Philofophers, my fon, have long declaimed against the paffions, as being the fource of all our miferies; they are the fource of all our misfortunes I own; but they are the fource of our pleasures too: and every endeavour of our lives, and all the inftitutions. of philofophy, fhould tend to this; not to diffemble an absence of paffion, but to repel thofe which lead to vice, by those which direct to virtue. The foul may be compared to a field of battle, where two armies are ready every moment to encounter; not a fingle vice but has a more powerful opponent; and not one virtue but may be overborne by a combination of vices. Reafon guides the hands of either hoft, nor can it fubdue one paffion but by the affiftance of another. Thus as a bark on every fide befet with ftorms, enjoys a ftate of rest, so does the mind, when influenced by a just equipoife of the paffions, enjoy tranquillity. I have used such means as my little fortune would admit to procure your freedom. I have lately written to the governor of Argun to pay your ranfom, though at the expence of all the wealth I brought with me from China. If we become poor we fhall at least have the pleasure of bearing poverty together; for what is fatigue or famine, when weighed against friendship and freedom. Adieu. From Lien Chi Altangi to *****, Merchant in HAPPENING fome days ago to call at a painter's to amuse myself in examining fome pictures (I had no defign to buy) it furprised me to fee a young prince in the working room, dreffed in a painter's apron, and affiduoufly learning the trade. We inftantly remembered to have feen each other; and, after the ufual compliments, I ftood by while he continued to paint on. As every thing done by the rich is praised, as princes here, as well as in China, are never without followers, three or four perfons, who had the appearance of gentlemen, were placed behind to comfort and applaud him at every stroke. Need I tell, that it ftruck me with very difagreeable fenfations to fee a youth who by his ftation in life, had it in his power to be useful to thousands, thus letting bis mind run to wake upon canvas, at the fame time fancying himself improving in taste, and filling his rank with proper decorum. As feeing an error, and attempting to redrefs it, are only one and the fame with me, I took occafion, upon his lordship's defiring my opinion of a Chinese fcroll, intended for the frame of a picture; to affure him, that a mandarine of China thought a minute acquaintance with fuch mechanical trifles below his dignity. This reply raised the indignation of fome, and the contempt of others: I could hear the names of Vandal, Goth, tafte, polite arts, delicacy, and fire, repeated repeated in tones of ridicule or refentment. But confidering that it was in vain to argue againft people who had fo much to fay, without contradicting them, I begged leave to repeat a fairy tale. This requeft redoubled their laughter; but not eafily abafhed at the railery of boys, I perfifted, obferving that it would fet the abfurdity of placing our affections upon trifles in the strongest point of view, and adding that it was hoped the moral would compenfate for it's ftupidity. For Heaven's fake, cried the great man, washing his brush in water, let us have no morality at prefent; if we must have a ftory, let it be without any moral. I pretended not to hear; and while he handled the brufh, proceeded as follows: IN the kingdom of Bonbobbin, which, by the Chinese annal, appears to have flourished twenty thousand years ago, there reigned a prince endowed with every accomplishment which generally diftinguishes the fons of kings. His beauty was brighter than the fun. The fun to which he was nearly related, would fometimes ftop his courfe in order to look down and admire him. His mind was not lefs perfect than his body; he knew all things without having ever read; philofophers, poets, and hiftorians fubmitted their works to his decifion; and fo penetrating was he, that he could tell the merit of a book by looking on the cover. He made epic poems, tragedies, and paftorals with furprifing facility; fong, epigram, or rebus was all one to him, though it is obierved he could never finish an acroftic. In fhort, the fairy, who prefided at his birth, had endowed him with almost every perfection, or what was just the same, his fubjects were ready to acknowledge he posfeffed them all; and for his own part, he knew no thing to the contrary. A prince fo accomplished, received a name fuitable to his merit; and he was called Bonbennin-bonbobbin-bonbobbinet, which fignifies Enlightener of the Sun. As he was very powerful, and yet unmarried, all the neighbouring kings earneftly fought his alliance. Each fent his daughter, dreffed out in the moft magnificent manner, and with the most fumptuous retinue imaginable, in order to allure the prince fo that at one time there were feen at his court not less than feven hundred foreign princeffes of exquifite fentiment and beauty, each alone fufficient to make feven hundred ordinary men happy. Distracted in fuch a variety, the generous Bonbennin, had he not been obliged by the laws of the empire to make choice of one, would very willingly have married them all, for none understood gallantry better. He spent numberless hours of folicitude in endeavouring to determine whom he fhould chufe; one lady was poffeffed of every perfection, but he difliked her eyebrows; another was brighter than the morning ftar, but he difapproved her fong whang; a third did not lay white enough on her cheek; and a fourth did not fufficiently blacken her nails. At laft after numberless disappointments on the one fide and the other, he made choice of the incomparable Nanhoa, queen of the fcarlet dragons. The preparations for the royal nuptials, or the envy of the difappointed ladies, needs no defcription; both the one and the other were as great as they could be; the beautiful princefs was conducted amidft admiring multitudes to the royal couch, where after being divetted of every encumbering ornament, she was placed, in expectance of the youthful bridegroom, who did not keep her long in expectation. He He came more chearful than the morning, and printing on her lips a burning kifs, the attendants took this as a proper fignal to withdraw. Perhaps I ought to have mentioned in the beginning that, among feveral other qualifications, the prince was fond of collecting and breeding mice, which being an harmless paftime, none of his counfellors thought proper to diffuade him from: he therefore kept a variety of these pretty little animals in the most beautiful cages enriched with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls, and other precious ftones: thus he innocently spent four hours each day, in contemplating their innocent little pastimes. But to proceed. The Prince and Princess were now in bed; one with all the love and expectation, the other with all the modefty and fear, which is natural to fuppofe, both willing, yet afraid to begin; when the Prince happening to look towards the outfide of the bed, perceived one of the most beautiful animals in the world, a white moufe with green eyes, playing about the floor, and performing an hundred pretty tricks. He was already mafter of blue mice, red mice, and even white mice with yellow eyes; but a white moufe with green eyes, was what he long endeavoured to poffefs: wherefore leaping from bed with the utmost impatience and agility, the youthful Prince attempted to feize the little charmer, but it was fled in a moment; for alas! the mouse was fent by a discontented Princess, and was itself a fairy. It is impoffible to defcribe the agony of the Prince upon this occafion, he fought round and round every part of the room, even the bed where the Princess lay was not exempt from the enquiry: he turned the Princefs on one fide and t'other, ftripped her quite naked, but no moufe was to be found; the Princefs herself was kind enough to affift, but ftill to no purpose. Alas, |