violence should be offered to his person, pressed forward, and when he
was come near, commanded silence. At this moment ALMORAN, with a loud
voice, reproached them with impiety and folly; and appealing to the
power, whom in his person they had offended, the air suddenly grew dark,
a flood of lightning descended from the sky, and a peal of thunder was
articulated into these words:

Divided sway, the God who reigns alone
Abhors; and gives to ALMORAN the throne.

The multitude stood aghast at the prodigy; and hiding their faces with
their hands, every one departed in silence and confusion, and HAMET and
OMAR were left alone. OMAR was taken by some of the soldiers who had
adhered to ALMORAN, but HAMET made his escape.

ALMORAN, whose wishes were thus far accomplished by the intervention of
a power superior to his own, exulted in the anticipation of that
happiness which he now supposed to be secured; and was fortified in his
opinion, that he had been wretched only because he had been weak, and
that to multiply and not to suppress his wishes was the way to acquire
felicity.

As he was returning from the gallery, he was met by Osmyn and Caled, who
had heard the supernatural declaration in his behalf, and learned its
effects. ALMORAN, in that hasty flow of unbounded but capricious favour,
which, in contracted minds, is the effect only of unexpected good
fortune, raised Osmyn from his feet to his bosom: 'As in the trial,'
said he, 'thou hast been faithful, I now invest thee with a superior
trust. The toils of state shall from this moment devolve upon thee; and
from this moment, the delights of empire unallayed shall be mine: I will