others. I waited for the time when the gate of the happy valley fhould open, that I might bid farewell to hope and fear: the day came; my performance was distinguished with favour, and I refigned myself with joy to perpetual confinement."

"Haft thou here found happiness at last? faid Raffelas. Tell me without referve; art thou content with thy condition? or, doft thou wish to be again wandering and enquiring? All the inhabitants of this valley celebrate their lot, and at the annual vifit of the emperour, invite others to partake of their felicity."

"Great prince, faid Imlac, I shall speak the truth; I know not one of all your attendants who does not lament the hour when he entered this reI am lefs unhappy than the reft, because I have a mind replete with images, which I can vary and combine at pleasure. I can amuse my folitude by the renovation of the knowledge which begins to fade from my memory, and by recollection of the accidents of my paft life. Yet all this ends in the forrowful confideration, that my acquirements are now useless, and that none of my pleasures can be again enjoyed. The reft, whofe minds have no impreffion but of the present moment, are either corroded by malignant paffions, or fit ftupid in the gloom of perpetual vacancy."

"What paffions can infeft those, faid the prince, who have no rivals? We are in a place where impotence precludes malice, and where all envy is repreffed by community of enjoyments."

"There may be community, faid Imlac, of material possessions, but there can never be community

D 4

munity of love or of esteem. It must happen that one will please more than another; he that knows himfelf defpifed will always be envious; and ftill more envious and malevolent, if he is condemned to live in the prefence of thofe who defpife him. The invitations, by which they allure others to a ftate which they feel to be wretched, proceed from the natural malignity of hopeless mifery. They are weary of themfelves, and of each other, and expect to find relief in new companions. They envy the liberty which their folly has forfeited, and would gladly fee all mankind imprifoned like themselves.

"From this crime, however, I am wholly free. No man can fay that he is wretched by my perfuafon. I look with pity on the crowds who are annually foliciting admiffion to captivity, and wish that it were lawful for me to warn them of their danger."

My dear Imiac, faid the prince, I will open to thee my whole heart. I have long meditated an cfcape from the happy valley. I have examined. the mountains on every fide, but find myfelf infuperably barred: teach me the way to break my prifon; thou shalt be the companion of my flight, the guide of my rambles, the partner of my fortune, and fole director in the choice of life."

my

Sir, anfwered the poet, your escape will be difficult, and, perhaps, you may foon repent your curiofity. The world, which you figure to yourself fmooth and quiet as the lake in the valley, you will find a fea foaming with tempefts, and boiling with whirlpools: you will be fometimes overwhelmed by the waves of violence, and fometimes dafhed against

against the rocks of treachery. Amidst wrongs and frauds, competitions and anxieties, you will with a thousand times for these feats of quiet, and willingly quit hope to be free from fear."

"Do not feek to deter me from my purpofe, faid the prince: I am impatient to fee what thou haft feen; and, fince thou art thyself weary of the valley, it is evident, that thy former ftate was better than this. Whatever be the confequence of my experiment, I am resolved to judge with mine own eyes of the various conditions of men, and then to make deliberately my choice of life."

"I am afraid, faid Imlac, you are hindered by ftronger restraints than my perfuafions; yet, if your determination is fixed, I do not counfel you to defpair. Few things are impoffible to diligence and fkill."

CHAP. XIII,

RASSELAS DISCOVERS THE MEANS OF ESCAPE.

HE prince now difmiffed his favourite to reft, but the narrative of wonders and novelties filled his mind with perturbation. He revolved all that he had heard, and prepared innumerable questions for the morning.

Much of his uneafinefs was now removed. He had a friend to whom he could impart his thoughts, and whofe experience could affift him in his defigns. His heart was no longer condemned to fwell with filent vexation, He thought that even the bappy valley might be endured with fuch a companion,

panion, and that if they could range the world together, he fhould have nothing further to defire.

In a few days the water was difcharged, and the ground dried. The prince and Imlac then walked out together to converfe without the notice of the reft. The prince, whofe thoughts were always on the wing, as he paffed by the gate, faid, with a countenance of forrow, "Why art thou fo ftrong, and why is man fo weak?"

"Man is not weak, anfwered his companion; knowledge is more than equivalent to force. The mafter of mechanicks laughs at ftrength. I can burst the gate, but cannot do it fecretly. Some other expedient must be tried."

As they were walking on the fide of the mountain, they obferved that the conies, which the rain had driven from their burrows, had taken fhelter among the bushes, and formed holes behind them, tending upwards in an oblique line. "It has been the opinion of antiquity, faid Imlac, that human reafon borrowed many arts from the inflinct of animals; let us, therefore, not think ourfelves degraded by learning from the coney. We may escape by piercing the mountain in the fame direction. We will begin where the fummit hangs over the middle part, and labour upward till we fhall iffue up beyond the prominence."

The eyes of the prince, when he heard this propofal, fparkled with joy. The execution was eafy, and the fuccefs certain.

No time was now loft. They haftened early in the morning to chufe a place proper for their mine. They clambered with great fatigue among crags

and

and brambles, and returned without having dif covered any part that favoured their defign. The fecond and the third day were spent in the fame manner and with the fame fruftration. But, on the fourth, they found a small cavern, concealed by a thicket, where they refolved to make their experiment.

Imlac procured inftruments proper to hew ftone and remove earth, and they fell to their work on the next day with more eagerness than vigour. They were presently exhausted by their efforts, and fat down to pant upon the grafs. The prince, for a moment, appeared to be difcouraged. "Sir, faid his companion, practice will enable us to continue our labour for a longer time; mark, however, how far we have advanced, and you will find that our toil will fome time have an end. Great works are performed, not by ftrength, but perfeverance: yonder palace was raised by single stones, yet you see its height and fpacioufnefs. He that fhall walk with vigour three hours a day, will pafs in feven years a space equal to the circumference of the globe."

They returned to their work day after day, and, in a fhort time, found a fiffure in the rock, which enabled them to pafs far with very little obftruction. This Raffelas confidered as a good omen. "Do not disturb your mind, faid Imlac, with other hopes or fears than reafon may fuggeft: if you are pleased with prognofticks of good, you will be terrified likewife with tokens of evil, and your whole life will be a prey to fuperftition. Whatever facilitates our work is more than an omen, it is a caufe of fuccefs. This is one of thofe pleafing furprises which often happen