pect 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 so much, and have gained fo little. In folitude, if I escape the example of bad men, I want likewife the counfel and converfation of the good. I have been long comparing the evils with the advantages of fociety, and refolve to return into the world tomorrow. The life of a folitary man will be certainly miserable, but not certainly devout."

They heard his refolution with furprife, 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 AC

CORDING TO NATURE.

R

ASSELAS Went often to an affembly

of learned men, who met at stated times to unbend their minds, and compare their opinions. Their manners were fomewhat coarse, but their converfation was instructive, and their disputations acute, though fometimes too violent, and often continued till neither controvertist remembered upon what queftion they began. Some faults were almost general among them: every one was defirous. to dictate to the reft, 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

wonder with which he heard him cenfure a course 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 justly punished by condemnation to perpetual perfeverance. One of the youngeft among them, with great vehemence, pronounced him an hypocrite. Some talked of the right of fociety to the labour of individuals, and confidered retirement as a desertion of duty. Others readily allowed, that there was a time when the claims of the publick were satisfied, 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, in a

few

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 confefs, the misery; 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..

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 destiny, not instilled by education, but infused 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 amuse themfelves 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,