love of pleasure: he neglected their officioufnefs, repulfed their invitations, and fpent day after day on the banks of rivulets fheltered with trees, where he fometimes liftened to the birds in the branches, fometimes obferved the fish playing in the ftream, and anon cast his eyes upon the pastures and mountains filled with animals, of which fome were biting the herbage, and fome fleeping among the bushes.

This fingularity of his humour made him much obferved, One of the Sages, in whofe conversation he had formerly delighted, followed him fecretly, in hope of difcovering the caufe of his difquiet. Raffelas, who knew not that any one was near him, having for fome time fixed his eyes upon the goats that were broufing among the rocks, began to compare their condition with his own.

"What," faid he, "makes the difference between man and all the reft of the animal creation? Every beaft that ftrays befide me has the fame corporal neceffities with myfelf; he is hungry and crops the grafs, he is thirsty and drinks the ftream, his thirft and hunger are appeafed, he is fatisfied and fleeps; he rifes again and is hungry, he is again fed and is at reft. I am hungry and thirsty like him, but when thirft and hunger cease I am not at reft; I am, like him, pained with want, but am not, like him, fatisfied with fulness. The intermediate hours are tedious and gloomy; I long again to be hungry that I may again quicken my attention. The birds peck the berries or the corn, and fly away to the groves where they fit in feeming happiness on the branches, and waste their lives

·

in tuning one unvaried feries of founds. I likewife can call the lutanift and the finger, but the founds that pleafed me yefterday weary me to-day, and will grow yet more wearifome to morrow. I can difcover within me no power of perception which is not glutted with its proper pleasure, yet I do not feel myfelf delighted. Man furely has fome latent fenfe for which this place affords no gratification, or he has fome defires diftinct from fenfe which muft be fatisfied before he can be happy."

After this he lifted up his head, and seeing the moon rising, walked towards the palace. As he paffed through the fields, and faw the animals around him, " Ye, faid he, are happy, and need not envy me that walk thus among you, burdened with myself; nor do I, ye gentle beings, envy your felicity; for it is not the felicity of man. I have many distreffes from which ye are free; I fear pain when I do not feel it; I fometimes fhrink at evils recollected, and fometimes ftart at evils anticipated: furely the equity of providence has balanced peculiar fufferings with peculiar enjoyments."

With obfervations like thefe the prince amufed himself as he returned, uttering them with a plaintive voice, yet with a look that discovered him to feel fome complacence in his own perfpicacity, and to receive fome folace of the miferies of life, from consciousness of the delicacy with which he felt, and the eloquence with which he bewailed them. He mingled cheerfully in the diverfions of the evening, and all rejoiced to find that his heart was lightened.

CHA P. III.

THE WANTS OF HIM THAT WANTS NOTHING.

ΟΛ

N the next day his old inftructor, imagining that he had now made himself 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 thofe lectures which pleafed only while they were new, and to become new again must be forgotten?" He then walked into the wood, and compofed himself to his ufual meditations; when before his thoughts had taken any fettled form, he perceived his purfuer at his fide, and was at firft prompted by his impatience to go hastily 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 observed in the prince, and to enquire why he fo often retired from the pleafures of the palace, to loneliness and filence. "I fly from pleasure, faid the prince, because pleafure has ceafed to pleafe; 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 first 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 caufe 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 myfelf. When I fee the kids and the lambs chafing one another, I fancy that I should 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 obferved before. I have already enjoyed too much; give me fomething to defire."

The old man was furprised at this new fpecies 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 prefent ftate." "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."

CHA P. IV.

THE PRINCE CONTINUES TO GRIEVE AND MUSE..

AT this time the found of mufick proclaimed the hour of repaft, and the converfation was concluded. The old man went away fufficiently discontented, 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 eafily what we have born long, or that, finding ourselves in age lefs regarded, we lefs 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 space, could not speedily quiet his emotions. He had been before terrified at the length of life which nature promised him, because he considered 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 master of a fecret stock of happiness, which he could enjoy only by concealing it, he affected to be busy in all schemes of

diverfion,