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 fuccefs of his purposes; he retired gladly to privacy, because he had now a fubject of thought.

His chief amufement 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 diftrefs, 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 bustle, that he forgot his real folitude; and, amidst hourly preparations for the various incidents of hu man affairs, neglected to confider by what means he fhould 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 redress. 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 pursuit. 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 furpals in fpeed, he preffed on till the foot of the mountain ftopped his courfe.

Here he recollected himself, and fimiled at his own useless impetuofity. Then raifing his eyes to the mountain, This, faid he, is the fatal obftacle 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 courfe. 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 beforewe are able to think, and we foon ceafe from the power of acting. The true period of human exist. ence may be reasonably estimated 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 consciousnefs 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

has been loft by the crime or folly of my ancestors, and the abfurd inflitutions of my country; I re member it with difguft, yet without remorfe: but the months that have paffed fince new light darted into my foul, fince I formed a fcheme of reafonable felicity, have been fquandered by my own fault. I have loft that which can never be restored: I have feen the fun rife and fet for twenty months, an idle gazer on the light of heaven: In this time. the birds have left the neft of their mother, and committed themselves to the woods and to the fkies the kid has forfaken the teat, and learned by degrees to climb the rocks in queft of independent fuftenance. I only have made no advances, but am ftill helpless and ignorant. The moon, by more than twenty changes, admonished me of the Alux of life; the ftream that rolled before my feet upbraided my inactivity. I fat feafting on intellectual luxury, regardlefs alike of the examples of the earth, and the inftructions of the planets. Twenty months are paffed, who fhall restore them ?"

Thefe forrowful meditations fastened upon his mind; he paffed four months in refolving to lofe no more time in idle refolves, and was awakened to more vigorous exertion, by hearing a maid, who had broken a porcelain cup, remark, that what cannot be repaired is not to be regretted.

This was obvious; and Raffelas reproached himfelf that he had not difcovered it, having not known, or not confidered, how many ufeful hints are obtained by chance, and how often the mind, hurried by her own ardour to diftant views, neglects the truths that lie open before her. He, for a few

hours,

hours, regretted his regret, and from that time. bent his whole mind upon the means of efcaping from the valley of happiness.

CHAP. V.

THE PRINCE MEDITATES HIS ESCAPE.

E now found that it would be very difficult to effect that which it was very eafy to fuppose effected. When he looked round about him, he faw himself confined by the bars of nature which had never yet been broken, and by the gate, through which none that once had paffed it were ever able to return. He was now impatient as an eagle in a grate. He paffed week after week in clambering the mountains, to fee if there was any aperture which the bushes might conceal, but found all the fummits inacceffible by their prominence. The iron gate he defpaired to open; for it was not only fecured with all the power of art, but was always watched by fucceffive fentinels, and was by its pofition expofed to the perpetual obfervation of all the inhabitants.

He then examined the cavern through which the waters of the lake were discharged; and, looking down at a time when the fun fhone ftrongly upon its mouth, he discovered it to be full of broken rocks, which, though they permitted the stream to flow through many narrow paffages, would stop any body of folid bulk. He returned difcouraged and dejected; but, having now known the bleffing of hope, refolved never to despair.

In these fruitless fearches he spent ten months. The time, however, paffed cheerfully away: in the morning he rofe with new hope, in the evening applauded his own diligence, and in the night slept found after his fatigue. He met a thousand amusements which beguiled his labour, and diverfified his thoughts. He difcerned the various inftincts of animals, and properties of plants, and found the place replete with wonders, of which he purposed to folace himself with the contemplation, if he should never be able to accomplish his flight; rejoicing that his endeavours, though yet unfuccefsful, had fupplied him with a fource of inexhaustible enquiry.

men.

But his original curiofity was not yet abated; he refolved to obtain fome knowledge of the ways of His wifh ftill continued, but his hope grew lefs. He ceafed to furvey any longer the walls of his prifon, and fpared to fearch by new toils for interftices which he knew could not be found, yet determined to keep his defign always in view, and lay hold on any expedient that time fhould offer.

CHAP. VI.

A DISSERTATION ON THE ART OF FLYING.

MONG the artifts that had been allured into A

the happy valley, to labour for the accommodation and pleasure of its inhabitants, was a man eminent for his knowledge of the mechanick powers, who had contrived many engines both of use and recreation. By a wheel, which the ftream turned, he forced the water into a tower, whence