Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-05-21
THE HISTORY OF RASSELAS,
PRINCE OF ABYsslNIA.
CHAPTER XXX.

Lnldc enters, and changes the Conversation.
Here lmlac entered and interrupted
them. "Imlac." said Rasselas, II have
been taking from the princess the dismal
history of private life, and am almost
discouraged from further search"
1T seems to me-" said Imlac, "that
while you are making the choice of life,
you neglect to live. You wander about
a single city, which, however large and
diversified. can now afford few novelties,
and forget that you are in a country
famous among the earliest monarchies
for the power and wisdom of its inhabit-
dawned that illuminate the world, and
beyond which the arts cannot be traced
of civil society or domestic life.
The old Egyptians have left behind
them monuments of industry and power
before which all European magnificence
is confessed to fade away. The ruins of
their architecture are the schools of
modern builders. and from the wonders
which time has spared, we may conject-
ure. though uncertainty. what it has
destroyed"
MY curiosity" said Rasselas, "does
not very strongly lead me to survey the
piles of stones or mounds of earth: my
business is with man. | came hither not
to measure fragments of temples, or
| al I,
the various scenes of the present world.
1.-The things that are now before us, -
said the princess. ''require attention and
deserve it. What have | to do with the
heroes or the monuments of ancient
times? with times which never can re-
turn. and heroes. whose form of life was
different from all that the present condi-
ton of man requires or allows"
ITO know anything. returned the poet
1--WE must know its effects: to see men
we must see their works. that we may
learn what reason has dictated. or pas
sion has melted. and find what are the
most powerful motives of action. TC
judge rightly of the present. we must
oppose it to the past: for all Judgment
is comparative, and of the future nothing
can be known. The truth is that nc
mind is much employed upon the present
recollection and anticipation fill W
almost all our moments. Our passion,
are joy and grief, love and hatred, hope
and fear. OF joy and grief the past i,
the object, and the future ofhope and fear
even love and hatred respect the past. fol
the cause must have been before the effect
1.-The present state of things is the
consequence of the former, and it i:
natural to inquire what were the source,
of the good that we enjoy, or the evil
that we suffer. If we act only for our
selves, to neglect the study of history i,
not prudent: if we are ntrusted witt
the care of others, it is not just. Ignorance
when it is voluntary, is criminal; and he
may be properly charged with evil who
refused to learn how he might prevent
it.
There is no part of history so gener
ally useful as that which relates the pro
gress of the human mind, the gradua
Improvement of reason, the successiv,
learning and ignorance, which are the
light and darkness of thinking beings
the extinction and resusctation of art,
and rhe revolutions of the intellectual
world. If accounts of battles and inva
sions are peculiarly the business of prin
ces. the useful or elegant arts are not t,
be neglected: those who have kingdom,
to govern have understandings to cult
waite.
Example is always more eflicaciou,
than preccpt \ soldier is formed il
war, and a painter must copy pictures
In this, contemplatiye life has the adj
vantage great actions are seldom seen
but the labors of art are always at hanC
for those who desire to know what ar
has been able to perform.
"When the eye or the imagination i,
struck with an uncommon work, the mex
transition of an active mind is to tn,
means by which it was performed. Here
begins the true use of such contempla
ton; we enlarge our comprehension by
new ideas, and perhaps recover some ar
lost to mankind, or learn what is less
perfectly known in our own country. A
least we compare our own with forme
times, and either rejoice at our improve
ments, or, what is the first motion
towards good, discover our defects"
IL am willing" said the prince, st,
see all that can deserve my search.
"And l." said the princess, "shall reioic,
TO learn something of the manners of an