Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia

, overshadowed with palm trees, at such a distance from the cataract that nothing more was heard than a gentle uniform murmur

the cave contained several apartments appropriated to different uses, and ofte

s and paper; on the other mechanical instruments of various kinds. As they approached him unregarded, the Pr

ren," said he, "if you have lost your way, you shall be willingly supplied with such conveniences for the night as

h and wine before them, though he fed only upon fruits and water. His discourse was cheerful without levity, and

far extended: we have heard at Cairo of your wisdom, and came hither to im

ery form of life is good; nor can I give any other

he Prince, "who shall devote himself to that soli

t the head of my troops, and seen many battles and sieges. At last, being disgusted by the preferments of a younger officer, and feeling that my vigour was beginning to decay, I resolved to close my life in peace, having found the world full of sna

een for some time unsettled and distracted: my mind is disturbed with a thousand perplexities of doubt and vanities of imagination, which hourly prevail upon me, because I have no opportunities of relaxation or diversion. I am sometimes ashamed to think that I could not secure myself from vice but by retiring from the exercise of virtue, and begin to suspect that I was rather impelled by resentment than led by devotion

him to Cairo. He dug up a considerable treasure which he had hid among the rocks, an