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proſpect, leſt he ſhould behold the waſte that circumſcribed it. But he that toiled through the valley was happy, becauſe he looked forward with hope. Thus, to the ſojourner upon earth, it is of little moment whether the path he treads be ſtrewed with flowers, or with thorns if he perceive himſelf to approach thoſe regions, in compariſon of which the thorns and the flowers of this wilderneſs loſe their diſtinction, and are both alike impotent to give pleaſure or pain.
'What then has eternal wiſdom unequally diſtributed? That which can make every ſtation happy and without which every ſtation must be wretched, is acquired by virtue; and virtue is poſſible to all, Remember, Almet, the viſion which thou haſt ſeen; and let my words be written on the tablet of thy heart, that thou mayeſt direct ihe wanderer to happineſs, and juſtify God to man.'
While the voice of Azoran was yet ſounding in my ear, the proſpect vaniſhed from before me, and I found myſelf again ſitting at the porch of the temple. The ſun was gone down, the multitude was retired to reſt, and the ſolemn quiet
