d myself to a caravan that was passing into the inland country. My
companions, for some reason or other, conjecturing that I was rich, and,
by my inquiries and admiration, finding that I was ignorant, considered
me as a novice, whom they had a right to cheat, and who was to learn, at
the usual expense, the art of fraud. They exposed me to the theft of
servants, and the exaction of officers, and saw me plundered, upon false
pretences, without any advantage to themselves, but that of rejoicing in
the superiority of their own knowledge."

"Stop a moment," said the prince. "Is there such depravity in man, as
that he should injure another, without benefit to himself? I can easily
conceive, that all are pleased with superiority: but your ignorance was
merely accidental, which, being neither your crime nor your folly, could
afford them no reason to applaud themselves; and the knowledge which
they had, and which you wanted, they might as effectually have shown by
warning, as betraying you."

"Pride," said Imlac, "is seldom delicate; it will please itself with
very mean advantages; and envy feels not its own happiness, but when it
may be compared with the misery of others. They were my enemies, because
they grieved to think me rich; and my oppressors, because they delighted
to find me weak."

"Proceed," said the prince: "I do not doubt of the facts which you
relate, but imagine that you impute them to mistaken motives."

"In this company," said Imlac, "I arrived at Agra, the capital of
Indostan, the city in which the great mogul commonly resides. I applied
myself to the language of the country, and, in a few months, was able to
converse with the learned men; some of whom I found morose and reserved,
and others easy and communicative; some were unwilling to teach another
what they had, with difficulty, learned themselves; and some showed,
that the end of their studies was to gain the dignity of instructing.

"To the tutor of the young princes I recommended myself so much, that I
was presented to the emperour as a man of uncommon knowledge. The
emperour asked me many questions concerning my country and my travels;
and though I cannot now recollect any thing that he uttered above the
power of a common man, he dismissed me astonished at his wisdom, and
enamoured of his goodness.

"My credit was now so high, that the merchants, with whom I had
travelled, applied to me for recommendations to the ladies of the court.
I was surpri