occured by an interesting succession of events deemed worthy to be recorded, in the neighborhood of Granada, was of humble parents. That is, they were poor and inconspicuous; and yet, if service to the great may be accounted ennobling, my lineage is not to be despised. When Amina, the mother of Mahomet, had become unable to nurse her divine offspring, and for months had vainly sought among the sordid Bedouins for a foster mother for her lowly-born child, Harlema, the wife of a good Saadite shepherd who lived in the pleasant mountains nearTayef, 9 lO THE FALL OF UTOPIA. took the infant prophet from the unwholesome airs of Mecca and carried him to her own delightful home, where, until the third year of his age, he was reared with all a mother's tender care. Harlema had one son, Amroud, the boyhood companion of the Apostle of Allah, a youth of most excellent qualities ; and to him my worthy father was able to trace an uninterrupted lineage. In the early decades of the Hegira, while the IsmaiHs sect was alluring so many of the Faithful by its mystic promises, and, by its gradual domination over the mind and judgment, bringing so many to the tacit renunciation of Allah and his Prophet, Abdul Hassan, then in the enquiring and adven- turous stage of youth, presented himself one day to the dai and expressed his desire to become a neophyte. Truth to say, there was in his mind more of curiosity than of devo- tion, but Abdul Hassan could dissemble well. Being taken under instruction, he pre- tended to repose implicit confidence in all the dai* said, by which the safety of admit- ting an applicant into the secrets of the sect is judged, and often would he break out THE FALL OF UTOPIA. II in the most fervent praises of the imam. Satisfied with his evident sincerity, the dai proceeded to admit him successively, with all the accustomed oaths and securities, into each of the nine degrees, and he was finally confirmed a convert of Ismailis. Soon, however, Abdul Hassan wearied of his new religion. Surfeited curiosity became disgust. Deluded and imposed upon by such hollow mockery, he determined to reveal the mysteries he had sworn to keep. A simple renunciation was not sufficient for his resentful mind. He would expose the deception, in spite of ban or menace, and give Ismailis a fatal sting. The consequences were such as might naturally be expected. Never before had such treachery and sacrilege been known. The Prophet and the Silent One would be no longer venerable, and proselytes' gold would cease to flow into their common coffers. Actuated, therefore, by various incentives, the infuriated schismatics pursued Abdul Hassan with restless zeal. There could be no safety but in flight, and soon the Exposer of the Mysteries had 12 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. left the tamarinds and acacias of Araby the Blest far behind him forever. I will not dwell upon his sorrow at leaving the land of his nativity, nor the fre- quent earnest longings of the pilgrim's heart for its receding plains. These he had, let none deny, but what tongue can translate the idioms of the heart ? It was during the Feast of Roses, when the focusing grace and beauty of all the entrancing year wove a chaplet of joy with which to crown the smiling Summer, that the hard-pressed but unbroken fugitive arrived in the delightful Valley of Cashmere. His anxious and distrustful heart was at first but little moved by the unequalled beauty of this luxuriant land. Misgivings were in his mind, whose power the conscious righteousness of his betrayal could not quiet. Soon, however, were calmed the exile's long- ing and the fugitive's fears. A wonderful peace possessed his soul. One evening, attracted by the entranc- ing music that came softly stealing through the perfumed groves where bright fountains flashed in the mellow moon-light, he ventured THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 13 forth to witness the scene of merriment which was evidently in progress. True his soul was at peace, yet his flight from home and country, and the various misfortunes atten- dant thereupon had left a melancholy soft- ness in his breast. Warm-hearted and sus- ceptible in his nature, the feelings awakened by the magnificent scene before him amounted to an infatuation. Lutes and tabors in the slender, jewelled hands of dancing damsels who lightly trod their own exquisite measures seemed to lend unwonted liveliness to the sparkling, leaping waters. The richest gems flashed from shapely throats and costly girdles ; anklets and bracelets of finest gold encircled limbs of the most perfect mould, while all the oils and spices of the East seemed con- centrated in this perfumed dream. Abdul Hassan looked on amazed. All thought of his late disasters fled. Touched by the captivating beauty of the airy dancers, with whom the Houris themselves could not compare, and by the seductive melody which stole through the moonlit bower of roses that nodded in the fragrant air, his bosom 14 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. swelled frequently and deeply. A vague, unconscious spirit of lov^ for the fair Cash- merians took possession of his heart. Among the dancers was one, a damsel of uncommon beauty, who, above all others, engaged his eager gaze. No step was so light, no song so sweet, as hers. The golden ornament on her white brow was set with rarest gems that gleamed in the moonlight like the stars in Orion's Belt. Transported, infatuated, beyond degree by the lovely crea- ture, his eyes at last could scarcely turn from her smiling lips and glowing cheeks, her rav- ishing form and supple step. As moment after moment he gazed he felt that his heart was melting away — yes, that a frantic love for her possessed his soul, until, when the soft, amethystine streaks of approaching day sent the revellers to their bowery homes, he followed, with impatient heart, the lovely damsel to the place of her abode. "m Chapter II. ^MONG the few remaining Magi, whose priesthood, once domi- nating the very throne itself, was now swiftly passing away, there lived one, in the Valley Cashmere, who possessed a daughter of surpassing beauty. So fair was she that none could gaze unmoved upon her heavenly form. There was light in her eye and grace and beauty in her step, and throughout all the country she was accounted the fairest. The worthy King of Iran was a man whose discernment and esteem of excellent mental qualities had not been warped by bigotry or creeds, and at his court the learned Magian was frequently seen. Indeed, so great was the royal estimation of the Gheber priest that the King rarely ventured any momentous action without first consulting his erudite friend. The Magian's charming daughter thus 15 1 6 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. became a familiar sight at court, where the full deference due, both to the daughter of so wise a man, and to the possessor of such unequalled charms, was willingly paid on every hand. Among the votaries of this favored dam- sel none were more ardent in their tributes than the handsome foster son of the King, Prince Selim Azhurni. He was a youth of manly stature, dark, piercing eyes, and reso- lute, impressive features. Aside from his perfect figure and noble carriage, the Prince was noted for uncommon genius in poetry and music, a wonderful familiarity with the sciences, including some of the dark cabalas of Egypt, and an affability and pleasant- ness seldom found in one of his rank and age. Yet was the passion of Prince Azhurni but smally rewarded by the smiles of the Magian's daughter. Graceful and attractive he was, to be sure, yet who can account for the caprices of a female heart ? Neither had the glitter and magnificence of a kingly court been able to touch her unimpressionable breast, so the captivated Prince sighed in vain. Abdul Hassan, having found the abode THE FALL OF UTOPIA. I 7 of the object of his passion, had not nursed the flame in profitless inaction. In the simple quarters which, by the laws of his office, the Magian was forced to occupy, the manly figure of the fugitive ere long became no unfamiliar sight. The diligence of love had been rewarded, and, by the dexterous insinuations which love alone can dictate, he had managed to introduce himself by night into the presence of the maiden. Being received with no unwillingness, he continued his nocturnal visits, in the absence of the Magian, until the maiden's toleration finally ripened into love quite as ardent as his own. At night while the bulbul sang to the sleep- ing rose, their fingers would alternately touch the love-tuned lute, and their soft-mingling voices, melting their passionate hearts into sweet accord, would rise through the myrtles until the coming of the Magian. Meantime the obstinate little Cashmer- ian became more and more intolerant of the attentions of the Prince, and if she was not wanting in the demonstrations of her dis- pleasure, neither was the unfortunate lover capable of dissembling the anguish which her l8 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. uncompromising coldness engendered, and this melancholy moping became the subject of conjecture throughout the realm. "Why, O gentle daughter of the Magian ! " said the Prince one day, as the damsel passed through a hall of the palace, "why! O fairest of women, wilt thou not smile upon me ? Is thy heart, indeed, of stone ? See ! we shall have dominion and wealth, and the earth will not be able to con- tain my love for thee. Upon thy chiselled arm — " Here the Prince drew forth a bracelet of finest gold, glittering brightly with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pearls, set with such combination of their colors as to produce a most remarkable effect, and half clasped it around her tapering arm. Taking it quickly from her wrist, ,she seemed at first about to throw it into the fountain playing in the hall, but turned and respectfully gave it to the Prince again, say- ing, with mingled scorn and deference : " Though thou wert *Cashna himself, and heir to a kingdom mightier than that of *An Indian god of perfect beauty, especially idolized by the women. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 19 fKai Khusru, he whom I love would not be forsaken, O Prince, for thee ! " When the news of her petted son's inef- fectual efforts to win the heart of the Magian's daughter finally reached the ears of the Queen, she, desiring to behold what supernatural graces characterized the man who had been preferred to a prince of the blood, immediately commanded that Abdul Hassan be brought before her. Scarcely had the graceful young Arab crossed the threshold and paused before the Queen, when her eyes alighted upon an amethyst signet on his hand. Trembling and agitated at the sight, the royal mother could scarcely maintain posses- sion of her senses. Her cheeks grew pale and her whole frame gave evidence of a most disconcerted mind. The well trained Ethi- opians about her knew not what to do. Finally she recovered sufficiently to say : "At last he comes of whom the sorcerer foretold ! It is he ! " Then, after a pause which somewhat calmed her deep emotion, she continued : fPorsian form of Cyrus. 20 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. " Son of the Faithful, thou hast come to a distant land to hear strange tidings of thy self. For thy coming I have watched like Iran for her *Great King. Leave me now; but, when the evening moon climbs over the mountains, see that thou returnest, and thy mind, which, I perceive, stirs with wonder, shall not go unsatisfied." Conjecturing and bewildered, Abdul Hassan retired ; but at the appointed hour he returned to hear what the Queen might have to say. ♦Cyrus, according to the Persian poets, having grown old disap- peared one day from the banks of a pleasant stream. His return, with increased magnificence, was religiously expected. Chapter III. ¥ W THE queen's story. N that region of Araby the Blest, loved and sought by all for the luxuriousness of its vegetation and the deliciousness |V^'of its climate, lies the kingdom of Yeman. The sparkling waters musi- cally trickle down the hillsides of green, and the refreshing winds from the southern sea are unceasing. Even the renowned Hama- den could have been no more delightful, and the damsels of the kingdom were of the fairest. " It was there I was born and reared dur- ing the happy reign of one of its wisest kings. My father had grown rich in the trade of frankincense, and doubly blest with his kind indulgences and the enjoyment of such a land, I grew up as happy and as free as the antelopes that drank from the crystal fountains of this favored spot. " Until my seventeenth year no inci- 21 22 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. dent occurred which I deem worthy to relate. My devotions were punctually performed, and the fast of the month of Ramadan I observed like a true daughter of the Faithful. These, with my domestic duties and some simple diversions, occupied the tearless hours of my time. " One day, however, at about the age I have mentioned, as I walked forth from my father's tent — for it was the torrid month of Reby, and we were tenting without the city — I met a youth of surpassing grace and most pleasing countenance — a stranger in the kingdom of Yeman. He was the pos- sessor of a mighty caravan, consisting of half a thousand camels and a hundred of those sure-footed steeds of Neged, which traveled from place to place, but most frequently were engaged in transporting precious stones and other costly merchandise of Africa, across the deserts to Katif, that wonderful city built of salt, in the province of Bahrein. " Until then my inexperienced heart bad remained unmoved, but no sooner did I behold his noble form and enrapturing smile than all the fountains of my heart broke THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 2% loose in a transport of the tenderest love. He, too, seemed affected ; and, to my infinite joy, approached and spoke to me. Fairer he seemed than the great *Abdallah, on the night of whose nuptials two hundred jealous maidens expired in despair. The modula- tions of his voice were in keeping with his looks — tender and gentle. Soon this affable son of the ancient tribe of the Ayhurites be- came the continual companion of my happy days. Ah ! to gaze into his eyes was like a draught from Al fCauther. The streams danced more brightly, the flowers bloomed more sweetly and the winds blew more softly, than ever before ; and all touched the sweet harmony of love. ♦* Thus the golden days went by. But finally a cloud came to over-spread our fair horizon. All the evil Dives seemed to have conspired against the celebration of our nup- tials. The appointment of a day for their final consummation was sure to be attended by some deep calamity, various obstacles would invariably arise to prevent the celebration. ♦Father of Mahomet. jA stream of the Mahometan Paradise, 24 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. ** Upon one occasion there was to be a feast and day of rejoicing in the kingdom of Yeman, for a poet of decided talents who would henceforth immortalize the tribe, had made his appearance there. It was agreed that the concluding festivities should be fol- lowed, while rejoicing damsels, with their tymbals and tabors, yet remained, by the cele- bration of our long-deferred nuptials. "Scarcely had we begun, however, to prepare for this final feature as the banquet drew to a close, when, as if seized by some awful spell, the multitude was suddenly attacked with madness. They ran frenziedly away, and became incurable maniacs. " Alarmed beyond expression by this extraordinary occurence and crowning disap- pointment, it was determined that I should seek a certain wise Egyptian, deeply skilled in sorcery, astrology and the occult arts, with whom I chanced to be acquainted, and beg an elucidation of these remarkable demonstra- tions, or learn, at least, whether our hopes were destined to be fulfilled. " A cave, secluded among the neighbor- ing hills, to which, as a child, I had often THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 25 wandered, led down into labyrinthine excava- tions from which no human being could escape, if unfamiliar with its windings, and it was here the dark Egyptian spent his days. From the profound depths of his weird retreat a circular shaft communicated with the surface above, and from within its ebony walls the sage astrologer could perceive the wheeling stars at the height of noon. ** I shall not pause to describe his lonely cell, where mystic scrolls, smoked crucibles, and all the instruments of the alchemist's art lay around in wild confusion. When ac- quainted with my mission, he turned and called a raven, perching nearby with his head beneath his wing, and having around his neck of night a row of bells, alternately gold and silver. Whispering a few mysterious words into the bird's ear, he held him up that he might fly to the upper world. Then the Egyptian began preparing a tiny caldron, fill- ing it with a number of peculiar liquids, and building beneath it a naphtha fire. " The raven returned, bearing in his beak three petals, resembling those of the tulip, and these the Egyptian placed in the 26 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. boiling liquid. For several minutes he stirred the mixture with three arrows without heads or feathers, used in divination, repeating wild incantations, and then he drew forth the dripping petals. "Certain characters, unintelligible except to himself, appeared upon their surface, and these he studied attentively for a few moments. He then retreated to the foot of the shaft, and, after observing the constella- tions for a short while, returned, and slowly answered : " 'Not thee, but thine.'' "This I readily understood to mean the hopelessness of our ill-starred love which could only be partially mollified by the vaguely promised union of our posterity. Ah ! it pierced like a yataghan to my loving heart, and I hastened to relate to my dear companion the words of the dark oracle. " Allah acbar ! " exclaimed he, and turned away. In a few days he returned, bringing with him two signets, of which the one had been so skillfully cut from the other that when united they were as a solid stone, so perfect was the union. Upon my hand THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 27 he placed the one cut in relief, charging me to bestow it upon the daughter with whom Allah should bless me, as foreshadowed by the dark Egyptian. The companion, from which it had been cut, he retained, intending, he said, to place it upon the hand of him whom heaven should send as a son. " Immediately he left me and departed from the kingdom of Yeman. Thenceforward I neither saw nor heard of him more ; though many of the *taikhs of Arabia mention a youth, one of two brothers, bearing his name who participated in founding the recent City of fVictory upon the banks of the Nile. " Soon the pangs of retrospection drove me from my once delightful home, and the happy days of my love, a blooming JTayef in the desert of my life, became the source of grief too deep to permit delay among the blasted, desecrated scenes. Accordingly my father took me, and journeying for several months we finally arrived here in the king- dom of Iran. '* Among the many suitors who flocked ♦Chroniclers. f Cairo. JA region so peculiarly fertile that it was fabled to have been washed from Syria during the deluge. 28 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. around me, after the first transports of jny grief had subsided, was the Magian, whom thou knowest. Unstricken then with years, of exquisite tastes and remarkable cultivation, he was at that time a man of great attractive- ness, and I finally yielded to his importuni- ties, and unsanctified relations sprang up between us. ** The offspring of this unbonded union was Zarinah — she whom thou lovest ! Yet so secret had been my indiscretions that when my present lord, the King, one day beheld me walking forth near his palace, struck with my grace and beauty, he delayed not to raise me to his throne, where in unrestricted favor, I have ever since remained. " Hesitating in my unwillingness to see wedded the charming but dishonored off- spring of error to the son of him I had so tenderly loved, should he come, as the oracle foretold, I have witheld from her the signet. Here it is. See ! There can be no mistake, for never was a more perfect fit." In a short time the astounded Abdul Hassan departed with the signets, and at night stole to his trysting bower with Zarinah. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 29 The blemish of her birth had by no means altered his passion ; but his tranquil happi- ness was soon to be destroyed. The jealous Magian, discovering the passion of his idolized daughter, whom he had hoped to hold as the comfort of his declining years, determined to rid himself of Abdul Hassan ; so the lovine: couple, growing apprehensive, stealthily fled one night, and tarried not until safe upon the shores of Barbary. The distressed old man, who had former- ly divided his time between the two places, now abandoned the Valley of Cashmere and took up his abode in the royal palace. On the African shore the fugitive pair resided in peace and happiness until their tardy death. The discovery of a vast treas- ure of gold and jewels by one of their des- cendants, among the ruins of a palace of Tripoli, which the eccentric Cahina, Queen of the Berbers, had caused to be destroyed that it might not fall into the hands of the conquering Abdallah, had rendered the line of Abdul Hassan immensely wealthy. This wealth they enjoyed in delicious inactivity un- til, joining arms with the invincible Tarikin 30 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. his victorious sweep to the Region of the Even- ing,* those whose bodies were not stretched between Gibraltar and the Bay, finally settled, with the Faithful from Irak, in the city and vicinity of imperial Grenada. ♦Arabic Handalusia, formerly applied to whole peninsula of Spain. /*? Chapter IV. OVE shall chant requiems over ''\. the grave -stone of eternity. ^^ From the beginning it has 4 been ; to the end it shall be. The towers of its citadel gleam afar like the sacred Dome ?^i '' of the =^Rock. Beautifier of sterility, ennobling principle of life, exhaustless as the fonts of f Osset ! Swelling like the tides of JHarpi Mu, it inundates creation. The loaded treasury of Suleyman the Wise could con- tain no gem so rich as the petrified throb of a loving heart. How sacred to me have become the Vega's flowery sweeps, where the Xenil and the Darro thread a wilderness of sweets, and gently whisper to the fig-tree and the vine as they nod in the cooling breezes of the Sierra Nevada ! Its departed days have become pilgrim-shrines to my vagrant memory. Its borders are my ultimate bounds. *Mosque of Omar, Jerusalem. tMiraculously replenished yearly. JSpirit of the Nile. 31 32 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. But perhaps you remember that Boabdil fell ; let me pause to explain. One day, when as yet the thankful Te Deum of vic- torious Ferdinand had scarcely died away, and the rocky Alpuxarras still harbored scores of fugitive Moors, resentful and depredatious for the loss of their kingdom, the intrepid Isabella rode forth with only a few female attendants, and was rapidly but unwittingly making toward the rendezvous of one of the fiercest of these bands. My father's mother, seeing the imminent danger to which the Queen exposed herself, and more sensible to the appeals of sex than to the spirit of retalia- tion, hastened to apprise her of her peril. The grateful Isabella was profuse in her dem- onstrations of gratitude, and pressed my grandmother to remain, with her family and intimate friends, in the pleasant valley of her childhood. It is here I was born — here loved and sorrowed. Among the number of this favored resi- due, there was a damsel of ravishing beauty who bore the name of Saffana, the Pearl. For her I had conceived, even in my earliest years, the most ardent and unbounded love. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 33 Beautiful as day, a paragon of grace and loveliness, she had long held my heart a wil- ling captive. Nor did she regard me with indifference. Along the silvery windings of the Darro, or up the green, refreshing knolls, we would often slowly wander, overflowingly transported by the sweet infatuation of mutual love; or else, seated beneath some nodding bower whose boughs sang dreamy songs of perfect peace, would read to each other from the poets of Arabia. But this delicious dream suddenly had a lamentable end. One day as wc sat together upon the verdant banks of the Xenil, to which our unconscious steps had wandered, a silken scarf, upon which she embroidered our intertwined names in the design of myrtle leaves, suddenly fell from her hands into the waters below. The current at this point be- ing extremely swift, in an instant had carried it far down the stream, and I hastened after it with all speed. With great difficulty I finally secured it and returned in time to see a bold Spanish cavalier, mounted upon a fleet and gaily caparisoned courser, seize my wor- shipped Saffana in his arms and dart away be- 34 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. yond the Sierras ! My anguish was indescrib- able. Having no means of pursuit at hand, I was unable to follow the abductor, and was compelled to submit passively to my loss. The years stole by, but my sorrow and devotion remained undiminished. I became a prey to the most morbid melancholy. life was a sunless day, a starless night. But an incident finally occured which altered my sad routine. Among the many architectural wonders in the city and vicinity of Granada, in the construction of which art and science seemed exhausted, there was none of such grandeur as that of the Palace of the Zodiac. So stu- pendous was its plan, so perfect its execu- cution, and so bewildering its general mag- nificence that there were those who claimed it to have been constructed, like Alhambra, by the aid of pov/erful genii. Twelve stately chambers, each having in its burnished ceil- ing one of the signs of the zodiac, set in stones of inestimable value, radiated from a hall, the crowning glory of the palace, which was known as the "Hall of Celestial Dreams." The Islam interdiction of portraiture, THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 35 which required rash painters to furnish souls for their images when they should reach the other world, had but rendered the permis- sable decorations the more magnificent ; and fretwork, tapestry, mosaic and arabesque seemed to breathe a perpetual harmony. Aside from the constellations which glittered from the ceilings of the chambers, the pol- ished walls of variegated marble, worked into contrasts most agreeable to the eye, and tesselated floors whose tiny squares com- bined to represent sparkling streams flowing through luxuriant gardens, so dazzled the eye and bewildered the mind that no one has ever yet been able to describe them. The doors were of flaming brass, so hung that, when opened, their massive hinges began the most exquisite melodies, resounding through- out the entire palace. But the "Hall of Celestial Dreams" was more wonderful still. No human tongue could describe its ingenious arrangement. This hall had been constructed by a holy santon, who, in a life-long retirement had conceived and perfected its wonderful design. Its walls were of aromatic woods, so carved 36 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. as to form a thousand and seven texts from the Koran and the Sonna, which could be read from as many different points, yet always the same. Its ceiling represented the entire firmament, moved by clock-work so as to perform the regular revolutions of the heavenly bodies as they were understood in the time of the santon. Through imperceptible crevices in the marble floor, whose mosaics were set so as to present a different landscape from whatever angle viewed, exuded the most delicate and enduring perfumes. Sumptuous divans of gold, crimson, and purple brocade, wrought into vines or groves, with all their natural colors of fruit, leaf and flower, were arranged about the hall ; and whoever slept thereon might see in his dreams whatever he most desired. It was to this Hall of Celestial Dreams that I finally repaired, when my overwrought brain could endure no more, in hope of see- ing the beloved object of my sorrow. Faithful to its renown, the wonderful hall presented, in a dream, the darling object to my view. I perceived her, in a state of THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 37 the most evident despair, seated upon a rocky ledge on a distant island. So great was my transport at beholding the long-lost Saffana that I spared not a moment from gazing upon her heavenly face and to locate the surroundings — an error which I soon deprecated deeply, as I woke still ignorant of the place of her detention ; a second admission to the Hall not being allowed. However, I had already experienced sor- row, and determined that, without pausing to indulge unavailing regrets, I would set out immediately to search all the islands of the sea for my abducted treasure. The vessel in which I sailed, after being out for nearly two months, one day encoun- tered a terrific storm, and was dashed to pieces by the fury of the waters. A small boat, into which, with a few companions, I had thrown myself when compelled to aban- don the wreck, floated at the mercy of wind and wave for three days, then a monster sword-fish pierced and sank it, and I alone, of all my companions, reached a desolate island close at hand. Its form, somewhat in the shape of a 38 THE FALL OP UTOPIA. crescent, reminded me of the seat of that per- fect government, Utopia, of which I had so often heard. For more than a day I wan- dered about among the ruins of what had evidently been substantial cities, and mar- velled much at the shattered walls and deserted streets. On the evening of the second day I was astonished to perceive two figures — a gray haired man and a damsel of astonishing beauty — sitting together on the desolate sea shore. Astonishment was soon transformed into uncontrollable delight, how- ever, when, on approaching, I discovered the maiden to be none other than my long-lost Saffana ! I will not attempt to describe that thrilling scene of mutual surprise. Tongue and pen fall powerless. Nature would con- vulse in vain. When the first ecstasies of meeting had passed away, I turned to her aged companion, and, learning that my conjectures were cor rect, gave eager ear, as in retrospect, he- related the sad stories connected with the Fall of Utopia. Chapter V. THE Utopian's story. .MONG the multitudinous principles, which, opera- ting together, brought about the lamentable de- struction of Utopia, and, upon the site of one of the most wonderful gov- ernments ever devised by wisdom and executed by discretion, planted the standard of deso- lation, it is impossible to select any definite agency to which one can point with accuracy as the predominant cause of this mighty falling away. Numerous and various as have been these causes, the conclusion to which we are driven, in the absence of any specific principles to which the destruction is attributable, is, that, the fullness of time having arrived, the con tinual operations of combined circumstances, 39 40 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. finally wrought their fatal consummation. From the Almighty's " Let there be ! " human hearts have ever been the same. The passions have waged with equal warmth and similar inclination in every land and time. Imitation, the most natural and instinctive trait known to man, lapses quite as naturally into rivalry and contention. Envy and avarice insinuate themselves, and the princi- ples of spontaneous destruction are thus un- consciously introduced into the best of econ- omies. The human mind, never refusing to entertain strong appeals to the passions, per- mits itself to engender a love of the marvel- ous, which, working upon the delighted imagination, gradually alienates the sober and dispassionate elements necessary to proper preservation, and allows idleness and dissolutions to creep into its strongholds. Superstition, following, exerts its undermin. ing influence, and from the whole, spring unnumbered evils. The mind, too, as though intuitively recognizing its celestial origin, seems ever yearning for its lost estate, and is, by nature, inconstant and restless and THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 41 anxious for repeated changes. As a conse- quence, the monotonous similarity of dress, custom and habitation, such as the Utopian policy provided, excluding, moreover, the in- centives of ambition and pride, no less than envy and vainglory, could not but receive a final overthrow. Since no two men may perceive precisely alike, a difference of opinion must exist among all mankind. This, becoming known, as it naturally will, in the course of intercom- munication, creates various discussions, every man holding tenaciously to his own tenets ; wrangling and contention, inflamed with an inherent passion, bring about malice, envy, hatred and a disintegration of those institu- tions which concord and unanimity alone can preserve. Religion, science and philoso- phy continually hold open the ample fields of disputation, which but widen at each advance. This spirit of selfishness, withdrav/ing the individual from the commonality, brought on, in this instance, the desire of individual wealth and personal emolument. Strife, avarice, cunning and deception came each to play its part. Bickerings and feuds mar- 42 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. shalled in the spirit of retaliation, and all the agencies of intestine discord were soon at work. The continuation of a government char- acterized by a community of property, a con- tempt for wealth and ornament, and a weary- ing simplicity of dress and abode, was hence, in itself, impracticable ; but, the element which most nearly approached to a pre-emi- nence in working the fall of Utopia, was the introduction of foreigners and their manners. Association readily breeds assimilation, and the various customs of other nations soon exerted influences that in addition to those just mentioned, wrought the final over throw. However, anxious stranger, without troubling you longer with my own analytical opinions, I will proceed to relate a few of the more prominent incidents in the history of this unfortunate island, and leave you to draw your own conclusions from these stories of love and hope and beauty ; of pride and envy and avarice. I must speak of deeds that were done before my day, handed down, as they have THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 43 been, by indubitable traditions, with no inducement to misrepresentation, so I will go back to what seems to be the beginning, and I doubt not but what you will be able to trace from these stories the spark that ulti- mately brought about this lamentable ruin. It was not far from this spot that the rays of the setting sun, falling upon a ver- dant grotto which opened upon the gentle windings of the river Anidar, softly touched a haggard brow upon which the beads of death were slowly gathering. At the kiss of the tender sunlight the dying man opened his glassy eyes, and, not entirely vanquished by the throes of this final hour, a mighty soul shone through. A profound, tenacious, and unyielding intellect must have lain behind ; and the protracted lucubrations had not failed to leave their marks. About him, in careless confusion, lay many yellow scrolls and mysterious instru- ments, so disposed as to leave no doubt of zealous usage. " Daughter ! " The sunken eyes beamed with an almost natural light as he heard him- self utter the cherished name. 44 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. The hand of his daughter, Starlight, tightened its loving grasp upon his bony fin- gers, and the old man turned his kindling eyes upon the beautiful girl. Raising his feeble hand, he would have smoothed the soft, brown ringlets of her hair, as they fell in un- confined loveliness about her noble forehead, but it fell listless at his side. A sigh of despair half escaped his lips. " Daughter ! the stars have denied me the mysteries I sought, and, with their allur- ing secrets, have drawn this unrecompensed soul to the great Beyond. But no beam from the rolling spheres could ever rival my own Starlight, so long the solace of my en- feebled years : and now alas ! I must lose thee, too. But I would die, as I have lived, patiently and resignedl)^ Under our per- fect government thy temporal wants shall be well supplied, and may the great Mithras ever lovingly guard thy soul ! Kiss me, Starlight ! — and farewell ! " The weeping girl tenderly pressed his clammy lips, and the old man breathed no more. Chapter VI. is the years rolled by the natural grace of Starlight matured in astonishing beauty. The sor- rows of her early life set a melancholy softness in her deep, dark eyes, and a touch- ing sadness in the curve of her ripened lips. Her nature, too, partook of this winning gentleness, and the tender- ness of her heart was known to be equalled only by the penetration of her mind. In the same family as that to which, as was the custom of the Utopians, she had been confided on the death of her father, there was a girl of about her own age. So similar were they, not only in disposition, but in out- ward form, and so enamored were they of each other, that they were known throughout the island as the Sisters. Their beauty and winning traits made them universally re- nowned and loved. Since the death of the studious recluse, 45 46 THE FALL OF UTOPIA* Starlight and Phrystia had been inseparable. Side by side, when, on harvest day, the Utopians went forth to gather their sun- ripened grain, the devoted friends pursued their appointed tasks. At evening, and dur- ing the leisure hours of noon, they retired alone to the cool, refreshing garden of their home, where they would join their voices to the sound of some musical instrument, or read aloud by turns from a favorite author. Thus many years went by. Finally, how- ever, an incident occurred which altered the peaceful tenor of their lives. It was a custom among the Utopians to send out one of their inhabitants occasionally, to collect debts due the government by neigh- boring nations for the overplus of corn, wool, etc., sold them during such years as the wis- dom and industry of Utopia had produced more than was requisite for their own con- sumption. Since, in the island itself, a com- munity of property obtained, there could be no need of money, except in the rare case of war ; consequently such as were sent to col- lect these dues were permitted to remain some time in the foreign country and live in THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 47 the most sumptuous and expensive manner, at the cost of the State. Othiastes, son of a noble Archphilarch of Amaurot, had recently returned from such a mission. Scarcely had he reached his native city, from which he had been absent many years, when the fame of the surpassing gentleness and beauty of Starlight and Phrys- tia reached his ears. His naturally amourous temperament had not been cooled by his sojourn at the foreign court, and he hastened to pay his respects to the charming and devoted Sisters. The reports of their graceful and engag- ing manners were substantiated. Indeed, notwithstanding the elevated pitch to which rumor had raised his anticipations, he was compelled to confess great astonishment on beholding the real objects of such unlimited praise, beautiful beyond his highest concep- tions. It is unnecessary to relate that such wit and beauty as he here found combined made an easy prey of his susceptible heart. They became the exclusive objects of his dreams and meditations, and not a moment of their agreeable companionship was sacri- 48 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. ficed but upon occasions of the most impera- tive necessity. If the names of the Sisters had before been united whenever uttered, there was now added another equally insepara- ble. But the difficulty of making a preference between the two soon confronted him, for polygamy was not allowed in Utopia. So unselfishly devoted were these remarkable Sisters that each even sought to further the interests of the other in the eyes of the unde- cided lover, to whose many captivating traits they, nevertheless, were by no means insensi- ble. This generous care for the welfare of each other rendered both but more amiable in the sight of Othiastes. Thus for months he stood distracted and irresolute between the two. Finally, however, a change in the gener- ous love of Phrystia decided the vacillating lover. The spirit of unselfish affection for her foster sister gradually declined before her more ardent passion for Othiastes, and she, at length, began exercising all the artifices she could conceive to prejudice his heart in her own favor — for there are no THE FALL OF UTnPIA. 49 surprises in love. With this change her whole conduct and disposition altered. She avoided the uncomplaining Starlight, and seemed to regard her with that suspicion she knew she had justly roused against her- self. The silent consciousness of an ungener- ous action rendered her petulant, morose and passionate. Othiastes was not slow to perceive this unkind abandonment of the gentle Starlight, and his preference for the astronomer's daughter immediately prevailed. Henceforth she alone engaged his meditations and atten- tions. Phrystia grew daily more odious in his sight, until, intensified by his increasing love for Starlight, his indifference towards her amounted to abhorrence. ^ Chapter VII. THI ASTES, once settled in his choice, pursued his suit with unfailing zeal. Starlight, ripening daily into more per- fect beauty, became his sec- ond self, and scarcely any hour found them separate. Side by side in all their labors, they spent their leisure, whether playing the engrossing game of the Virtues and the Vices, or wandering through the neighboring groves and gardens, always in a congenial companionship. Starlight retained her unselfish regard for the false Phrystia, and seemed unconscious of her treachery. Yet she could not but confess a partial tenderness for her assiduous lover. However, an incident soon occurred which, appealing to her sympathetic heart, diverted the tendency of her passion. There lived, in a certain quarter of Amaurot, a youth of many estimable quali- ties of mind. His manly character, lively 50 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 5I intelligence and generous nature had ren- dered him universally beloved. One night he dreamed that, as he walked alone in the temple, a massive candelabrum, branched into the shape of a sheaf of corn, and used exclu- sively during the first month of harvest, sud- denly fell upon him as he passed beneath it, and struck him on the head with tre- mendous force. He fell, bleeding, to the floor and seemed experiencing all the pangs of dis- solution when he awoke. This dream he took to be a forerunner of his death when the approaching harvest should arrive, and immediately abandoned himself to the deepest melancholy. Nothing could distract his thoughts from the attended calamity, and without sleep or sustenance, day or night, he brooded over his unfortunate situation. Music and gaiety had lost their charms. Reading and disputa- tion, in which, especially, he once delighted, could not bring him to himself again. The tender heart of Starlight had been touched by the story of this unfortunate youth, and she determined to beguile him, if possible, from his fatal reflections. She often 52 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. visited him, and exerted all her charms for his recovery, but, while he could not remain altogether insensible to such unprecedented grace, he could not be weaned from his deep- ly seated sorrow. Starlight did not despair, but continued her gentle smiles and kindly ministrations. Nor could her sympathetic heart restrain its feeling within the bounds of a friendly and charitable regard. The troubled youth unconsciously ac- quired a stronger sway over the anxious girl. Biased in favor of what her heart conceived to be a duty, she soon abandoned her incipi- ent passion for Othiastes, and, quickened by the foretaste, turned toward the dechning Dreamer with the most ardent devotion. Had it not been for the unmistakable evidence of an inward decline — hollowing cheeks and enfeebling steps — it might have easily been supposed, as, well pleased with the ingenuous Starlight, the languisher would smilingly converse with the devoted girl, that at last a saviour had been found to divert his thoughts from their dolorous chan- nel. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 53 Meantime Othiastes burned with jeal- ousy and revenge. Tne fiercest hatred is often but a kind of love. It is passion, all. And the disappointed lover, with a malignity commensurate with his devotion, in that wild inexplicable spirit of destruction and desper- ation which frequently seizes upon human hearts, resolved on a fearful vengeance upon the unsuspecting Starlight. According to the ancient laws of our island, for any two or more inhabitants to be found guilty of discussing matters pertaining to the government was considered a crime for which death alone could atone, and this pun- ishment was often most summarily executed. When the infamous Othiastes beheld this remarkable couple so often in each other's company, it was to this vigorous and invio- lable law that his desperate heart reverted. Here, under the semblance of anxiety for his country's welfare, he might deal his fatal thrust and gratify his implacable vengeance, unquestioned, unsuspected of his motives. Revenge never shrinks from its instru- ments ; and passion warms the blood that would else run cold. At this critical period, 54 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. Othiastes thought of the treacherous Phrys- tia. " What heart, once sinning, sins but once ? " said he. " The hell in human breasts yearns for expiring Virtue, and clamors loudly for its corse ; and envy, joined with depravity, defies both heaven and earth." Seeking out the unfaithful Sister, Othiastes renewed his attentions ; and she, too obtuse to perceive the motive concealed beneath his specious lovc, abandoned herself to the most unrestrained infatuation over her imagined triumph. At the proper moment, the vindictive, designing lover engaged the willing Phrystia into his unconscionable scheme, and soon the island of Utopia grew noisy with whispers of astonishment, exchanged on every hand, that Starlight and her remarkable lover had formulated designs against the government. With trembling expectancy they awaited her appearance before the Senate. Chapter VIII. aTOPIA, throughout its length and breadth, had, for some time, re-echoed the startling story, and now the inves- tigation was at hand. Starlight, trembling with excitement, stood before the assembled Senate, con- fronted by her accusers, and surrounded by a curious multitude. The desperate illness of the Dreamer, who shared with her the charge of guilt, had prevented his appearance, and so she stood alone. Othiastes, displaying the boldness of an unfeeling heart, began his accusations with a half triumphant air and unhesitating voice. His well conceived story, couched in words of studied smoothness, seemed to carry con- viction as it fell. During his pauses, all eyes were turned upon the unfortunate girl. Many gave vent to expressions of indignation and heaped maledictions upon the trembling Starlight, who had dared to concert designs against the public good. Others gazed with 55 56 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. compassion and incredulity into her innocent, downcast eyes. The shameless Phrystia followed, sub- stantiating the charges of Othiastes, and recounting various occasions on which she herself had overheard treasonable words fall from the lips of the lovers. The Prince then turned to Starlight and bade her speak, if there was anything she wished to say in her defence. She raised her head, and, calming her emotion, with a half defiant glance in her naturally tender eyes, thus began : *' Prince and most noble Senators ! if love be criminal, I have sinned ; if sympathy be transgressive, I have erred ; and if tender- ness for the unfortunate be accounted treason to the State, most deeply have I offended, and most willingly will I suffer ; but, if a regard for the tender ties of humanity and a response to the gentle dictates of a woman's heart may continue to be considered as in the spirit of our government, most jealously have I kept the law. Unaccustomed to the machi- nations of the wicked and designing, and a stranger, by reason of my sex, to the art of THK FALL OF UTOPIA. 57 disputation, there is but little hope that my simple contradiction of the charges urged against me will be able to prevail against the artifice and chicanery of an accomplished deceiver. Let me not hope to be so fortu- nate. But, having ingenuously related the true reason of this persecution, no judgement can deprive me of my serenity of conscience, nor the buoyancy of spirit which follows the innocent to the grave. " You must know, most sapient counsel- lor ! that a jealous heart is the bed-stone of this calumnious fabric. The love of Othi- astes' frozen heart has melted into revenge. Once he loved me, but I did not retain a simi- lar love for him ; and from the depths of his despair all this turpitude has evolved. From the cinders of hope burst the flames of desperation ; while the throne of benefi- cence becomes the footstool of depravity. I loved — still love — another; and this love his abandoned heart would make the instru- ment of my destruction. '^ She who ratifies his accusations, once the sister of my heart, and but dearer for the relationship which no common blood allied. 58 THE FALL OF UTOFlA. has been weaned from her sisterly devotion by the stronger appeals of her passion for Othiastes. Her I will spare all denunciation or reproach, well knowing that the agonies of retribution will be sufficient when her dissim- ulating lover, his end accomplished, has un- gratefully abandoned her. " I can do no more than repeat my pro- testation of innocence. They who love-enist suffer. There is a fable, which a cunning Greek relates, that ' from a mystic egg, laid by primeval Night, sprang forth sweet Eros with his golden wings, the pervading princi- ple of Love.' But, rather, for me, has im- mortal Eros hatched from some mystic egg deep chaos and eternal night ! " Starlight ceased. Overcome with emo- tion she sank almost at the feet of her accusers. In spite of the Constitution of Utopia, which declared that all deliberations of state should continue three days before the final judgement, the Prince and Council were about to render their decisions when, in the midst of the uproarious multitude, a man mounted upon the shoulders of his fellows THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 59 and shouted to the Council, above the din, to be allowed, by special exception, to speak in behalf of the accused, seeing her own inability to defend herself, and her accusers being two to one. The Prince, answering for the Council, granted the permission. This generous stranger — stranger at least to Starlight — was one of the public disputants of Utopia, who, by a provision of its government, on having displayed suffic- ient talent and inclination, are exempt from the daily duties of common citizens, and are allowed to devote their time to study and debate. No other incentive than the sympathetic concern which Starlight's deplorable situa- tion had awakened actuated him to under- take her rescue, but, plunging into the heat of argument, and inspired by the righteous- ness of his cause, he attacked the fallacious charges with a vigor, dexterity, and penetra- tion which proved him a most accomplished disputant. One by one the allegations of the accusers were forced to fall before his tre- mendous sweeps ; but, in spite of his mighty 6o THE FALL OF UTOPIA. effort, he was unable to prove, by living evi- dence, the falsity of the accusations. With a mighty appeal to the dictates of innate jus- tice and humanity, the speaker concluded and disappeared. The tumult among the divided multitude ran high. Confusion reigned supreme. All efforts to restore quiet were, for some time, in vain. Comparative silence, however, was finally secured. The Senators assembled closely about the Prince, and, in undertones, began their deliberations. The Council was much divi- ded ; many arguing the youth, even the beauty, as well as the evident innocence of the maiden ; some remembered the estimable qualities of her studious father ; some were touched by her tender attachment to the Dreamer. Others noted only the lack of conclusive contradiction of the charges made against her and descanted upon their duty to fulfil the letter of the law. A decision was finally reached. The Prince arose, holding in his hand the decisive judgment. Not a sound was heard. The anxious crowd leaned forward breathlessly to THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 6l catch the word. Every eye was fixed in intensest expectation. Just then Starlight, returning to con- sciousness, opened her eyes and feebly stirred. The lips of the Prince parted, and she caught the words : **In the name of Mithras and of Justice, death!" Starlight sank upon the floor. /? Chapter IX. Last day before harvest JU was nearly spent. The ' haggard youth who, for months, had been wast- ing away with his afflict- ing apprehension, now knew that the end was near and that his vis- ion was about to be fulfilled. Indeed, the glassy stare of approaching death was already in his eyes. Turning to the anxious watchers at the bedside, he made an effort as though to speak. Presently his thin lips parted : '< Before I die," said he, ''I desire, my faithful friends, to make known to you the story of my life, which has remained undis- closed until now, and I pray Heaven for strength to sustain me while relating it. ''That I am not a Utopian by birth is no secret. I was born in the vicinity of one of the most noted of European capitals, and was the elder of two sons. My father, a 62 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 63 man of no small fortune, lavished all that heart could wish upon my brother and myself, and being a man of some discretion, he assem- bled at his spacious chateau, the most learned and distinguished tutors, sparing no cost in embellishing the minds of his idolized chil- dren. Our every whim and fancy, from very infancy, had been indulged, and, but for the ineradicable perversity of our hearts, even after his lamented death, we might have con- tinued happy. " My brother, though otherwise a man of infinite good sense, generous, handsome and engaging, was yet possessed of the most amorous of all hearts. This weakness, whether from inability or a want of inclina- tion, he rarely failed to gratify, and was con- sequently led into a multitude of embarrass- ing errors and indiscretions. His passions pursued their caprices with a blind disre- gard for whatever consequences might be entailed. " As for myself, an insatiable avarice was my predominant passion, and in its grati- fication I was no less impetuous than my uxorious brother. My father, during our 64 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. childhood, in order to counteract the inclina- tion towards prodigality, had caused us to be instructed, though in the midst of luxury, to recognize the wisdom of providence and econ- omy. In my brother, the effect was the desired medium, but in myself, confirming a natural inclination, it soon produced a sordid, niggardly avarice, which set all ties and feel- ings at defiance. " Immediately upon the death of our father, my brother and myself apportioned our inheritance. The chateau itself, in addi- tion to a considerable sum fell to the share of my brother ; while to me fell the rich estates surrounding it, with a proportionate amount of ready money. '* My brother, desiring to travel, soon set off, after heartily granting me permission to occupy the paternal residence as my own until his return. ** In the warm, luxuriant countries along the Mediterranen his susceptible heart ex- panded with delight, and seemed to feel that it had found the perfect paradise of love. Each day found him sighing at the feet of some new beauty, and the suspecting stars THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 65 nightly blushed at his continual vows. Lav- ish and improvident, he was frequently with- out funds and much inconvenienced to re-es- tablish himself. *' Finally, with his unrestrained excesses he fell ill. In a neighboring cloister there lived a pious nun, alike remarkable for her beauty and for the causes which led her to take the veil. In youth she had loved above her station, and, in order to deliver the object of her affection from the threatened resentment of an intolerant uncle, she had proved the genuineness of her devotion by secretly withdrawing from the world. An uncommon care and tenderness characterized her ministrations, and her goodness and beauty made her known far and near. *'VVhen my brother fell ill, she hastened to visit him, and each succeeding day found her religiously at his side. ** One day she noticed a signet upon his hand, and its remarkable motto excited her surprise. During the feudal ages a popular amusement at the various courts of Gaul was a kind of verbal tournament between dif- ferent troubadours or minstrels, on questions 66 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. of love, over vi^hich the noble ladies usually- presided and arbitrated. A curious code, anonymously compiled, and of great antiquity, was used on these occasions, a copy of which, in the palace of King Arthur, was suspended by a chain of gold from a falcon's perch. From this peculiar work my brother had taken the following appropriate line: Z^ Ainour ne jjeutrien refuser a V amour. It was with this sentiment in his heart and these words on his signet that he had set out to conquer the world. Perceiving these remarkable words, the human nature in the breast of the lovely recluse prevailed, and she desired my brother, now much improved, to give an account of his eccentricity. "This request but afforded an oppor- tunity to express the ungovernable love, improper, he confessed, but not impure, which he had long since conceived for her. Surfeited with idle and unprofitable passions, he had really come to love this tender, self- sacrificing unfortunate with a depth and sin- cerity which lent persuasive force to his appeals. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. d^ "At first the gentle nun was over- whelmed with chagrin and astonishment at this disregard for the sanctity of her office, and scorned his audacious advances ; but, having once been touched by words of famil- iar softness, the half-forgotten chords again vibrated in her heart, and, in the intoxica- tion of awakened love, in the transports of feeling, augmented by a favor which she was forced to confess she entertained for her charge, she finally renounced her vows of celibacy and seclusion, and awaited with impatience my brother's recovery, which would witness the consummation of their nuptials. '* With all the anxiety of a loving heart, she noted each phase of his convalescence, and rejoiced at the approach of the welcome day of union. "But the happiness of both was to be unfulfilled. She herself fell sick on the eve of the approaching alliance. Day by day she declined. Love and tenderness were unavail- ing and at last she died. " Overcome with his insupportable sor- row, my distracted — brother — retur — " 68 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. The dying man could say no more. A convulsion seized his emaciated frame, and the agonies of death seemed upon him. Chapter X. was a doubtful struggle. Life and death contending for the mastery ! Now one, now the other seemed about to prevail. At last the pati- ent's fixed eyes opened again, and his spirit veered toward the world of the living. Slowly he recognized his surroundings and finally was sufficiently recovered to resume his story : ** As for me, no power could eradicate the inveterate avarice of my nature. While my generous parent lived, the friends and companions who laughed with me were as numerous as his unstinted liberality and good fellowship could procure, and these boyhood friends were as sincere and unselfish as heart could wish. Nor did I lack that tender love which no sex can ever receive from its kind. "A gentle, loving creature had given me the pure affections of her childish heart. In return, I adored her. But alas for my unconquerable weakness ! 69 70 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. "The covetous heart is a sorcerer leagued with liell, before whose almighty touch love and trust melt away as the snow summers off from the mountains ! Idolatrous iconoclast ! Arch-destroyer of human hopes ! The thief of souls ! The off-spring of envy ; the parent of jealousy ; the enemy of peace and mercy ! Cursed spirit of despair ! One by one, my envious and despicable heart destroyed its tranquil pleasures. " On the return of my sorrowful brother from the scene of his overwhelming misfor- tune, far from receiving him with brotherly cordialty and the tenderness which his remorseful and melancholy state of mind demanded, I not only refused him admission to the home of his childhood, but maintained absolute possession of the property which he had unsuspectingly entrusted to me. " Perceiving the effect of his unrestrained confidence, and the utter futility of any attempt to recover his chateau, even if inclined, he sadly left me in quiet possession of our ancestral estate. Nor have I ever seen him since. " One would think that the compunction THE FALL OF UTOPIA, 71 of conscience for having committed such an outrage would have cured this distemper of the soul ; but avarice would deplume the angels, and coin the golden throne of God ! The nearest and dearest of my friends were gradually estranged. The humble peasants whom I once esteemed for their intrinsic vir- tues, I now despised for their lowliness. My heartless treatment of indigent dependents and fallen friends would make a revolting story. " She whom I had once tenderly loved fell a victim to my impartial passion. For months together she would be forced to mourn my neglect, when a blind absorption in business affairs led my thoughts away ; again she would find herself the object of intolerant jealousy. Thus my inconstant heart vascillated until one day, as we stood upon a beetling cliff overlooking a scene of surpassing grandeur, she turned to a youth who accompanied us, and addressing him, smiled with what I chose to think too much warmth. Being more ill-humored than usual, I was so provoked at her boldness that I dealt her a heavy blow, and she fell lifeless 72 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. and mangled upon the jagged rocks below. " I was for some time insensible of the magnitude of my crime ; but, gradually recovering from my intoxicated and resentful state of mind, I came to a realizing sense of my ferocious conduct, and gradually grew less interested in my lands and coffers. Once beginning to soften, my heart recalled with infinite remorse, the happy days of my innocent childhood, spent in the sweet com- panionship of the gentle being I had mur- dered ! " The Dreamer could scarcely continue for emotion. He seemed to experience all the agonies of which he told. His voice, too, was growing perceptibly weaker, and his story seemed about to remain unconcluded. After some time, however, he again rallied, and continued. " It is needless to attempt a description of my feelings at this critical time. Every reminder of my sordid passion became insup- portably odious, and I determined to aban- don the scenes of error forever. ** It was about this time that I learned from an aged sailor, of a country beyond the THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 73 seas which he called *' Hutopia," where all property was owned in common, and money was a thing unknown. There would conse- quently be no strife, or covetousness, and such, it seemed to me would be a suitable asylum for my self-detested soul. *• I accordingly agreed with the mariner that if he would but land me safely on that peaceful, favored island, he should have pos- session of all my rich estates. In a short while we began our journey, and in due time arrived at Amaurot, where I have ever since remained." He ceased. Exhausted as he was with his lengthy narrative, it was evident that his end would soon come. His breath came at less regular intervals, and with greater diffi- culty. He lingered until the rising sun peeped over the eastern hills, and as the har- vest day came beautifully on, the watchers around his bedside whispered : "The dream has been fulfilled ! " Chapter XI. HE day of Starlight's execution {"i^had arrived. Excited groups of citizens, who had not yet forgotten the recent scenes in the Senate, were assembled at various places throughout the city of Amaurot, and the unrestrained fury of partisan hatred among those who approved or condemned the fatal sentence gave a menacing appearance which had never been known before. All efforts towards pacification were ineffectual, and so universal was the feeling, either for or against the condemned conspirator, that only a few desired to make the attempt. Long before dawn the streets had begun to surge with the restless, clamorous, mad throng and, deserting their flocks and fields in the general frenzy, the people of the neighboring country came into the excited city. The warmth of dispute often led to blows, and, friend joining friend, riotous numbers were frequently embroiled. Much, 74 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 7$ indeed, was to be feared from the increasing contentions, and Amaiirot trembled for its fate. The immediate vicinity of Starlight's place of confinement was naturally the point of centralization, and here all Utopia seemed assembled. Here was the scene of the most portentous violence. At last Starlight appeared, surrounded by officers and ghostly counsellors, and the solemn train began wending its way toward the place of execution. Popular frenzy became wilder still, and the hideous riot and din, spreading wider and wider, growing louder and louder, became a chaotic convulsion, a seething anarchy. Starlight's partisans seemed the predom- inant faction, and when she appeared the contest for her release became indescribably frantic. The sympathetic heart of the Utopian populace was touched ; their blood was all aflame. Civil strife, before unknown, was more awful for its novelty ; its conse- quent disasters had not yet been learned. The tumultuous crowd had been kept at bay, but, passing into a narrower street, a 7^ THE FALL OF UTOPIA. funeral train was suddenly encountered, slowly marching along to the sound of solemn music. Death beheld death and shuddered. The multitude grew calmer for a moment, and someone whispered : " The Dreamer ! " Starlight's expectant ears caught the words and she fell senseless to the earth. Without pausing to ascertain the cause, the infuriated crowd renewed its struggles with greater desperation than ever. Think- ing the object of their contention dead, the partisans of Starlight turned revengefully upon the homes of their foes, and, laying waste with astonishing rapidity, touched fire to the rifled buildings, and put the axe to the groves and gardens of the citizens who had so recently become their implacable enemies. The work of devastation was already progressing with a celerity which promised an early destruction of the city, and even a desolation of the island, when the prostrate girl opened her eyes. Consciousness returned and, glancing about her, she saw the awful evidence of the vengeance which, she learned, was being executed in her behalf. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. ']^ Through the tumult she implored them, as best she could, to forbear. For a moment she seemed to forget her own anguish of heart in her anxiety for the city. Her supplica- tions were for a long time disregarded, but they finally prevailed, and the maddened crowd which mocked at opposition was moved by persuasion. Seeming to feel duty grow upon her, she begged her riotous partisans to cease their quarrels altogether, and, the weaker faction which opposed being only too glad to permit them, they gradually became more subdued. Discretion, too, directed that it would be advisable to forego the execution ot Star- light until some more advantageous time, and so, not without some half-smothered curses from the infuriated crowds, the pale and trembling maiden was returned to her gloomy confinement. What agony of heart she must have felt ! He whom she loved — so dearly, deeply loved — had expired in her absence ! Who had been there to kiss the death-dew from his brow, and cool his burning pulse t His 78 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. last words, what were they ? Was there a message ? When had he died ? These must have been the shadows of her thought- realities ! Most prominent in the angry rabble which struggled to deliver Starlight from her fate was noticed a youth whose refined, intel- ligent face formed a striking contrast with the coarse and hardened features of his fel- lows. When fury was at its height none was so furious as he, and the boldness of his attacks, the pertinacity with which they were pursued, was noticeable even in that indis- criminate wan Who was he ? everyone asked. " The Disputant ! " When the frenzy of conflict had subsided he suddenly disappeared. "What had become of him } " It was an ominous absence, for his sul- len soul had withdrawn only to meditate upon dark designs. In the silence of retire- ment was being evolved destructive agencies, and soon, sweeping down upon Utopia from an unsuspected quarter, desolation was to light upon the devoted land. Men fear the uncomprehended, but the THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 79 dimly known is doubly feared. What his dark designs might be was easy to imagine, but what they were was unimaginable. Starlight had taken possession of his soul, whether from love or its kindred, sym- pathy, and he had determined that retribu- tion should be visited upon those who sinned, and upon the land which they inherited. ^ Chapter XII. • • Viiv" ■ •'• ....q^ ip S>:^-. s ^M HE feast of Trapmenes was at hand, and the last day of the departing year was filled with revelry and mirth. The streets of Am- aurot, so lately thronged with rioters and red with human blood, had become the scene of joy and festivity. Peace dwelt in the ruined structures of the half-consumed city, whose blackened walls and upturned foundations lined the widely wasted streets. It is on this occasion that the pious Utopian children make annual confession to their parents, or whomsoever else may have their guardianship, and, with the frankness which characterizes the race, avow all their faults and weaknesses. Althea, the daughter of the Prince of the island made herself no exception, and a confession made on this new year's morning threw all Utopia into excitement. 80 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 8 1 Among the associates of her earlier days, while as yet her father was but an unpreten- tious Philarch, was a stranger whose manly bearing, generous nature, and agreeable man- ners soon won her tender heart. The mutual passion which arose continued its unruffled flow until, beneath the fervent skies of later years, its blended currents gaily danced in ecstasies of delight. But Althea was forced to mourn parental disapproval of her choice, and he who had once tolerated, even encouraged, the enigmati- cal stranger, now, somewhat pompous by pre- ferment, forbade a continuation of attentions to his daughter. Enigmatical, I say, and such the stran- ger was. Not a native of Utopia, yet no one knew his nationality. A vessel silently anchored one night in the crescent harbor, and he, the solitary passenger, came ashore. The vessel left as silently as it had come, and here, apparently without any definite designs, the stranger had ever since remained ; and, with never a word as to his former life had entered heartily into the customs and the cares of his adopted land. 82 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. During a recent war of the Utopians with one of the neighboring nations, the stran- ger, furiously fighting in the foremost ranks, had been taken by the enemy. Months had passed away, and still Althea vainly lan- guished for his coming, like the earth for the tardy Spring, and it was during these months of Erastus' absence that the trial and con- demnation of Starlight, with all the Ian enta- eble consequences, had occurred. The execrable Phrystia, enjoying marked distinction at the hands of the Prince since her false solicitation for the welfare of the government, was often in the company of Althea. Once, when the maiden was heard to murmur against the unfeelingness of her father, the Prince, for having refused to per- mit her alliance with the object of her love ere he had taken what seemed to be his last farewell, Phrystia ventured to confide to her that the charges against Starlight were but revengeful fabrications. The soul of Althea recoiled from the odidous woman who had so heartlessly pro- faned the sanctity of friendship and the noble principles of truth, in the gratification of her THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 83 selfish ends, and, fired with indignation, she threatened to expose her treachery to the Prince. But the unprincipled Phrystia easily silenced her menacing tongue. Althea's absent lover bore a striking resemblance — a resemblance which was something wonderful — to the unfortunate Dreamer, with whom Starlight had been con- victed of holding treasonable council ; and, with her ingenuity to conceive, and depravity to execute, it would be no difficult matter to shift the charge upon Erastus — and the Senate, before her eloquence, seemed to be of easy faith. All this Althea knew too well, and love prevailed over conscience and resent- ment. Soon afterward, a trusted messenger hurried breathlessly in to announce that a lame man, much like Erastus, was seen com- ing, travel -stained and weary, in the v/ay which led from the hcstile quarter of the island. Althea was in wild excitement. Her loving heart could scarcely contain itself, in its longing to have him near again ; but her mind still entertained misgivings as to his safety, for she hardly dared to trust 84 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. such an embodiment of faithlessness as Phrystia had become. Her anxiety was unnecessary, however, for so long as unexposed, the sinful Sister was content to hold her peace. But the noble nature of Erastus — it was he who had returned — scorned the compromise of honor by a silence which he deemed as guilty as the deed, and, confident in his own ability and the power of right over wrong, he persuaded Althea to reveal the imposture to her father. The recent blood- shed and conflagration had been, he said, a fearful visitation of retributive justice upon a land which the Angel of Equity had fled, and an immediate restoration of the innocent Starlight to life and freedom would be but a small reparation of the grievous errors. This was the condition of affairs when the feast of Trapmenes came to close the past and open the succeeding year. Althea exposed the cowardly treachery to her father, and the horrified Prince, not yet too blind or unfeeling to perceive what an irreparable crime would have been committed in the exe- cution of Starlight, immediately convoked THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 85 the Senate and issued the proclamation of her release. When the news of Starlight's established innocence was noised about the island, popu- lar fury again seemed about to rise — indeed, did rise, and amounted to violence on sev- eral occasions, though not so unrestrained as on the day of her intended execution. The spirit of passion and irritability seemed to have permeated all Utopia. Con- tentions and disputes became more frequent and more ungoverned. The seeds of disso- lution and destruction were rapidly sprouting in the heart of the model government. The generous, yet resentful Disputant was among the sowers. Chapter XIII. INCE the day of the un- successful effort to lead Starlight to execution, the streets, the markets, and the mess-halls had all become the scenes of continued wrangling. The Disputant, who had defended the innocent maiden before the Senate, had made a solemn oath that since the deafness of the govern- ment to all appeals of reason had produced so many conflicts, the spirit of rivalry and dis- cord, easily introduced through the permis- sible medium of discussion, when once aroused would quickly involve, by a kindred and ever increasing disaffection, all the customs and institutions of the island in which rivalry could be exercised. Every department of art, science and commerce would become subjects of dissension. The revengeful dream of the Disputant 86 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 87 achieved a woeful realization. Such a revo- lution, you may well suppose, required behind it a mind well skilled and powerful. The young revolutionist's discourses were models of eloquence, penetration and persuasion, and not Amaurot alone, but all Utopia, was beneath his sway. In the atttempts to emu- late his elegant discussions, disputation became contagious. No intellect was so low but what, catching the spirit of the times, it would occasionally attempt a flight. The commonplaces of life were abstrusely speculated upon. Is food really necessary, or is the feeling called hunger produced by some disorganization of the system ? How do the clouds retain their rain .? Why is there such difference in the density of differ- ent objects ? In what ratio is the strength of man to that of an ant ? Such were the questions in the discussion of which, neglect- ing their fields and orchards, the Utopians spent days together. "I deny that I am !" exclaimed one, in the heat of argument, and, in his extremity, slew himself to substantiate his assertion. A carpenter sat in his doorway, one even- 88 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. ing, and, contemplating the number of build- ings then being erected to replace those burned during the recent disturbances, fell to soliloquizing : " By whom were all these building rais- ed ? Sure, by myself and my fellows. Were it not for us, there would be no roof to protect these parasites from the wind and rain, and no shield, but the trees, from the blazing sun of noon-day. And yet we are no better favored than other men. My brother car- penters shall join me, and we will make these useless fellows to appreciate and esteem us more. They will come to us and supplicate us, and we will refuse. To bring us to relent, all men shall flatter and honor us. We shall become distinguished throughout the island. Only under condition that we are to enjoy exceptional privileges and immunities will we at last consent to return to our labors." He succeeded in interesting his fellow carpenters by his fallacious arguments. Other artisans caught the infection, and dis- cord and strife resulted. Following upon the desire for honor and preferment quickly came THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 89 the attempt to secure, as individual property, a more material wealth. The community of goods and conjunction of labor had, virtually, already fallen. Gold soon came to have a greater value, in their sight, than the baser metals, for they began to cast their eye towards other nations where moneys were current. Deeper questions of science were occa- sionally, and, at last, frequently, discussed : Is happiness the true end of life } What is the nature of true happiness ? What is ihe distinction between love and friendship ? What is the source of the passions ? Religious principles soon became a mat- ter of discussion, and, fired with fanaticism, the wrangling casuists carried the fever of debate and rivalry to its highest pitch. The generous, tolerant spirit which had so long characterized this people was rapidly passing away. Envy, disregarding all ties of blood and bond, clasped hands with Vengeance in the war of desolation. Crime rapidly became common, and the effects, if not the essential elements, of the universal malady entering the 90 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. very Senate itself, the offenders went unpun- ished. From the sophistries of argument it was but a step to intrigue and chicanery, and the innocent were often the victims. A rivalry of words led to a rivalry in display, which naturally engendered a taste for gaudy dress and ornament. The simple costume of their ancestors, as old as their history, could no longer satisfy the people. Extravagance was a natural consequence. Individual right became fully recognized, and gold and silver were circulated as money. Moderate fortunes were often expended in the beautifying of a court or garden, that it might outshine that of a neighbor. Jewels and precious metals were used extensively in decorations, and Utopia — the simple Utopia- assumed an air of dazzling luxuriance. The consequences of this revocation of ancient customs and institutions require no speculation. There must now be a change of goverment. Monarchy is the first and most natural conception of government. To this the Utopians turned their minds, and soon their THE PALL OF UTOPIA. QI efforts. Ambition had kept pace with disso- lution, and in the imminence of the approach- ing overthrow, there was no lack of aspirants to the throne. All eyes, however, naturally centered upon the eloquent Disputant, who had been the parent of the revolution, as most capable and worthy to reign. The wicked are never at loss for instru- ments. A ready hand was found. The Prince was assassinated, and all the officers of state were slain on the same night while in their beds, and on the morrow the lamenta- tions of their relatives and few remaining friends were drowned by the acclamations of the people in elevating the Disputant to the throne. Revenged, he reigned. All Utopia applying itself to the labor, a sumptuous palace, embellished with a pro- fusion of gold, silver, precious stones and fragrant woods, arose in the heart of the rev- olutionized city. Its massive proportions towered high in air, a monument to departed simplicity and peace. Other requisite public buildings were successively erected on a pro- portionate scale and with a beauty of architec- 92 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. ture whose introduction among such a people can only be accounted for by assuming the association of foreign elements, the glittering domes and dizzy turrets of the capital city could soon be seen for leagues around. Dignitaries, retainers, and all subordinate officers were, in turn, appointed, and Utopia's ancient government was sealed. /? Chapter XIV. eVEN the vicious condemn vice ; and gratified ambition despises the medi- ums of its emolument ; so recognizing that the sojourn of Othiastes among a for- eign nation, whose injustice and corruption had contaminated the principles of his youth, was the primitive cause of the treachery which led to the recent strife and dissen- sions, and culminated in the establishment of monarchy, the newly confirmed govern- ment, with no feelings of gratitude or indul- gence toward the means of its institution, issued, among the earliest of its enactments, a decree prohibiting the entry of foreign vessels into its ports. For several months this policy had been rigidly enforced, and all foreigners were rigorously excluded. One morning, however, the Chief Guard of the Port was notified that a vessel, carrying but four passengers and a scanty crew, had arrived outside the harbor of Amaurot and an audience with the King 93 94 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. had been implored. Being refused permis- sion to land, they pleaded the unusual circum- stances which had led them to. seek a refuge in the island, and begged with such earnest- ness only to be heard, that the harbor officers had come to consult their superior, who has- tened to inquire into the extraordinary affair. He found the passengers to consist of an Arab, a Spaniard, a Syrian Jew and a Moorish maiden, the latter of astonishing beauty. The Chief Guard listened attentively to their entreaties, and finally, (whether more persuaded by the eloquence of their appeals, or the brightness of the young girl's eye ) he consented to present them to the King, and allow them to relate their stories. The King placed implicit confidence in the judgment of his chief port officer, and received the strangers graciously. Looking closely into their countenances, as they stood before him in the gorgeous throne room, he noticed that, without an exception, they had a haggard, careworn look. The beauty of the maiden, heightened by the piteousness of her visage, claimed several moments of his attention ; but finally he bade THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 95 them relate their extraordmary stories, which, they had claimed, would obtain an exception in their favor of the interdiction of strangers, and secure them a haven of rest. Much to the regret of the King, who secretly desired that the maiden should first begin, the Syrian Jew stepped forward, and, to the accompaniment of a small cithern of exquisite tone which he held in his hand, began to chant — in a peculiarly mournful measure of the Utopians, which in some man- ner he had learned — the misfortunate story of his life. So pleased was the King with this, that at the end of the first strain he expressed his desire that all should retire to his private garden, and there, in a scene of indescribable luxuriance and deliciousness, musical with birds and flowing fountains, the singer began again. ¥ ¥ ¥ THE SYRIAN'S LAflENT. Where the rose, intertwining with the thornless lotus, grows, And the dews which the gentle winds of Paradise diffuse, 96 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. Sparkling bright, glad the dwellers in that Garden of Delight ; Where, in streams gently flowing, a reflected city gleams Which outvies all the glories of great Solomon the Wise, She, the pure, who a mortal, was too spotless to endure, Too divine, too seraphic to assort with hearts like mine. Is restored, a pardoned exile, to the kingdom of her Lord ! As the rills, freshlv flowing from a thousand cooling hills ; As the wine, dropping sweetly from the blushing autumn vine ; As the grove to the Bedouins that o'er the desert rove ; So to me, though unworthy even a smile from such as she. Was the voice which so often made my happy heart rejoice. And the glow which upon my heart her love-lit eyes would throw. But alas ! well the patriarchs declared our joys as grass, Summer reigns — parching summer ! and throughout the arid plains Does not swell a single fountain for the famishing gazelle ! Worm and blight have eradicated in the grower's sight Every vine which his tender care had loved to prune and twine. And the palms, now abandoned for the simoom's sandy storms. Only rise tantalizingly to cheat the fancying eyes. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 97 Sorrow stole the *Mezuzah from the door-post of my soul. And alas ! now unexorcised the demons freely pass. Far away, near the palace of the rising King of Day, In a vale ever tuneful with the dove and nightingale, Green and fair, with ihe yellow olive nodding every- where. And the date, over-ripened, scarce the harvesting can wait, Where the cheek of the li!y grows a shade more palely meek. And the flocks feed unharmed beyond the range of wolf or fox. There while yet life was youthful, and these eyelids were unwet, fDecrito ! thy emollient lore I first began to know. She who claimed first my demon rage, (whatever else misnamed ! ) O'er me came like the incense from a sacrificial flame. She was fair : queenly Esther with her charms could not compare. In her smile there was rapture, and her laughter could beguile From their sphere heavenly spirits, if they only paused to hear. She was fair ; I was tender ; all is comprehended there ! Hand in hand, with an innocence untutored and unbanned, We would stray where the sunlight with the waters loved to play, *A parchment, inscribed with verses from thePentateuch, enclosed in a small cylinder, and attached, as a kind of sacred talisman, to the post of the door. fThe Syrian Venus, 98 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. And, reclined on the mossy banks, the fragrant gar- lands twined ; While above mating turtles cooed their overflowing love, And the drone of the bees: the cicala's dreamy tone, As they rose o'er the fields, lulled the spirit to repose. Heaven smiled as it smileth only on a careless child. Then, in turn, youth stole on, but our passions did not burn Less intense, less exclusive than in childish innocence. We perhaps tied more carefully the sandal's leathern straps And would bring tidier pitchers in the evening to the spring. Should the air in the wimples of her broidered *tsaif dare To intrude and, becoming, for the moment over-rude, With its breath even reveal her snowy linen f ct thoneth Which no more was the only, but sufficient, robe she wore, To her cheek would come the blushes which, if but empowered to speak, Would have chid the bold zephyr for the mischief that it did. Gentle eyes, now caught stealing, turned away in soft surprise, And withal, graver feelings our spirits seemed to fall ; But, at heart, well we recognized behind the modest start And the care years engendered that our habits be more fair, All the sweet, trusting confidence with which we used to meet. *" A light summer dress of handsome appearance" — Smith, Dic- tionary of Antiquities, etc. t" Inner garment " — Ibid. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 99 O the days of our youth, when the melancholy haze Of concern for the future and the lessons yet to learn, Softly shades the intensity of glitter which pervades Early dreams till with moderated gentleness it beams ! Then the heart, with the tenderness that soberer thoughts impart, Learns to glow with a feeling which no laughing love can know. Now at last, when the season of our youthfulness had passed, Came the song whose sweet prelude had enchanted us so long ; And the sun which, in rising, we had thus far gazed upon. And admired, as with brilliancy the east he flushed and fired. Slowly rose in its majesty until, in calm repose, With the dreams which, like Jacob's, see a heaven through their beams, Slept the soul in sweet langor, neath that ardent sun's control. O how sweet is affection where both love and judg- ment meet ! And, as time can alone establish this harmonious chime How divine is the passion when maturer hearts entwine ! When at last chilly ^Kislev has, with every wintry blast, ^ ^ Past away, and again we feel the Iflyar zephyrs play, We behold with delight the tender vernal buds unfold, Till the green of the mountains and the vales that intervene Has replaced with luxuriance the unvegetatin? waste : ^December. UMay. lOO THE FALL OF UTOPIA. But, before we can garner in the autumn's perfect store, We must wait till the summer, more ensobered and sedate, Shall transmute, with its balmy breath, the flower into fruit. So we dwelled in the valley with our peaceful breasts unswelled By one dark apprehension of the treacheries that mark Those who dwell in the splendor of the populated swell. And the years of our life, with no tutelage of tears. Sped along in simplicity of love, and as the song Murmurs back when the wavelets break on pebbles in their track, They expired with such melodies as Israel's harpers wired. Well we knew that our bosoms burned with love sin- cere and true. So pursued our devotions with no moody interlude. Even as when, lighting thirsty, at the fountain in the glen, As 'tis said, the drinking *Yonah does not pause to lift her head. So we drank at the fount of mutual love whose frag- rant bank And cool draught lapped the spirit in such bliss till, as it quaffed, Unconcerned for all else, it to the present, only, turned. True the sea waits all waters, but the brook flows on as free ; *"Ils [turtle-doves, Heb. Yonah] maugentetboiventde meme sans rele%'er la tete qu'apres avoir avale toute I'eauqui leur est necessaire." — Buffon, Hist. Nat. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 101 And the streams of affection with, at most, but vaguest gleams Of their end, passed away, regardless whither they might tend. Closer ties than had bound us when, beneath our youthful skies, With no thought of the future, we rejoiced, were still unsought. dead years of that youth ! how I bathe thee now with tears ! From the height of the Tabor of my days enraptured sight Looks below on the fjezreel of the past, whose flowers blow On its plain in profusion midst the fields of waving grain, And my heart, overcome with all the memories that start, Bursts in tears worse than wormwood that to those delightful years Should succeed JEdom's desert — even blasted of the weed ! But away with such brooding thoughts ! — ah ! that the mystic clay From the field of IfAceldema made retrospection yield To decay when the spirit of affection flits away ! — Well, at last — let me hasten, for the tears are falling fast ! — 1 perceived that the spirit of my loved one inly grieved. fThe fertility of this plain, at the foot of RIt. Tabor, is proverbial ; see Milman's Jews, B. v. J*'Edom, with slight exceptions, is blasted with cheerless desolation and hopeless sterility." din's Travels in the East. 1T"To the earth of this cemetery [Aceldema, or Potter's Field] has been ascribed a peculiar, if not miraculous, efficacy in hastening the decomposition of dead bodies." — Ibid. 102 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. Day by day I discovered — with what anguish who can say ! — More and more, that the canker ate in silence at the core, And distressed unendurably, when finally I pressed Her to trust in my love, still burning as it ever must. And reveal the cause of sorrows she no longer could conceal. She, with eyes brimming over, said between her sobs and sighs That in spite of my faithful love, which only served to smite Her own soul for its thanklessness, inconstant to its pole, Just as grows less and less the Jordan's volume as it *flows, Her esteem had at last become a more contracted stream. Still she felt that her heart could for no other ever melt ; That sincere I had proven, and that all which could endear Still was mine, but that passion, once determined to decline. Laughed to scorn all sophistical endeavors to suborn Its caprice into constancy, and rather would increase In distaste for the graces it so fondly once embraced. Ah ! how deep was my agony ! the spirit could not weep; Or if wept, all the fountains of its Marah tear-drops swept Back again o'er their source, until congealed to silent pain. *'' Neither [of the mountains] affords any important tributaries to the Jordan, which probably enters tlie Dead Sea with a smaller volume of water than it receives from the Sea of Tiberias." — Ibid. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. IO3 Like the fleece by the f Warrior spread, where once the dews of peace Seemed alone to have fallen, aow while all the world had grown. To my eye, fresh and sparkling, there alone 'twas parched and dry ! Once revealed, the diagnostic, which should be no more concealed, Daily grew more confirmed, and, as despair is wont to do. Every glance, less elated than it might have been, perchance, Now recalled, was attributed to passion that had palled. Ah ! to find that the JOkser is but air beneath the rind ! Colder still grew her passion ! But the ^antelope mounts the hill With a spring lighter yet than down the Valley of the II King, And there flows in the heart the strongest tides when we oppose. So, intense in its terror, each reanimated sense Wildly pled restoration of the golden hours fled. As serene as the current which, with motion scarcely seen, Softly flows through Genneseret, is affection in repose ; But it grows, when the streamlets from the Hermon of our woes, jGideon : vide Judges VI, 37-40. tXhe Sodom apples of Josephus (Wars, B IV, Chap. VIII, Sec. IV) are identified by Dr. Robinson (Researches) with a fruit called the Okser, " which resembles an orange, and grows in clusters, is filled with air, and explodes when pressed." TT" Leur jambes de devant sont moins longues que celles de derriere, ce qui lenr donne plus de factlite pour courir en montant qu'en dcscen- ant. — Buffon, Hist. Nat. I [Unidentified in modern topography, I04 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. With the chill of inconstancy, its banks begin to fill, To the wild, rushing torrent, unencumbered and unisled, Which descends through the §Arabah of life, until it ends, Murkily, at the last, in the Dead Sea, Apathy. And, so strong it had grown, that its endeavors to prolong The regard which was waning, met awhile with rich reward. Once again, like the verdure when it feels the Latter Rain, Hope revived at the smile of which it long had been deprived. And discerned in her glances something of the light that burned In her deep, lustrous eyes, before, in shame, they learned to weep. But ah ! woe : soon the melodies of hope which charmed me so, With a fire of expression such as, when the mighty fchoir On Moriah, consecratingly according tongue and wire, Woke the loud J" Jehovah reigneth ! " from the valley to the cloud. Died away in my heart until the cold, imperious sway Of the wild desolation of those ^regions unbeguiled, As they say, by a sound but of the shrieking birds of prey, §The Jordan Valley. tSolomon employed " 4000 as singers and musicians " at the dedica- tion of the temple. — Milman. JThe XCVII Psalm, beginning " The Lord reigneth ! " was chanted at the dedication of the Temple, HThe silence and solitude of Lebanon is said to be broken only by the howl of wild beasts and the scream of the eagle. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. I05 Had assumed its dominion on a throne of peace entombed. I again saw that passion had begun to slowly wane, And as though to refuse me even pity for my woe, Did not now seem to sorrow that it soon must disavow Any part in the feehng which no longer swelled each heart. If before I had suffered what was now the grief I bore! In dismay I beheld her growing colder day by day. Knowing not what expedient to use upon my lot. If, as sleeps the fearless ||goat upon the mountain's craggy steeps Hearts could grow all insensible to their surrounding woe. Blest indeed were the luckless one estrangement dooms to bleed ! She, 'tis true, had not yet become so hardened as to view My distress with indifference, and the look of tender- ness Often lold that her pity had not grown entirely cold ; So at last with much sympathy into her firmness cast, Threw aside all the tacit ties with which we were allied : " It must be ! time has written the unchangeable decree. We no more can resuscitate the simple love of yore, And, the heart growing colder, it is time that we should part. Once, 'tis true, when affection was as yet unlearned and new, I admired, loved, adored thee, only as a heart inspired ||-' Elle aime a s'ecarter dans les solitudes, et grimper sur les lieux escarpc, a se placer et meme a dormir sur la pointe des roches €t sur le bord des precipices." — Buffon, Hist. Nat. Io6 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. With the fire of first passion can adore, love and admire. It was sweet to my girlish heart to have thee softly greet When I came, and, at parting, breathe a blessing on my name, Or to stroll with thee by me as the heaven's starry roll First began to illuminate the widely arching span, But, in truth, 'twas a passion with no thought beyond my youth. As the §roe, when the waking winds of Spring begin to blow And throughout all the forest tender buds begin to sprout. Turns to browse here and there upon the tender, lus- cious boughs, Till at last, inebriated by the succulent repast. He has strayed from the fastness of his native tangled shade, And is caught in unconsciousness ; so, with no further thought Than to feed on the pleasures that environed me, nor heed Where my feet chanced to wander, I was led from sweet to sweet. Till at last, when awakened from the stupor of the past. In surprise, I discovered that already closest ties, Unavowed, it is true, and yet for that no less allowed, Our hearts twined with an earnestness which neither had designed. §" Au pintemps, ils vont dans les taillis plus clairs, et broutent les boutons et les feuilles naissantes de tous les arbres. Cette nourriture chaude fermente dans leur estomacs et les enivre de mauiere qu'il est tres-aise alors de les surprendre : ils ne savent ou ils vont, ils sortent memc assez souvent hors du, bois, et quelquefois ils approchent du bctail et des endroits habites."— Histoire Naturelk. THE FALL OF UTOPIA. I07 Well, while still I esteemed thee, and believed none else could fill Half so well my ideal, yet my spirit would rebel At the thought of a bondage undesired and unsought. For, though hatched to captivity, the §Kore feels attached To the skies and the meadows, and soon pines away and dies. Love declined, and more gallingly the ties began to bind. Till, constrained by my anguish, I resolved to be unchained. Still our years of affection, and regret to cause thee tears Made me halt in my purpose, and, despite its bold revolt, My heart grieved that no better end could ever be achieved. Then, when, pressed by thy eagerness, my purpose I confessed. You implored with such piteousness to be again restored To my heart as in other days, my nature's tenderer part For the while dominating, I consented to beguile Into peace my misgivings; but alas! they will not cease ! Love, constrained, turns to loathing, and, while yet 'tis unprofaned. It is best that the tie, no longer dear, be dispossessed. So farewell ! — the " forever " makes my bosom some- what swell, §The little partridges [Heb. Kore.] says the French naturalist, "qui sont enclos dans les faisanderies, et qui n'ont jamais connu la hberie, languissent dans cette prison, qu'on cherche aleur rendre agreable de toutes manieres, et meurent bientot d'ennui." Io8 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. But, assured that thus only peace can ever be secured, I must dwell in the past no more, and so a lon^ fare- well ! Thou art blest with such graces as will charm the coldest breast ; Heart and mind bright and noble and harmoniously combined. Thou shalt claim lordly favors, mighty men exalt thy name, And shalt find in thy wanderings one whose soul is more designed In its tone to assimilate completely with" thine own. As the crow at the north assumes a plumage white as fsnow, And we see all the changes of the sky in Galilee, So, awhile, and thou, too, shalt with the smiling learn to smile. Let who will, controvert it, yet this truth is truthful still ; Woman's scorn, like the tamarisk, drops manna from its *thorn. Search it out, and, delivered from the envy and the doubt. There shall dweli gazelle-eyed Peace with thee — and now my last farewell ! " She was gone ! How I sickened when I found myself alone ! Midnight's shroud wrapt creation, and my spirit sighed aloud : <'Ah ! shall I, like the bird of f Paradise, forever fly! jThe crow, \vh OF UTOPIA. igi motive, and he cared but little whether the land, over which he had no desire to rule, was devastated or not. The brand and the axe were never spared, and in their wake was naught but desolation. In four short days every village was occupied by the rebellious troops, and the fields on every side were laid waste and barren. A diligent search had failed to discover the King and his companions, consequently their fate was unknown to their enemies. What the ultimate intentions of Salpurnus were concerning them and the future govern- ment of the island, can never be ascertained, for just at this time occurred the event which swept Utopia from the earth. ^ Chapter XXIV. FTER the former insurrec- tion, which brought about the fall of the more sim- ple Utopian government and placed a King upon the throne, there had ex- isted great rivalry in arch- itecture amounting to ex- travagance. Under the torch of the revengeful Salpurnus, these mag- nificent structures and the limited forests were destroyed, which left the whole island exposed to the full sweep of the elements, and with nothing to break their fury the winds could rage over the treeless tracts with terrific effect. For several weeks preceding, and during the revolution, the heavens, at intervals, had worn a menacing aspect, signifying a terrible visitation of the elemental powers, but just as the culmination seemed about to arrive, the angry clouds would each time pass away 182 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 183 and the sky reassunie its serenity. For sev- eral days, howe/er, the atmosphere became more oppressive and the heavens gradually assumed a threatening appearance. There was a peculiar tinge in the coloring of the clouds never witnessed before and those of the Utopians who were not thoroughly dis- tracted by the horrors of civil strife and de- struction, looked with awe upon the gather- ing shades, feeling that they were forebod- ings of disaster. Finally an unbroken sheet of hurrying clouds hid the face of heaven, but not a breath of air was astir. Far out on the hori- zon the sharp lightnings began to play although at too great a distance for their report to be heard. Silent, ominous and still ! Hostilities had ceased and every heart had grown sick with terror. So deep was the gloom that night seemed scarcely darker than the day. The lightnings grew more vivid, and the dull, distant roar of thun- der now broke upon the earth. The black funeral shroud of heaven sank lower towards the threatened earth, as though, at the moment of its destruction, to envelop it for 184 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. eternity. Every inhabitant had forsaken his home, and in groups about the city all could be seen engaged in prayer. Wilder and wilder still grew the scene. The distant mutterings of thunder waxed into a booming fury, and the incessant lightnings, piercing, crackling, burning, played at hide seek over such domes and towers as had escaped the torch of the revolutionists. Suddenly there came a thunderous burst of tremendous force which seemed to loosen the foundations of the universe. Utopia trembled. Beneath the flood and fury of rain and wind, the structures, burning from the Hghtning's flame, came crashing to the earth. The air was filled with flying timbers, and the maddened sea was fast battling its way inward several miles. Hour after hour this awful wrath con- tinued. Not a building remained. The morning came and brought but little abate- ment, and then another night closed in with a sky still dark and wild. It was not until the following sunrise that the hurricane died away, and the winds had become gentle whispers, singing over the THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 185 wreck of their wrath, though the waves of the sea were still fretful. The clouds gradually cleared away, and the noon-day sun looked down upon an awful picture of desolation. To that good angel, Starlight, I owe my own salvation, as docs your gentle Saffana. Starlight alone, during all the excitement, maintained her calmness and presence of mind. When, at the approaching climax, all had been given up in despair, ** Hasten," she said, " to my father's cave. There you will be safe." Thither I fled, leading Saffana by the hand. But Starlight turned in another direction and soon was lost from sight. The Disputant called wildly after her, but she made no reply. He hurried after her, and was himself soon lost from our sight. I could not pause then to look after them, so with a silent '' Farewell forever! " we hastened on to the astronomer's abandoned cave. In a short while came the crash, and all who were unprotected must have perished at that instant. "When the hurricane finally abated, bidding Saffana remain, I ventured from the cave. What a scene of death 1 86 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. and destruction met my eyes ! Scarcely a column of the former structures could be seen, and dead bodies lay scattered far and wide. I cannot endure to describe it now. Stumbling over the ruins, I finally came to a low stone sepulchre which stood entire. It was the tomb of the Dreamer. Imagine my surprise as, at its base, I saw two living creatures, and upon investigating, discovered them to be none other than Starlight and the Disputant ! Neither had received the slight- est hurt. Arriving at this desecrated spot, Star- light had fallen upon her knees, and, with no intention of disloyalty to the living, uttered a prayer — her last, she thought — beside the tomb of the departed. It was here that the anxious Disputant came upon her, and fell down beside her just as the hurricane burst in its fury. High enough to protect, but too low to be razed, the tomb — strange paradox ! — had saved both their lives. The fate of the three remaining stran- gers, of whom you have heard, remains a mystery. That of the unfortunate Arab, THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 1 87 doomed to perpetual life, was of especial interest, but no one ever knew his end. In the midst of the elemental fury, when destruction was at its height, transported with hope at the prospect of what seemed certain death, and j ossibly the end of time, so supernatural was the wildness of the tem- pest, he was heard, at intervals above the roar, thankfully exclaiming : " The spell of the girdle has at last been broken. Allah acbah ! Allah acbah ! " But his voice finally died away, and no token of him could ever be found. The sorrowing Syrian and the luckless cavalier, after experiencing such misfortunes as marked their pitiable career, let us hope, were taken to the God of the afflicted and found peace in the silence of their unknown graves. When restored to our senses the first thought was how to escape from this deso- late spot ? Kind nature, as though repentant of its anger, was not long in affording this relief to Starlight and to the Disputant, for a small vessel, having, by some mysterious means, been spared destruction, was sighted 1 88 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. not far from the island. The sea still ran high, but preferring the risk of its wrath to the probabilities of starvation, a search was made for means to reach the ship. A small row-boat was found, and though somewhat damaged, it was fitted up hastily and we all embarked. The struggle with the angry waves was terrific, and just as we neared the vessel, one billow mightier than the rest, swept Saffana and myself into the sea. It would have been certain death for Starlight and the Disputant to have attempted our res- cue, and they labored on to the ship, no doubt believing us to have perished. But the waves were kind in their unkind- ness and cast us back, much exhausted, upon the shore. Having nothing with which to signal across the wild sea, we were forced to look wistfully on, as, the next morning, the vessel, somewhat repaired, sailed away. And so, among these scattered ruins, with only the scantiest sustenance, but with brave and trusting hearts, we have ever since remained. Such was the Fall of Utopia! ******* The aged man had at length concluded THE FALL OF UTOPIA. 1 89 his story. How my heart would thrill at the mention of the name of my worshipped Saf- fana ! how sicken when he spoke of her dan- gers and escapes ! And, when he had con- cluded, I uttered a fervent prayer to Allah for her preservation. I had now spent several days on the is- land. It was a melancholy spot. The scenes that, from a peaceful simplicity, had risen to a state of richness and magnificence which astonished the world, were now laid waste in ruin and desolation. The wild winds howled through the crushed, desolated structures, and the screach of the sea birds, above the devastated gardens, seemed a mockery. How awful is the silence of ruined splendor ! And it was there. The human ghouls were not tardy in their coming, and to them we owe our deliv- erance. The destruction of Utopia soon became known, and, attracted by the immense spoil which they knew must be buried beneath the ruins, the white-winged ships were soon coming from every horizon. In one of these vessels, returning to the port of Malaga, Saffana, the aged Utopian 190 THE FALL OF UTOPIA. and myself embarked, and in due time, arrived, sound and well. Hastening across the snowy Sierras, we soon found ourselves in my peace- ful home beside the Darro, where, happy and contented, we have ever since remained, in humble gratitude to Allah, the God of protec- tion, and to the Hall of Celestial Dreams. SliMfft THE END. wm