THE ADVENTURES O F TELEMACHU S, SON of ULYSSES. BOOK the FOURTEENTH. The ARGUMENT. Mentor prevails on Idomeneus to fend Protefilaus and Ti mocrates to the ifle of Samos, and to recall Philocles in order to replace him with honour near his perfon Hegefippus, who is charged with this commission executes it with joy. He arrives with these two men at Samos, where he finds his friend Philocles contentedly leading an indigent and folitary life. Philocles does not confent without much reludance to return to his countrymen; but when he knows that it is the pleasure of the Gods, he embarks with Hegefippus, and arrives at Salentum, where Idomeneus, who is no longer the fame man, receives him in a friendly manner. HAVING fpoken these words, Mentor con vinced Idomeneus that it was necessary to put away Protefilaus and Timocrates, as foon as poffible and to recall Philocles. The only difficulty which with-held the king from it, was his apprehenfion of the feverity of Philocles. I own, faid he, that I cannot help being a little apprehenfive of his return, though I love and efteem him. I have from my earliest youth been accustomed to praises, to an officioufnefs and complaifance which I cannot hope to dans cet homme. Dès que je faifois quelque chofe qu'il n'approuvoit pas, fon air trifte me marquoit affez qu'il me condamnoit. Quand il étoit en particulier avec moi, fes manieres étoient refpectueufes & modérées, mais feches. Ne voyez vous pas, lui tépondit Mentor, que les princes gâtés par la flatterie trouvent fec & auftere tout ce qui eft libre & ingénu? Ils vont même jufqu'à s'imaginer qu'on n'est pas zélé pour leur fervice, & qu'on n'aime pas leur autorité, dès qu'on n'a point l'ame fervile, & qu'on n'est pas prêt à les flatter dans l'ufage le plus injufte de leur puiffance. Toute parole libre & généreufe leur paroît hautaine critique & féditieufe. Ils deviennent fi délicats, que tout ce qui n'eft pas flatterie, les bleffe & les irrite: mais allons plus loin. Je fuppofe que Philo clès eft effectivement fec & auftere; fon austérité ne vaut-elle pas mieux que la flatterie pernicieuse de vos confeillers ? Où trouverez-vous un homme fans défauts? Et le défaut de vous dire trop hardiment la vérité, n'est-il pas celui que vous devez le moins craindre ? Que dis-je ? N'eft-ce pas un défaut néceffaire pour corriger les vôtres, & pour vaincre le dégoût de la vérité, où la flatterie vous a fait tomber? Il vous faut un homme qui n'aime que la vérité, & qui vous aime mieux que vous ne favez vous aimer vous-même; qui vous dife la vérité malgré vous qui force tous vos retranchemens, & cet homme néceffaire, c'eft Philoclès. Souvenez-vous qu'un prince eft trop heureux, quand il naît un feul homme fous fon regne avec cette générofité, qui eft le plus précieux tréfor de l'Etat; & que la plus grande punition qu'il doit craindre des Dieux, eft de perdre un tel homme, s'il s'en rend indigne faute de favoir s'en Tervir. Pour les défauts des gens de bien il faut les favoir connoître, & ne laiffer pas de fe fervir d'eux. Redreffez-les; ne vous livrez jamais aveuglément à leur zele indifcret; mais écoutez-les favorablement, honorez leur vertu, montrez au public que vous favez la diftinguer, & fur-tout gardez-vous bien d'être plus long-temps comme vous avez été jufqu'ici. Les find in Philocles. Whenever I did any thing which he difliked, his gloomy looks fufficiently shewed that he condemned me; and when he was in private with me, his manners, though respectful and decent; were rough and auftere. Do you not obferve, anfwered Mentor, that princes who are corrupted by flattery, think every thing rough and auftere which is free and ingenuous? Nay, they go fo far as to imagine that a man is not zealous for their fervice, and is an enemy to their authority, who has not a flavish foul, and is not apt to flatter them in an unrighteous ufe of their power. All freedom and generofity of fpeech appears to them infolent, cenforious, and feditious. They are fo delicate, that every thing which is not flattery, galls and provokes them. But let us go farther: Suppofing that Philocles is rough and auftere, is not his aufterity more valuable than the pernicious adulation of your coun fellors? Where will you find a man without failings? And is not the failing of telling you the truth too freely, that which you ought to apprehend the leaft? Or rather, is it not a failing which is neceffary to correct yours, and to overcome that antipathy to the truth which flattery has given you? You stand in need of a man who loves nothing but truth; who loves you more than you love yourself; who will tell you the truth whether you will or not, and force your intrenchments; and Philocles is this neceffary man. Remember that a prince is exceedingly happy, if one fuch generous perfon, who is the most precious treasure of his kingdom, be born in his reign; and that the greatest punishment which he has to ap prehend from the Gods, is the lofing fuch an one, if he renders himself unworthy of him for want of knowing how to make a proper ufe of him. As for the failings of men of virtue, you should contrive means to know them, but should not let them deprive you of their fervice. Rectify them, but never give yourfelf blindly up to their indifcreet zeal. Give them a favourable hearing, honour their virtue, let the public fee that you know how to diftinguish it; and |