the common Safety The Piazza's are adorn'd with Fountains and Obelisks The Temples are Marble of plain but majestick Architecture The Palace of the Prince is like a great City 't is full of Marble Pillars Pyramids Obelisks and vast Statues with Moveables of solid Gold and Silver They who took us inform'd the King that they found us on board a Phenician Ship For he had certain Hours of every Day in which he regularly heard all his Subjects that had any thing to say to him either by way of Complaint or Advice He neither despised nor rejected any Man and knew he was King for no other end than to do Good to his Subjects whom he lov'd as his Children Strangers also he received with Kindness and was always desirous to see them because he thought it a useful and advantageous Thing to be inform'd of the Customs and Maxims of remote Nations and this Curiosity of the King was the principal Cause that we were brought before him When he saw me he was upon a Throne of Ivory with a golden Scepter in his Hand He was Aged but Comely full of Sweetness and Majesty He daily distributed Justice to the People with such Patience and Wisdom as made him admir'd without Flattery After he had spent the whole Day in doing Justice and taking care of the publick Affairs he usually pass'd the Evening in hearing the Discourses of learned Men or conversing with the best of his People whom he knew how to chuse and admit into his Familiarity During his whole Life he could not be blam'd for any thing except for triumphing with too much Pomp over the Kings he had Conquer'd and trusting a Man whose Picture I shall draw by and by He was mov'd with my Youth and my Affiction and ask'd me my Country and my Name whilst we wonder'd at the Wisdom that spoke by his Mouth I answer'd You have undoubtedly heard O Great King of the Siege of Troy which lasted ten Years and the destruction of that City which cost so much Grecian Blood Ulysses my Father was one of the principal Kings who ruin'd that Place He now wanders through all the Seas without being able to return to the Island of Ithaca which is his Kingdom I seek my Father and by a Misfortune equal to his own have been surprised and taken Prisoner Restore me to my Father and Country and may the Gods preserve You to your Children and make them sensible of the Pleasure of living under so good a Father Sesostris continued to look upon me with an Eye of Compassion but being desirous to know if what I said was true he referr'd us to be examin'd by one of his Officers commanding him to inquire of those that took our Ship whether we were Greeks or Phenicians If they are Phenicians said the King they must be doubly punished first because they are our Enemies and then because they have endeavour'd to deceive us by a base Falshood But if on the contrary they are Greeks I will have them to be treated favourably and sent back into their own Country in one of my Ships For I love the Greeks who have received many Laws from the Egyptians I am not ignorant of the Virtues of Hercules the Glory of Achilles has reach'd our Ears and I admire what I have heard of the Wisdom of the unhappy Ulysses I have no greater Pleasure than to assist unfortunate Virtue The Officer to whom the King had referr'd the Examination of our Business had a Heart as Corrupted and Malicious as Sesostris was Sincere and Generous The Name of this Man was Metophis He endeavour'd to ensnare us by artificial Questions and when he saw that Mentor answer'd with more Wisdom than I he look'd upon him with Aversion and Diffidence for ill Men are always Enemies to the Good He caused ut to be separated and from that time I knew not what became of Mentor This Separation was to me as if I had been struck with Thunder Metophis was not without hopes that by a separate Examination we might be drawn to say contrary Things At least he thought to dazle my Eyes with his flattering Promises and make me acknowledg what Mentor had conceal'd from him In a Word he sought not to find out the Truth but by any means to get a pretence to tell the King we were Phenicians that he might keep us for his Slaves In effect notwithstanding our Innocence and all the Wisdom of the King he found out a way to deceive him Alas How are Kings expos'd The wisest are often abus'd by Men of Artifice and Interest that are about them Good Men retire from Courts because they are neither Presumptuous nor Flatterers They wait till they are sent for and Princes seldom know how to send for them On the other Hand ill Men are Bold Deceitful Impudent and Insinuating dextrous at Dissembling and ready to do any thing against Honour and Conscience to gratify the Passions of the Person that Reigns O! how unhappy is that King who is open to the Artifices of bad Men He is lost if he do's not suppress Flattery and love those who speak the Truth with Confidence These were the Reflections I made in my Misfortunes when I call'd to mind the things that I had heard from Mentor In the mean time Metophis sent me towards the Mountains of the Desert with his Slaves that I might serve with them to look after his numerous Flocks Here Calypso interrupted Telemachus and said Well! and what did you then You that in Sicily had preferr'd Death before Servitude Telemachus answer'd My Misfortunes increased Daily I had no longer the wretched liberty of chusing between Slavery and Death I was compell'd to be a Slave and to exhaust all the rigours of Fortune I had lost all hope and could not say one word in order to my Deliverance Mentor has since told me that he was sold to certain Ethiopians and that he follow'd them to Ethiopia As for me I arriv'd in a horrid Desert where nothing but burning Sands was to be seen upon the Plains and Snow that never melted made an eternal Winter on the tops of the Hills Only some scatter'd Pasture for the Cattle was here and there found among the Rocks In the midst of these Precipices the Vallies are so profound that the Sun can scarce let fall a Beam upon them I found no other Men in these Places than Shepherds as savage as the Country it self There I passed the Nights in bewailing my Misfortune and the Days in following my Flock to avoid the brutal Rage of Buffus who was chief among the Slaves and who hoping to obtain his Liberty never ceas'd from Calumniating the rest that he might perswade Metophis of his Zeal and Industry in his Service On this occasion Impatience was pardonable In the anguish of my Heart I one Day forgot my Flock and lay down upon the Grass by a Cave where I expected Death to relieve me from the Evils I
alone into a Wood of Myrtles where she us'd all her Arts to know from him if Mentor was Deity under the Disguise of a Humane Shape Telemachus could not satisfie her for Minerva who accompanied him under the Shape of Mentor had not discover'd her self to him because of his youth she did not yet trust his Secrecy so far as to make him the Confident of her Designs Besides she had a mind to try him in the greatest Dangers and had he known that Minerva was his Companion such a Support had been able to make him despise the fiercest and most dreadful Accidents without any concern Therefore he mistook all along Minerva for Mentor and all the artful Insinuations of Calypso could not discover what she desir'd to know In the mean time all the Nymphs crowding about Mentor took great delight in asking him Questions One of them ask'd him the Particulars of his Travels into AEthiopia another desir'd to be acquainted with what he had seen at Damascus and a third ask'd him whether he had known Ulysses before the Siege of Troy He answer'd every one with gentleness and civility and tho' his Words were plain yet they were not without their Graces 'T was not long before Calipso return'd and interrupted their Conversation and whilest her Nymphs begun to sing and gather Flowers to amuse Telemachus she took Mentor aside in order to make him speak and discover who he was As the soft Vapours of Sleep do insensibly glide into the heavy Eyes and wearied Limbs of a Man quite spent with Fatigue with the same gentleness the flattering Words of the Goddess insinuated themselves in order to bewitch the Heart of Mentor but she always found something which baffled her Charms and disappointed her Endeavours Just as a steep Rock which hides its proud Top among the Clouds and despises the Rage of the insulting Winds thus Mentor unmoveable in his wise Resolutions suffer'd himself to be attack'd by the inquisitive Calipso nay sometimes he gave her a Glympse of Hope that she might puzzle him with her Questions and discover the Truth through his dubious Answers But when she thought her self most sure to satisfie her Curiosity her Hope 's vanish'd away what she imagin'd to hold fast gave her presently the slip and a short Answer from Mentor renew'd her Uncertainty Thus she spent whole days now flattering Telemachus and then endeavouring to take him away from Mentor whom she hop'd no more to ingage so far as to make him discover who he was she made use of her fairest Nymph to kindle the Fire of Love in young Telemachus's Heart and a Deity more powerful than Calypso came to her Assistance Venus still full of Resentment for the Contempt which Mentor and Telemachus exprest of the Worship which was paid her in the Island of Cyprus was enrag'd to see that these two rash Mortals had escap'd the fury of the Winds and Sea in the late Storm she complain'd bitterly to Jupiter but the Father of the Gods unwilling to let her know that Minerva in the Shape of Mentor had preserv'd the Son of Ulysses told Venus with a smile That he gave her leave to revenge her self on those two Men. She therefore leaves the heavenly Mansions neglects the sweet Perfumes which are burnt on the Altars at Paphos Cythera and Idalia flies in her Chariot drawn by Doves calls her Son Cupid and with a Face full of sorrow but adorn'd with new Charms she thus speaks to him Doest thou not see my Son those two Men who contemn my Power and thine Who for the future will worship us Go and pierce with thy surest Arrows their insensible Hearts come down with me into that Island where I shall discourse with Calypso She said and cutting the yielding Air in a golden Cloud presented her self to Calypso who at that moment sat pensive and alone on the grassy Brink of a Fountain remote from her Grotto Unhappy Goddess said she to her the ungrateful Ulysses has despis'd and abandon'd you his Son still more cruel than his Father designs to do the same But Love himself is come to aid your Revenge I leave him with you he may remain among your Nymphs as heretofore young Bacchus was bred among the Nymphs of the Isle of Naxos Telemachus will look upon him as an ordinary Child and not mistrusting him will soon feel his forcible Influence She said and being got up again into that golden Cloud from whence she was descended she left behind her a sweet smell of Ambrosia which perfum'd all the sacred Thickets around Cupid remain'd in the Arms of Calipso who tho' a Goddess began to feel a secret Flame glide into her Breast To ease her self she presently gave him to a Nymph who happen'd to come to her at that instant whose Name was Eucharis but alas how often did she repent it afterwards At first nothing appear'd more innocent more gentle more lovely nor more graceful than this Child by his sprightly flattering and ever-smiling Looks one would have thought he could bring nothing but Delight but as soon as one began to trust his fond Caresses they were found to be full of a dangerous Venom that malicious deceitful Boy never flattered but with a design to betray and never smil'd but when he had done or was ready to do mischief He durst not come near Mentor being frighted away by his Severity besides he was sensible that that unknown Man was invulnerable and not to be pierced by his Arrows As for the Nymphs they soon felt the Flames that were kindled by this treacherous Boy but they took great care to hide the deep Wounds which fester'd in their Breasts In the mean time Telemachus seeing that Boy playing with the Nymphs he was surpriz'd with his Beauty and Gentleness he embraces him Sometimes he sets him on his Lap and sometimes dandles him in his Arms he feels within himself a secret uneasiness whose cause he cannot discover the more he indulges his innocent Play the more he is troubled and softned with hidden desire Do you see those Nymphs said he to Mentor How different they are from those Women of the Isle of Cyprus whose very Beauty was shocking because accompanied with Immodesty and Lewdness but these immortal Beauties display a charming Modesty and Innocence At these Words he Blusht but could not tell why He could neither forbear Speaking of them nor go on with his Discourse his Words were broken obscure incoherent and sometimes wild and foolish Whereupon Mentor told him Oh! Telemachus the dangers you escap'd in the Isle of Cyprus were nothing if compar'd with those you are now expos'd to and which you are not at all aware of bare-fac'd Lewdness strikes us with Horror and brutish Impudence raises our Indignation but a modest Beauty is most dangerous and surprizing when we begin to love her we fancy we are in Love with Virtue and by insensible Degrees we yield to the deceitful Allurements of a Passion which we
Pieces and so make themselves mutually Miserable Nor cou'd these People of Betica imagin why those Conquerors who subjugate great Empires shou'd be so much admir'd What a Folly 't is said they for a Man to place his Happiness in governing other Men the government of whom is so very troublesome if they are govern'd by reason and according to Justice But how can he take Pleasure in governing them against their Wills 'T is all that a wise Man ought to do to submit himself to govern a docile People of whom the Gods have given him Charge or a People who entrent him to be as a Father or Shepherd to 'em but to govern a People against their Will is to make himself most Miserable to gain a false Honour for kiiping them in Slavery A Conqueror is a Man whom the Gods irritated against Mankind have sent upon the Earth in their Wrath to lay Kingdoms wast spread Terrours Misery and Despair every where and to make as many Slaves as there are free Men. Is it not Glory enough to a Man that thirsts after Fame to rule those with Prudence whom the Gods have put under him Do's he think that he is not worthy of Praise unless he becomes Violent Unjust Insulting an Usurper and Tyrannick over all his Neighbours War shou'd never be thought on but for the defence of Liberty He is happy who being a Slave to no Man has not the vain Ambition to make another Man his Slave Those mighty Conquerors whom they represent to us with so much Glory are like those overflowing Rivers which appear Majestick but destroy those fertile Countrys which they shou'd only refresh After Adoam had given this Description of Betica Telemachus charm'd with his Relation ask'd him several particular Questions Do these People said he drink Wine They are so far from Drinking it reply'd Adoam that they never car'd to make any not that they want Grapes since no Country whatever produces more delicious but they are satisfi'd with eating Grapes as they do other Fruits for they dread Wine as the Corrupter of Mankind 'T is a kind of Poyson say they which makes 'em Mad it does not kill a Man indeed but it makes him a Beast Men may preserve their Health without Wine whose effect is to destroy good Manners Then said Telemachus I wou'd fain know what Laws are observ'd in Marriages in this Nation No Man replied Adoam can have more than one Wife whom he must keep as long as she lives The Honour of the Men in this Country depends as much on their Fidelity to their Wives as the Honour of the Wives depends in other Countries on their Fidelity to their Husbands Never were People so Honest and so jealous of their Chastity the Wives here are Beautiful and Agreeable but Plain Modest and Laborious their Marriages are Peaceable Fruitful and without Blemish the Husband and Wife seem to be but one Person in Two different Bodies the Husband and the Wife share the Cares of domestick Affairs together the Husband manages all the Concerns abroad the Wife keeps close to her Business at home she Comforts her Husband and seems to be made for nothing else but to please him she gains his Confidence and contributes less by her Beauty than her Virtue to heighten the Charms of their Society which lasts as long as they live The Sobriety Temperance and the Purity of Manners of these People give 'em a long Life and free from Diseases here are Men of an Hundred and of an Hundred and twenty Years Old who yet are Fresh and Vigorous I wou'd know now said Telemachus how they do to avoid going to War with other People their Neighbours Nature continued Adoam has separated them from other People on one side by the Sea and on the other side by high Mountains On the other hand the neighbouring Nations respect 'em for the sake of their Virtue Several times the other People falling out among themselves have made these Judges of their Differences and have entrusted the Lands and Towns for which they disputed with them As this wise Nation has never committed any Violence no Body distrusts ' em They Laugh when they hear of Kings who can't govern the Frontiers of their Estates among themselves Is it to be fear'd say they that Men shou'd want Lands There will ever be more than they can cultivate as long there remains free Lands we wou'd not so much as defend our own against our Neighbours who wou'd take 'em from us nor Envy nor Pride nor Falshood nor a Desire of enlarging their Dominions was ever known among the Inhabitants of Betica so that their Neighbours never have occasion to fear such a People nor can ever hope to make them fear it which is the reason that they never molest 'em These People wou'd sooner forsake their Country or wou'd deliver themselves up to Death than submit themselves to Slavery Thus they are as difficult to be Enslav'd as itis for them to desire to Enslave others 'T is that causes so profound a Peace between them and their Neighbours Adoam ended this Discourse with an Account of the menner of Traffick between the Phaenicians and those of Betica These People Pursu'd he were amaz'd when they saw strange Men come from so far on the Waves of the Sea They receiv'd us very kindly and gave us part of all that they had without taking any payment for it they offer'd us all that was left of their Wooll after they had sufficiently provided for their own use and indeed sent us a rich Present of it 'T is a Pleasure to them to give their overplus liberally to Strangers As for their Mines it was no manner of trouble at all to have parted with 'em to us they made no advantage of 'em they fancy'd Men were not overwise to search with so much Pains in the Bowels of the Earth what cou'd not make 'em happy nor satisfy true Necessity Do not dig said they to us so deep into the Earth content your selves with Ploughing and Tilling it it will afford you real Goods that will nourish you you will reap Fruits from it that are more valuble than Gold and Silver since Men desire neither Gold nor Silver only to purchase Necessaries to support Life We wou'd often have taught 'em Navigation and have carry'd the young Men of their Country into Phaenicia but they wou'd never consent that their Children shou'd learn to Live after our manner They wou'd learn said they to us to have occasion for all those Things that are meerly necessary to us they wou'd have 'em and they wou'd forsake Virtue to gain them they wou'd grow like a Man who has good Legs and who having lost the custom of Walking brings himself at last to the sad necessity of being always carry'd like a sick Man Indeed they admire Navigation because it is an industrious Art but they believe it is pernicious If those People say they have sufficient of what is
against you but several others buzz'd in my Ears that these two Strangers ought to be narrowly inspected One of 'em said he is the Son of the grand Deceiver Ulysses and t'other is a decrepid Man and of deep Thought they are us'd to wander about from Kingdom to Kingdom and who knows but they have hatch'd some Design against this These great Adventurers relate themselves that they have caus'd great Troubles in all the Countries they have past thro' and ours is but a growing State and scarce yet settled so that the least Commotion may overturn it Protesilaus said nothing but he endeavour'd to make me perceive the Danger and Extravagance of all these Reformations that you make me attempt He attack'd me with my own proper Interest If said he you let the People live in plenty the 'l work no more but will grow Fierce Indocile and ever ready to Revolt 't is only Weakness and Misery that makes 'em humble and that hinders 'em from disturbing the Government He has often endeavour'd to resume his former Authority to hurry me away covering it with your desire of easing the pretence of his Zeal to serve me The People said he derogate from the Regal Power and by that you will do the People themsemlves an irreparable Injury For there is a necessity that they should always be kept low for their own quiet and safety To all which I answer'd That I knew how to keep the People in their Duty to me by making my self belov'd by 'em and not remit any thing of my Prerogative tho' I did ease 'em In short by giving the Children good Education and an exact Discipline to all the People to keep 'em in a plain course of life sober and laborious How said I are not the People to be kept in subjection without starving'em to death What Inhumanity is this what brutish Policy How many People do we see govern'd with a gentle hand and yet Loyal to their Princes That which causes Revolts is the Ambition and Restlessness of the Grandees of a State when once they have got too great a Liberty suffering their Passions to pass all due Bounds 'T is the multitude of great and little who live at Ease in Luxury and in Laziness T is the too great abundance of Military Men who have neglected all useful Employments which they should take upon 'em in the time of Peace In short 't is the Despair of a People ill-treated 't is the Severity the Haughtiness of Princes and their Indulgence of themselves that makes 'em uncapable of watching over every Member of the State to prevent any Truoble See here now what causes Revolts 'T is not the Bread which the Labourer is suffer'd to eat in Peace after he has got it by the Sweat of his Brow When Protesilaus saw that I was unshaken in these Maxims he took a quite contrary course to his former practices and began to observe those Maxims he could not destroy He seem'd to Relish 'em to be convinc'd by 'em and to own himself oblig'd to me for making 'em so obvious to him and obviates all my Wishes to ease the Poor He is the first that represents their Grievances to me and that cries out against extravagant Expences you know your self he praises you that he seems to have great confidence in you and that he omits nothing that may please you Timocrates indeed begins not to stand so well with Protesilaus and thinks to be independent on any body but himself Protesilaus is jealous of him and it is partly thro' their difference that I have discover'd their perfidy Mentor smiling replied thus to Idomeneus What then if you have been so weak as even to suffer your self to be tyrannized over for so many Years by two Traytors whose Treasons you were acquainted with Alas cry'd Idomeneus you do not know what Men of Artifice can work on a weak Prince who has deliver'd himself up to them in the management of all his Affairs I told you besides that nevertheless Protesilaus approves all the Projects for the Publick good Mentor resum'd the Discourse with a great deal of gravity and said I see but too well how much the Wicked prevail against the Good especially among Princes of which you are a sad Example But you tell me I have open'd your Eyes as to Protesilaus and yet they are so far shut as to leave the management of the Government to this Man who is unworthy to live Know that wicked Men are not uncapable of doing good 't is equally the same thing to them as to do ill when they can serve their Ambition It costs 'em nothing to do ill because no thought of Goodness nor any Principle of Virtue does restrain 'em but just so they do well because the Corruption of their Nature leads 'em to it that they may seem good so to deceive the rest of Mankind To speak properly they are not capable of Virtue tho' they seem to act by its Principles but they are capable of adding to all other Vices the most horrible of all Vices which is Hypocrisie As long as you stedfastly resolve to do good Protesilaus will be ready to do good with you to preserve his Authority but if he perceives the least lapse from it in you he will forget nothing that may make you fall again into your Errors and freely to resume his natural Deceit and Ferocity Can you live in Honour and Quiet as long as such a Man haunts you Day and Night and as long as you know the faithful Philocles poor and disgrac'd in the Isle of Samos O Idomeneus you know well enough that the Bold and Deceitful Men when present insnare weak Princes And you ought to add That Princes have yet another Unhappiness no whit inferior which is easily to forget Virtue and the Services of a Man at a distance The Multitude of Men who crowd on Princes is the Reason that there is not one among 'em who can make any deep impression on them they are not touch'd but by what is present and by that which flatters 'em all the rest is soon defac'd Upon the whole Virtue touches 'em but little because Virtue far from flattering 'em contradicts 'em and condemns their weakness in them Can we wonder that they are not beloved when they do not deserve it and love nothing but their Greatness and Pleasures After having thus spoken Mentor perswaded Idomeneus that he shou'd turn out Protesilaus and Timocrates and recall Philocles That which most stuck with the King as to this was That he fear'd the Severity of Philocles I must confess said he I cannot chuse but be a little fearful of his return tho' I love and esteem him but I have ever since my Infancy been accustom'd to be prais'd to Courtship and to Complainsance which I cannot hope to find from this Man Whenever I did any thing that he dislik'd his sorrowful Countenance sufficiently assur'd me that he condemn'd me When he was in
these two miserable Wretches and to compleat their Misery he left 'em together There with the greatest Rage they reproach'd one another with the Crimes they had committed which now were the cause of their Fall They were now past hope of ever seeing Salenta more condemn'd to live far from their Wives and Children I can't say far from their Friends for they had none They were then in an unknown Land where they had no means of Living but by their Labour They who had pass'd so many Years in Delicacies and Pride were now like wild Beasts always ready to tear one another a Pieces In the mean time Hegesippus inquir'd in what part of the Isle Philocles dwelt He was told that he liv'd a great way from the Town upon a Mountain where a Cave serv'd him for an House All the Inhabitants spoke to him with Admiration of this Stranger Never since he has been in this Isle said they to him has he offended any Body Every Man wonders at his Patience his Labour and Peace of Mind since having nothing he seems always Contented and tho he be here far from Business without Wealth and without Authority he ceases not however to oblige those who deserve it and finds a Thousand ways to do all his Neighbours some Service Hegesippus went up towards this Grotto which he found empty and and open for the Poverty and plain Manners of Philocles oblig'd him to no necessity of shutting his Door when he went out A Matt of Rushes serv'd him instead of a Bed He seldom kindl'd a Fire because he never eat any Thing dress'd All the Summer he liv'd upon Fruits newly gather'd and in the Winter upon Dates and dry Figs. A clear Spring of Water distilling from a Rock serv'd to quench his Thirst. He had nothing in his Grotto but Instruments necessary for Carving and some few Books which he read at certain Hours not to adorn his Mind nor to satisfy his Curiosity but to instruct him at his spare Hours and to learn to be Good He apply'd himself to this Art only to exercise his Body and to get a Livelyhood that he might not be beholding to any Person Hegesippus entring the Grotto cou'd not but admire the Works that he had begun he observ'd a Jupiter whose serene Countenance was so full of Majesty that he might easily be known for the Father of the Gods and Men on another side appear'd Mars with a dreadful and menacing Fierceness But what was most livelily represented was a Minerva who gave Life to these Arts her Countenance was noble and sweet her Port lofty and free she was in a Posture so nearly imitating Life that one might believe that she wou'd immediately Walk Hegesippus having delighted himself with the sight of these Statues came out of the Grotto and at some distance off under a large Tree he saw Philocles Reading on the Grass He went directly towards him and Philocles who perceiv'd him knew not what to think Is not that Hegesippus there said he to himself with whom I liv'd so long in Crete But what shou'd cause him to come to an Island so far distant Perhaps 't is his Ghost that after his Death comes from the Stygian Banks Whilst he was thus doubting Hegesippus came so near him that he cou'd not choose but know him again and embrace him Is it then indeed you my dear and old Friend What Danger what Tempest has thrown you on this Shoar Why did you leave the Island of Crete Is it a Disgrace like mine which has forc'd you from your Country to our side Hegesippus answer'd him 't is no Disgrace but on the contrary the Kindness of Heaven that has brought me hither Then presently he recounted to him the long Tyranny of Protesilaus and Timocrates the Misfortunes into which they had precipitated Idomeneus the Fall of that Prince his Flight to the Coasts of Hesperia the Founding of Salenta the arrival of Mentor and Telemachus the wise Maxims with which Mentor had inspir'd the King and the Disgrace of those two Traitours adding that he had brought 'em to Samos to suffer the same Banishment there which they had caus'd Philocles to undergo and so finish'd his Discourse in telling him that he was commanded to bring him to Salenta where the King who knew his Innocence wou'd trust the management of his Affairs to him and heap Riches on him Do you see this Cave said Philocles to him fitter to hide wild Beasts than to be inhabited by Men Here I have tasted for these many Years past more Sweetness and Repose than ever I did in the gilded Palaces of the Island of Crete Man deceives me no more for I Converse with no Man I hear no more their flattering and poysoning Discourses I have no more need of ' em My Hands inur'd to Labour give me a wholsome Nourishment sufficient and necessary I need no more than this slight Stuff that you see to cover me I have no other Want I enjoy an undisturb'd Rest and a sweet Freedom of which the Wisdom in my Books teach me to make a good use What shou'd I go to seek again among suspicious deceitful and inconstant Men No no my dear Hegesippus envy not my good Fortune Protesilaus has betray'd himself designing to betray the King and to ruin me but believe me he has done me no hurt at all On the contrary he has done me the greatest Kindness he has deliver'd me from the noise and slavery of Business to him I owe my dear Solitude and all the innocent Pleasures that I have enjoy'd here Return Hegesippus Return to the King help him to Support the Miseries of Greatness and do for him what you wou'd have me do Since his Eyes so long shut against Virtue have at last been open'd by this wise Man whom you call Mentor let the King keep him near him It is dangerous for me after my Shipwrack to quit the Port into which the Tempest had so happily driven me and to trust my self again to the Mercy of the Winds Ah! How much are Kings to be pity'd Ah! How ought they to be pity'd who serve ' em If they are Wicked how many Men suffer by 'em and what Torments are prepar'd for 'em in the darkest Hell If they are Good how many Difficulties have they to overcome How many Snares to avoid What Ills to suffer Once more my dear Hegesippus leave me in my happy Poverty While Philocles was thus speaking with a great deal of earnestness Hegesippus beheld him with astonishment he had seen him formerly in Crete during the time he administer'd the greatest Affairs of State lean languid and almost spent his natural Ardour and Austerity wasting through Care and Pains He cou'd not see Vice unpunish'd without the greatest Concern He would have Affairs manag'd with such an Exactness as is never known and thus his great Employments destroy'd his weak Constitution But at Samos Hegesippus found him plump and vigorous for all his Age
be the Cause You might see upon the Countenance of Jocasta Shame and Dread to unriddle what she was unwilling to know Despair and Horrour upon that of Oedipus He plucks out his Eyes and you see him led about Blind by his Daughter Antigone He reproaches the Gods with the Crimes which they had suffer'd him to commit Then you see him enrag'd against himself and being unable to endure the Company of Mankind any longer he retires leaving his Kingdom to his two Sons which he had by Jocasta Eteocles and Polynices on condition that they should reign each a Year by Turns But the Discord of the Brothers was more terrible still than the Misfortunes of Oedipus Eteocles appears upon the Throne refusing to come down to let his Brother take his Place He again having recourse to Adrastus King of Argos whose Daughter he had espoused advances towards Thebes with a numerous Army Round about all the besieged Town you might see Battles Here were assembled all the Hero's of Greece and the Siege of Troy did not seem more Bloody There you might know the Unfortunate Husband of Eryphile the famous Diviner Amphiraus who foresaw the Fate which he could not avoid He hides that he might not be carried to the Siege of Thebes knowing he was to engage in a War from which he should never return Eryphile was the only Person he durst confide in Eryphile his Spouse whom he lov'd so dearly and by whom he believ'd he was so tenderly belov'd betray'd her Husband Amphiraus bribed with a Neck-lace which Adrastus King of Argos gave her You might see her discover the Place where her Husband was hid And Adrastus carrying him to Thebes against his Will Quickly after his Arrival he appears swallow'd up of the Earth which opens on a sudden to plunge him Amongst so many Combats where Mars exercised his Fury you might observe with horror that of the two Brothers Eteocles and Polynices There appears something hideous and dismal in their Looks Their Criminal Birth seems written in their Foreheads by which you might easily judge that they were devoted to the Infernal Furies and the Vengeance of the Gods who sacrifice them as an Example to all Brethren that should be born in after Ages And to shew the fatal effects of Discord which separates those Hearts that ought to be so strictly united you might see those Brothers full of Rage tearing one another to pieces each forgetting to defend his own Life that he might take away that of his Brothers They were both Bloody dying of mortal Wounds without the least Abatement of their Fury both of 'em fallen to the Ground and ready to breath their last yet would crawl one towards another to have the Pleasure of dying in the last effort of Cruelty and Revenge All other Combats seem'd suspended at the sight of this The two Armies were seiz'd with Horror and Consternation at the sight of these two Monsters Mars himself turn'd aside his cruel Eyes from such a hideous sight At last you might see the Flame of the funeral Pile on which they placed the two Bodies of these unnatural Brothers But what was strange to behold the Flame parts it self in two and Death it self could not put an end to the implacable Hatred of Eteocles and Polynices They would not burn together and their Ashes sensible of the Mischiefs they had done to one another would never mingle This was what Vulcan with his divine Art had represented upon the Arms which Minerva gave to Telemachus On the other side of the Shield was represented Ceres in the fruitful Plains of Enna which are situated in the middle of Sicily There you might see that Goddess assembling the Inhabitants who were dispersed up and down to get wherewithal to sustain Nature by Hunting or gathering the wild Fruit which had fall'n from the Trees She taught those Savages to till the Ground and to draw their Food from its plentiful Bosom She shew'd them the Plough and taught them to yoke the labouring Ox. You might see the Ground open in Furrows clest by the Plow-share and afterwards you might perceive the Golden Harvest covering the fruitful Plains and the Reaper with his Sickle cutting down the comsortable Fruits of the Ground and thereby repaying his Labour Iron elsewhere the Instrument of Destruction was used here only to produce Plenty and all sorts of Pleasure The Nymphs crown'd with Garlands dance together on the Banks of a River hard by a Pleasant Grove Pan play'd on his Flute the Fawns and wanton Satyrs frisk at a distance by themselves Bacchus was likewise represented crown'd with Ivy leaning on his Spear and holding in his Hand a Vine-branch adorn'd with Leaves and Clusters of Grapes his Beauty was fresh with something in it languishing and passionate In this manner it was that he appeared to the Unfortunate Ariadne when he found her alone and Forsaken and overwhelm'd with Grief on the Banks of a strange River In fine you might see on all Hands a multitude of People the Old Men carrying the First Fruits of their Harvest into the Temples the Young Men wearied with Toil and Labour returning home to their Wives and these going out to meet them with the young Pledges of their chaste Love in their Hands There were likewise Shepherds represented some singing others dancing to the sound of their Reed all was Peace Plenty and Pleasure and every thing look'd smiling and happy You might see the Wolves play in the Pastures among the Sheep and the Lyons laying aside their fierceness were sporting among the tender Lambs and the little Shepherd's Crook equally commanded them all This lovely piece seem'd to bring to mind the Charms of the Golden Age. Telemachus having put on his Divine Armour instead of his own took up Minerva's dreadful Shield which she had sent him by Iris the swift Messenger of the Gods Having without his Knowledge carried away his own Buckler and left this in its room which is formidable to the Gods themselves In this Condition he ran out of the Camp to avoid its Flames He call'd the chief Commanders with a strong Voice which inspir'd new Courage in their routed Troops who had given all over for lost The Eyes of the young Warriour sparkle with a divine Fire he gives Orders with as much Caution as an old Man ruling his Family and instructing his Children but executes them with all the promptness and vigour of Youth like an impetuous River that with its rapid Motion rouls along not only its own frothy Billows but with them the vessels of greatest Burthen that float upon it Philoctetes Nestor and the Commanders of the Mandurians and other Nations found in the Son of Ulysses certain unaccountable Authority which they all found themselves irresistibly oblig'd to submit to The Aged trust no more to their Experience and Counsel and Prudence forsook the commanders Jealousy and Emulation so natural to Mankind are quite extinguish'd in their Minds They all keep
bitter Sorrow stood painted on their Warlike Countenances and the Tears trickl'd down in abundance After the rest came the aged Pherecides stooping not so much under the great number of his Years as a load of Grieffor surviving Hippias whom he had brought up from his very Infancy He rais'd his Hands and his Eyes that were drown'd in Tears towards Heaven After the death of Hippias he refus'd all manner of Food nor could Sleep shut his Eye-lids or suspend the smartness of his Pain for a Moment With a trembling pace he walk'd after the Procession not knowing whither he went he was speechless because his Heart was quite oppress'd his silence was the effect of Despair and Dejection But no sooner did he see the Pile kindled than he cry'd out in a fury O Hippias Hippias I shall never see thee again Hippias is no more and yet I live still O my dear Hippias 't is I that am the cause of thy Death 't was I that taught thee to despise it I believ'd that thou shouldst have shut my Eyes and suck'd my last Breath O ye cruel Gods Why did ye prolong my days only that I might see the death of Hippias O my dear Child that I have brought up with so much care I shall see thee no more but I shall see thy Mother whom Grief will kill and who will reproach me with thy Death I shall see thy young Spouse beating her Breast and pulling off her Hair and I am the unhappy cause O dear Shade call me to the Banks of Styx for the Light is hateful to me and 't is thee only my dear Hippias that I wish to see Hippias Hippias O my dear Hippias I only live now to pay my last Duty to thy Ashes In the mean time you might see the Body of young Hippias stretch'd out in a Coffin adorn'd with Purple Gold and Silver Death that had shut his Eyes was not able to deface all his Beauty and the Graces appear'd still in his pale Face Around his Neck that was whiter than Snow but now leaning on his Shoulder his long black Hair did wave finer than those of Atis and Ganimede but which were now to be turn'd to Ashes You might observe in his Side the deep Wound through which all his Blood had run out and which had sent him down into the gloomy Regions of Pluto Telemachus sad and dejected follow'd the Corps at a little distance strowing Flowers When they came to the Pile the young Son of Ulysses could not endure to see the Flame seize on the Cloth in which the Body was wrapt without shedding fresh Tears Adieu said he O magnanimous Hippias For I dare not call thee Friend Rest in quiet O Shade who hast merited so much renown If I did not love thee I should envy thy Happiness who art free'd from those Miseries that accompany us and art retir'd by the Path of Honour How happy should I be if my End were the same May Styx ne're be able to stop thy Ghost may thy Passage be easie into the Elysian Fields may Fame preserve thy Name throughout all Ages and may thy Ashes rest in Peace Scarce had he spoke these Words which were interrupted with Sobs when the Army gave a hideous shout they were mov'd with grief for the loss of Hippias they were recounting his great Actions and their Grief for his death brought to their Minds all his good Qualities and made them forget all those Failings which the Heat of his Youth or his bad Education had occasion'd But they were more mov'd with the tender Affection that Telemachus had for him Is this said they the young Greek that was so Proud so Haughty so Disdainful and untractable See how gentle how humane how kind he 's now become Minerva no doubt who loved his Father so dearly has had the same Passion for the Son doubtless she has bestow'd on him the most valuable Blessing that the Gods can give to Mortals in affording him together with Wisdom a Heart sensible of Friendship By this time the Flame had consum'd the Body Telemachus with his own Hands besprinkl'd the Ashes that were yet smoaking with a Liquor richly perfum'd then put them into an Urn of Gold which he crown'd with Garlands and carried to Phalanthus He lay stretch'd out wounded in several places and in the extremity of his Weakness had a glimpse of the melancholy Gates of Death Traumaphilus and Nozofugus whom the Son of Ulysses had sent to attend him had try'd their utmost skill for his Relief They had by degrees brought back his departing Soul fresh Spirits began insensibly to revive his Heart and create a penetrating Vigor The Balsom of Life gliding from Vein to Vein had reach'd his Heart a grateful warmth reviv'd his Limbs but in the very Moment that the Swooning left him Grief succeeded for he began to be sensible of the Loss of his Brother which till then he had not been in a condition to think of Alas said he why all this care to save my Life Had I not better die and follow my dear Hippias I saw him fall hard by me O Hippias the comfort of my Life my Brother my dear Brother thou art now no more I can hereafter neither see thee nor hear thee nor embrace thee nor comfort thee in thy Troubles nor complain to thee of my own O ye Gods Enemies to Mankind Must I forever be depriv'd of Hippias Is it possible is it not a Dream No it is real O Hippias I have left thee I have seen thee die and I must live till I have aveng'd thee I will sacrifice to thy Ghost the Cruel Adrastus who is stain'd with thy Blood While Phalanthus was thus speaking the two Divine Men used their utmost endeavour to appease his Grief for fear it should increase his Disease and frustrate the Effects of their Medicines On a sudden he perceiv'd Telemachus who came to see him At first sight two contrary Passions were strugling in his Breast he harbour'd a Resentment of what had pass'd between Telemachus and Hippias his Grief for the loss of Hippias gave it an Edge he could not forget that he owed the preservation of his Life to Telemachus who rescu'd him out of the Hands of Adrastus all bloody and half dead But when he saw the Golden Urn which inclos'd the Ashes of his dear Brother Hippias he dissolv'd into Tears he embrac'd Telemachus without being able to speak At last with a languishing Voice interrupted with Sighs he said O worthy Son of Ulysses thy Virtue constrains me to love thee I owe thee the small remainder of my Life and I owe thee also something that 's more dear to me Had it not been for thee the Body of my Brother had been a Prey to the Vultures Had it not been for thee his Ghost depriv'd of Sepulture had wander'd in a miserable Condition on the Banks of the River Styx continually pusht back by the pitiless Charon Must I be so