At length they arrived at the Moon, and found a palace there well fitted up for their reception. The day following, being much fatigued with their journey, they remained in the house till noon; and continuing still faint, partook of a most delicious entertainment by way of refreshment, which they relished so much that it overcame their curiosity. This day they only saw, through the windows, that delightful country, adorned with the most beautiful flowers, to which the beams of the Sun gave an uncommon lustre; and heard the singing of the most melodious birds, till evening came on.-The second day they rose very early in order to begin their observations, but some elegant young females of the country calling upon them, advised that they should first recruit their strength, before they exposed themselves to the laborious task they were about to undertake. The delicate meats, the rich wines, and the beauty of these females, prevailed over the resolution of the strangers. Music is introduced, the young ones begin to dance, and all is turned to jollity; so that the whole of this day seemed dedicated to gallantry, till some of the neighbours, envious of their mirth, rushed into the room with swords. With some difficulty they were taken, and it was promised, as a recompence to the younger part of the company, that on the following morning they should be brought to justice. On the third day their trial was heard, and what with accusations, pleadings, exceptions, and the judgment itself, the whole day was occupied, and the term allowed by Jupiter expired.

On their return to Greece, the whole country flocked around to hear the wonders of the Moon described: but all they could say, for it was all they knew, was, that the ground was covered with green, intermixed with flowers; and that the birds sung delightfully among the trees: but what was the nature of the flowers they saw, or of the birds they had heard, they were entirely ignorant.—On which they were every where treated with the utmost contempt."*

This fable was applied with extreme propriety by our great master, Linnæus, to mankind in general. In youth we are, in every respect, too feeble to examine the great objects around us: all that season, therefore, is lost amidst indolence, luxury, and amusement. Little better are we in manhood: settling ourselves in life; marrying; bustling through the world; overwhelmed, at length, with business, cares, and perplexities, we suffer those years also to glide away. Old age succeeds: yet still some employments intervene, till at last we are passed through the world, without scarcely a single recurrence to the admirable works of our Creator; and, in many instances, even without having at all considered the end for which we were brought into it. This is, with a few exceptions, the progress of man through life: It is true that every person takes some notice of nature: All can

* In the Lectures of Linnæus on the subject of Natural History, he frequently made use of some apt similitude by way of exciting the attention of his audience. The present fable was one that he adopted in his Lecture on Insects.

remark the beautiful verdure of the fields and woods; the elegance of the flowers; the melodious and delighful singing of the birds: yet few indeed ever give themselves the trouble of enquiring one step further, or exhibit any desires of examining into the nature of these wonderful combinations of Divine Power.

It is one material use of the study of Nature, to illustrate this greatest of all truths :-" That there must be a God; that he must be almighty, omniscient, and infinite in goodness; and that, although he dwells in a light, inaccessible to any mortal eye, yet our faculties see and distinguish him clearly in his works*.

In these we are compelled to observe a degree of greatness far beyond our capacities to understand:

we see an exact adaption of parts composing one stupendous whole; an uniform perfection and goodness that are not only entitled to our admiration, but that command from us the tribute of reverence, gratitude, and love, to the Parent of the Universe. Every step we tread in our observations on Nature, affords us indubitable proofs of his superintendance: from these we learn the vanity of all our boasted wisdom, and are taught that useful lesson, humility: we are compelled to acknowledge our dependance on the protecting arm of God, and that, deprived of this support, we must, that moment, dissolve into nothing.

Every object in the Creation is stamped with the characters of the infinite perfection and overflowing

Pontoppidan, Pref. p. 1.

benevolence of its author. If we examine with the most accurate discrimination the construction of bodies, and remark even their most minute parts, we see clearly a necessary dependance that cach has upon the other: and if we attend to the vast concurrence of causes that join in producing the several operations of Nature, we shall be induced to believe further, that the whole world is one connected train of causes and effects, in which all the parts, either nearly or remotely, have a necessary dependance on each other. We fhall find nothing insulated, nothing dependant only on itself. Each part lends. a certain support to the others, and takes in return its fhare of aid from them.

Previously to entering farther into the subject, we will examine for a moment that part of every animal body called the Eye, which, though one of the most conspicuous, is not still the most surprizing part of the body. Here we have exhibited to us nicety of formation, connexions and uses, that astonish us. We see it placed in a bony orbit, lined with fat, as an easy socket in which it rests, and in which all its motions readily take place. We find it furnished, among many others, with those wonderful contrivances the iris, pupil, and different humours; and that incomprehensible mechanism the optic nerve, which affords to the brain, in a manner greatly beyond our conceptions, the images of external objects.-How admirable is the construction of the Skeleton: every particular bone adapted peculiarly to the mode of life and

habits of the animal possessing it. The muscular system is still more entitled to our wonder; and if we enter into examination of the viscera, the skin, and the other parts of the body, we can fix no bounds to our astonishment.

But all the common operations of Nature, great as they are, become in general so familiar to us, that in a great measure they cease to attract our notice. Thus also all the usual powers of animal life, which, were they but adverted to, could not fail to affect the mind with the most aweful impres→ sions, are suffered to operate unheeded, as if unseen. We all know, for example, that, whenever inclination prompts to it, we can, by a very slight exertion of our vital faculties, raise our hand to our head. Nothing seems more simple, or more easy than this action; yet when we attempt to form an idea of the way in which that incorporeal existence that we call mind, can operate upon matter, and thus put it in motion, we are perfectly lost in the incomprehensible immensity that surrounds us. When we try to investigate the properties of matter, we perceive that by patience and attention we can make a progress in attainments to which, according to our limited ideas, bounds can scarcely be assigned. The motions of the planets can be ascertained, their distances measured, and their periods assigned. The Mathematician can demonstrate with the most decisive certainty, that no Fly can alight upon this globe which we inhabit, without communicating motion to it; and he can ascertain, if he chuses to do it, with the most accu