Select Novels Author:John Hawkesworth Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE receipt of this letter threw Almoran into another agony of indignation: he felt again the loss of his prerogative; the offer of advice he dis... more »dained as an insult, to which he had been injuriously subjected by the will of his father; and he was disposed to reject whatever was suggested by Omar, even before his proposal was known. With this temper of mmd he began to read, and at every paragraph took new offence ; he determined, however, not to admit Omar to the honour of a conference upon the subject, but to settle a plan of government with his brother, without the least regard to his advice. ? supercilious attention to minute formalities, is a certain indication of a little mind, conscious to the want of innate dignity, and solicitous to derive from others what it cannet supply to itself: as the scrupulous exaction of every trifling tribute discovers the weakness of the tyrant, who fears his claim should be disputed ; while the prince, who is conscious of superior and indisputable power, and knows that the states he has subjugated do not dare to revolt, scarce inquires whether such testimonies of allegiance are given or net. Thus, the jealousy of Ahnoran already enslaved him to the punctilios of state ; and the most trifling circumstances involved him in perplexity, or fired him with resentment : the friendship and fidelity of Omar stung him with rage, ss insolent and intrusive ; and though it determined him to an immediate interview with his brother, yet he was embarrassed how to procure it. At first he rose, and was about to go to him ; but he stopped short with disdain, upon reflecting, that it was an act of condescension which might be deemed an acknowledgment of superiority : he then thought of sending for Haraet to come to him ; but this he feared mig...« less