ish, a thousand times, for these seats of
quiet, and willingly quit hope to be free from fear."

"Do not seek to deter me from my purpose," said the prince: "I am
impatient to see what thou hast seen; and, since thou art thyself weary
of the valley, it is evident that thy former state was better than this.
Whatever be the consequence of my experiment, I am resolved to judge,
with mine own eyes, of the various conditions of men, and then to make,
deliberately, my CHOICE OF LIFE.

"I am afraid," said Imlac, "you are hindered by stronger restraints than
my persuasions; yet, if your determination is fixed, I do not counsel
you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill."

CHAP. XIII.

RASSELAS DISCOVERS THE MEANS OF ESCAPE.

The prince now dismissed his favourite to rest, but the narrative of
wonders and novelties filled his mind with perturbation. He revolved all
that he had heard, and prepared innumerable questions for the morning.

Much of his uneasiness was now removed. He had a friend to whom he could
impart his thoughts, and whose experience could assist him in his
designs. His heart was no longer condemned to swell with silent
vexation. He thought that even the happy valley might be endured, with
such a companion, and that, if they could range the world together, he
should have nothing further to desire.

In a few days the water was discharged, and the ground dried. The prince
and Imlac then walked out together, to converse, without the notice of
the rest. The prince, whose thoughts were always on the wing, as he
passed by the gate, said, with a countenance of sorrow, "Why art thou so
strong, and why is man so weak?"

"Man is not weak," answered his companion; "knowledge is more than
equivalent to force. The master of mechanicks laughs at strength. I can
burst the gate, but cannot do it secretly. Some other expedient must be
tried."

As they were walking on the side of the mountain, they observed that the
conies, which the rain had driven from their burrows, had taken shelter
among the bushes, and formed holes behind them, tending upwards, in an
oblique line. "It has been the opinion of antiquity," said Imlac, "that
human reason borrowed many arts from the instinct of animals; let us,
therefore, not think ourselves degraded by learning from the cony. We
may escape, by piercing the mountain in the same direction. We will
begin, where the summit hangs over the middle part, and labour upwards