CHAP. III.

THE WANTS OF HIM THAT WANTS NOTHING.

ΟΝ

N the next day his old inftructor, imagining that he had now made himfelf acquainted with his disease of mind, was in hope of curing it by counfel, and officioufly fought an opportunity of conference, which the prince, having long confidered him as one whofe intellects were exhausted, was not very willing to afford: " Why, faid he, does this man thus intrude upon me; fhall I be never fuffered to forget those lectures which pleased only while they were new, and to become new again must be forgotten?" He then walked into the wood, and compofed himfelf to his ufual meditations; when before his thoughts had taken any fettled form, he perceived his purfuer at his fide, and was at first prompted by his impatience to go haftily away; but, being unwilling to offend a man whom he had once reverenced and ftill loved, he invited him to fit down with him on the bank.

The old man thus encouraged, began to lament the change which had been lately obferved in the prince, and to enquire why he fo often retired from the pleasures of the palace, to loneliness and filence. "I fly from pleasure, faid the prince, because pleafure has ceased to please; I am lonely because I am miferable, and am unwilling to cloud with my prefence the happiness of others." "You, Sir, faid the fage, are the firft who has complained of mifery in the happy valley. I hope to convince you that your complaints have no real caufe. You

are

are here in full poffeffion of all that the emperour of Abiffinia can beftow; here is neither labour to be endured nor danger to be dreaded, yet here is all that labour or danger can procure or purchase. Look round and tell me which of your wants is without fupply: if you want nothing, how are you unhappy?"

"That I want nothing, faid the prince, or that I know not what I want, is the cause of my complaint; if I had any known want, I fhould have a certain wifh; that with would excite endeavour, and I fhould not then repine to fee the fun move fo flowly towards the western mountain, or lament when the day breaks and fleep will no longer hide me from myself. When I fee the kids and the lambs chafing one another, I fancy that I fhould be happy if I had fomething to perfue. But, poffeffing all that I can want, I find one day and one hour exactly like another, except that the latter is ftill more tedious than the former. Let your experience inform me how the day may now feem as short as in my childhood, while nature was yet fresh, and every moment fhewed me what I never had observed before. I have already enjoyed too much; give me fomething to defire."

The old man was furprised at this new species of affliction, and knew not what to reply, yet was unwilling to be filent. "Sir, faid he, if you had feen the miseries of the world, you would know how to value your present state." "Now, faid the prince, you have given me fomething to defire; I fhall long to fee the miseries of the world, fince the fight of them is neceffary to happiness."

CHAP. IV.

THE PRINCE CONTINUES TO GRIEVE AND MUSE.

AT

T this time the found of mufick proclaimed the hour of repaft, and the converfation was concluded. The old man went away fufficiently difcontented, to find that his reafonings had produced the only conclufion which they were intended to prevent. But in the decline of life fhame and grief are of fhort duration; whether it be that we bear easily what we have born long, or that, finding ourselves in age lefs regarded, we less regard others; or, that we look with flight regard upon afflictions, to which we know that the hand of death is about to put an end.

The prince, whofe views were extended to a wider fpace, could not speedily quiet his emotions. He had been before terrified at the length of life which nature promised him, because he confidered that in a long time much must be endured; he now rejoiced in his youth, because in many years much might be done.

This first beam of hope, that had been ever darted into his mind, rekindled youth in his cheeks, and doubled the luftre of his eyes. He was fired with the defire of doing fomething, though he knew not yet with diftinctnefs, either end or

means.

He was now no longer gloomy and unfocial; but, confidering himself as mafter of a secret stock of happiness, which he could enjoy only by concealing it, he affected to be bufy in all fchemes of

diverfion,

diverfion, and endeavoured to make others pleased with the state of which he himself was weary. But pleasures never can be fo multiplied or continued, as not to leave much of life unemployed; there were many hours, both of the night and day, which he could fpend without fufpicion in folitary thought. The load of life was much lightened: he went eagerly into the affemblies, because he fuppofed the frequency of his prefence neceffary to the fuccess of his purposes; he retired gladly to privacy, because he had now a fubject of thought.

His chief amusement was to picture to himself that world which he had never feen; to place himself in various conditions; to be entangled in imaginary difficulties, and to be engaged in wild adventures: but his benevolence always terminated his projects in the relief of distress, the detection of fraud, the defeat of oppreffion, and the diffusion of happiness,

Thus paffed twenty months of the life of Raffelas. He bufied himself fo intenfely in vifionary buftle, that he forgot his real folitude; and, amidst hourly preparations for the various incidents of human affairs, neglected to confider by what means he should mingle with mankind.

One day, as he was fitting on a bank, he feigned to himself an orphan virgin robbed of her little portion by a treacherous lover, and crying after him for reftitution and redrefs. So ftrongly was the image impressed upon his mind, that he started up in the maid's defence, and run forward to feize the plunderer with all the eagerness of real purfuit. Fear naturally quickens the flight of guilt. Raffelas

could

could not catch the fugitive with his utmost efforts; but, refolving to weary by perfeverance, him whom he could not furpafs in fpeed, he preffed on till the foot of the mountain ftopped his courfe.

Here he recollected himself, and fmiled at his own useless impetuofity. Then raifing his eyes to the mountain, This, faid he, is the fatal obstacle that hinders at once the enjoyment of pleafure, and the exercife of virtue. How long is it that my hopes and wishes have flown beyond this boundary of my life, which yet I never have attempted to furmount!"

" In

Struck with this reflection, he fat down to muse; and remembered, that fince he first refolved to escape from his confinement, the fun had paffed twice over him in his annual course. He now felt a degree of regret with which he had never been before acquainted. He confidered how much might have been done in the time which had paffed, and left nothing real behind it. He compared twenty months with the life of man. life, faid he, is not to be counted the ignorance of infancy, or imbecility of age. We are long before we are able to think, and we foon ceafe from the power of acting. The true period of human exist. ence may be reafonably eftimated at forty years, of which I have mufed away the four and twentieth part. What I have loft was certain, for I have certainly poffeffed it; but of twenty months to come who can affure me?"

The confcioufnefs of his own folly pierced him deeply, and he was long before he could be reconciled to himself. "The rest of my time, faid he,

has