ly faying, if you wait till Philocles has conquered the ifle of Carpathus, it will be too late to put a stop to his defigns. Haften therefore to make fure of him while you can. I was shocked at the deep diffimulation of men, and knew no longer in whom to confide ; for having discovered Philocles's treachery there was not a man on the earth whofe virtue could cure me of my fufpicions. I refolved to put the perfidious wretch to death as foon as poffible; but I dreaded Protefilaus, and knew not what to do with regard to him: I was afraid to find him guilty, and afraid likewife to trust him.

At length I could not help telling him, in my confufion, that I was grown jealous of Philocles. He feemed furprised at it; he represented to me his upright and moderate conduct; he magnified his fer vices; in a word, he did all that was neceflary to convince me that he had too good an understanding with him. On the other fide, Timocrates loft no opportunity to make me take notice of their friendship, and to induce me to destroy Philocles, while it was in my power to do it. See, my deareft Mentor, how unhappy kings are, and how liable to be made the tools even of those who seem to tremble at their feet.

I thought I should act a master-piece of policy, and difconcert the measures of Protefilaus, by pri vately fending Timocrates to the fleet to put Philocles to death. Protefilaus played the hypocrite to the laft, and deceived me the more effectually, the more naturally he acted the part of one who is deceived himself. Timocrates departed, and found Philocles under great difficulties in his defcent. He was in want of every thing ; for Protefilaus, not knowing whether his forged letter would effect the ruin of his enemy, was willing to have another expedient ready at the fame time, the mifcarriage of an enterprife of which he had given me very raifed expectations, and could not fail to irritate me against Philocles. The latter fuftained this difficult war by his Courage, capacity, and the love which the foldiers

had

reconnût dans l'armée que cette défcente étoit témé→ raire & funefte pour les Crétois, chacun travailloit à la faire réuffir, comme s'il eût eu fa vie & fon bonheur attachés au fuccès, Chacun étoit content de hafarder fa vie à toute heure fous un chef fi fage & fi appliqué à fe faire aimer.

Timocrate avoit tout à craindre, en voulant faire périr ce chef au milieu d'une armée qui l'aimoit avec tant de paffion. Mais l'ambition furieufe eft aveugle. Timocrate ne trouvoit rien de difficile pour contenter Protéfilas, avec lequel il s'imaginoit gou verner abfolument après la mort de Philoclès. Pro téfilas ne pouvoit fouffrir un homme de bien, dont la feule vue étoit un reproche fecret de fes crimes & qui pouvoit, en m'ouvrant les yeux, renverfer fes projets.

Timocrate s'affura de deux capitaines qui étoient fans ceffe auprès de Philoclès: il leur promit de ma part de grandes récompenfes, & enfuite il dit à Philoclès qu'il étoit venu pour lui dite par mon ordre des chofes fecrettes, qu'il ne devoit lui confier qu'en préfence de ces deux capitaines. Philoclès fe renferma avec eux & avec Timocrate. Alors Timocrate donna un coup de poignard à Philoclès : le coup gliffa & n'enfonça guere avant. Philoclès, fans s'ềitonner, lui arracha le poignard, & s'en fervit contre lui & contre les deux autres. En même temps-il cria, on accourut, on enfonça la porte, on dégagea Philoclès des mains de ces trois hommes, qui étant troublés l'avoient attaqué foiblement : ils furent pris, & on les auroit d'abord déchirés, tant l'indignation de l'armée étoit grande, fi Philoclès n'eût arrêté la multitude. Enfuite il prit Timocrate en particulier, & lui demanda avec douceur, qui l'avoit obligé à commettre une action fi noire? Timocrate, qui craignoit qu'on ne le fit mourir, se hâta de montrer l'ordre que je lui avois donné par écrit de tuer Philoclès; & comme les traîtres font toujours lâches, il fongea à fauver fa vie en découvrant à Philoclès toute la trahifon de Protéfilas.

Philoclès, effrayé de voir tant de malice dans les

hommes,

had for him. Tho' the whole army knew that this defcent was rash, and would be fatal to the Cretans, yer every one laboured as much to make it fucceed, as if his life and happiness depended on its fuccefs : Every one was contented hourly to hazard his life under a leader fo wife and fo intent on making himfelf beloved.

Timocrates had every thing to apprehend in attempting to dispatch a general in the midst of an army who fo paffionately loved him; but mad ambition is blind. Timocrates thought nothing difficult to gratify Protefilaus, with whom he imagined he should share an absolute dominion over me after the death of Philocles-; and Protefilaus could not bear a man of probity, whofe very fight was a fecret reproach of his crimes, and who by opening my eyes might ruin all his projects

Timocrates feduced two captains who were continually with Philocles; he promised them great re wards in my name, and then told Philocles that he came by my order to acquaint him with fome fecret affairs, which he was to communicate to him in the prefence of thefe two captains only. Whereupon Philocles having shut himfelf up with them, Timocrates ftabbed him with a poniard, but it flipt afide, and did not penetrate far. Philocles, with great compofure of mind; wrested it from him, and made ufe of it against him and the other two; and calling out at the fame time, fome foldiers ran to the door, broke it open, and difengaged Philocles from the hands of the three affaffins; who being confused, had made but a faint attack upon him. They were feized, and would have been torn in pieces by the enraged army, had not Philocles with-held them. He then took Timocrates afide, and asked him who had put him upon commiting fo black a deed. Timocrates, terrified with the apprehenfion of death, immediately shewed him the or der I had given him under my own hand to kill Philocles: and, as traitors are always cowards, endeavoured to fave his life by discovering Protefilaus's treachery. Philocles, though he was shocked at finding fo much

hommes, prit un parti de modération : il déclara à toute l'armée que Timocrate étoit innocent, il le mit en sûreté, & le renvoya en Crete; il céda le commandement de l'armée à Polimene, que j'avois nommé dans mon ordre écrit de ma main, pour commander quand on auroit tué Philoclès. Enfin il exhorta les troupes à la fidélité qu'ils me devoient, & paffa pendant la nuit dans une légere barque, qui le conduifit dans l'ifle de Samos, où il vit tranquillement dans la pauvreté & dans la folitude, travaillant à faire des statues pour gagner fa vie, ne voulant plus entendre parler des hommes trompeurs & injuftes, mais fur-tout des rois, qu'il croit les plus malheureux & les plus aveugles de tous les hommes.

En cet endroit Mentor arrêta Idoménée : Hé bien, dit-il, futes-vous long-temps à découvrir la vérité ? Non, répondit Idoménée; je compris peu-à-peu les artifices de Protéfilas & de Timocrate: ils fe brouil lerent même; car les méchans ont bien de la peine à demeurer unis, Leur divifion acheva de me montrer le fond de l'abyme où ils m'avoient jetté. Hé bien, reprit Mentor, ne prêtes-vous point le parti de vous défaire de l'un & de l'autre ? Hélas! répondit Idoménée eft-ce que vous ignorez la foibleffe & l'embarras des Princes? Quand ils font une fois livrés à des hommes qui ont l'art de fe rendre néceffaires, ils ne peuvent plus efpérer aucune liberté. Ceux qu'ils méprifent le plus, font ceux qu'ils traitent le mieux, & qu'ils comblent de bienfaits: j'avois horreur de Protéfilas, & je lui laiffois toute l'autorité. Etrange illufion! Je me favois bon gré de le connoître, & je n'avois pas la force de reprendre l'autorité que je lui avois abandonnée. D'ailleurs je le trouvois commode, complaifant, induftrieux pour flatter mes paffions, ardent pour mes intérêts. Enfin j'avois une raifon pour m'excufer en moi-même de ma foibleffe, c'eft que je ne connoiffois pas de véritable vertu, faute d'avoir fu choifir des gens de bien qui conduififfent mes affaires : je croyois qu'il n'y en avoit pas fur la terre, & que la probité étoit un beau fantôme. Qu'importe, difois-je, de

much malice in mankind, acted a very - moderate part. He declared to the whole army that Timocra➡ tes was innocent; he provided for his fafety, and fent him back to Crete. He then refigned the charge of the army to Polymenes, whom I had appointed by an order written with my own hand, to command. when Philocles should be flain. And lastly, having exhorted the foldiers to continue faithful in their allegiance to me, he went by night on board a fmall bark, which carried him to the isle of Samos, where he now lives in peace, poverty and folitude; making tatues to get his bread, and not caring to hear of falfe and unjust men, but especially of kings, whom of all men he deems the blindest and most unhappy, Here Mentor interrupted Idomeneus. Well, faid he, were you long in difcovering the truth? No, replied Idomeneus: I perceived by degrees the artifices of Protefilaus and Timocrates: they quarrelled with each other, (for the wicked find it very difficult to continue united) and their diffention plainly shewed me the deep abyfs into which they had plunged me. Well, anfwered Mentor, did you not refolve to get rid of them both? Alas! replied Idomeneus, are you ignorant of the weakneffes and difficulties which princes labour under? When they have once delivered themselves up to corrupt and prefumptuous men, who have art enough to make themselves neceffary, they can no longer hope for the leaft freedom. Thofe whom they defpise the most, are the very perfons whom they treat the best, and on whom they heap their favours. I abhorred Protefilaus, and yet I continued him in his power. Strange illufion: I was overjoyed that I knew him, and yet had not refolution enough to refume the authority I had given him. Befides, I found him good-natured, complaifant, induftrious in flattering my paffions, zealous for my intereft? in short, I found reafons to excufe my weaknefs to myself, because I was a stranger to true virtue, for want of chufing men of probity to conduct my affairs. I thought that there were none on the earth, and that integrity was only a beautiful phan

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