the moft folid foundations of unlawful authority. Men admire it, and dread it, and tremble before it till the inftant it is no more. It finks beneath its own weight and nothing can raife it up again; because it hath with its own hands deftroyed the true fupports of probity and justice, which beget love and confidence,

The leaders of the army affembled the next day to grant the Daunians a king, and every one was delighted to fee the two camps blended together by lo unexpected a friendship, and the two armies which were now become but one. The fage Neftor was not in a condition to be prefent at this council, because his grief and age had withered his heart, as a shower beats down and caufes a flower to languish in the evening, which in the morning, while Aurora was rifing, was the glory and ornament of the verdant fields. His eyes were become inexhauftible fountains of tears. Balmy fleep, which fooths the acuteft pains, fled far away from them; and hope, the food of the human heart, was extinguished in him, All aliments were bitter to this unfortunate old man. The light was odious to him; his foul defired only to quit his body, and to plunge into the eternal night of Pluto's empire. In vain was all the difcourfe of his friends; his drooping heart loathed their friendship, as a fick man loaths the most delicate food : To all the most affecting things which could be faid to him, he only replied by groans and fighs, He now and then was heard to fay, O Pifistratus! Pifi ftratus! Pififtratus! my fon! thou calleft me, I come. Thou, Pififtratus, wilt render death a pleasure to me. O my dear fon! the only bleffing I crave, is to fee thee again on the Stygian shore. And then would he pafs whole hours without fpeaking a word, fighing, and lifting up his hands and tearful eyes to heaven.

Mean while the affembled princes were waiting for Telemachus who remained with Pififtratus's body, ftrewing a profufion of flowers, and the most exquifite perfumes upon it, and shedding the bittereft Fears. My dear companion faid he, I shall never

forget

n'oublierai jamais de t'avoir vu à Pylos, de t'avoir fuivi à Sparte, de t'avoir retrouvé fur les bords de la grande Hefpérie. Je te dois mille & mille foins; je t'aimois, tu m'aimois auffi. J'ai connu ta valeur, elle auroit furpaffé celle de plufieurs Grecs fameux. Hélas! elle t'a fait mourir avec gloire; mais elle a dérobé au monde une vertu naiffante qui eût égalé celle de ton pere. Oui, ta fageffe & ton éloquence dans un âge mûr auroient été femblables à celles de ce vieillard, l'admiration de toute la Grece. Tu avois déjà cette douce infinuation, à laquelle on ne peut réfifter quand il parle; cette maniere naïve de raconter; cette fage modération, qui eft un charme pour appaifer les efprits irrités; cette autorité qui vient de la prudence & de la force des bons confeils. Quand tu parlois, tous prêtoient l'oreille, tous étoient prévenus, tous avoient envie de trouver que tu avois raifon; ta parole fimple & fans fafte couloit dans les cœurs, comme la rofée fur l'herbe naiffante. Hélas! tant de biens que nous poffédions il y a quelques heures, nous font enlevés pour jamais! Pififtrare, que j'embrassai ce matin, n'eft plus; il ne nous en refte qu'un douloureux fouvenir. Au moins fi tu avois fermé les yeux de Neftor, & non pas que nous euffions fermé les tiens, il ne verroit pas tout ce qu'il voit; & il ne feroit pas le plus malheureux de tous les peres.

Après ces paroles, Télémaque fit laver la plaie fanglante qui étoit dans le côté de Pififtrate. Il le fit étendre fur un lit de pourpre, où la tête penchée avec la pâleur de la mort, il reffembloit à un jeune arbre qui ayant couvert la terre de fon ombre, & pouflé vers le ciel fes rameaux fleuris, a été entamé par le tranchant de la coignée d'un bucheron. Il ne tient plus à fa racine ni à la terre, mere féconde qui nourrit fes tiges dans fon fein: il languit, fa verdure s'efface; il ne peut plus fe foutenir, il tombe; fes rameaux qui cachoient le ciel, traînent fur la pouffiere,' flétris, & defféchés; il n'est plus qu'un tronc abattu & dépouillé de toutes fes graces. Ainfi Pififtrate en

forget my feeing thee at Pylos; my going with thee to Sparta, and my finding thee again on the coaft of the great Hefperia. I am thy debtor for a thoufand and a thousand good offices; I loved thee thou lovedft me alfo I knew thy valour; it would have furpast that of feveral famous Greeks. Alas! it has occafioned thee glorious death; but then it has robbed the world of a blooming virtue which would have equalled that of thy father. Yes, thy wifdom and eloquence would, when matured by age, have been, like that fenior's, the admiration of all Greece. Thou didst already poffefs that fweet infinuation, which whenever he speaks, is irrefiftible; that fimple manner of narration; that fage moderation, which is a charm to footh the irritated mind; that authority which arifes from wisdom and the force of good counfels. When thou fpokeft, every one lent an ear, every one was prepoffeffed in thy favour, every one wished to find thee in the right; thy plain, thy unadorned words ftole as gently into the heart as dews defcend on the fpringing grafs. Alas! how many bleffings which we enjoyed a few hours fince, ravished from us for ever! Pififtratus, whom I embraced in the morning, is now no more nothing but a fad remembrance of him is left us. Ah! hadit thou closed Neftor's eyes, and not we thine, he would not then have feen what he now fees have been the moft wretched of fathers.

are

, nor

This faid, Telemachus ordered the gory wound in Pififtratus's fide to be washed, and caused him to be laid on a purple bed: Where, with his head reclined and pale as death, he resembles a young tree, which having covered the earth with its shade, and shot its flourishing branches to heaven, is wounded by the keen axe of the woodman; and having no longer any hold of its roots, or the earth, that fruitful mother which nourishes her plants in her bofom, it droops and lofes its verdure; it can no longer fupport itself, it falls; its branches, which ufed to hide the heavens are faded, withered, dragged in the duft; it is now but a mere trunk, cut down and defpoiled of all its ho TOM. II.

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proie à la mort étoit déjà emporté par ceux qui devoient la mettre dans le bûcher fatal. Déjà la flamme montoit vers le ciel. Une troupe de Pyliens, les yeux baiffés & pleins de larmes, leurs armes renversées, le conduifoient lentement. Le corps eft bientôt brûlé, les cendres font mifes dans une urne d'or, & Télémaque, qui prend foin de tout, confie cette urne comme un grand tréfor à Callimaque, qui avoit été le gouverneur de Pifistrate. Gardez, lui dit-il, ces cendres, tristes, mais précieux reftes de celui que vous avez aimé. Gardez-les pour fon pere; mais attendez à les lui donner quand il aura affez de force pour les de mander: ce qui irrite la douleur en un temps, doucit en un autre.

l'a❤

Enfuite Télémaque entra dans l'affemblée des rois ligués, où dès qu'on l'apperçut, chacun garda le fi lence pour l'écouter. Il en rougit, & on ne pou voit le faire parler. Les louanges qu'on lui donna par des acclamations publiques fur tout ce qu'il venoiţ de faire augmenterent fa honte; il auroit voulu pouvoir fe cacher. Ce fut la premiere fois qu'il paruṛ embarraffé & incertain. Enfin il demanda comme une grâce, qu'on ne lui donnât plus aucune louange furCe n'eft pas, dit-il, que je ne les aime, tout quand elles font données par de fi bons juges de la vertu mais c'est que je crains de les aimer trop elles corrompent les hommes, elles les rem pliffent d'eux-mêmes, elles les rendent vains & préfomptueux; il faut les mériter & les fuir. Les meilleures louanges reffemblent aux fauffes. Les plus méchans de tous les hommes, qui font les tyrans, font ceux qui fe font le plus louer par des flatteurs. Quel plaifir y a-t-il à être loué comme eux? Les bonnes louanges font celles que vous me donnerez en mon abfence, fi je fuis affez heureux pour en mériter. Si vous me croyez véritablement bon, vous devez croire auffi que je veux être modefte, & craindre la vanité. Epargnez moi donc, fi vous m'eftimez, & ne me louez pas comme un homme amoureux de Jouanges,

Après

nours. Thus Pififtratus, a prey to death, was now borne away by thofe who were to lay him on the fatal pyre. The flames already mount to heaven. A band of Pylians with downcaft ftreaming eyes, with arms reverfed, and gentle fteps attended. The body is quickly burnt, and the ashes are put into a golden urn, which Telemachus, who takes care of the whole ceremony, commits as a great treafure to Callimachus, who had been Pififtratus's governor. Keep thefe ashes, faid he, the fad but precious remains of him whom you loved, keep them for his father; but de not prefent them unto him till he has fortitude enough to ask for them: What provokes forrow at one time, alleviates it at another.

Telemachus afterwards went into the affembly of the confederate kings, where every one, as foon as he faw him, was filent in order to hear him. He blushed, and could not be prevailed on to fpeak. The praifes which were beltowed upon him by publick acclamarions on account of his late actions, increased his confufion, and he wished that it had been in his power to hide himself. This was the first time he ever appeared confounded and dubious. At length he asked it as a favour, that they would not commend him any more. Noc, faid he that I do not love praife, efpecially when it is beftowed by fuch good judges of virtue but because I am apprehenfive of being too fond of it; it corrupts mankind, it makes them full of themfelves, and renders them vain and prefumptuous; We should deferve and shun it. There is a refemblance between the justeft and moft groundless praifes; and tyrants, the most wicked of all men, are thofe who caufe themfelves to be praifed the most by flatterers. What pleasure is there in being commended like them? Valuable praife is that which you will give me in my abfence, if I am happy enough to deferve it. If you think me really virtuous you must alfo think me modeft and apprehenfive of Vanity. Spare me therefore if you efteem me, and do not praife as if I were enamoured of applaufe. Telemachus having fpoken thus, made no reply to

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