houses above one another. They have one gate to their city, and generally no doors to their houses ; tho' I have fometimes feem them have particular doors, and even made of glafs, where the inhabitants have been obferved to ftand many days, that their fine apparel may be feen thro' them. If at any time they lye down, which they do when they come from their habitations (as if coming abroad were their greatest fatigue) they will lye together in heaps without receiving hurt: tho' the soundest sleep they get, is when they can have duft enough to cover them over. The females amongst them are but few, nothing being there produced by a marriage of fexes. The males are of a different ftrength or endowment of parts, fome having knowledge in an extream degree, and others none at all; yet at the fame time, they are mighty pretenders to inftruct others. Their names (for as many as would discover them to me} I obferved to be the very fame as ours are upon earth; I met a few who made theirs a mystery, but why, I am yet to learn. They are fo communicative, that they will tell all the knowledge they boaft, if a stranger apply himself to their converfation and this may be worth his while, if he confiders that all languages, arts, and sciences, are profest amongst them. I think I may say it without vanity, that I knew a certain Talisman, with proper figures and characters infcribed, whereby their greatest people may be charmed, brought to refide with a man, and ferve him like a familiar in the conduct of life.. There is no fuch thing as fighting amongst them, but their controverfies are determined by words, wherein they seldom own themfelves conquered, yet proceed no further than two or three replies: perhaps indeed two others take up their neighbours quarrel, but then they defift too after the fame manner; fometimes however, blows have enfued upon their account, though not amongst them: In fuch a cafe they have defcended to infpire mankind with their fentiments, and chofen champions from among us, in order to decide it. The time of their life is very different, fome die as soon as born, and others in their youth; fome get a new leafe of life by their entering into the womb again, and if any weather it out to an hundred years, they generally live on to an extreme age. After which it is remarkable, that inftead of growing weaker as we do, by time, they increase in ftrength, and become at laft fo confirmed in health, that it is the opinion of their country, they never can perifh while the world remains. The fickneffes which may take them off, befides what happens from their natural weakness of body, are of different forts. One is over-moisture, which, affecting their mansions, makes them lose their complexions, become deformed, and rot away infenfibly This is often obviated by their not keeping too much within doors. Another is the worms, K 2 which which prey upon their bowels: If they be maimed by accidents, they become like us, so far useless; and that maim will fometime or other be the occafion of their ruin. However, they perish by these means only in appearance, and like Spirits, who vanish in one place, to be seen in another. But as men die of paffions, fo difefteem is what the most nearly touches them; then they withdraw into holes and corners, and confume away in darkness. Or if they are kept alive a few days by the force of fpices, it is but a short reprieve from their perishing to eternity; without any honour, but that instead of a burial, a small pile of paste should be erected over them, while they, like the antient Romans, are reduced to ashes. N. B. This vifion is to be understood of a library of books. THE |