United States or Central African Republic ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
But these Relations are too uncertain for me to build any thing upon, and therefore I shall proceed to tell you, that there came hither about two years since out of America, the Governour of one of the Principal Colonies there, an Ancient Virtuoso, and one that has the Honour to be a member of the Royal Society; this Gentleman finding some of the chief Affairs of his Country committed to another and me, made me divers Visits, and in one of them when I enquir'd what Rare Stones they had in those parts of the Indies he belong'd to, he told me, that the Indians had a Tradition that in a certain hardly accessible Hill, a pretty way up in the Country, there was a Stone which in the Night time shin'd very vividly, and to a great distance, and he assur'd me, that though he thought it not fit to venture himself so far among those Savages, yet he purposely sent thither a bold Englishman, with some Natives to be his guides, and that this Messenger brought him back word, that at a distance from the Hillock he had plainly perceiv'd such a shining Substance as the Indians Tradition mention'd, and being stimulated by Curiosity, had slighted those Superstitious Fears of the Inhabitants, and with much ado by reason of the Difficulty of the way, had made a shift to clamber up to that part of the Hill, where, by a very heedful Observation, he suppos'd himself to have seen the Light: but whether 'twere that he had mistaken the place, or for some other Reason, he could not find it there, though when he was return'd to his former Station, he did agen see the Light shining in the same place where it shone before.
So that most part of Dissolv'd Bodyes being by Præcipitation brought to White Powders, and yet some affording Præcipitates of other Colours, the reason of both the Phænomena may deserve to be enquir'd into. But not to Dispute about Names or Expressions, the thing it self that is affirm'd as Matter of Fact, seems to be True enough in most Cases, not in all, or so, as to hold Universally.
And on this occasion it may not be Impertinent to mention an Experiment, which I relate upon the Credit of a very Honest man, whom I purposely enquir'd of about it, being my self not very fond of making Tryals with Arsenick, the Experiment is this, That if you Colliquate Arsenick and Copper in a due proportion, the Arsenick will Blanch the Copper both within and without, which is an Experiment well enough Known; but when I enquir'd, whether or no this White mixture being skilfully kept a while upon the Cupel would not let go its Arsenick, which made Whiteness its prædominant Colour, and return to the Reddishness of Copper, I was assur'd of the Affirmative; so that among Mineral Bodyes, some of those that are White, may be far more capable, than those I am reasoning with seem to have known, of Eclipsing others, and of making their Colour Prædominant in Mixtures.
After I had thus enquir'd into the Historical Affairs of this Lunar Nation, which for its Similitude to my Native Country, I could not but be inquisitive in; I wav'd a great many material Things, which at least I cannot enter upon the Relation of here, and began to enquire into their Affairs abroad.
I hid my head as well as I cou'd, and, without begging pardon, for I knew what I had deserv'd, am turn'd out of doors, with a large retinue of kicks and spittle: Proselenos, the old woman was turn'd out too, and Chrysis beaten; and the whole family wondering with themselves, enquir'd the cause of their lady's disorder.
They had left the Trader, and one that came from South-Carolina with us, to go to Virginia; these Two being resolved to go to Carolina with us. We went 10 Miles, and were then stopp'd by the Freshes of Enoe-River, which had rais'd it so high, that we could not pass over, till it was fallen. I enquir'd of my Guide, Where this River disgorg'd it self?
Being very much Shockt in my Judgment of this Affair, by these unanswerable Reasons; I enquir'd of my Author who were the Directors of this Matter? he told me plainly it was done by those great States Men, which the Solunarian Queen had lately very Justly turn'd out, whose Politicks were very unaccountable in a great many other things, as well as in that.
The country-man and the woman lik'd the exchange well enough, but a sort of petty-foggers, most of whose business was such night practice, having a mind to get the mantle themselves, as importunately required, that both mantle and coat should be left in their hands, and the judge would hear their complaints on the morrow: For it was not the things alone that seem'd to be in dispute, but quite another matter to be enquir'd into, to wit, a strong suspicion of robbery on both sides.
When we had willingly acquitted our selves of this piece of humanity to Lycas, we pursu'd our design'd journey, and all in a sweat soon. reacht the head of a neighbouring hill, from whence we discovered a town seated on the top of a high mountain; we did not know it, till a shepherd inform'd us 'twas Crotona; the most ancient and once most flourishing city of Italy; when we enquir'd of him what sort of people inhabited this renown'd place, and what kind of commerce they chiefly maintain'd, since they were impoverish'd by so many wars?
In the managing this Plot, one of their Authors was specially employ'd, and that all that was really true of the Crolian Dissenters might be ridicul'd, his Work was to draw monstrous Pictures of them, which no Body could believe; this took immediately, for now People began to look at their Shooes to see if they were not Cloven Footed as they went a long Streets; and at last finding they were really shap'd like the rest of the Lunar Inhabitants, they went back to the Author, who was a Learned Member of a certain Seminary, or Brother-hood of the Solunarian Clergy, and enquir'd if he were not Mad, Distracted and Raving, or Moon-blind, and in want of the thinking Engine; but finding all things right there, and that he was in his Senses, especially in a Morning when he was a little free from, &c. that he was a Good, Honest, Jolly, Solunarian Priest, and no room could be found for an Objection there.
Word Of The Day