Amours of Zeokinizul - Page 26/43

Upon Zeokinizul's asking the Meaning of that Noise and Bustle, Kelirieu, who had acted without any such Orders from him, durst not make any Answer, but the young Kam, whose Heat was not over, gave the King such an Account of it, as made him very angry; for he not only condescended to ask the Kam's Pardon, but forbad Kelirieu his Presence. The judicious Mollak laid hold of that Instant to discourse of the Concerns of his Conscience to the dying Monarch; and as his own Reflections, had beforehand suggested preparative Ideas of it, he was the sooner brought to the wished for Contrition and Repentance.

The Behaviour of the Mollak is certainly very praise-worthy, but it would have been much more so, if after having, with a truly Apostolic Zeal, pathetically represented to the Sovereign the Enormity of his Crimes, the Certainty of his Death, and the Punishments to be dreaded after such a licentious Life, he had stopp'd at bringing him to a due Sense of Things, and strengthening him in such a pious Disposition, but he shewed more Zeal than Discretion, for his Devotion being sharpened with Resentment, made him imagine, that he was ruining Lenertoula beyond Retrieve; whereas he was, in Reality, doing nothing less than paving the Way for her greater Exaltation, in Case the King recovered.

Thus, under a Pretence that true Repentance required more than a Detestation of what was past, and guarding against future Relapses, he signified to Zeokinizul, that it was still his farther Duty to make some signal Satisfaction for the Offence which he had given to the whole Kingdom. That in order thereto, he must disapprove and abrogate all his Grants and Favours to Lenertoula. Zeokinizul, who now was intent only upon dying in the Religion of his Ancestors, pleasing his People, and carrying their Esteem as well as their Grief with him to the Grave, complied with all the Mollak's Injunctions, ordered Lenertoula to be immediately dismissed the Court, with a Prohibition from ever appearing in his Presence.

Having thus settled all the Affairs of his Conscience, Zeokinizul became senseless, so that he was thought dead by all his Attendants. But this sudden Alteration was the happy Crisis which saved his Life. During this Interval of Inanition, the Mind recover'd its former Situation, and freed itself from all its Anxieties. The Body performed its Functions, and the Passages which all the Art of the Physicians could not relax, opened of themselves, which was followed by such copious Evacuations as saved the Patient. This joyful News spread itself rather quicker than the other, so that it was as soon known at Kofir that the King was out of Danger, as that there was no Hopes of his Recovery.