void of reafon never did. And then why thefe wars? Are there not lands enough in the world to fupply all men with more than they can cultivate ? What a waste of defolate tracts which mankind can never ftock with inhabitants! What then! does ambition, a prince's aiming at the vain title of a conqueror, kindle wars in countries fufficiently large? Yes, a fingle perfon, fent into the world by the Gods in their wrath, brutally facrifices millions to his vanity. Every thing must be deftroyed every thing muft fwim in blood; every thing mult be involved in flames, that what efcapes the fword and fire, may perish by famine ftill more cruel than they; and all this, that a fingle man who mocks at human nature, may gratify his humour and ambition in this general devaftation. What a monftrous kind of vanity! Can one too much deteft and defpife men who have thus far forgotten hu¬ manity? No, no, instead of being demi - Gods, they are not fo much as men, and ought to be had in execration in all the ages by which they hoped to be admired. Oh! how cautious ought kings to be with respect to the wars they undertake! Their wars ought to be juft; nay more, they ought to be neceffary for the public weal. The blood of the people ought not to be shed but to fave the people themfelves in cafes of extremity. But flattering counfels, falfe notions of glory, groundlefs jealou fies, unbounded avarice, hid under fair difguifes, in short imperceptible motives almost always hurry kings into wars which render them miferable, which tempt them needlefsly to risk their all, and prove as fatal to their own fubjects as their enemies. Thus reafoned Telemachus.

But he did not fatisfy himself with deploring the evils of war; he endeavoured to foften them. He went himself into the tents, to relieve the fick and the dying, he gave them money and medicines; he comforted and encouraged them by friendly dif courfes, and fent others to vifit those he could not vifit himself.

There

Parmi les Crétois qui étoient avec lui, il y avoit deux vieillards, dont l'un fe nommoit Traumaphile, & l'autre Nozophuge. Traumaphile avoit été au fiege de Troye avec Idoménée, & avoit appris des enfans d'Efculape l'art divin de guérir les plaies. 11 répandoit, dans les bleffures les plus profondes & les plus envenimées, une liqueur odoriférante, qui confumoit les chairs mortes & corrompues, fans avoir befoin de faire aucune incifion, & qui formoit promptement de nouvelles chairs plus faines & plus belles que les premieres. Pour Nozophuge, il n'avoit jamais vu les enfans d'Efculape: mais il avoit eu, par le moyen de Mérion, un livre facré & mystérieux qu'Efculape avoit donné à fes enfans. D'ailleurs Nozophuge étoit ami des Dieux; il avoit compofé des hymnes en l'honneur des enfans de Latone; il offroit tous les jours le facrifice d'une brebis blanche & fans tache à Apollon, par lequel il étoit fouvent infpiré. A peine avoit-il vu un malade, qu'il connoiffoit à fes yeux, à la couleur de fon teint, à la conformité de fon corps, & à fa refpiration, la caufe de fa maladie. Tantôt il donnoit des remedes qui faifoient fuer, & il montroit, par le fuccès des fueurs, combien la tranfpiration facilitée ou diminuée, déconcerte ou rétablie toute la machine du corps. Tantôt il donneit pour les maux de langueur, certains breuvages qui fortifioient peu à peu les parties nobles, & qui rajeunissoient les hommes, en adouciffant leur fang. Mais il affuroic que c'étoit faute de vertu & de courage, que les hommes avoient fi fouvent befoin de la médecine. C'est une honte, difoit-il, pour les hommes, qu'ils aient tant de maladies; car les bonnes mœurs produi fent la fanté. Leur intempérance, difoit-il encore change en poifons mortels les alimens destinés à con ferver la vie. Les plaifirs pris fans modération, abregent plus les jours des hommes, que les remedes ne peuvent les prolonger. Les pauvres font moins fouvent malades faute de nourriture, que les riches ne le deviennent pour en prendre trop. Les alimens qui flattent trop le goût, & qui font manger au-delà du befoin, empoifonnent au lieu de nourrir. Les re

medes

There were among the Cretans that accompanied him, two old men whofe names were Traumaphilus and Nozophogus. Traumaphilus had been at the fiege of Troy with Idomeneus, and had learnt the divine art of healing wounds of Efculapius's fons. He used to pour into the deepest and most envenomed a certain odorous liquid which eat away the. dead and mortified flesh fo that there was no need of incifion, and quickly formed new flesh, which was founder and of a better colour than the former. As for Nozophugus he had never feen the fons of Efculapius, but had by means of merion been poffefled of a facred and myfterious book which Efculapius had given his fons. Befides, Nozophugus was beloved of the Gods; he had compofed hymns in honour of Latona's children, and daily facrificed a white sheep without blemish to Apollo, by whom he was often inspired; he no fooner faw a fick perfon but he knew the caufe of his malady by his eyes, his complection, the conformation of his body and his manner of breathing. Sometimes he adminiftered fudorifics, and shewed by the fuccefs of fweating, how much the opening or shutting of the pores contributes to the diforder or restoration of the whole bodily machine. Sometimes in lingering distempers he gave certain draughts, which gradually strengthened the noble parts, and renewed men's vigour by fweetning their blood. But he ufed to declare that it was through a want of virtue and refolution that men fo often needed phyfic. It is a shame to mankind, faid he, that they should have fuch a multitude of maladies; for found morals are productive of health. Their intemperance converts into deadly poifons the aliments which are defigned to preferve their lives. Immoderate pleafures shorten men's days more than medicines can lengthen them. The poor are feldomer fick for want of food, than the rich are by eating too much. Aliments which are too grateful to the palate, and cause men to eat more than is needful, poison inf tead of nourishing, Medicines themfelves are real

la nature,

9

medes font eux-mêmes de véritables maux qui ruinenț & dont il ne faut fe fervir que dans les preffans befoins. Le grand remede, qui eft toujours innocent & toujours d'un ufage utile, c'eft la fobriété, c'eft la tempérance dans tous les plaifirs, c'est la tranquillité de l'efprit, c'eft l'exercice du corps. Par là on fait un fang doux & tempéré, & on diffipe toutes les humeurs fuperflues. Ainfi le fage Nozophuge étoit moins admirable par fes remedes, que par le régime qu'il confeilloit pour prévenir les maux & pour rendre les remedes inutiles.

Ces deux hommes furent envoyés par Télémaque, pour vifiter tous les malades de l'armée; ils en guérirent beaucoup par leurs remedes; mais ils en guéri rent bien davantage par le foin qu'ils prirent pour les faire fervir à propos; car ils s'appliquoient à les tenir proprement, à empêcher le mauvais air par cette propreté, à leur faire garder un régime de fobriété exacte dans leur convalefcence.

Tous les foldats touchés de ces fecours, rendoient graces aux Dieux, d'avoir envoyé Télémaque dans l'armée des alliés. Ce n'eft pas un homme, difoient-ils, c'eft fans doute quelque Divinité bienfaisante fous une figure humaine. Du moins fi c'eft un homme, il reffemble moins au reste des hommes qu'aux Dieux; il n'eft fur la terre que pour faire du bien. Il est encore plus aimable par fa douceur & par fa bonté, que par fa valeur. O fi nous pouvions l'avoir pour roi! mais les Dieux le réfervent pour quelque peuple plus heureux, qu'ils chériffent, & chez lequel ils veulent renouveller l'âge d'or.

Télémaque, pendant qu'il alloit la nuit vifiter les quartiers du camp, par précaution contre les rufes d'Adrafte, entendoit ces louanges, qui n'étoient point fufpectes de flatterie, comme celles que les flatteurs donnent fouvent en face aux princes, fuppofant qu'ils n'ont ni modeftie, ni délicateffe, & qu'il n'y a qu'à les louer fans mefure, pour s'emparer de leur faveur. Le fils d'Ulyffe ne pouvoit goûter que ce qui étoit vrai: il ne pouvoit fouffrir d'autres louanges, que celles qu'on lui donnoit en fecret, loin

de

evils which ruin the conftitution, and should never be used but on urgent occafions. The grand medicine, which is always innocent and always ufeful is fobriety, moderation in all forts of pleasures, tranquillity of mind, and bodily exercife. Thereby is generated a fweet and well tempered blood, and redundant humours are diffipated. Thus was the wife Nozophugus lefs admirable on account of his cures than on account of the regimen he prefcribed to prevent difeafes, and to render medicines ufelefs,

Thefe two men being fent by Telemachus to vifit all the fick in the army, cured many by their medicines, but more by the care they took to have them well looked after; for they made it their bulinefs to keep them clean, in order to prevent any unwholesome air, and to make them obferve a fober and regular diet during their recovery.

All the foldiers moved by thefe benefits, rendered thanks to the Gods for having fent Telemachus into the confederate army. He is not a man, faid they; he is undoubtedly fome beneficent Deity in an human shape: At least if he be a man he refemfembles the rest of mankind less than he does the Gods; he is come into the world only to do good and is more amiable for the fweetness of his tem per and his humanity than for his valour, Oh! that we could have him for our king! But the Gods referve him for fome happier people whom they love and among whom they defign to renew the golden age. Telemachus as he went in the night to vifit the feveral quarters of the camp by way of precau tion against any ftratagems of Adraftus, heard thefe praifes, which could not be fufpected of adulation, like thofe which flatterers often bestow on princes to their faces, fuppofing that they have neither mo, defty nor delicacy, and that nothing is neceffary to gain their favour but to praife them beyond mea fure. The fon of Ulyffes could relish nothing but truth; he could bear no commendations but those which were privately given him in his abfence, and he had really deferved. To fuch his heart was not TOM. IL infenfible

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