against the rocks of treachery. Amidft wrongs and frauds, competitions and anxieties, you will with 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, faid 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 persuasions; yet, if your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to defpair. Few things are impoffible to diligence and fkill."

CHAP. XIII,

RASSELAS DISCOVERS THE MEANS OF ESCAPE.

THE

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 com

panion,

panion, and that if they could range the world together, he fhould have nothing further to defire.

In a few days the water was difcharged, 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, anfwered his companion; knowledge is more than equivalent to force. The master of mechanicks laughs at ftrength. I can burft 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, 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 efcape 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 eafy, 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 crags

and

and brambles, and returned without having dif covered any part that favoured their defign. The fecond and the third day were spent in the fame manner and with the fame frustration. But, on the fourth, they found a fmall cavern, concealed by a thicket, where they refolved to make their experiment.

Imlac procured inftruments proper to hew stone and remove earth, and they fell to their work on the next day with more eagernefs 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 perseverance: yonder palace was raised by fingle ftones, yet you fee its height and fpacioufnefs. He that fhall walk with vigour three hours a day, will pass in seven years a fpace equal to the circumference of the globe."

"Do

They returned to their work day after day, and, in a fhort time, found a fiffure in the rock, which enabled them to pafs far with very little obstruction. This Raffelas confidered as a good omen. not disturb your mind, faid Imlac, with other hopes or fears than reafon may fuggeft: if you are pleased with prognosticks of good, you will be terrified likewife with tokens of evil, and your whole life will be a prey to fuperftition. Whatever facilitates our work is more than an omen, it is a cause of success. This is one of thofe pleafing furprises which often happen

happen to active refolution. Many things difficult to design prove easy to performance."

CHAP.

XIV.

RASSELAS AND IMLAC RECEIVE AN UNEXPECTED VISIT,

T

HEY had now wrought their way to the middle, and folaced their toil with the approach of liberty, when the prince, coming down to refresh himself with air, found his fifter Nekayah ftanding before the mouth of the cavity. He ftarted and stood confufed, afraid to tell his defign, and yet hopeless to conceal it. A few moments determined him to repofe on her fidelity, and secure her secrecy by a declaration without referve.

"Do not imagine, faid the princefs, that I came hither as a spy: I had long obferved from my window, that you and Imlac directed your walk every day towards the fame point, but I did not fuppofe you had any better reafon for the preference than a cooler fhade, or more fragrant bank; nor followed you with any other defign than to partake of your converfation. Since then not fufpicion but fondness has detected you, let me not lofe the advantage of my difcovery. I am equally weary of confinement with yourself, and not lefs defirous of knowing what is done or fuffered in the world. Permit me to fly with you from this taftelefs tranquillity, which will yet grow more loathfome when you have left me. You may deny me to accompany you, but cannot hinder me from following."

The prince, who loved Nekayah above his other fifters, had no inclination to refufe her request, and grieved

grieved that he had loft an opportunity of fhewing his confidence by a voluntary communication. It was therefore agreed that fhe fhould leave the valley with them; and that, in the mean time, fhe should watch, left any other ftraggler fhould, by chance or curiofity, follow them to the mountain.

At length their labour was at an end; they faw light beyond the prominence, and, iffuing to the top of the mountain, beheld the Nile, yet a narrow current, wandering beneath them.

The prince looked round with rapture, anticipated all the pleasures of travel, and in thought was already tranfported beyond his father's dominions. Imlac, though very joyful at his escape, had lefs expectation of pleasure in the world, which he had before tried, and of which he had been weary.

Raffelas was fo much delighted with a wider horizon, that he could not foon be perfuaded to return into the valley. He informed his fifter that the way was open, and that nothing now remained but to prepare for their departure.

CHAP. XV.

་

THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS LEAVE THE VALLEY, AND SEE MANY WONDERS.

TH

HE prince and princess had jewels fufficient to make them rich whenever they came into a place of commerce, which, by Imlac's direction, they hid in their clothes, and, on the night of the next full moon, all left the valley. The princefs was followed