indeed the appearance of happiness, but appearances are delusive. My prosperity puts my life in danger; the Bassa of Egypt is my enemy, incensed only by my wealth and popularity. I have been hitherto protected against him by the princes of the country; but as the favour of the great is uncertain, I know not how soon my defenders may be persuaded to share the plunder with the Bassa. I have sent my treasures into a distant country, and, upon the first alarm, am prepared to follow them. Then will my enemies riot in my mansion, and enjoy the gardens which I have planted." They all joined in lamenting his danger, and deprecating 186 his exile; and the princess was so much disturbed with the tumult of grief and indignation, that she retired to her apartment. They continued with their kind inviter a few days longer, and then went forward to find the hermit. CHAP. XXI. THE HAPPINESS OF SOLITUDE. THE HERMIT'S HISTORY. Uniform, unus, forma. Pensive, pendeo. Assisted, sisto. Appropriated, proprius. Unregarded, garder. Saluted, salus. Wine, vinum. Reputation, puto. Devote, Devout, votum. Recommended, mando. Example, exemplum. Military, miles. Battles, battre. Residence, sedeo. Distracted, traho, Perplexities, plecto. Vanities, vanus. Relaxation, laxus. THEY came on the third day, by the direction of the 187 peasants, to the hermit's cell: it was a cavern in the side of a mountain, overshadowed with palm trees; at such a distance from the cataract, that nothing more was heard 188 189 190 191 than a gentle uniform murmur, such as composed the mind to pensive meditation, especially when it was assisted by the wind whistling among the branches. The first rude essay of nature had been so much improved by human labour, that the cave contained several apartments appropriated to different uses, and often afforded lodging to travellers, whom darkness or tempests happened to overtake. The hermit sat on a bench at the door, to enjoy the coolness of the evening. On one side lay a book with pens and papers, on the other mechanical instruments of various kinds. As they approached him unregarded, the princess observed that he had not the countenance of a man that had found, or could teach, the way to happiness. They saluted him with great respect, which he repaid like a man not unaccustomed to the forms of courts. "My children," said he, "if you have lost your way, you shall be willingly supplied with such conveniences for the night as this cavern will afford. I have all that nature requires, and you will not expect delicacies in a hermit's cell." They thanked him, and, entering, were pleased with the neatness and regularity of the place. The hermit set flesh and wine before them, though he fed only upon fruits and water. His discourse was cheerful without levity, and pious without enthusiasm. He soon gained the esteem of his guests, and the princess repented of her hasty censure. At last Imlac began thus: "I do not now wonder that your reputation is so far extended. We have heard at Cairo of your wisdom, and came hither to implore your direction for this young man and maiden in the choice of life." "To him that lives well," answered the hermit, "every form of life is good; nor can I give any other rule for choice, than to remove from all apparent evil.” "He will remove most certainly from evil," said the prince, "who shall devote himself to that solitude which you have recommended by your example." "I have indeed lived fifteen years in solitude," said the 192 hermit, "but have no desire that my example should gain any imitators. In my youth I professed arms, and was raised by degrees to the highest military rank. I have traversed wide countries at the head of my troops, and seen many battles and sieges. At last, being disgusted by the preferments of a younger officer, and feeling that my vigour was beginning to decay, I resolved to close my life in peace, having found the world full of snares, discord, and misery. I had once escaped from the pursuit of the enemy by the shelter of this cavern, and therefore chose it for my final residence. I employed artificers to form it into chambers, and stored it with all that I was likely to want. "For some time after my retreat, I rejoiced like a 193 tempest-beaten sailor at his entrance into the harbour, being delighted with the sudden change of the noise and hurry of war to stillness and repose. When the pleasure of novelty went away, I employed my hours in examining the plants which grew in the valley, and the minerals which I collected from the rocks. But that inquiry is now grown tasteless and irksome. I have been for some time 194 unsettled and distracted: my mind is disturbed with a thousand perplexities of doubt and vanities of imagination, which hourly prevail upon me, because I have no opportunities of relaxation or diversion. I am sometimes ashamed to think that I could not secure myself from vice, but by retiring from the exercise of virtue, and begin to suspect that I was rather impelled by resentment, than led by devotion, into solitude. My fancy riots in scenes of folly, 195 and I lament that I have lost so much and have gained so 14 $25 write on it by precept, but enmay, as maled by education, but infused He that Ives according to nature will on me innsions of hope, or importunities ve and reject with equability of sufer as the reason of things shall al Other men may amuse themselves FARIS T intricate ratiocinations. Let by easier means: let them observe rs, and the linnet of the grove; ne of animals, whose motions are reguhey obey their guide, and are happy. length, cease to dispute, and learn to let ay he encumbrance of precepts, which they with so much pride and pomp do not arry with us this simple and intelligible leviation from nature is deviation from mankind, spoken, he looked round him with a placid ed the consciousness of his own beneficence. prince with great modesty, "as I, like all am desirous of felicity, my closest been fixed upon your discourse; I doubt not sposition which a man so learned has so convanced:-let me only know what it is to live conature. find young men so humble and so docile," can deny them no information enabled me to afford.-To live act always with due regard to the elations and qualities of causes and the great and unchangeable scheme to co-operate with the general disthe present system of things." The prince soon found that this was one of the sages 203 whom he should understand less as he heard him longer. He therefore bowed and was silent; and the philosopher, supposing him satisfied, and the rest vanquished, rose up, and departed with the air of a man that had co-operated with the present system. CHAP. XXIII. THE PRINCE AND HIS SISTER DIVIDE BETWEEN THEM THE Ignorant, ignoro. Communi Discoursed, curro. Succeed, Reflexions, Alecto. Direct, rego. cated, communis. Comfort, fortis. Recesses, cedo. Private, privus. humilis. Authority, augeo. Supreme, superus, supremus. Modest, modus. Habitations, habeo, habito. Fortune, fors. Designs, signum. Distress, stringo. RASSELAS returned home full of reflections, doubtful how 204 to direct his future steps. Of the way to happiness he found the learned and simple equally ignorant; but, as he was yet young, he flattered himself that he had time remaining for more experiments and further inquiries. He communicated to Imlac his observations and his doub but was answered by him with new doubts, and rema that gave him no comfort. He therefore discoursed m frequently and freely with his sister, who had yet the sa hope with himself, and always assisted him to give so reason why, though he had been hitherto frustrated, might succeed at last. "We have hitherto" said she "known but ***le of the world: we have never yet been either grea In |