oyed."

[a] See Idler, No. 33, and note: and read, in Dr. Clarke's travels, the
effect produced on his mind by the distant prospect of the Holy
City, and by the habitual reverence of his guides. The passage
exemplifies the sublime in narrative. See his Travels in Greece,
Egypt, and the Holy Land, part ii. sect. i. 8vo. ed. vol. iv. p.
288.--Ed.

CHAP. XII.

THE STORY OF IMLAC CONTINUED.

"I am not yet willing," said the prince, "to suppose, that happiness is
so parsimoniously distributed to mortals; nor can believe but that, if I
had the choice of life, I should be able to fill every day with
pleasure. I would injure no man, and should provoke no resentment: I
would relieve every distress, and should enjoy the benedictions of
gratitude. I would choose my friends among the wise, and my wife among
the virtuous; and, therefore, should be in no danger from treachery or
unkindness. My children should, by my care, be learned and pious, and
would repay to my age what their childhood had received. What would dare
to molest him, who might call, on every side, to thousands enriched by
his bounty, or assisted by his power? And why should not life glide
quietly away in the soft reciprocation of protection and reverence? All
this may be done without the help of European refinements, which appear,
by their effects, to be rather specious than useful. Let us leave them,
and pursue our journey."

"From Palestine," said Imlac, "I passed through many regions of Asia; in
the more civilized kingdoms, as a trader, and among the barbarians of
the mountains, as a pilgrim. At last, I began to long for my native
country, that I might repose, after my travels and fatigues, in the
places where I had spent my earliest years, and gladden my old
companions, with the recital of my adventures. Often did I figure to
myself those with whom I had sported away the gay hours of dawning life,
sitting round me in its evening, wondering at my tales, and listening to
my counsels.

"When this thought had taken possession of my mind, I considered every
moment as wasted, which did not bring me nearer to Abissinia. I hastened
into Egypt, and, notwithstanding my impatience, was detained ten months
in the contemplation of its ancient magnificence, and in inquiries after
the remains of its ancient learning. I found in Cairo a mixture of all
nations; some brought thither by the love of knowledge, some by the hope
of gain, and many by the desire of living, after