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 happinefs, faid he, is fo strongly impressed, that the longest experience is not able to efface it. Of the prefent ftate, whatever it be, we feel, and are forced to confefs, the mifery; yet, when the fame ftate is again at a diftance, 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

to inquire after happiness, which na ture 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 prescribe. Other men may amuse themselves with fubtle definitions, or intricate ratiocina. tions. Let them learn to be wife by eafier means: let them obferve the hind of the foreft, and the linnet of the grove: let them confider the life of ani

mals,

mals, whofe motions are regulated by inftinct; they obey their guide and are happy. Let us therefore, at length, cease 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 understand, and carry with us this fimple and intelligible maxim, That deviation from nature is deviation from happiness."

When he had spoken, he looked round him with a placid air, and enjoyed the consciousness of his own be neficence. "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

"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 fitnefs arifing from the relations and qualities of causes and effects; to concur with the great and unchangeable scheme of univerfal feli city; to co-operate with the general dif pofition and tendency of the prefent fyftem of things."

The prince foon found that this was one of the fages whom he should underftand 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 fyftem.

CHAP.

CHAP. XXIII.

THE PRINCE AND HIS SISTER DIVIDE BETWEEN THEM THE WORK OF

R

OBSERVATION.

ASSELAS returned home full of reflections, doubtful how to direct his future fteps. Of the way to happinefs he found the learned and fimple equally ignorant; but, as he was yet young, he flattered himself that he had time remaining for more experiments, and further inquiries. He communicated to Imlac his obfervations and his doubts, but was answered by him with new doubts, and remarks that gave him no comfort. He therefore difcourfed more frequently and freely with his fifter, who had yet the fame hope with

himself,