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the happiness of others."

He then retired to meditate :

and while the courtiers were repining at his distributions, faw the fifth fun go down in difcontent.

The next dawn renewed his refolution to be happy. But having learned how little he could effect by fettled schemes, or preparatory measures, he thought it beft to give up one day entirely to chance, and left every one to pleafe and be pleafed in his own way.

This relaxation of regularity diffufed a general complacence through the whole court; and the emperor imagined that he had at last found the fecret of obtaining an interval of felicity. But as he was roving in this carelefs affembly, with equal carelessness, he overheard one of his courtiers in a close arbour, murmuring alone: "What merit has Seged above us, that we fhould thus fear and obey him? a man, whom whatever he may have formerly performed, his luxury now fhows to have the fame weakness with ourfelves." This charge affected him the more, as it was uttered by one whom he had always obferved among the moft abject of his flatterers. At first his indignation prompted him to severity; but reflecting, that what was spoken without intention to be heard, was to be confidered as only thought, and was perhaps but the fudden burst of cafual and temporary vexation, he invented fome decent pretence to fend him away, that his retreat might not be tainted with the breath of envy; and after the ftruggle of deliberation was past, and all defire of revenge utterly fuppreffed, paffed the evening not only with tranquillity, but triumph, though none but himself was confcious of the victory.

The remembrance of this clemency cheered the begin ning of the feventh day; and nothing happened to difturb the pleasure of Seged, till looking on the tree that shaded him, he recollected, that under a tree of the fame kind he had paffed the night after his defeat in the kingdom of Goama. The reflection on his lofs, his difhonour, and the miferies which his fubjects fuffered from the invader, filled him with fadness. At last he shook off the weight of forrow, and began to folace himself with his ufual pleasures, when his tranquillity was again difturbed by jealoufies which the late conteft for the prizes had produced; and which, having tried to pacify them by perfuafion, he was forced to filence by command.

On the eighth morning Seged was awakened early by an unusual hurry in the apartments; and inquiring the caufe,

he was told that the princess Balkis was feized with fickness. He rofe, and, calling the phyficians, found that they had lit tle hope of her recovery. Here was an end of jollity: all his thoughts were now upon his daughter; whose eyes he closed on the tenth day.

Such were the days which Seged of Ethiopia had appropriated to a fhort respiration from the fatigues of war, and the cares of government. This narrative he has bequeathed to future generations, that no man hereafter may prefume to fay,This day fhall be a day of happiness."

SECTION XIII.

DR. JOHNSON.

The vifion of Theodore, the hermit of Teneriffe, found in his cell.*

Son of perfeverance, whoever thou art, whose curiosity has led thee hither, read and be wife. He that now calls upon thee is Theodore, the hermit of Teneriffe, who in the fifty-feventh year of his retreat, left this inftruction to man. kind, left his folitary hours fhould be spent in vain.

I was once what thou art now, a groveller on the earth, and a gazer at the fky; I trafficked and heaped wealth together, I loved and was favoured, I wore the robe of honour, and heard the mufic of adulation; I was ambitious, and rofe to greatnefs; I was unhappy, and retired. I fought for fome time what I at length found here, a place where all real wants might be easily supplied; and where I might not be under the neceffity of purchafing the affiftance of men, by the toleration of their follies. Here I faw fruits, and herbs, and water; and here determined to wait the hand of death, which I hope, when at last it comes, will fall lightly upon me.

Forty-eight years had I now paffed in forgetfulness of all mortal cares, and without any inclination to wander farther than the neceffity of procuring fuftenance required: but as I ftood one day beholding the rock that overhangs my cell, I found in myfelf a defire to climb it; and when I was on its top, was in the fame manner determined to fcale the next, till by degrees I conceived a wish to view the fummit of the mountain, at the foot of which I had fo long refided. This motion of my thoughts I endeavoured to fupprefs, * Dr. Anderson, in his judicious and well written life of Dr. Johnson, says, is a most beautiful allegory of human life, ascending the Mountain of Existence. Johnson thought it the best of his writings."

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under the figure hi

not because it appeared criminal, but because it was new; and all change, not evidently for the better, alarms a mind taught by experience to diftruft itself. I was often afraid that my heart was deceiving me; that my impatience of confinement rofe from fome earthly paffion; and that my ardour to furvey the works of nature, was only a hidden longing to mingle once again in the fcenes of life, I therefore endeavoured to fettle my thoughts into their for mer ftate; but found their diftraction every day greater. I was always reproaching myself with the want of happi nefs within my reach; and at last began to question whether it was not laziness, rather than caution, that restrained me from climbing to the fummit of Teneriffe.

I rofe therefore before the day, and began my journey up the steep of the mountain; but I had not advanced far, old as I was, and burdened with provifions, when the day began to fhine upon me; the declivities grew more precipitous, and the fand flided from beneath my feet: at laft, fainting with labour, I arrived at a fmall plain almost enclosed by rocks, and open only to the east. 1 fat down to reft a while, in full perfuafion, that when I had recovered my frength, I fhould proceed on my defign: but when once I had tafted eafe, I found many reasons againft difturbing it. The branches fpread a fhade over my head, and the gales of fpring wafted odours to my

bofom.

As I fat thus, forming alternately excufes for delay, and refolutions to go forward, an irrefiftible heaviness fuddenly furprised me. I laid my head upon the bank, and refigned myfelf to fleep; when me thought I heard the found as of the flight of eagles, and a being of more than human dignity ftood before me. While I was deliberating how to addrefs him, he took me by the hand with an air of kindness, and asked me folemnly, but without feverity, "Theodore, whither art thou going?" I am climbing, answered I, to the top of the mountain, to enjoy a more extenfive prospect of the works of nature. "Attend first," faid he, "to the prospect which this place affords, and what thou doft not understand I will explain. I am one of the benevolent beings who watch over the children of the duft, to preserve them from thofe evils which will not ultimate ly terminate in good, and which they do not, by their own faults, bring upon themfelves. Look round therefore without fear: obferve, contemplate, and be instructed."

Encouraged by this affurance, I looked and beheld a mountain higher than Teneriffe, to the fummit of which the human eye could never reach. When I had tired myfelf with gazing upon its height, I turned my eye towards its foot, which I could easily discover, but was amazed to find it without foundation, and placed inconceivably in emptiness and darkness. Thus I ftood terrified and confufed; above were tracts infcrutable, and below was total vacuity. But my protector, with a voice of admonition, cried out, "Theodore, be not affrighted, but raise thy eyes again the Mountain of Existence is before thee; furvey it and be wife."

I then looked with more deliberate attention, and observed the bottom of the mountain to be of gentle rife, and overspread with flowers; the middle to be more steep, embarraffed with crags, and interrupted by precipices, over which hung branches loaded with fruits, and among which were scattered palaces and bowers. The tracts which my eye could reach nearest the top were generally barren; but there were among the clefts of the rocks a few hardy evergreens, which, though they did not give much pleasure. to the fight or fmell, yet feemed to cheer the labour and facilitate the fteps of thofe who were clambering among

them.

Then, beginning to examine more minutely the different parts, I obferved at a great distance a multitude of both fexes, iffuing into view from the bottom of the mountain. Their first actions I could not accurately difcern: but, as they every moment approached nearer, I found that they amufed themselves with gathering flowers, under the fuperintendence of a modest virgin in a white robe, who seemed not over folicitous to confine them to any fettled place or certain track; for the knew that the whole ground was smooth and folid, and that they could not easily be hurt or bewildered When, as it often happened, they plucked a thitle for a flower, Innocence, fo was the called, would fmile at the mistake. Happy, faid I, are they who are under fo gentle a government, and yet are safe But I had no opportunity to dwell long on the confideration of their felicity for I found that Innocence continued her attendance but a little way, and feemed to confider only the the flowery bottom of the mountain as her proper province. Thofe whom the abandoned fcarcely knew that they were left, before they perceived themfelves in the hands of Edu

cation, a nymph more fevere in her afpect, and imperious in her commands, who confined them to certain paths, in their opinion too narrow and too rough. Thefe they were continually folicited to leave, by Appetite, whom Ed. ucation could never fright away, though the fometimes awed her to fuch timidity, that the effects of her prefence were fcarcely perceptible. Some went back to the fift part of the mountain, and seemed defirous of continuing bufied in plucking flowers, but were no longer guarded by Innocence; and fuch as Education could not force back, proceeded up the mountain by fome miry road, in which they were feldom feen, and scarcely ever regarded.

As Education led her troop up the mountain, nothing was more obfervable than that the was frequently giving them cautions to beware of Habits; and was calling out to one or another, at every step, that a Habit was enfnaring them; that they would be under the dominion of Habit before they perceived their danger; and that thofe whom a Habit should once fubdue, had little hope of regaining their liberty.

Of this caution, fo frequently repeated, I was very folici tous to know the reafon, when my protector directed my regard to a troop of pygmies, which appeared to waik filently before thofe that were climbing the mountain, and each to smooth the way before her follower.

I found that I had miffed the notice of them before, both because they were fo minute as not easily to be difcerned, and becaufe they grew every moment nearer in their colour to the ob jects with which they were furrounded As the followers of Education did not appear to be fenfible of the prefence of thefe dangerous affociates, or, ridiculing their diminutive fize, did not think it poffible that human beings thould ever be brought into fubjection by enemies fo feeble, they gen erally heard her precepts of vigilance with wonder and when they thought her eye withdrawn, treated them with contempt. Nor could I myself think her cautions fo neceffary as her frequent inculcations feemed to fuppofe till I obferved that each of thefe petty beings held fecretly chain in her hand, with which the prepared to bind thole whom the found within her power. Yet thefe Habits, un der the eye of Education, went quietly forward, and feem ed very little to increase in bulk or ftrength; for though they were always willing to join with Appetite, yet when Education kept them apart from her, they would very

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