Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia

Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia

Samuel Johnson

5.0
Comment(s)
92
View
49
Chapters

Ye who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow, attend to the history of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia.

Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia Chapter I Description of a Palace in a Valley

Ye who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow, attend to the history of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia.

Rasselas was the fourth son of the mighty Emperor in whose dominions the father of waters begins his course - whose bounty pours down the streams of plenty, and scatters over the world the harvests of Egypt.

According to the custom which has descended from age to age among the monarchs of the torrid zone, Rasselas was confined in a private palace, with the other sons and daughters of Abyssinian royalty, till the order of succession should call him to the throne.

The place which the wisdom or policy of antiquity had destined for the residence of the Abyssinian princes was a spacious valley in the kingdom of Amhara, surrounded on every side by mountains, of which the summits overhang the middle part. The only passage by which it could be entered was a cavern that passed under a rock, of which it had long been disputed whether it was the work of nature or of human industry. The outlet of the cavern was concealed by a thick wood, and the mouth which opened into the valley was closed with gates of iron, forged by the artificers of ancient days, so massive that no man, without the help of engines, could open or shut them.

From the mountains on every side rivulets descended that filled all the valley with verdure and fertility, and formed a lake in the middle, inhabited by fish of every species, and frequented by every fowl whom nature has taught to dip the wing in water. This lake discharged its superfluities by a stream, which entered a dark cleft of the mountain on the northern side, and fell with dreadful noise from precipice to precipice till it was heard no more.

The sides of the mountains were covered with trees, the banks of the brooks were diversified with flowers; every blast shook spices from the rocks, and every month dropped fruits upon the ground. All animals that bite the grass or browse the shrubs, whether wild or tame, wandered in this extensive circuit, secured from beasts of prey by the mountains which confined them. On one part were flocks and herds feeding in the pastures, on another all the beasts of chase frisking in the lawns, the sprightly kid was bounding on the rocks, the subtle monkey frolicking in the trees, and the solemn elephant reposing in the shade. All the diversities of the world were brought together, the blessings of nature were collected, and its evils extracted and excluded.

The valley, wide and fruitful, supplied its inhabitants with all the necessaries of life, and all delights and superfluities were added at the annual visit which the Emperor paid his children, when the iron gate was opened to the sound of music, and during eight days every one that resided in the valley was required to propose whatever might contribute to make seclusion pleasant, to fill up the vacancies of attention, and lessen the tediousness of time. Every desire was immediately granted. All the artificers of pleasure were called to gladden the festivity; the musicians exerted the power of harmony, and the dancers showed their activity before the princes, in hopes that they should pass their lives in blissful captivity, to which those only were admitted whose performance was thought able to add novelty to luxury. Such was the appearance of security and delight which this retirement afforded, that they to whom it was new always desired that it might be perpetual; and as those on whom the iron gate had once closed were never suffered to return, the effect of longer experience could not be known. Thus every year produced new scenes of delight, and new competitors for imprisonment.

The palace stood on an eminence, raised about thirty paces above the surface of the lake. It was divided into many squares or courts, built with greater or less magnificence according to the rank of those for whom they were designed. The roofs were turned into arches of massive stone, joined by a cement that grew harder by time, and the building stood from century to century, deriding the solstitial rains and equinoctial hurricanes, without need of reparation.

This house, which was so large as to be fully known to none but some ancient officers, who successively inherited the secrets of the place, was built as if Suspicion herself had dictated the plan. To every room there was an open and secret passage; every square had a communication with the rest, either from the upper storeys by private galleries, or by subterraneous passages from the lower apartments. Many of the columns had unsuspected cavities, in which a long race of monarchs had deposited their treasures. They then closed up the opening with marble, which was never to be removed but in the utmost exigences of the kingdom, and recorded their accumulations in a book, which was itself concealed in a tower, not entered but by the Emperor, attended by the prince who stood next in succession.

Continue Reading

Other books by Samuel Johnson

More

You'll also like

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Roderic Penn
4.5

I stood at my mother’s open grave in the freezing rain, my heels sinking into the mud. The space beside me was empty. My husband, Hilliard Holloway, had promised to cherish me in bad times, but apparently, burying my mother didn't fit into his busy schedule. While the priest’s voice droned on, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a livestream of the Metropolitan Charity Gala. There was Hilliard, looking impeccable in a custom tuxedo, with his ex-girlfriend Charla English draped over his arm. The headline read: "Holloway & English: A Power Couple Reunited?" When he finally returned to our penthouse at 2 AM, he didn't come alone—he brought Charla with him. He claimed she’d had a "medical emergency" at the gala and couldn't be left alone. I found a Tiffany diamond necklace on our coffee table meant for her birthday, and a smudge of her signature red lipstick on his collar. When I confronted him, he simply told me to stop being "hysterical" and "acting like a child." He had no idea I was seven months pregnant with his child. He thought so little of my grief that he didn't even bother to craft a convincing lie, laughing with his mistress in our home while I sat in the dark with a shattered heart and a secret life growing inside me. "He doesn't deserve us," I whispered to the darkness. I didn't scream or beg. I simply left a folder on his desk containing signed divorce papers and a forged medical report for a terminated pregnancy. I disappeared into the night, letting him believe he had successfully killed his own legacy through his neglect. Five years later, Hilliard walked into "The Vault," the city's most exclusive underground auction, looking for a broker to manage his estate. He didn't recognize me behind my Venetian mask, but he couldn't ignore the neon pink graffiti on his armored Maybach that read "DEADBEAT." He had no clue that the three brilliant triplets currently hacking his security system were the very children he thought had been erased years ago. This time, I wasn't just a wife in the way; I was the one holding all the cards.

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Madel Cerda
4.7

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch—a titan of industry and my best friend’s father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia Samuel Johnson Romance
“Ye who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow, attend to the history of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia.”
1

Chapter I Description of a Palace in a Valley

18/11/2017

2

Chapter II The Discontent of Rasselas in the Happy Valley

18/11/2017

3

Chapter III The Wants of Him that Wants Nothing

18/11/2017

4

Chapter IV The Prince Continues to Grieve and Muse

18/11/2017

5

Chapter V The Prince Meditates His Escape

18/11/2017

6

Chapter VI A Dissertation on the Art of Flying

18/11/2017

7

Chapter VII The Prince Finds a Man of Learning

18/11/2017

8

Chapter VIII The History of Imlac

18/11/2017

9

Chapter IX The History of Imlac (continued)

18/11/2017

10

Chapter X Imlac's History (continued) - A Dissertation Upon Poetry

18/11/2017

11

Chapter XI Imlac's Narrative (continued) - A Hint of Pilgrimage

18/11/2017

12

Chapter XII The Story of Imlac (continued)

18/11/2017

13

Chapter XIII Rasselas Discovers the Means of Escape

18/11/2017

14

Chapter XIV Rasselas and Imlac Receive an Unexpected Visit

18/11/2017

15

Chapter XV The Prince and Princess Leave the Valley, and See Many Wonders

18/11/2017

16

Chapter XVI They Enter Cairo, and Find Every Man Happy

18/11/2017

17

Chapter XVII The Prince Associates with Young Men of Spirit and Gaiety

18/11/2017

18

Chapter XVIII The Prince Finds a Wise and Happy Man

18/11/2017

19

Chapter XIX A Glimpse of Pastoral Life

18/11/2017

20

Chapter XX The Danger of Prosperity

18/11/2017

21

Chapter XXI The Happiness of Solitude - The Hermit's History

18/11/2017

22

Chapter XXII The Happiness of a Life Led According to Nature

18/11/2017

23

Chapter XXIII The Prince and His Sister Divide Between Them the Work of Observation

18/11/2017

24

Chapter XXIV The Prince Examines the Happiness of High Stations

18/11/2017

25

Chapter XXV The Princess Pursues Her Inquiry with More Diligence than Success

18/11/2017

26

Chapter XXVI The Princess Continues Her Remarks Upon Private Life

18/11/2017

27

Chapter XXVII Disquisition Upon Greatness

18/11/2017

28

Chapter XXVIII Rasselas and Nekayah Continue Their Conversation

18/11/2017

29

Chapter XXIX The Debate on Marriage (continued)

18/11/2017

30

Chapter XXX Imlac Enters, and Changes the Conversation

18/11/2017

31

Chapter XXXI They Visit the Pyramids

18/11/2017

32

Chapter XXXII They Enter the Pyramid

18/11/2017

33

Chapter XXXIII The Princess Meets with an Unexpected Misfortune

18/11/2017

34

Chapter XXXIV They Return to Cairo Without Pekuah

18/11/2017

35

Chapter XXXV The Princess Languishes for Want of Pekuah

18/11/2017

36

Chapter XXXVI Pekuah is Still Remembered. The Progress of Sorrow

18/11/2017

37

Chapter XXXVII The Princess Hears News of Pekuah

18/11/2017

38

Chapter XXXVIII The Adventures of the Lady Pekuah

18/11/2017

39

Chapter XXXIX The Adventures of Pekuah (continued)

18/11/2017

40

The History of a Man of Learning

18/11/2017