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of thofe for whom they were defigned. The roofs were turned into arches of maffy ftone joined by a cement that grew harder by time, and the building ftood from century to century deriding the folftitial rains and equinoctial hurricanes, without need of reparation.

This houfe, which was fo large as to be fully known to none but fome ancient officers who fucceffively inherited the fecrets of the place, was built as if suspicion herself had dictated the plan. To every room there was an open and fecret paffage, every fquare had a communication with the reft, either from the upper ftories by private galleries, or by fubterranean paffages from the lower apartments. Many of the columns had unfufpected cavities, in which a long race of monarchs had repofited their treafures. They then clofed up the opening with marble, which was never to be removed but in the utmoft exigencies of the kingdom; and recorded their accumulations in a book which was itfelf concealed in a tower not entered but by the emperour, attended by the prince who flood next in fucceffion.

CHA P. II.

THE DISCONTENT OF RASSELAS IN THE HAPPY

H

VALLEY.

ERE the fons and daughters of Abiffinia lived

only to know the foft viciffitudes of pleasure and repofe, attended by all that were fkilful to delight, and gratified with whatever the fenfes can

enjoy.

enjoy. They wandered in gardens of fragrance, and lept in the fortreffes of fecurity. Every art was practifed to make them pleafed with their own condition. The fages who inftructed them, told them of nothing but the miferies of publick life, and defcribed all beyond the mountains as regions. of calamity, where difcord was always raging, and where man preyed upon man.

To heighten their opinion of their own felicity, they were daily entertained with fongs, the fubject of which was the happy valley. Their appetites were excited by frequent enumerations of different enjoyments, and revelry and merriment was the business of every hour from the dawn of morning to the clofe of even.

These methods were generally fuccefsful; few of the princes had ever wifhed to enlarge their bounds, but paffed their lives in full conviction that they had all within their reach that art or nature could bestow, and pitied those whom fate had excluded from this feat of tranquillity, as the fport of chance and the flaves of mifery.

Thus they rofe in the morning and lay down at night, pleafed with each other and with themfelves, all but Raffelas, who in the twenty-fixth year of his age began to withdraw himfelf from their paftimes and affemblies, and to delight in folitary walks and filent meditation. He often fat before tables covered with luxury, and forgot to tafte the dainties that were placed before him: he rofe abruptly in the midst of the fong, and hastily retired. beyond the found of mufick. His attendants obferved the change, and endeavoured to renew his

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love of pleasure: he neglected their officiousness, 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 fifh playing in the ftream, and anon caft his eyes upon the paftures 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 converfation 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 rest of the animal creation? Every beaft that flrays befide me has the fame corporal neceffitics with myself; he is hungry and crops the grafs, he is thirfty and drinks the ftream, his thirt 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 thirfly like him, but when thirst and hunger cease I am not at reft; I am, like him, pained with want, but am not, like him, fatisfied with fulnefs. 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 yesterday 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 feeing, 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 myfelf; nor do I, ye gentle beings, envy your felicity; for it is not the felicity of man. I have many diftreffes from which ye are free; I fear pain when I do not feel it; I fometimes fhrink at evils recollected, and fometimes start at evils anticipated: furely the equity of providence has balanced peculiar fufferings with peculiar enjoyments."

With obfervations like these the prince amused himself as he returned, uttering them with a plaintive voice, yet with a look that difcovered him to feel fome complacence in his own perfpicacity, and to receive fome folace of the miferies of life, from confcioufness 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.

ON the next day his old inftructor, imagining that he had now made himfelf acquainted with his difeafe 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 exhaufted, 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 himfelf 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 haftily 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 obferved in the prince, and to enquire why he fo often retired from the pleafures of the palace, to loneliness and filence. "I fly from pleafure, 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 happinefs 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

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