Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-04-30
CHAPTER NNNII.
D,squtsttton upon Greatness.

DtSIHtSUtOh upon FfcUtHeSS.
The conversation had a short pause.
The prince, having considered his sisters
observations, told her, that she had sur
veyed life with prejudice, and supposed
misery where she did not find it. "Iour
narrative" says he. ''throws yet dark
err gloom upon the prospects of futurity:
the predictions of lmlac were but faint
sketches of the evils painted by Ne
kayah. | have been lately convinced
that quiet is not the daughter of
grandeur or of power; that her presence
is not to be bought by wealth, nor en-
forced by conquest. 1t is evident. that
as any man acts in IA wider compass, he
must be more exposed to opposition from
enmity. or miscarriage from chance;
whoever has many to please or to govern
must use the ministry of many agents.
some of whom will be wicked. and some
ignorant: by some he will be misled. and
by Others betrayed. If he gratiies one,
he will offend another; those that are not
favored will think themselves injured !:
and. since favors can be conferred but
upon few, the greater number will be al
ways DISCONTINUED.
"The discomfort" said the princess.
(which Is thus unreasonable, | hope that
| shall always have spirit to despse, and
YOU power to repress."
"Discontent. answered Rasselas. 'will
not always be without reason under the
most just and vigilant administration of
public affairs. None. however attentive,
can always discover that merit which in
diligence or faction may happen to OBJ
scure; and none, however powerful. can
always reward it. Yet he that sees i'll
ferior desert advanced above him will
naturally impute that preference to
partiaity or caprice; and indeed, ii
can scarcely be hoped that any
man. however magnanimous by ma
ture. or exalted by condition. will be
able to persist forever in the fixed and in
eXOrable justice of distribution: he will
sometimes indulge his own affections and
permit some to please him who can never
serve him: he will discover, in those
whom he loves, qualities which in reality
they do not possess: and to those. from
whom he receives pleasure. he will in hi,
turn endcavor to give it. Thus will re
concentrations sometimes prevail which
were purchased by money, or by the
more destructive bribery of flattcry and
Servlity.
"lle that has much to do will do some.
thing wrong. and of that wrong must
suffer the consequences and if it were
possible that he should always act right
ly. yet when such numbers are to Judge
of his conduct, the bad will censure anG
obStruct him by malevOlence. and the
good sometimes by mistake.
"Ihe highest stations cannot therefore
hope to be abodes of happiness. which
would willingly believe to have fled from
thrones and palaces to seats of humble
privacy and placid obscurity. For wha
can hinder the satisfaction. or intercept
the expectations, of him whose abilitie.
are adequate to his employments, VIII,
sees with his own eyes the whole circuit
of his influence, who chooses by his
own knowledge all whom he trusts
and whom none are tempted to deceive
by hope or fear? Surely he has nothing
to do but to love and to be loved, to b,
virtuous, and to be happy"
whether perfect happiness would b,
procured by perfect goodness, said Mex
ayah, this world will never afford al
opportunity of deciding. But this, a
least, may be maintained. that we do no
always find visible happiness in proper
ton to visible virtue. All natural ant
almost all political evils are incident alik
to the bad and good; they are confound
ed in the misery of famine. and no
much distinguished in the fury of a fac
ton; they sink together in tempest
and are driven together from their coun
try by invaders. All that virtue can at
ford i quietneSs of conscience, stead,
prospect of a happier state; this may en-
able us to endure calamity with patience
but remember that patience must suppos
pain"