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Télémaque arrivant à Salente trouve le luxe de la Tille réformé et la campagne bien cultivée.

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TELE MACHUS
SON of ULYSSES.

BOOK the TWENTY-SECOND.

The ARGUMENT.

Telemachus arriving at Salentum is surprised to fee the country fo well cultivated, and to find fo little magnificence in the city. Mentor explains the reafons of this change, points out the wrong measures which usually hinder a fiate from flourishing, and proposes the eondud and government of Idomeneus as a model for him. Telemachus afterwards opens his heart to Mentor concerning his inclination tó marry Antiope the daugh, ter of that king. Mentor joins with him in commending her good qualities, and affures him that the Gods defign her for him; but that at prefent he ought to think only of departing for Ithaca, and of freeing Penelope from the perfecutions of her suitors.

HE young fon of Ulyffes burnt with impatience

to join Mentor again at Salentum, and to embark with him in order to return to Ithaca, where he hoped that his father might be arrived. When he approached Salentum, he was greatly aftonished to fee all the country round it, which he had left almost wholly wafte and defert, cultivated like a garden, and full of diligent labourers. He knew that this muft be the work of the wife Mentor. As he afterwards

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entered

moins d'artifans pour les délices de la vie, & beaucoup moins de magnificence. Télémaque en fut choqué; car il aimoit naturellement toutes les chofes qui ont de l'éclat & de la politeffe; mais d'autres penfées occuperent auffitôt fon efprit. Il vit de loin venir à lui Idoménée avec Mentor. Auffitôt fon cœur fut ému de joie & de tendreffe. Malgré tous les fuccès qu'il avoit eus dans la guerre contre Adrafte, il craignoit que Mentor ne fût pas content de lui; & à mesure qu'il s'avançoit, il cherchoit dans les yeux de Mentor, pour voir s'il n'avoit rien à fe reprocher.

D'abord Idoménée embraffa Télémaque comme fon propre fils; enfuite Télémaque fe jetta au cou de Mentor & l'arrofa de fes larmes. Mentor lui dit s Je fuis content de vous vous avez fait de grandes fautes, mais elles vous ont fervi à vous connoître, & à vous défier de vous-même. Souvent on tire plus de fruit de fes fautes. que de fes belles actions. Les grandes actions enflent le cœur, & infpirent une préfomption dangereufe. Les fautes font rentrer l'homme en lui-même, & lui rendent la fageffe qu'il avoit perdue dans les bons fuccès. Ce qui vous refte à faire, c'eft de louer les Dieux, & de ne vouloir pas que les hommes vous louent. Vous avez fait de grandes chofes; mais avouez la vérité : ce n'eft gueres vous par qui elles ont été faites. N'eft-il pas vrai qu'elles Vous font venues comme quelque chofe d'étranger qui étoit mis en vous ? N'étiez-vous pas capable de les gâter, & par votre promptitude, & par votre imprudence? Ne fentiez-vous pas que Minerve, vous a comme transformé en un autre homme au-dessus de vous-même, pour faire par vous ce que vous avez fait ? Elle a tenu tous vos défauts en fufpens, comme Neptune, quand il appaise les tempêtes, fufpend les Alots irrités.

Pendant qu'Idoménée interrogeoit avec curiofité les Crétois qui étoient revenus de la guerre, Télémaque écoutoit ainfi les fages confeils de Mentor. Enfuite il regardoit de tous côtés avec étonnement, & difoit à Mentor: Voici un changement dont je ne comprends pas bien la raison : est-il arrivé quelque calamicé

à Sa

entered the city, he obferved that there were fewer traders in the luxuries of life, and much lefs magnificence. Telemachus was not pleased at this, for he was naturally fond of every thing which is fplendid and polite; but he quickly changed his mind. He from afar beheld Idomeneus and Mentor coming towards him, and his heart was immediately tran fported with joy and tendernefs. Notwithstanding his fuccefs in the war against Adraftus, he was apprehenfive that Mentor might be diffatisfied with him, and, as he advanced, confulted his eyes to fee whether he had any thing to reproach him with.

Idomeneus immediately embraced Telemachus as his own fon; Telemachus afterwards threw himself on Mentor's neck, and bedewed him with his tears. Mentor faid to him, I am fatisfied with your conduct, you have committed great faults, but they have taught you to know and to be diffident of yourself. Men often reap more fruit from their errors than from their glorious actions. Great actions puff up the heart and inspire a dangerous prefumption; errors make a man enter into himself, and restore him the wisdom which he loft while he was fuccefsful. What yet remains for you to do, is to praise the Gods, and not to court the praises of men. You have performed great things, but own the truth; you can hardly be faid to have performed them. Is it not true that the power to perform them was infufed into you, like fomething foreign to your nature? Were you not like to have ruined all by your paffion and imprudence? Did you not feel that Minerva as it were transformed you into a perfon fuperior to yourself, to make you her inftrument of performing what you have done? She reftrained all your failings, as Neptune, when he stills a ftorm, restrains the angry billows.

While Idomencus was eagerly asking questions of the Cretans who were returned from the war, Telemachus was thus liftening to the wife counfels of Mentor. He afterwards turned his eyes with amazement on every fide, and faid to Mentor, here is a change of which I cannot comprehend the reafon : Has any calamity

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