equal fecurity. It seems to have been erected only in compliance with that hunger of imagination which preys inceffantly upon life, and must be always appeafed by fome employment. Those who have already all that they can enjoy, muft enlarge their defires. He that has built for ufe, till ufe is fupplied, muft begin to build for vanity, and extend his plan to the utmost power of human performance, that he may not be foon reduced to form another with.

"I confider this mighty ftructure as a monument of the infufficiency of human enjoyments. A king, whose power is unlimited, and whose treasures furmount all real and imaginary wants, is compelled to folace, by the erection of a pyramid, the fatiety of dominion and tasteleffness of pleasures, and to amuse the tedioufnefs of declining life, by feeing thousands labouring without end, and one ftone, for no purpofe, laid upon another. Whoever thou art, that, not content with a moderate condition, imaginest happiness in royal magnificence, and dreameft that command or riches can feed the appetite of novelty with perpetual gratifications, furvey the pyramids, and confefs thy folly!"

CHAP. XXXII.

THE PRINCESS MEETS WITH AN UNEXPECTED MIS

THEY

FORTUNE.

HEY rofe up, and returned through the cavity at which they had entered, and the princess prepared for her favourite a long narrative of dark labyrinths, and coftly rooms, and of the different impreffions

impreffions which the varieties of the way had made upon her. But when they came to their train, they found every one filent and dejected: the men difcovered fhame and fear in their countenances, and the women were weeping in the tents.

What had happened they did not try to conjecture, but immediately inquired. "You had fcarcely entered into the pyramid, faid one of the attendants, when a troop of Arabs rufhed upon us: we were too few to refift them, and too flow to efcape. They were about to fearch the tents, fet us on our camels, and drive us along before them, when the approach of fome Turkish horfemen put them to flight; but they feized the lady Pekuah with her two maids, and carried them away: the Turks are now perfuing them by our inftigation, but I fear they will not be able to overtake them."

The princess was overpowered with surprise and grief. Raffelas, in the firft heat of his refentment, ordered his fervants to follow him, and prepared to perfue the robbers with his fabre in his hand. "Sir, faid Imlac, what can you hope from violence or valour? the Arabs are mounted on horfes trained to battle and retreat; we have only beafts of burden. By leaving our prefent ftation we may lofe the princefs, but cannot hope to regain Pekuah."

In a fhort time the Turks returned, having not been able to reach the enemy. The princefs burst out into new lamentations, and Raffelas could fcarcely forbear to reproach them with cowardice; but Imlac was of opinion, that the efcape of the Arabs was no addition to their misfortune, for perhaps they would have killed their captives rather than have refigned them.

СНАР. XXXIII.

THEY RETURN TO CAIRO WITHOUT PEKUAH.

THERE was nothing to be hoped from longer

ftay. They returned to Cairo repenting of their curiofity, cenfuring the negligence of the government, lamenting their own rafhnefs which had neglected to procure a guard, imagining many expedients by which the lofs of Pekuah might have been prevented, and refolving to do fomething for her recovery, though none could find any thing proper to be done.

Nekayah retired to her chamber, where her women attempted to comfort her, by telling her that all had their troubles, and that lady Pekuah had enjoyed much happiness in the world for a long time, and might reasonably expect a change of fortune. They hoped that fome good would befall her wherefoever fhe was, and that their miftrefs would find another friend who might fupply her place.

The princess made them no anfwer, and they continued the form of condolence, not much grieved in their hearts that the favourite was loft.

Next day the prince prefented to the Baffa a memorial of the wrong which he had fuffered, and a petition for redrefs. The Baffa threatened to punish the robbers, but did not attempt to catch them, nor indeed, could any account or defcription be given by which he might direct the perfuit.

It foon appeared that nothing would be done by authority. Governors, being accustomed to hear of

more crimes than they can punifh, and more wrongs than they can redrefs, fet themfelves at eafe by indifcriminate negligence, and prefently forget the requeft when they lofe fight of the petitioner.

Imlac then endeavoured to gain fome intelligence by private agents. He found many who pretended to an exact knowledge of all the haunts of the Arabs, and to regular correfpondence with their chiefs, and who readily undertook the recovery of Pekuah. Of thefe, fome were furnished with money for their journey, and came back no more; fome were liberally paid for accounts which a few days discovered to be falfe. But the princefs would not fuffer any means, however improbable, to be left untried. While fhe was doing fomething fhe kept her hope alive. As one expedient failed, another was fuggefted; when one meffenger returned unfuccefsful, another was difpatched to a different quarter.

Two months had now paffed, and of Pekuah nothing had been heard; the hopes which they had endeavoured to raise in each other grew more languid, and the princess, when she saw nothing more to be tried, funk down inconfolable in hopeless dejection. A thousand times fhe reproached herself with the eafy compliance by which fhe permitted her favourite to ftay behind her. "Had not my fondnefs, faid fhe, leffened my authority, Pekuah had not dared to talk of her terrours. She ought to have feared me more than spectres. A fevere look would have overpowered her; a peremptory command would have compelled obedience. Why did foolish indulgence prevail upon me? Why did I not speak, and refufe to hear ?"

2

"Great

"Great princess, said Imlac, do not reproach yourself for your virtue, or confider that as blameable by which evil has accidentally been caused. Your tendernefs for the timidity of Pekuah was generous and kind. When we act according to our duty, we commit the event to him by whofe laws our actions are governed, and who will fuffer none to be finally punished for obedience. When, in profpect of fome good, whether natural or moral, we break the rules prescribed us, we withdraw from the direction of fuperior wifdom, and take all confequences upon ourselves. Man cannot fo far know the connexion of caufes and events, as that he may venture to do wrong in order to do right. When we perfue our end, by lawful means, we may always confole our mifcarriage by the hope of future re compence. When we confult only our own policy, and attempt to find a nearer way to good, by overleaping the fettled boundaries of right and wrong, we cannot be happy even by fuccefs, because we cannot escape the consciousness of our fault: but, if we mifcarry, the difappointment is irremediably embittered. How comfortlefs is the forrow of him who feels at once the pangs of guilt, and the vexation of calamity which guilt has brought upon him?

"Confider, princefs, what would have been your condition, if the lady Pekuah had entreated to accompany you, and being compelled to ftay in the tents, had been carried away; or how would you have borne the thought, if you had forced her into the pyramid, and fhe had died before you in agonies of terrour?"

"Had