pected to find him in thefe enchanting regions, was fo ravished with this taste of peace and happiness, that he would have been glad to have found him there, and was forry that he himself was obliged to return to the fociety of mortals. Here, faid he, is life indeed, whereas ours is but death. But he was aftonished as he had feen fo many kings in the tortures of Tarta rus, that he faw fo few happy in the Elyfian fields; he was hereby convinced that there are very few princes refolute and courageous enough to refift their own power, and to repulfe the numerous flatterers who are used to stir up all their paffions. Good kings therefore are very rare; and most are fo wicked that the Gods would not be just, if having suffered them to abuse their power in their life-time, they did not chaftife them after their death.

Telemachus not feeing his father Ulyffes among all thefe kings looked for the divine Laërtes his grandfire. While he was feeking him in vain, a venerable majestic old man came towards him, whose age did not resemble that of mortals, who are bowed down with the weight of years on the earth. One perceived only that he had been old before his death, for all the gravity of age was now blended with all the graces of youth, which revive in the moft decrepid the moment they are introduced into the Elyfian fields. This fenior advanced haftily, and viewed Telemachus with complacency, as one who was very dear to him. Telemachus, who did not know him, was in pain and fufpence.

I excufe, my dear fon, faid this fenior, your not knowing me; I am Arcefius, the father of Laërtes. I finished my courfe a little before my grandfon Ulyffes departed for the fiege of Troy. Though thou wert then but an infant in thy nurfe's arms, I conceived great hopes of thee, and they have not deceived me; fince I fee that thou art defcended into Pluto's kingdom in queft of thy father, and that the Gods fupport thee in this enterprife. O my happy child: the Gods love thee, and are preparing a glory for thee which will equal that of thy father. And

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happy

te foutiennent dans cette entreprise. O heureux ens fant! les Dieux t'aiment, & te préparent une gloire égale à celle de ton pere. O heureux moi-même de e revoir ! Ceffe de chercher Ulyffe en ces lieux, il vit encore, il eft réfervé pour relever notre maifon dans l'ile d'Ithaque. Laërte même , quoique le poids des années l'ait abattu, jouit encore de la lumiere, & attend que fon fils revienne lui fermer les yeux. Ainfi les hommes paffent comme les fleurs qui s'épanouiffent le matin, & qui le foir font flétries & foulées aux pieds. Les générations des hommes s'écoulent comme les ondes d'un fleuve rapide; rien ne peut arrêter le temps qui entraîne après lui tout ce qui paroît le plus immobile. Toi-même, û mon fils, mon cher fils, toi-même qui jouis maintenant d'une jeunesse fi vive & fi féconde en plaifirs, fouviens-toi que ce bel âge n'eft qu'une fleur, qui fera prefque auffi-tôt féchée qu'éclofe. Tu te verras changé infenfiblement : les graces riantes, les doux plaifirs qui t'accompagnent, la force, la fanté, la joie, s'évanouiront comme un beau fonge; il ne t'en reftera qu'un trifte fouvenir. La vieilleffe languiffante, & ennemie des plaifirs, viendra rider ton vifage, courber ton corps, affoiblir tes membres, faire tarir dans ton cœur la fource de la joie, te dégoûter du préfent, te faire craindre l'avenir, te rendre infenfible à tout, excepté à la douleur. Ce temps te paroît éloigné. Hélas! tu te trompes, mon fils; il fe hâte, le voilà qui arrive. Ce qui vient avec tant de rapidité, n'eft pas loin de toi; & le préfent qui s'enfuit, eft déjà bien loin, puifqu'il s'anéantit dans le moment que nous parlons, & ne peut plus fe rapprocher. Ne compre donc jamais, mon fils, fur le préfent; mais foutiens-toi dans le fentier rude & âpre de la vertu, par la vue de l'avenir. Prépare-toi, par des mœurs pures & par l'amour de la justice, une place dans cet heureux féjour de la paix. Tù reverras bientôt ton pere reprendre l'autorité dans Ithaque. Tu es né pour régner après lui mais hélas ! ô mon fils, que la royauté est trompeufe! Quand on la regarde de loin, on ne voit que grandeur, éclat & délices; mais de près tout est épineux. Un particulier peut, fans déshonneur, mener une

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happy I to fee thee again! Ceafe to fearch for Ulyffes here; he is ftill alive, and is referved to be the reftorer of our house in the island of Ithaca. Laërtes himself, though bowing under a weight of years, ftill enjoys the light, and waits for his fon's coming to clofe his eyes. Thus mortals pass away like flowers which bloom in the morning, and wither and are trodden under foot in the evening. The generations of men roll away like the waves of a rapid river; nothing can stop the tide of time, which draws after it every thing that feems the most immoveable. Thou thyfelf, my fon, my dear fou, thou who now enjoyeft fuch a fprightly pleasurable youth, do thou remember that this gay feafon is but a flower which will wither almost as foon as it is blown. Thou wilt perceive thyfelf infenfibly alter: The fmiling graces, the fweet pleasures which attend thee, strength, health, joy, will vanish like a pleafing dream; nothing but a regretful remembrance will be left thee. Languid old age, that enemy to pleafure, will come and wrinkle thy brows, bow down thy body, weaken thy limbs, dry up the fource of joy in thy heart, and make thee loath the prefent, and apprehenfive of the future, and infenfible to all things but pain. This time appears to you at a diftance. Alas! thou deceiveft thyfelf, my fon; it comes with hafty wings; lo! it is here. What advances with fuch rapidity is not far from thee, and the prefent fleeting moment is already at a distance, fince it ceafes to be the inftant we speak, and can approach us no more. Never rely therefore my fon, on the prefent; but fupport thyfelf in the rugged thorny path of virtue by viewing the future. Prepare thyfelf a manfion, by purity of manners and a love of juftice, in this blifsful abode of peace. Thou shalt quickly fee thy father refume his authority in Ithaca; thou wert born to reign after him; but alas! my fon, how deceitful is a crown! When one views it at a distance, one fees nothing but grandeur, luftre and pleasures; but when near, it is all befet with thorns. A private perfon may without reproach lead a life of eafe and obfcurity; but a king cannot, with

vie douce & obfcure: un roi ne peut, fans fe déshonorer, préférer une vie douce & oifive aux fonctions pénibles du gouvernement. Il fe doit à tous les hommes qu'il gouverne, & il ne lui eft jamais permis d'être à lui-même. Ses moindres fautes font d'une conféquence infinie, parce qu'elles caufent le malheur des peuples, & quelquefois pendant plufieurs fiecles. Il doit réprimer l'audace des méchans, foutenir l'innocence, diffiper la calomnie. Ce n'est pas affez pour lui de ne faire aucun mal, il faut qu'il faffe tous les biens poffibles dont l'état a befoin. Ce n'eft pas affez de faire le bien par foi-même, il faut encore empêcher tous les maux que les autres feroient, s'ils n'étoient retenus. Crains donc, mon fils, crains donc une condition fi périlleufe; arme-toi de courage contre. toi-même, contre les paffions, & contre les flatteurs.

En difant ces paroles, Arcéfius paroiffoit animé 'd'un feu divin, & montroit à Télémaque un vifage plein de compaffion pour les maux qui accompagnent la royauté. Quand elle eft prife, difoit-il, pour fe contenter foi-même, c'eft une monftrueufe tyrannie; quand elle eft prife pour remplir fes devoirs & pour conduire un peuple innombrable conduit fes enfans, c'eft une fervitude accablante, qui demande un courage & une patience héroïque. Aufli eft-il certain que ceux qui ont regné avec une fincere vertu poffédent ici tout ce que la puiffance des Dieux peut donner pour rendre une félicité complette.

comme un pere

Pendant qu'Arcéfius parloit de la forte, fes paroles entroient jufqu'au fond du cœur de Télémaque; elles s'y gravoient comme un habilé ouvrier avec fon burin grave fur l'airain les figures qu'il veut montrer aux yeux de la plus reculée poftérité. Ces fages paroles étoient comme une flamme fubtile qui pénétroit dans les entrailles du jeune Télémaque; il fe fentoit ému & embrafé: je ne fais quoi de divia fembloit fondre fon cœur au-dedans de lui. Ce qu'il portoit dans la partie la plus intime de lui-même, le confumoit_secrétement; il ne pouvoit ni le contenir, ni le fupporter, ni résister à une fi violente impreffion. C'étoit un fentiment vif & délicieux, qui étoit mêlé d'un tourment capable d'arracher la vie, En

out dishonouring himself, prefer a life of pleafure an I indolence to the painful duties of government. He owes himself to his fubjects; he is never permitted to be his own master, and his leaft over-fights are or the greatest confequence, because they make his people wretched, and that fometimes for ages. He ought to curb the audacioufnefs of the wicked, to fupport innocence, to fupprefs calumny. It is not enough for him not to do any evil; he must do all the pofible good of which the ftate ftands in need. Nay, it is not enough that he does good himself; he mult likewife prevent all the evil which others would do, were they not restrained. Be apprehensive therefore, my fon, be apprehensive of so dangerous a fituation; arm thyfelf with refolution againit thyself, against thy paffions, and against flatterers.

Arcefius, as he fpoke thefe words, feemed animated by a divine fire, and let Telemachus fee by his countenance that he greatly pitied kings on account of the miferies which are infeparable from a crown. When it is affumed, faid he, to gratify one's felf, it is a monstrous tyranny: and when it is affumed to difcharge the duties of it, and to govern a numerous people, as a father governs his children, it is a grievous thraldom, which requires an heroic fortitude and patience And it is accordingly certain, that they who have really reigned virtuously here, enjoy every thing which the power of the Gods can beltow in order to render their happinefs compleat.

While Arcefius was fpeaking in this manner, his words funk deep into Telemachus's heart, and were engraved upon it, like the figures which a skilful artilt engraves on brafs, and defigus to tranfmit to the view of the lateft pofterity. This fage difcourfe was like a fubtle flame that penetrated into the bowels of the young Telemachus; he found himself moved and on fire; fomething divine feemed to melt his heart within him. What he had in his immost parts fecretly confumed him; he could neither contain it, nor fupport it, nor refilt fo violent an impreffion: It was a lively pleafing fenfation, immixed with pains capable of depriving one of life. IS Telemachus