infinitely better than fhe lived. A perfon devoted to pleasure often leads the moft miferable life imaginable; fuch was her cafe; fhe confidered the natural moments of languor as infupportable, paffed all her hours between rapture and anxiety; ever in an extreme of agony or of blifs. She felt a pain as fincere for want of appetite, as the ftarving wretch who wants a meal. In thofe intervals fhe ufually kept her bed, and rofe only when in expectation of fome new enjoyment. The luxuriant air of the country, the romantic fituation of her palace, and the genius of a people whofe only happiness lies in fenfual refinement, all contributed to banish the remembrance of her native country.

But though fuch a life gave her pleasure, it had a very different effect upon me; I grew every day more penfive, and my melancholy was regarded as an infult upon her good humour: I now perceived myself entirely unfit for all fociety; difcarded from the good, and detefting the infamous, I feemed in a ftate of war with every rank of people; that virtue wich should have been my protection in the world, was here my crime: in fhort, detefting life, I was determined to become a reclufe, to leave a world where I found no pleasure that could allure me to ftav. Thus determined, I embarked in order to go by fea to Rome, where I intended to take the veil; but even in fo fhort a paffage my hard fortune ftill attended me; our thip was taken by a Barbary corfair; the whole crew, and I among the number, being made flaves. It carries too much the air of romance to inform you of my diftreffes or obftinacy in this miserable ftate; it is enough to obferve that I have been bought by feveral mafters, each of whom perceiving my reluctance, rather than ufe violence, fold me to another, till it was my happiness to be at laft rescued by you.

Thus

Thus ended her relation, which I have abridged, but as foon as we are arrived at Mofcow, for which we intend to fet out fhortly, you fhall be informed of all more particularly. In the mean time, the greatest addition to my happiness will be to hear of Adieu.

yours.

LETTER LX.

From Lien Chi Altangi to Hingpo.

THE news of your freedom lifts the load of former anxiety from my mind; I can now think of my fon without regret, applaud his refignation under calamities, and his conduct in extricating himfelf from them.

You are now free, just let loose from the bondage of an hard mafter: this is the crifis of your fate; and as you now manage fortune, fucceeding life will be marked with happiness or mifery; a few years perfeverance in prudence, which at your age is but another name for virtue, will enfure comfort, pleafure, tranquillity, efteem; too eager an enjoyment of every good that now offers, will reverse the medal, and present you with poverty, anxiety, remorse, contempt.

As it has been obferved that none are better qualified to give others advice, than thofe who have taken the leaft of it themselves; fo in this refpect I find myself perfectly authorized to offer mine, even though I should wave my paternal authority upon this occafion.

The

The most usual way among young men who have no refolution of their own, is firft to ask one friend's advice and follow it for some time; then to aik advice of another, and turn to that; so of a third, ftill unfteady, always changing. However, be affured that every change of this nature is for the worfe; people may tell you of your being unfit for fome peculiar occupations in life; but heed them not; whatever employment you follow with perfeverance and affiduity will be found fit for you; it will be your fupport in youth, and comfort in age. In learning the useful part of every profeffion, very moderate abilities will fuffice; even if the mind be a little balanced with ftupidity, it may in this cafe be useful. Great abilities have always been lefs ferviceable to the poffeffors than moderate ones. Life has been compared to a race, but the allusion still improves, by obferving that the most swift are ever the leaft manageable.

To know one profeffion only, is enough for one man to know; and this (whatever the profeffors may tell you to the contrary) is foon learned. Be contented therefore with one good employment; for if you understand two at a time, people will give you bufinefs in neither.

A conjurer and a tailor once happened to converfe together. Alas, cries the tailor, what an unhappy poor creature am I; if people fhould ever take it in their heads to live without cloaths I am undone; I have no other trade to have recourse to. Indeed, friend, I pity you fincerely, replies the conjurer; but thank heaven, things are not quite fo bad with me; for if one trick fhould fail I have a hundred tricks more for them yet. However, if at any time you are reduced to beggary, apply to me, and I will relieve you. A famine overfpread the land; the tailor made a fhift to live, because his cuftomers

cuftomers could not be without cloaths; but the poor conjurer, with all his hundred tricks, could find none that had money to throw away: it was in vain that he promised to eat fire, or to vomit pins; no fingle creature would relieve him, till he was at laft obliged to beg from the very tailor whofe calling he had formerly despised.

There are no obftructions more fatal to fortune than pride and refentment. If you must refent injuries at all, at leaft fupprefs your indignation until you become rich, and then fhew away; the refentment of a poor man is like the efforts of a harmlefs infect to fting; it may get him crufhed, but cannot defend him. Who values that anger which is confumed only in empty menaces?

Once upon a time a goofe fed its young by a pond fide; and a goofe in fuch circumftances is always extremely proud, and exceffively punctilious. If any other animal without the leaft defign to of fend happened to pafs that way, the goofe was immediately at him. The pond, fhe faid, was hers, and the would maintain a right in it, and fupport her honour, while fhe had a bill to hifs, or a wing to flutter. In this manner fhe drove away ducks, pigs, and chickens; nay, even the infidious cat was feen to fcamper. A lounging maftiff, however, happened to pafs by, and thought it no harm if he fhould lap a little of the water, as he was thirsty. The guardian goofe flew at him like a fury, pecked at him with her beak, and flapped him with her feathers. The dog grew angry, had twenty times a good mind to give her a fly fnap; but fuppreffing his indignation, because his mafter was nigh, A pox take thee, cries he, for a fool, fure thofe who have neither ftrength nor weapons to fight, at left should be civil; that fluttering and biffing of thine may one day get VOL. III.

R

thine

thine head fnapt off, but it can neither injure thy enemies, nor ever protect thee. So faying, he went forward to the pond, quenched his thirft, in fpite of the goofe, and followed his mafter.

Another obftruction to the fortune of youth is, that while they are willing to take offence from none, they are alfo equally defirous of giving none offence. From hence they endeavour to please all, comply with every requeft, attempt to fuit themfelves to every company; have no will of their own, but like wax catch every contiguous impreffion." By thus attempting to give univerfal fatisfaction, they at laft find themfelves miferably difappointed; to bring the generality of admirers on our fide, it is fufficient to attempt pleafing a very few.

A painter of eminence was once refolved to finish a piece which should please the whole world. When, therefore, he had drawn a picture, in which his utmost skill was exhaufted, it was expofed in the public market-place, with directions at the bottom for every fpectator to mark with a brush, which lay by, every.limb, and feature, which feemed erroneous. The fpectators came, and in general applauded; but each, willing to fhew his talent at criticism, marked whatever he thought proper. At evening, when the painter came, he was mortified to find the whole picture one univerfal blot; not a fingle ftroke that was not ftigmatized with marks of difapprobation: not fatisfied with this trial, the next day he was refolved to try them in a different manner, and expofing his picture as before, defired that every spectator would mark those beauties he approved or admired. The people complied, and the artist returning, found his picture replete with the marks of beauty; every ftroke that had been yefterday condemned now received the character of approbation. Well cries the

painter,