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longed to speak what he was yet refolved to fupprefs. He would often fend for me with vehement injunctions of hafte, though, when I came to him, he had nothing extraordinary to fay. And fometimes, when I was leaving him, would call me back, pause a few moments and then difmifs me.

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CHA P. XL.

The aftronomer difcovers the cause of his uneafinefs.

A

T laft the time came when the fe

cret burft his reserve. We were fitting together last night in the turret of his house, watching the emerfion of a fatellite of Jupiter. A fudden tempest clouded the sky, and disappointed our observation. We fat a while filent in the dark, and then he addressed himfelf to me in these words: "Imlac, I have long confidered thy friendship as the greatest blefling of my life. Integrity without knowledge is weak and ufelefs, and knowledge without integrity

is dangerous and dreadful. I have found in thee all the qualities requifite for trust, benevolence, experience, and fortitude. I have long discharged an office which I muft foon quit at the call of nature, and fhall rejoice in the hour of imbecility and pain to devolve it upon thee.

"I thought myself honoured by this teftimony, and protefted that whatever could conduce to his happiness would add likewife to mine."

"Hear, Imlac, what thou wilt not without difficulty credit. I have poffeffed for five years the regulation of weather, and the diftribution of the feafons: the fun has liftened to my dictates, and paffed from tropick to tropick by my direction; the clouds, at

my

my call, have poured their waters, and the Nile has overflowed at my command; I have restrained the rage of the dogftar, and mitigated the fervours of the crab. The winds alone, of all the elemental powers, have hitherto refufed my authority, and multitudes have perifhed by equinoctial tempefts which I found myself unable to prohibit, or reftrain. I have administered this great office with exact juftice, and made to the different nations of the earth an impartial dividend of rain and funfhine. What must have been the mifery of half the globe, if I had limited the clouds to particular regions, or confined the fun to either fide of the equator ?"

СНАР.

CHA P. XLI.

The opinion of the aftronomer is explained and juftified.

..

"I

Suppofe he discovered in me, through the obfcurity of the room,

fome tokens of amazement and doubt, for, after a fhort paufe, he proceeded thus :"

"Not to be easily credited will neither surprise nor offend me; for I am, probably, the firft of human beings to whom this truft has been imparted. Nor do I know whether to deem this diftinction a reward or punishment; fince I have poffeffed it I have been far lefs hap

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