endured with such a companion, and that if they could range the
world together he should have nothing further to desire.

In a few days the water was discharged, and the ground dried. The
Prince and Imlac then walked out together, to converse without the
notice of the rest. The Prince, whose thoughts were always on the
wing, as he passed by the gate said, with a countenance of sorrow,
"Why art thou so strong, and why is man so weak?"

"Man is not weak," answered his companion; "knowledge is more than
equivalent to force. The master of mechanics laughs at strength.
I can burst the gate, but cannot do it secretly. Some other
expedient must be tried."

As they were walking on the side of the mountain they observed
that the coneys, which the rain had driven from their burrows, had
taken shelter among the bushes, and formed holes behind them
tending upwards in an oblique line. "It has been the opinion of
antiquity," said Imlac, "that human reason borrowed many arts from
the instinct of animals; let us, therefore, not think ourselves
degraded by learning from the coney. We may escape by piercing the
mountain in the same direction. We will begin where the summit
hangs over the middle part, and labour upward till we shall issue
out beyond the prominence."

The eyes of the Prince, when he heard this proposal, sparkled with
joy. The execution was easy and the success certain.

No time was now lost. They hastened early in the morning to choose
a place proper for their mine. They clambered with great fatigue