Amours of Zeokinizul

Lenertoula, who never would leave the Prince, was the Cause of it; for how contrary to all Reason is it to attribute it to the Fatigue of the March, Zeokinizul having been inured to much greater in his continual Huntings. As all the Courtiers in this Kingdom are Officers, and as the Expedition these thirty thousand Soldiers were upon, required all their Precaution and Activity, none but the Favourite was left for the Monarch to divert himself with. But Conversation between two Lovers, who are continually together, would soon become insipid, if they confined themselves to common Topics. These Lovers were not so Phlegmatic, they ardently repeated their Protestations to love each other with an eternal Constancy.

They mutually urged that the present Vehemence of their Passions, was a Pledge of its unalterable Permanency. Then they proceeded to sensible Proofs, and demonstrated, that the Conjunction of two Bodies is an Emblem of the inseperable Union of two Souls. With mutual Ardour, they repeated the Demonstration; till at last the Demonstrator quite spent, sunk under the Fatigue of the Arguments. In this Manner Zeokinizul and Lenertoula amused themselves, when he was informed of the Barbarity with which his Enemies carried on the War in his Country, at which he was deeply affected. The Impossibility of quickly meeting them, made him very impatient; the Account of their Forces added to this Uneasiness; in fine, Joy, Grief, Hope and Fear, distracted his Heart, and the Shock of such opposite Motions was too strong for his attenuated Body. A violent Disorder seiz'd upon his whole Constitution, which was succeeded by such a Fever, whose first Symptoms seem'd to presage Death.

This melancholy News was soon spread over the whole Kingdom. The Kofirans seem'd quite stupified at it; they fell into an inexpressible Grief and Consternation at the Thoughts of losing such a Sovereign, and at such a Juncture. The Queen, who by this Time had seen her Folly, and heartily repented of the superstitious Credulity, by which she had lost the Embraces of a real Husband in seeking those of an imaginary one, left her Palace, and, prompted by Grief and Love, flew to the sick King. She was still in Hopes, that the Deity meant only to alarm the Nation; and therefore she was for forwarding by her Presence, and deserving by her kind Offices, the happy Return of his Affection, which she did not doubt would be the Effect of this Correction. All the People used to gather about the Governor of Kofir's House, and flock to the Palace, where Expresses arriv'd every Hour, shewing such Concern, that their Fate seem'd to depend on the Death or Recovery of Zeokinizul. Never was there such an universal Affliction; never was a Father more lamented by affectionate Children. They looked at each other with Tears in their Eyes, and could not speak for sighing. Paleness and Dejection sat on every Countenance.