he also desired to know if they were hap-| bear the same proportion to bees, which py in their situation, if they propagated their species, if they were inspired with souls? and put a hundred questions of the

like nature.

A certain mathematician on board, more courageous than the rest, and shocked to hear his soul called in question, planted his quadrant, and having taken two observations of this interlocutor, "You believe then, Mr. what d'ye callum," said he, "that because you measure from head to foot a thousand fathoms-" "A thousand fathoms!" cried the dwarf, “good heaven, how should he know the height of my stature? a thousand fathoms ! my very dimensions to a hair. What, measured by a mite! this atom, forsooth is a geometrician, and knows exactly how tall I am while I, who can scarce see him through a microscope, am utterly ignorant of his extent!" "Yes, I have taken your measure," answered the philosopher, "and I will now do the same by your tall companion." The proposal was embraced; his excellency laid himself along: for, had he stood upright, his head would have reached too far above the clouds. Our mathematicians planted a tall tree in a certain part of him: then, by a series of triangles joined together, they discovered that the object of their observations was a strapping youth, exactly one hundred and twenty thousand royal feet in length.

In consequence of this calculation, Micromegas uttered these words: "I am now more than ever convinced that we ought to judge of nothing by its external magnitude. O God, who hast bestowed understanding upon such seemingly contemptible substances, thou canst with equal ease produce that which is infinitely small, as that which is incredibly great: and if it be possible, that among thy works there are beings still more diminutive than these, they may nevertheless be indued with understanding superior to the intelligence of those stupendous animals I have seen in heaven, a single foot of whom is larger than this whole globe on which I have alighted." One of the philosophers bid him be assured, that there were intelligent beings much smaller than man, and recounted not only Virgil's whole fable of the bees, but also described all that Swammerdam hath discovered and Reaum dissected. In a word, he informed him that there were animals which

bees bear to man; the same as the Sirian himself was to those vast beings whom he had mentioned; and as those huge animals were to other substances, before whom they would appear like so many particles of dust. Here the conversation became very interesting, and Micromegas proceeded in these words.

CHAPTER VII.

A CONVERSATION THAT PASSED BETWEEN
OUR TRAVELLERS AND THE MEN THEY
HAD ENCOUNTERED.

"O ye intelligent atoms, in whom the Supreme Being hath been pleased to manifest his omniscience and power, without all doubt your joys on this earth must be pure and exquisite: for being unencumbered with matter, and to all appearance, little else than soul, you must spend your lives in the delights of love and reflection, which are the true enjoyments of a perfect spirit. True happiness I have nowhere found; but certainly here it dwells." At this harangue, all the philosophers shook their heads, and one among the rest more candid than his brethren, frankly avowed, that, excepting a very small number of the inhabitants, who were very little esteemed by their fellows, all the rest were a parcel of knaves, fools, and miserable wretches. " We have matter enough," said he, "to do abundance of mischief, if mischief comes of matter, and too much understanding, if evil flows from understanding; you must know, for example, that this very moment, while I am speaking, there are one hundred thousand animals of our own species, covered with hats, slaying an equal number of fellow-creatures, who wear turbans; at least, they are either slaying or slain; and this hath been nearly the case all over the earth from time immemorial." The Sirian shuddering at this information, begged to know the cause of those horrible quarrels among such a puny race; and was given to understand, that the subject of the dispute was some pitiful molehill no bigger than his heel: nor that any one of those millions who cut one another's throats pretends to have the least claim to the

The

smallest particle of that clod; the question | answered distinctly that common air is is to know, whether it shall belong to a about nine hundred times specifically certain person who is known by the name lighter than an equal column of the of Sultan, or to another whom (for what lightest water, and nineteen hundred reason I know not), they dignify with the times lighter than current gold. appellation of Czar. Neither one nor little dwarf of Saturn, astonished at their t'other has ever seen, or ever will see, the answers, was now tempted to believe pitiful comer in question; and scarce one those people sorcerers, whom, but a quarter of those wretches who sacrifice one an- of an hour before, he would not allow to other hath ever beheld the animal on be inspired with souls. whose account they are mutually sacrificed. "Well! (said Micromegas) since you "Oh miscreants! (cried the indignant know so well what is without you, doubtSirian) such excess of desperate rage is less you are still more perfectly acquainted beyond conception. I have a good mind with that which is within; tell me what is to take two or three steps, and trample the the soul, and how your ideas are framed?" whole nest of such ridiculous assassins Here the philosophers spoke all together under my feet." Don't give yourself the as before; but each was of a different trouble, (replied the philosopher) they are opinion: the eldest quoted Aristotle; industrious enough in procuring their another pronounced the name of Descarown destruction; at the end of ten years tes; a third mentioned Malebranche; a the hundredth part of those wretches will fourth Leibnitz; and a fifth Locke: an be no more; for you must know, that old peripatician lifting up his voice, exthough they should not draw a sword in claimed with an air of confidence, "The the cause they have espoused, famine, soul is perfection and reason, having power fatigue, and intemperance would sweep to be such as it is; as Aristotle expressly almost all of them from the face of the declares, page 633 of the Louvre edition. earth. Besides, the punishment should | Εντελέχεια τις έσι, καί λόγος τη δυνάμιν ἔχοντος not be inflicted upon them, but upon roiudi čitai. those sedentary and slothful barbarians, who from their close stools, give orders for murdering a million of men and then solemnly thank God for their success."

Our traveller, moved with compassion for the little human race, in which he discovered such astonishing contrasts, "Since you are of the small number of the wise, (said he) and in all likelihood do not engage yourselves in the trade of murder for hire, be so good as to tell me your occupation." "We anatomize flies (replied the philosopher), we measure lines, we make calculations, we agree upon two or three points which we understand, and dispute upon two or three thousand that are beyond our comprehension." Then the strangers being seized with the whim of interrogating those thinking atoms, upon the subjects about which they were agreed, "How far (said the Sirian) do you reckon the distance between the great star of the constellation Gemini and that called Caniculus ?" To this question all of them answered with one voice, "Thirty-two degrees and a half." "And what is the distance from hence to the moon?" "Sixty semidiameters of the earth." He then thought to puzzle them by asking the weight of the air; but they

"I am not very well versed in Greek," said the giant: "Nor I either," replied the philosophical mite. "Why, then, do you quote that same Aristotle in Greek?" resumed the Sirian: Because (answered the other), it is but reasonable we should quote what we do not comprehend in a language we do not understand."

Here the Cartesian interposing, "The soul (said he), is a pure spirit or intelligence which hath received in the mother's womb all the metaphysical ideas; but, upon leaving that prison, is obliged to go to school, and learn anew that knowledge which it hath lost, and will never more attain." "So it was necessary (replied the animal of eight leagues), that thy soul should be learned in thy mother's womb, in order to be so ignorant when thou hast got a beard upon thy chin: but, what dost thou understand by spirit ?" "To what purpose do you ask me that question? (said the philosopher) I have no idea of it: indeed it is supposed to be immaterial." "At least, thou knowest what matter is," resumed the Sirian. "Perfectly well, (answered the other). For example, that stone is grey, is of a certain figure, has three dimensions, specific weight and divisibility," "Thou seest a few quali

ties, but dost thou know the nature of the travellers let themselves tumble topsy thing itself??? turvy, seized with a fit of that inextin"Not I, truly," answered the Cartesian.guishable laughter, which (according to Upon which the other told him he did not know what matter was, then addressing himself to another sage who stood upon his thumb, he asked "what is the soul? and what are her functions?" "Nothing at all" (replied this disciple of Malebranche), "God hath made everything for my convenience; in Him I see everything; by Him I act; He is the Universal Agent, and I never meddle in His work." "That is being a non-entity, indeed," said the Sirian sage; who, turning to a follower of Leibnitz, "Hark ye, friend, what is thy opinion of the soul?" "In my opinion (answered this metaphysician), the soul is the hand that points at the hour, while my body does the office of a clock; or, if you please, the soul is the clock, and the body is the pointer; or again, my soul is the mirror of the universe, and my body the frame. All this is clear and uncontrovertible."

A little partisan of Locke, who chanced to be present, being asked his opinion on the same subject, "I do not know (said he) by what power I think: but well I know, that I should never have thought without the assistance of my senses; that these are immaterial and intelligent substances, I do not at all doubt: but that it is impossible for God to communicate the faculty of thinking to matter, I doubt very much. I revere the eternal Power, to which it would ill become me to prescribe bounds; I affirm nothing, and am contented to believe that many more things are possible than are usually thought so." The Sirian smiled at this declaration, and did not look upon the author as the least sagacious of the company; and, as for the dwarf of Saturn, he would have embraced the adherent of Locke, had it not been for the extreme disproportion in their different sizes. But unfortunately there was another animalcule in a square cap, who, taking the word from all his philosophical brethren, affirmed that he knew the whole secret which was contained in the abridgment of St. Thomas: he surveyed the two celestial strangers from top to toe, and maintained to their faces, that their persons, their fashions, their suns and their stars, were created solely for the use of man. At this wild assertion, the two

Homer) is the portion of the immortal gods; their bellies quivered, their shoulders rose and fell, and, during these convulsions, the vessel fell from the Sirian's nail into the Saturnian's pocket, where these worthy people searched for it a long time with great diligence. At length, having found the ship and set every thing to rights again, the Sirian, resuming the discourse with these diminutive mites, promised to compose for them a choice book of philosophy, which would teach them abundance of admirable sciences, and demonstrate the very essence of things. Accordingly, before his departure he made them a present of the book, which was brought to the Academy of Sciences at Paris; but when the old secretary came to open it, he saw nothing but blank paper: upon which, "Ay, ay, (said he) this is just what I expected!

M. DE VOLTAIRE, b. 1694-d. 1778.

One took the other briskly by the hand:
"Hark ye," said he, "it is an odd story this,
About the crows!" "I don't know what
it is,"
Replied his friend. "No? I'm surprised at

that;
Where I come from it is the common chat;
But you shall hear; an old affair indeed!
And that it happened, they are all agreed.
Not to detain you from a thing so strange,
A gentleman who lives not far from 'Change,
This week, in short, as all the Alley knows,
Taking some physic, threw up Three Black
Crows!"

Straight to enquire, his curious comrade | on the east coast of Scotland, to his pre

WEEL, Sandy," said the minister of a "I'm much_obleeged to you for your parish church, in a small fishing village opeenion, Sandy."