They thanked him, and, entering, were pleased with the neatnefs and regularity of the place. The hermit fet flesh and wine before them, though he fed only upon fruits and water. His difcourfe was cheerful without levity, and pious without enthufiafm. He foon gained the efteem of his guests, and the princess repented of her hafty censure.

At laft Imlac began thus: "I do not now wonder that your reputation is fo far extended; we have heard at Cairo of your wifdom, and came hither to implore your direction for this young man and maiden in the choice of life."

"To him that lives well, answered the hermit, every form of life is good; nor can I give any other rule for choice, than to remove from all apparent evil."

"He will remove moft certainly from evil, faid the prince, who fhall devote himself to that folitude which have recommended by your example." you

"I have indeed lived fifteen years in folitude, faid the hermit, but have no defire that my example fhould gain any imitators. In my youth I profeffed arms, and was raifed by degrees to the highest military rank. I have traverfed wide countries at the head of my troops, and feen many battles and fieges. At laft, being difgufted by the preferments of a younger officer, and feeling that my vigour was beginning to decay, I refolved to close my life in peace, having found the world full of fnares, difcord, and mifery. I had once escaped from the purfuit of the enemy by the fhelter of this cavern, and therefore chofe it for my final refidence. I em

ployed

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ployed artificers to form it into chambers, and stored it with all that I was likely to want.

"For fome time after my retreat, I rejoiced like a tempeft-beaten failor at his entrance into the harbour, being delighted with the fudden change of the noife and hurry of war to ftillnefs and repofe. When the pleasure of novelty went away, I employed my hours in examining the plants which grow in the valley, and the minerals which I collected from the rocks. But that enquiry is now grown taftelefs and irkfome. I have been for fome time unfettled and distracted: my mind is disturbed with a thoufand perplexities of doubt, and vanities of imagination, which hourly prevail upon me, because I have no opportunities of relaxation or diverfion. I am fometimes afhamed to think that I could not fecure myself from vice, but by retiring from the exercife of virtue, and begin to fufpect that I was rather impelled by refentment, than led by devotion, into folitude. My fancy riots in fcenes of folly, and I lament that I have loft fo much, and have gained fo little. In folitude, if I escape the example of bad men, I want likewife the counfel ahd converfation of the good. I have been long comparing the evils with the advantages of society, and refolve to return into the world to-morrow. The life of a folitary man will be certainly miferable, but not certainly devout."

They heard his refolution with surprise, but after a fhort paufe, offered to conduct him to Cairo. He dug up a confiderable treasure which he had hid among the rocks, and accompanied them to the city, on which, as he approached it, he gazed with rapture.

CHAP.

XXII.

THE HAPPINESS OF A LIFE LED ACCORDING TO

R

NATURE.

ASSELAS went often to an affembly of learned men, who met at ftated times to unbend their minds, and compare their opinions. Their manners were fomewhat coarfe, but their converfation was inftructive, and their difputations acute, though fometimes too violent, and often continued till neither controvertist remembered upon what question they began. Some faults were almoft general among them every one was defirous to dictate to the rest, and every one was pleased to hear the genius or knowledge of another depreciated.

In this affembly Raffelas was relating his interview with the hermit, and the wonder with which he heard him cenfure a courfe of life which he had fo deliberately chofen, and fo laudably followed. The fentiments of the hearers were various. Some were of opinion, that the folly of his choice had been juftly punished by condemnation to perpetual perfeverance. One of the youngest among them, with great vehemence, pronounced him an hypocrite. Some talked of the right of society to the labour of individuals, and confidered retirement as a defertion of duty. Others readily allowed, that there was a time when the claims of the publick were fatisfied, and when a man might properly fequefter himself, to review his life, and purify his heart.

One, who appeared more affected with the narrative than the reft, thought it likely, that the hermit would,

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would, in a few years, go back to his retreat, and, perhaps, if fhame did not reftrain, or death intercept him, return once more from his retreat into the world: "For the hope of happiness, faid he, is fo ftrongly impreffed, that the longest experience is not able to efface it. Of the prefent ftate, whatever it be, we feel, and are forced to confess, the mifery; yet, when the fame ftate is again at a distance, imagination paints it as defirable. But the time will furely come, when defire will be no longer our torment, and no man fhall be wretched but by his own fault."

"This, faid a philofopher, who had heard him with tokens of great impatience, is the prefent condition of a wife man. The time is already come, when none are wretched but by their own fault. Nothing is more idle, than to enquire after happiness, which nature has kindly placed within our reach. The way to be happy is to live according to nature, in obedience to that univerfal and unalterable law with which every heart is originally impreffed; which is not written on it by precept, but engraven by deftiny, not instilled by education, but infufed at our nativity. He that lives according to nature will fuffer nothing from the delufions of hope, or importunities of defire: he will receive and reject with equability of temper; and act or fuffer as the reafon of things fhall alternately prefcribe. Other men may amufe themselves with fubtle definitions, or intricate ratiocinations. Let them learn to be wife by easier means: let them obferve the hind of the foreft, and the linnet of the grove: let them confider the life of animals, whofe motions are regu

lated

lated by inftin&t; they obey their guide and are happy. Let us therefore, at length, ceafe to difpute, and learn to live; throw away the incumbrance of precepts, which they who utter them. with fo much pride and pomp do not underftand, and carry with us this fimple and intelligible maxim, That deviation from nature is deviation from happiness."

When he had fpoken, he looked round him with a placid air, and enjoyed the confcioufnefs of his own beneficence. " "Sir, faid the prince, with great modefty, as I, like all the rest of mankind, am defirous of felicity, my clofeft attention has been fixed upon your discourse: I doubt not the truth of a pofition which a man fo learned has fo confidently advanced. Let me only know what it is to live according to nature."

"When I find young men fo humble and fo docile, faid the philofopher, I can deny them no information which my ftudies have enabled me to afford. To live according to nature, is to act. always with due regard to the fitness arifing from the relations and qualities of caufes and effects; to concur with the great and unchangeable scheme of univerfal felicity; to co-operate with the general difpofition and tendency of the prefent fyftem of things."

The prince foon found that this was one of the fages whom he fhould understand lefs as he heard. him longer. He therefore bowed and was filent, and the philofopher, fuppofing him fatisfied, and the reft vanquished, rofe up and departed with the air of a man that had co-operated with the prefent system.