I will separate myself from corrupt
societies; I will remove far from palaces where the soul is depraved by
satiety, and from cottages where it is humbled by misery.
I will dwell in solitude amidst the ruins
of cities : I will enquire of the monuments of antiquity what was the
wisdom of former ages.
I will enquire of the ashes of legislators
what causes have erected
and overthrown empires.
The Ruins, or a Survey
of the Revolution of Empires
Constantin-François Volney
London, A. Seale [1795?]
p. 24
Ruins Main 
