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prepares her riches to recompenfe the husbandman; hope dawns every where. Flocks of sheep are feen bounding on the grafs in the valleys and on the hills, and herds likewife of bulls and heifers that make the lofty mountains echo with their lowings Thefe cattle fattened the fields. Mentor found the means of procuring them; for he advised Idomeneus to make with the Peucetes, neighbouring nation, an exchange of all the fuperfluous things which were no longer fuffered in Salentum, for thefe flocks and herds which the Salentines wanted.

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At the fame time the city and adjacent villages were full of lovely youths, who had long languished in want, and had not dared to marry for fear of increafing their mileries. When they faw that Idomeneus entertained fentiments of humanity, and was willing to be their father, they were no more apprehenfive of hunger, or any other plagues which heaven inflicts on the earth. Nothing was now heard but shouts of joy and the fongs of fwains and hufbandmen celebrating their nuptials: Infomuch that one would have thought one had feen the God Pan with multitudes of Satyrs and Fauns interfperfed among the Nymphs, and dancing to their tuneful flutes in the shade. All was ferene and fmiling but their joys were moderate, and their pleafures only a refreshment after long fatigues, which quickened and made them the purer.

The old men, surprised to fee what they durft not hope for in the whole courfe of their long lives, wept thro' an excefs of joy and love; and lifting up their trembling hands to heaven, O great Jupiter, faid they, blefs the king who refembles you, and is the choiceft prefent you ever beftowed upon us. He is born for the good of mankind; return him all the bleffings we receive from him. Our children's children, defcended from thefe marriages which he encourages, will owe every thing, even their very birth to him, and he will truly be the father of all his fubjects. The lads and laffes who married, exprefled their raptures by finging the praifes of the author of

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de celui de qui cette joie fi douce leur étoit venue. Les bouches, & encore plus les cœurs, étoient fans ceffe remplis de fon nom: on fe croyoit heureux de le voir; on craignoit de le perdre: fa perte eût été la défolation de chaque famille.

Alors Idoménée avoua à Mentor qu'il n'avoit ja mais fenti de plaifir auffi touchant que celui d'être aimé, & de rendre tant de gens heuteux. Je ne l'aurois jamais cru, difoit-il; il me fembloit que toute la grandeur des princes ne confiftoit qu'à fe faire craindre; que le refte des hommes étoit fait pour eux; & tout ce que j'avois ouï dire des rois, qui avoient été l'amour & les délices de leurs peuples me paroiffoit une pure fable; j'en reconnois maintenant la vérité. Mais il faut que je vous comment on avoit empoifonné mon cœur dès ma plus tendre jeuneffe fur l'autorité des rois. C'est ce qui a caufé tous les malheurs de ma vie. Alors Idoménée commença cette narration:

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Protéfilas, qui eft un peu plus âgé que moi, fut celui de tous les jeunes gens que j'aimois le plus; fon naturel vif & hardi, étoit felon mon goût; il entra dans mes plaifirs; il flatta mes paffions; il me rendit fufpect un autre jeune homme que j'aimois auffi, & qui fe nommoit Philoclès. Celui-ci avoit la crainte des Dieux & l'ame grande, mais modérée; il mettoit la grandeur, non à s'élever, mais à fe vaincre, & à ne faire rien de bas. Il me parloit librement fur mes défauts; & lors même qu'il n'ofoit me parler, fon filence & la trifteffe de fon vifage me faifoient affez entendre ce qu'il vouloit me reprocher.

Dans les commencemens cette fincérité me plaifoit; je lui proteftois fouvent que je l'écouterois avec confiance toute ma vie, pour me préferver des flatteurs. Il me difoit tout ce que je devois faire pour marcher fur les traces de Minos, & pour rendre mon royaume heureux. Il n'avoit pas une auffi profonde fageffe que vous, ô Mentor; mais fes maximes étoient bonnes; je le reconnois maintenant. Peu-à-peu les artifices de Protéfilas qui étoit jaloux & plein d'ambition me dégoûterent de Philoclès. Celui-ci étoit

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their ravishing joys. Their mouths, and their hearts ftill more, were inceffantly filled with his name ; they thought themselves happy in feeing, and were apprehenfive of lofing him; for every family would bitterly have bewailed his lofs.

Upon this, Idomeneus owned to Mentor that he had never felt fo fenfible a pleasure as that of being beloved, and of making fo many people happy. I could not have believed it, faid he, I thought that all the grandeur of princes confifted in making themfelves feared; that the rest of mankind were born for them; and all I had heard of kings who were the darlings and delight of their people, feemed a meer fable to me: I am now convinced that it was truth. But I muft inform you how my heart was poifoned in my very infancy with regard to regal authority, which was the caufe of all the misfortunes of my life. Hereupon Idomeneus began the following narration :

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Protefilaus, who is a little older than I, was of all the young men he whom I loved the moft: His prightly daring temper hit my tafte. He entered into my pleasures, he flattered my paffions, and made me fufpicious of another young man, whofe name was Philocles whom I likewife loved. The latter feared the Gods, had a great foul, and commanded his paffions; he placed greatnefs not in raifing but in conquering himself, and in doing nothing mean. He often told me freely of my faults; and even when he durft not fpeak, his filence and the grief of his countenance gave me fufficiently to understand what he meant to reproach me with.

At first his fincerity pleafed me. I often protefted to him, that I would hear and confide in him as long as I lived, in order to be preferved from flatterers. He told me all that I must do to tread in the teps of Minos, and to render my kingdom happy. He had not fo profound a wisdom as you, Mentor; but I now perceive that his maxims were good. By degrees the artifices of Protefilaus, who was jealous and very ambitious, gave me a difguft of Philocles.

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fans empreffement, & laiffoit l'autre prévaloir; il se contenta de me dire toujours la vérité, lorfque je vous lois l'entendre. C'étoit mon bien, & non fa fortune qu'il cherchoit.

Protéfilas me perfuada infenfiblement que c'étoit un efprit chagrin & fuperbe, qui critiquoit toutes mes actions, qui ne me demandoit rien, parce qu'il avoit la fierté de ne vouloir rien tenir de moi, & d'afpirer à la réputation d'un homme qui eft au-deffus de tous les honneurs: il ajouta que ce jeune homme, qui me parloit fi librement fur mes défauts, en parloit aux autres avec la même liberté; qu'il faifoit affez entendre qu'il ne m'eftimoit gueres; & qu'en rabaissant ainfi ma réputation, il vouloit par l'éclat d'une vertu auftere, s'ouvrir le chemin à la royauté.

D'abord je ne pus croire que Philoclès voulût me détrôner. Il y a dans la véritable vertu une candeur & une ingénuité que rien ne peut contrefaire, & à laquelle on ne fe méprend point, pourvu qu'on y foit attentif. Mais la fermeté de Philoclès, contre mes foibleffes, commençoit à me laffer. Les complaifances de Protéfilas & fon induftrie inépuifable pour m'inventer de nouveaux plaifirs, me faifoient fentir encore plus impatiemment l'austérité de l'autre.

Cependant Protéfilas ne pouvant fouffrir que je ne cruffe pas tout ce qu'il me difoit contre fon ennemi, prit le parti de ne m'en plus parler, & de me perfuader par quelque chofe de plus fort que toutes fes paroles. Voici comment il acheva de me tromper : il me confeilla d'envoyer Philoclès commander les vaiffeaux qui devoient attaquer ceux de Carpathie; & pour m'y déterminer, il me dit: Vous favez que je ne fuis pas fufpect dans les louanges que je lui donne : j'avoue qu'il a du courage & du génie pour la guerre; il vous fervira mieux qu'un autre, & je préfére l'intérêt de votre service à tous mes reffentimens contre lui.

Je fus ravi de trouver cette droiture & cette équité dans le cœur de Protéfilas, à qui j'avois confié l'adminiftration de mes plus grandes affaires, Je l'embraffai

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The latter not being forward or officious, fuffered the other to get the afcendant, and was contented with always telling me the truth, when I was willing to hear it; for it was my good, and not his own advancement that he fought.

Protefilaus infenfibly perfuaded me that he was a perfon of a morofe and haughty temper, who cenfured all my actions, and asked nothing of me, because his pride would not let him stoop to be obliged, and made him afpire to the reputation of a man who is above a'l preferments. He added, that this young man, who told me fo freely of my failings, fpoke of them as freely to others, that he let people fee that he had very little efteem for me; and that by thus leffening my reputation, and by making a shew of an auftere virtue, he fought to open himfelf a way to the throne.

At first I could not believe that Philocles had any fuch defign; for there is in true virtue a certain candour and ingenuity which can neither be counterfeited nor mistaken provided we confider it with attention. The perfeverance however of Philocles in condemning my weaknesses began to tire me; and Protefilaus's complaifance and unwearied diligence in finding me new pleafures, made me ftill more impatiently bear with the aufterity of the other.

Mean time Protefilaus, unable to brook my not crediting all his infinuations against his rival, refolved to speak to me no more about him, but to convince me of their truth by fomething ftronger than words. He accomplished his defign of deceiving me in the following manner. He advifed me to fend Philocles to command a fleet which was to attack that of Carpathus. In order to induce me to it, You know, faid he, thar my commendations of him cannot be fufpected; I own that he has courage, and a genius for war; he will ferve you better than any man, and I prefer your intereft to all my refentment against him. I was extremely glad to find Protefilaus's heart to whom I had entrusted the administration of my most important affairs, fo upright and juft. I embraced

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