A Trip to the Moon/Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Hitherto I had liv'd as happily as I could expect at such a Distance from mine own Country; and now I began to think seriously of settling in the Moon for the Remainder of my Life; and after studying a long Time in vain, how to get back to the Earth, I concluded that it was impossible, tho' Experience has since convinc'd me of my Error. How often have I at Night, gaz'd at the dear Planet I was born in? Whilst it dispens'd its Light and kind Influence to the Moon, I would oft, with the greatest Sorrow, call upon my Friends in it, as if they cou'd hear me, or lend me any Assistance: Then would I reflect upon its Beauty, and blame myself for having once thought that it was less glorious than other Planets. At length I resolv'd to find Contentment in the Moon, which is so hard to be found in the Earth, and make a Choice of Necessity. But cruel Fortune, whose Power reach'd even thither, envied me this Happiness which I propos'd to myself, and resolv'd to lead me into more Dangers.
Amidst my firm Resolutions to decline meddling with State Affairs, and innocently enjoy my moderate Pension, Tckbrff came to me, and told me he had invented something worth my seeing. It was a Boat to sail in under Water. I immediately ask'd how we should breathe; and he told me, he had provided several Bottles full of Animal Spirits, which he had gather'd by tying those Bottles to Persons Noses that were dying. The Boat after we had enter'd into it, and diligently stopp'd all the Holes to keep out the Water, was to be fill'd with those Spirits, which would abundantly compensate the want of Air. I doubted what he said, till he assur'd me that he had already made the Experiment, and had a sufficient Quantity of Animal Spirits for one Day's sailing. Upon this I went with him to the Boat, which cou'd contain but three Persons with the Bottles. We took along with us an old Mathematician, to steer for us; who by his Skill, cou'd sink the Boat to any Depth requir'd. When we had enter'd the Boat, and carefully stopp'd every Hole which might let in the Water, Tckbrff open'd the Bottles, one by one, as we began to want fresh Air; and indeed they made our Respiration very pleasant, for the Spirits soon found a Passage into every Part of our Bodies, and caus'd all our Members to breathe, as well as perform other Animal Functions.
The next Thing we set about, was to sink the Boat; which the old Gentleman perform'd in a very wonderful Manner: He began first to demonstrate, that there was a Principle of Gravity inherent in all Matter, which made it tend to the Center. Tckbrff, who knew the Part he was to act, would now and then deny something that he had said. The old Gentleman, to confirm his Assertion, would give a mathematical Thump to the Bottom of the Boat, which would cause it sensibly to descend; and thus he would sink it to any Depth requir'd. Whenever we had a Mind to raise the Boat, the old Gentleman would suffer his Hypothesis to be refuted, and withhold his Demonstrative Fist.
We sail'd very pleasantly for about a League, and saw all the Wonders of the Deep: There were three Windows in our Barge made of transparent Steel; one of each Side, and one at the Stem. My Veracity in this may be doubted; but when a Man considers that Bodies are made transparent when their Pores lie in rectilinear Directions, the only Difficulty will be to prove that Steel may have its Pores dispos'd in this Manner; and the best Way to prove this, will be to explain the Manner in which the Steel was made transparent. The old Gentleman, before mention'd, took three Pieces of Steel, and beat them with an Hammer till they were very thin: This Work indeed requir'd some Time. He then took the Steel Plates, and put each of them between two Fires of equal Degrees of Heat, and let them remain so long between the Fires, that the Particles of the opposite Fires, by their acting upon the Steel, and attracting each other, at length found a Passage through the Steel, which was made pliable by their uninterrupted Action on either Side. When he found that the Holes, through which the Fire had pass'd, were big enough to suffer the Rays of Light to pass through, he threw Water upon the Steel Plates, which cool'd them, and made them hard: This being done suddenly, kept the Pores as wide when the Steel was cold, as it was when it was acted upon by the Fires. He did not venture, indeed, to polish the Plates, lest he should stop the Pores by rubbing upon them. Through these three Windows we look'd into the Sea; for the Holes through which the Light pass'd were too small to suffer the least Particle of Water to enter at, and avoided many Rocks, as well as observ'd the Behaviour of the Fishes. I could observe some moving gently along for their Recreation, and others, with a more thoughtful Countenance, moving precipitantly, to dispatch some Business. There was a Fish taken Prisoner by two others at our Right Side: I judg'd that he was taken Prisoner, by his being seiz'd by the Gills, and forcibly carried back by the Road he came. His Crime, I suppose, was Theft; for he carried a Piece of Flesh in his Mouth, which he dropp'd as soon as he was seiz'd; but it was taken up by one of his Attendants. We were desirous to know what would be the Event of this that we had seen, and accordingly desir'd our old Gentleman to steer after them.
Happy had it been for us, if we had not been so curious; for our Pilot, instead of minding his Way, was taken up in considering whether he might not demonstrate a mathematical Problem by the Motions of those Fishes Tails. In this profound Contemplation he was so wholly taken up with observing the Fishes Tails, that he took no Notice of a Rock, which he should have left at the Larboard-Side, but drove directly against it, and split the Boat. I spy'd the Rock as we were upon it; but it was too late to prevent the certain Death which I immediately expected. Our Boat came with great Violence against the Rock, (for we made all the Way we could,) and split into an hundred Pieces: We should all have immediately perish'd, had it not been for the wonderful Adventure which we met with.
Our Boat had no sooner struck against the Rock, but it open'd, and discover'd a large and lightsome Apartment: A very uncouth Figure came speedily to the Opening of the Rock, and pull'd us all in, to know what we wanted. As soon as we got safe in, he clos'd the Rock, and told us, in the Language of Quqns, that had he taken us into his Lodging to save us from being drown'd. Before we had given him an Account of our coming thither, he pitch'd upon the old Mathematician to speak for us, expecting that he would declare the Truth. Indeed he related Matters of Fact just as they happen'd; and our Treatment would have been more favourable than it was, had not he ventur'd to explain in his own Terms the Manner of sinking and raising the Boat. Our Host was confounded at this new Doctrine, and took us for Conjurerers: Upon which he order'd us to be chain'd, to prevent our doing any Mischief, and set a Guard to prevent our drawing Figures, which sat heavier upon the old Man than his Chains.
When we were thus confin'd, I had Leisure to observe the Place we were in, as well as the Behaviour of those that were at work in it; for there were several employed in Spinning, and working at Anvils. The Light which we had, was made by Pieces of stinking Fish, hung up and down; but I could by no Means guess at what they were working. At length I prevail'd upon a gentle Youth, that was set to watch us, to give me an Account of their Manner of working. He told me, that those at the Wheels were spinning Sonnets, Odes, Epigrams, and all the easier Kinds of Poetry. I was surpriz'd at this Relation, till he explain'd to me the Manner of their Spinning. They first took the Letters of their Alphabet, and set them down in all the various Cases that they were capable of, in long Pieces of Paper, whose Breadth did not exceed half an Inch; they next twisted this Paper with their Wheels, till those Letters which appear'd on the Outside of the Thread were jumbled into a Poetical Line. Those Lines were carefully set down in a Day-Book by one appointed for that Purpose; from which they were transferr'd by others into another Book, and rang'd in harmonious Order, according to their Agreement or Disagreement. Whensoever it happen'd that a Thread was broke, they piec'd it with a proper Name, an old Proverb, or a Simile; of which they always had a good Store ready made for those Occasions. It is not strange that those Poets should make those Verses thus mechanically, to any one that considers how possible the Work is; for where the Vowels and Consonants are so variously mix'd, and such a Quantity of them on each Side of the Paper, it necessarily follows, that in Twisting some of the Letters must be hid, whilst those that appear'd on the Sides of the Thread as certainly must make Words, as that Words are made of Vowels and Consonants. I will not say that the uniform Motion of the Wheel, and the Squeezing of the Letters according to Art, contributed nothing to their Endeavours. Indeed, they could not find a Line which was good Sense upon every Thread, tho' upon some they found two or three, when the Spinster was skilful, and the Paper able to endure many Twistings. Abbreviations and Apostrophes were occasion'd by some Letters being hid in a Wrinkle, which did really belong to the Line, tho' the Skill of the Spinsters could not force them to shew themselves.
As to those at work at the Anvils, said he, they are employ'd in making Epick Poems: Their Hammers are of Leads, and their Anvils of Crab-Tree: They have all the Letters of the Alphabet written severally on separate Pieces of Paper: Those Pieces are generally square, and one of their Sides never exceed a Quarter of an Inch. Soft Clay is what they work at, with those Letters strew'd in it: They beat this Clay till a Line, or half a Line, may be read on some Side of it; which being written, as before, they begin to hammer afresh for another Line, and so on. This Work is, indeed, more difficult than the former, and requires great Art in managing the Hammer, and tempering the Clay; yet a skilful Man will beat forty Line, or more sometimes, out of one Piece of Clay. There are some who work at the Anvil that do not, as yet, pretend to beat out whole Lines, and are employ'd in making Epithets, Proper Names, and poetical Blunders. But, said I, to what End is all this Pains taken, since you have no Commerce with those upon dry Land. He smil'd, and told me, that I was mistaken; for it was to those Men which I saw at work, that the People in the Moon were indebted for all the Poetry which they had among them. My Master, said he, has certain invisible Messengers, which he calls the Muses; those he sends to vend the Wares as fast as he gets them ready for Sale. The Muses carry his Goods up to the Moon, and sell them there to the highest Bidder; but he rates his tolerable Productions so dear, that it generally costs a Man all that he is worth to purchase one or more of them, according to their Value, and the Buyer's Abilities, which is a Reason that those that are accounted the best Poets, are generally the poorest. I ask'd him then, why his Master sold any Poems that were bad? or why he did not claim all the Praise which was given to some of his Works, as his own proper Due? He answer'd, that his Master had Workmen of all sorts, and consequently some bad ones, which would have their Wages paid them as punctually as the best; and since he had Hopes Hopes that the worst would mend, he sold their Works to encourage them, and defray the Charges he has been at in maintaining them, and supplying them with Materials to work with. Besides, Money being what he chiefly coveted, he little minded Applause, which he knew would never maintain a Man, or even mend an old Shoe.
Here Tckbrff interrupted us, and told me, that I was very merry in my Confinement, and rather ought to consider how I might be set free, than ask Questions about my Keepers. I told him, that as our Entry into this Place was a little odd, so I believed, would our Escape be, if ever such a Thing happen'd; and that I was perfectly resign'd to undergo any Thing which should be laid upon us, except starving; for I could not think of dying with an empty Stomach, without a Qualm. I know of no Method, answer'd Tckbrff, of setting ourselves at Liberty, but by sincerely promising to behave well, and be obedient to all the Commands of our present Master. I lik'd the Proposal, and willed to have it immediately executed; and in order to it, resolv'd to speak for us all, which, if it should turn to our Disadvantage, I would be only as blameable as those who had brought me to this Place.
I then prevail'd upon the young Man above mention'd to call his Master: As he was coming near us, I had Leisure to view him distinctly; and indeed he was a very uncommon Figure, and very strangely dress'd: His Nose was plac'd in his Forehead, and his Mouth was below his Chin; his Eyes and Ears, Legs and Arms, had chang'd their Places, and his Gate was between Walking and Flying. He wore a Mantle artfully wrought with many Figures, of Cupids, Monsters, green Fields, Caves, Armour, Gods and Castles, with here and there a Battle and a Wedding. When he was come up to us, I began to speak to him, and said, Most mighty and puissant Hero, thou Glory of thy Race, and Wonder of the Age, pardon the meanest of thy Servants that attempts to enumerate thy Virtues; but they are so conspicuous, that inanimate Things are ready to proclaim them: With which of thy good Qualities shall I begin; shall I first praise thy wonderful Knowledge in Arts, or rather thy surprizing Humanity towards us; that Humanity to which we owe that we are alive, and have an Opportunity of being astonish'd at thy glorious Mansions. Our greatest Ambition is to serve thee; and if we prove defective in any Thing thou commandest, let our Willingness to undertake it attone for it. But here thy Perfections dazzle me, and thy Virtues ought rather to be admir'd in expressive Silence, than unworthily enumerated. Never was a Patron better pleas'd with a Dedication from one that scarce knew him: We were immediately set at Liberty, and invited to Dinner. You may believe that this was very acceptable to us, when I tell you that we very hungry.
Our Dinner was of Fish, some of which I knew the Names of, but other Dishes, that were like Olios, I was an entire Stranger to. At Table I first gave a short Account of my Coming to the Moon, and answer'd some Questions concerning the Earth, and then was favour'd with the following Account from him, that entertain'd us. To relate, said he, all the Passages of my Life, would be too tedious, tho' they are, as far as I can see, no way inferior to what you have deliver'd concerning yourself, in being strange and surprizing: I shall only hint at Matters of less Importance, and give you a full Account of Principals.