STUDY I. 123 



thou remainefl to them an unknown GOD *. In 

 lofing themfelves, they have loft thee. 



The order, nay, the beauty, with which thou 

 haft invefted all thy creatures, to ferve as fo many 

 fteps by which Man may raife himfelf to thee, are 

 transformed into a veil, which conceals thee from 

 his fickly eyes. Men have no fight but for vain 

 fhadows. The light dazzles them. Mere no- 

 things are to them every thing ; and all-perfedlion 

 pafles with them for nothing. Neverthelefs, he 

 who never faw thee, has never feen any thing ; he 

 who has no relilh for thee is an utter ftranger to 

 true pleafure ; he is as if he were not, and his 

 whole life is only a miferable dream. 



I myfelf, O my God, milled by the prejudices 

 of a faulty education, puriued a vain felicity, in 

 fyftems of Science, in arms, in the favour of the 

 Great, fometimes in frivolous and dangerous plea- 

 fures. In all thefe agitations, I was hunting after 

 calamity, while happinefs was within my reach. 

 At a diftance from my native Land, I fighed for 

 joys which it contained not for me j and, never- 

 thelefs, thou wert beftowing on me bleffings innu- 

 merable, fcattered by thy bountiful hand over the 

 whole Earth, which is the Country of Mankind. 

 I difquieted myfelf to think that I had no power- 



* Fenelon, on the Ex jjîence of Gov>, 



ful 



