give laws to their natural princes? The fame wind that carries them back would bring us thither.”

"They are more powerful, Sir, than we," answered Imlac, "because they are wifer; knowledge will always predominate over ignorance, as man governs the other animals. But why their knowledge is more than ours, I know not what reason can be given, but the unfearchable will of the Supreme Being."

"When," faid the prince with a sigh, "fhall I be able to visit Palestine, and mingle with this mighty confluence of nations? Till that happy moment shall arrive, let me fill up the time with fuch reprefentations as thou canft give me. I am not ignorant of the motive that affembles fuch numbers in that place, and cannot but confider it as the centre

of wisdom and piety, to which the best and wisest men of every land must be continually reforting."

"There are fome nations," said Imlac," that fend few vifitants to Paleftine; for many numerous and learned fects in Europe concur to cenfure pilgrimage as fuperftitious, or deride it as ridiculous."

"You know," faid the prince, "how little my life has made me acquainted with diverfity of opinions: it will be too long to hear the arguments on both fides; you, that have considered them, tell me the refult."

"Pilgrimage," faid Imlac, "like many other acts of piety, may be reasonable or fuperftitious, according to the principles upon which it is performed. Long journies in fearch of truth are not commanded. Truth, fuch as is neceffary

neceffary to the regulation of life, is always found where it is honestly fought. Change of place is no natural cause of the increase of piety, for it inevitably produces diffipation of mind. Yet, fince men go every day to view the fields where great actions have been performed, and return with stronger impreffions of the event, curiosity of the fame kind may naturally difpofe us to view that country whence our religion had its beginning; and I believe no man furveys thofe awful scenes without fome confirmation of holy refolutions. That the Supreme Being may be more eafily propitiated in one place than in another, is the dream of idle fuperftition; but that fome places may operate upon our own minds in an uncommon manner, is an opinion which hourly experience will justify.

Hn who fuppofes that his vices may be more fuccessfully combated in Palestine, will, perhaps, find himself mistaken, yet he may go thither without folly: he who thinks they will be more freely pardoned, dishonours at once his reason and religion."

"Thefe," faid the prince," are European distinctions. I will confider them another time. What have you found to be the effect of knowledge? Are those nations happier than we?"

"There is fo much infelicity," faid the poet," in the world, that scarce any man has leifure from his own diftreffes to estimate the comparative happiness of others. Knowledge is certainly one of the means of pleasure, as is confessed by the natural defire which every mind feels of increafing its ideas. Ignorance is mere privation, by which nothing can

be

be produced it is a vacuity in which the foul fits motionless and torpid for want of attraction; and, without knowing why, we always rejoice when we learn, and grieve when we forget. I am therefore inclined to conclude, that if nothing counteracts the natural confequence of learning, we grow more happy as our minds take a wider range.

"In enumerating the particular comforts of life we fhall find many advantages on the fide of the Europeans. They cure wounds and difeafes with which we languish and perish. We fuffer inclemencies of weather which they can obviate. They have engines for the dispatch of many laborious works, which we must perform by manual industry. There is fuch communication between diftant places, that one friend can hardly be faid to be ab