anxieties, you will wifh a thousand times for these feats of quiet, and willingly quit hope to be free from fear." "Do not feek to deter me from my purpose," said the prince; " I am impatient to see what thou haft feen; and, fince thou art thyself weary of the valley, it is evident that thy former ftate was better than this. Whatever be the confequence of my experiment, I am refolved to judge with mine own eyes of the various conditions of men, and then to make deliberately my choice of life." "I am afraid," faid Imlac, " you are hindered by stronger restraints than my perfuafions; yet, if your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impoffible to diligence and skill." CHAP. XIII. RASSELAS DISCOVERS THE MEANS OF ESCAPE. T HE prince now difmiffed his favourite to reft, but the narrative of wonders and novelties filled his mind with perturbation. He revolved all that he had heard, and prepared innumerable queftions for the morning. Much of his uneafinefs was now removed. He had a friend to whom he could impart his thoughts, and whofe experience could affift him in his defigns. His heart was no longer condemned to fwell with filent vexation. He thought that even the happy valley might be endured with fuch a companion, and that if they could range the world together, he should have nothing further to defire. In a few days the water was discharged, and the ground dried. The prince and Imlac then walked out together to converfe without the notice of the reft. The prince, whofe thoughts were always on the wing, as he paffed by the gate, faid, with a countenance of forrow, "Why art thou fo ftrong, and why is man fo weak?" "Man is not weak," answered his companion; "knowledge is more than equivalent to force. The master of mechanicks laughs at strength. I can burst the gate, but cannot do it fecretly. Some other expedient must be tried." As they were walking on the fide of the mountain, they obferved that the conies, which the rain had driven from their burrows, had taken fhelter among the bushes, and formed holes behind them, tending upwards in an oblique line. "It has been the opinion of antiquity," tiquity," faid Imlac, "that human reafon borrowed many arts from the instinct of animals; let us, therefore, not think ourselves degraded by learning from the coney. We may escape by piercing the mountain in the fame direction. We will begin where the fummit hangs over the middle part, and labour upward till we fhall iffue up beyond the prominence." The eyes of the prince, when he heard this proposal, sparkled with joy. The execution was easy, and the fuccefs certain. No time.was now loft. They haftened early in the morning to chufe a place proper for their mine. They clambered with great fatigue among craggs and brambles, and returned without having discovered any part that favoured their defign. The fecond and the third day were spent in the fame manner and with the fame fruftration. But, on the fourth, they found found a fmall cavern, concealed by a thicket, where they refolved to make their experiment. Imlac procured inftruments proper to hew ftone and remove earth, and they fell to their work on the next day with more eagerness than vigour. They were presently exhausted by their efforts, and fat down to pant upon the grafs. The prince, for a moment, appeared to be difcouraged. "Sir," faid his companion, "practice will enable us to continue our labour for a longer time; mark, however, how far we have advanced, and you will find that our toil will fome time have an end. Great works are performed, not by ftrength, but perfeverance: yonder palace was raised by fingle stones, yet you fee its height and fpacioufnefs. He that fhall walk with vigour three hours a day, will pass in feven |