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of Barbarians, whofe unfkilfulness in arts made it easier for them to fupply their wants by rapine than by industry, and who from time to time poured in upon the habitations of peaceful comas vultures defcend upon do

merce, meftick fowl. Their celerity and fierceness made the wall neceffary, and their ignorance made it efficacious.

"But for the pyramids no reason has ever been given adequate to the coft and labour of the work. The nar

rowness of the chambers proves that it could afford no retreat from enemies, and treasures might have been repofited at far lefs expence with equal fecurity. It seems to have been erected only in compliance with that hunger of imagination which preys inceffantly upon li fe, and must be always appeafed by fome employment. Those who have already all that they can enjoy, muft enlarge their defires. He that has built for ufe, till ufe is fupplied

muft

muft begin to build for vanity, and extend his plan to the utmost power of human performance, that he may not be foon reduced to from another wish.

"I confider this mighty ftructure as a monument of the infufficiency of human enjoyments. A king, whofe power is unlimited, and whofe treasures furmount all real and imaginary wants, is compelled to folace, by the erection of a pyramid, the fatiety of dominion and tafteleffness of pleasures, and to amuse the tediousness of declining life, by feeing thousands labouring without end, and one ftone, for no purpose, laid upon another. Whoever thou art, that not content with a moderate condition, imaginest happiness in royal magnificence, and dreameft that command or riches can feed the appetite of novelty with perpetual gratifications, furvey the pyramids, and confefs thy folly!" be

糕

CHA P. XXXIII.

THE PRINCESS MEETS WITH AN UNEXPECTED MIS

THEY rofe

FORTUNE.

up,

and returned through the cavity at which they had entered, and the princess prepared for her favou rite a long narrative of dark labyrinths, and coftly rooms, and of the different impreffions which the varieties of the way had made upon her. But when they came to their train, they found every one filent and dejected: the men difcovered fhame and fear in their countenances, and the women were weeping in the tents.

What had happened they did not try to conjecture, but immediately inquired. "You had scarcely entered into the pyramid, faid one of the attendants,

dants, when a troop of Arabs rushed

upon us : we were too few to refift them, and too flow to escape,

They were about to fearch the tents, fet us on our camels, and drive us along before them, when the approach of some Turkish horfemen put them to flight; but they feized the lady' Pekuah with her two maids, and carried them away: the Turks are now perfuing them by our instigation, but I fear they will not be able to overtake them."

The princess was overpowered with furprise and grief. Raffelas, in the first heat of his refentment, ordered his fervants to follow him, and prepared to perfue the robbers with his fabre in his hand. "Sir, faid Imlac, what can you hope from violence or valour? the Arabs are mounted on horfes trained to battle and retreat; we have only beafts of burden. By leaving our prefent ftation we may lofe the princess, but cannot hope to regain Pekuah."

In a fhort time the Turks returned, having not been able to reach the ene

my.

The princefs burft out into new lamentations, and Raffelas could fcarcely forbear to reproach them with cowardice; but Imlac was of opinion, that the escape of the Arabs was, no addition to their misfortune, for perhaps, they would have killed their captives rather than have refigned them.

CHAP.