knowledge of government prevents their being im pofed upon. Men who obferve no maxims in affairs, and who have no true discernment of men are always groping as it were in the dark and it is a chance if they are not impofed upon. They do not well know what they look for, nor which way they ought to direct their fteps; their knowledge extends. only to mistrust, and they fooner miftruft men of probity who contradict them, than traitors who flatter them. On the contrary, they who have certain principles to govern by and a knowledge of men, know what they are to expect of them, and the means of coming at it They know, at least in general, whether the perfons they employ are proper instruments for their defigns and whether they enter enough into their views to hit the mark they aim at. Befides, as they do not burden themselves with the weight of particulars, their minds are more at liber ty to furvey at one view the whole of the work, and to obferve if it tends towards their principal defign; if they are deceived, it hardly ever is in effentials. Again, they are above the little jealoufies which de note a narrow mind and a groveling foul. They know that it is not poffible to avoid being deceived in important affairs, fince they are obliged to make ule of men, who are fo often deceitful. More is loft by the irrefolution which arifes from diffidence, than by fuffering one's felf to be a little impofed upon. Happy the man who is impofed upon only in things of little confequence; the more important may go on well, and a great man ought only to be in pain about them. Deceit must be feverely punished when it is difcovered, but one must expect to meet with fome deceit, if one would not really be deceived. A mechanic fees every thing in his shop with his own eyes, and does every thing with his own hands; but a king can neither do nor fee every thing in a large kingdom. He ought to do nothing but what nobody elfe can do under him, nor ought he to fee any thing but what concerns the decifion of important affairs.

Enfin Mentor dit à Télémaque: Les Dieux vous aiment, & vous préparent un regne plein de sagesse. Tout ce que vous voyez ici, eft fait moins pour la gloire d'Idoménée, que pour votre inftruction. Tous les fages établissemens que vous admirez dans Salente, ne font que l'ombre de ce que vous ferez un jour à Ithaque, fi vous répondez par vos vertus à votre haute deftinée. Il est temps que nous fongions à partir d'ici. Idoménée tient un vaisseau prêt pour

notre retour.

Auffitôt Télémaque ouvrit fon cœur à fon ami mais avec quelque peine, fur un attachement qui lui faifoit regretter Salente. Vous me blâmerez peutêtre, lui dit-il, de prendre trop facilement des inclinations dans les lieux où je paffe; mais mon cœur me feroit de continuels reproches, fi je vous cachois que j'aime Antiope fille d'Idoménée. Non, mon cher Mentor, ce n'eft pas une paffion aveugle, comme celle dont vous m'avez guéri dans l'ifle de Calypfo, J'ai bien reconnu la profondeur de la plaie que l'amour m'avoit fait auprès d'Eucharis ; je ne puis encore prononcer fon nom fans être troublé; le temps & l'abfence n'ont pu l'effacer. Cette expérience funeste m'apprend à me défier de moi-même. Mais pour Antiope ce que je reffens n'a rien de femblable; ce n'eft point amour paffionné, c'eft goût c'eft eftime, c'eft perfuafion. Que je ferois heureux, fi je paffois ma vie avec elle! Si jamais les Dieux me rendent mon pere, & qu'ils me permettent de choifir une femme, Antiope fera mon époufe. Ce qui me touche en elle, c'est son filence, sa modestie, fa retraite, fon travail affidu, fon industrie pour les ouvrages de laine & de broderie, fon application à conduire toute la maison de fon pere, depuis que fa mere eft morte; fon mépris des vaines parures, l'oubli ou Vignorance même qui paroît en elle de fa beauté. Quand Idoménée lui ordonne de mener les danses des jeunes Crétoiles au fon des flûtes, on la prendroit pour la riante Vénus, tant elle eft accompagnée de graces. Quand il la mene avec lui à la chaffe dans les forêts, elle paroît majestueufe & adroite à tirer de

* In fine, Mentor faid to Telemachus, the Gods love you, and design you a reign of wisdom. Every thing you fee here is done lefs for Idomeneus's glory than for your inftruction. All the wife inftitutions which you admire at Salentum, are but a shadow of what you will hereafter do in Ithaca, if your virtues correfpond to your high deftiny. It is time for us to think of departing hence. Idomeneus keeps a ship ready for our return.

Hereupon Telemachus, though with fome difficulty, opened his heart to his friend concerning an attachment which made him loth to leave Salentum. You will cenfure me perhaps faid he, for too cafily conceiving paffions in the places where I go; but my heart would continually reproach me; should I not tell you that I love Antiope, the daughter of Idomeneus. This, my dear Mentor, is not fuch a blind paffion as you cured me of in the ifle of Calypfo. I have been thoroughly fenfible of the depth of the wound I received from love when I was with Eucharis; I cannot yet pronounce her name without diforder, nor have time and abfence been able to efface it. This fatal experience teaches me to be diffident of myfelf. But what I feel for Antiope is quite another thing. It is not the phrens zy of love, it is judgment, it is efteem, it is conviction. How happy should I be in paffing my life with her! If ever the Gods reftore me my father and permit me to chufe a wife, Antiope shall be mine. What charms me in her, is her filence, her modefty, her referve, her affiduity in labour, her industry in works of wool and embroidery, her application to the management of her father's houfe fince the death of her mother, her contempt of gaudy apparel, her evident forgetfulness or rather ignorance of her beauty. When Idomeneus bids her lead the dance of the young Cretan maidens to the melody of flutes, she is attended with fo many graces that one would take her for the fmiling Ve nus; when he takes her with him to hunt in the forefts, she feems as majestic, and as skilful in hand

l'arc, comme Diane au milieu de fes nymphes; elle feule ne le fait pas, & tout le monde l'admire. Quand elle entre dans le temple des Dieux, & qu'elle porte fur fa tête les chofes facrées dans des corbeilles, on croiroit qu'elle eft elle-même la Divinité qui habite dans le temple. Avec quelle crainte & quelle religion la voyons-nous offrir des facrifices, & fléchir la colere des Dieux, quand il faut expier quelque faute, ou détourner quelque funefte préfage. Enfin, quand on la voit avec une troupe de filles, tenant en fa main une aiguille d'or, on croit que c'eft Minerve même, qui a pris fur la terre une forme humaine, & qui inspire aux hommes les beaux arts: Elle anime les autres à travailler; elle leur. adoucit le travail & l'ennui par les charmes de fa voix lorfqu'elle chante toutes les merveilleuses histoires des Dieux; & elle furpaffe la plus exquise peinture • par la délicateffe de fes broderies. Heureux l'homme qu'un doux hymen unira avec elle ! il n'aura à craindre que de la perdre & de lui furvivre. Je prens ici, mor cher Mentor, les Dieux à témoins que je fuis prêt à partir; j'aimerai Antiope tant que je vivrai; mais elle ne retardera pas d'un moment mon retour à Ithaque. Si un autre la devoit pofféder, je passerois le refte de mes jours avec trifteffe & amertume: mais enfin je la quitterai, quoique je fache que l'abfence peut me la faire perdre. Je ne veux ni lui parler, ni parler à fon pere de mon amour; car je ne dois en parler qu'à vous feul, jufqu'à ce qu'Ulysse, remonté fur fon trône, m'ait déclaré qu'il y confent. Vous pouvez reconnoître par-là, mon cher Mentor, combien cet attachement est différent de la paffion dont vous m'avez vu aveuglé pour Eucharis.

Mentor répondit: O Télémaque, je conviens de cette différence. Antiope eft douce, fimple, fage; fes mains ne méprifent point le travail; elle prévoit de loin, elle pourvoit à tout, elle fait fe taire, & agir de fuite fans empreffement; elle eft à toute heure occupée, & ne s'embarrasse jamais, parce qu'elle fait chaque chofe à propos. Le bon ordre de la maifon de fon

perg

ling a bow, as Diana in the midst of her nymphs she alone is ignorant of it, while all the world admires it. When she enters the temple of the Gods, and carries the facred offerings in baskets on her head one would think that she herself were the Divinity which inhabits the temple. With what awe and what devotion do we fee her offer facrifices, and deprecate the wrath of the Gods, when any crime is to be expiated, or any dreadful omen to be averted! In fine, when one fees her with a company of maidens, holding a golden needle in her hand, one thinks that she is Minerva herself, who has affumed an human form here on the earth and is teaching the polite arts to men. She encourages others to work; she fweetens their toils and weariness by the charms of her voice, when she fings all the marvellous hiftories of the Gods, and she excels the most exquifite paintings by the delicacy of her embroideries. Happy the whom gentle Hymen joins with her! He will have nothing to fear but to lose and furvive her. I here call the Gods to witnefs, my dear Mentor, that I am ready to depart; I shall love Antiope as long as I live, but she shall not one moment retard my return to Ithaca. Were another to poffefs her, I should pass the rest of my days in bitterness and forrow; but I will leave her, though I know that abfence may caufe me to lofe her. I will not fpeak to her nor her father of my love; for I ought to speak of it to you only, 'till Ulyffes, re-feated on his throne gives me his confent to do it. You may hereby know, my dear Mentor, how different this attachment is from the paffion with which you faw me blinded for Eucharis.

man

Mentor replied, I grant, Telemachus, that there is a difference. Antiope is gentle, ingenuous, prudent ; her hands difdain nor labour; she forefees things long before they happen, she provides for every thing, she knows how to be filent, and to do things regularly without being in a hurry; she is always employed, but never in a confufion, because TOM. IN

she