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" bosom bare, that the heat may the more easily enter and 

 " the cold go out. On the other hand, in summer they put 

 " on thick driving-coats and other garments over these, in 

 " order that no heat may enter. There are some philoso- 

 " phers amongst them who in winter go almost naked, alleg- 

 ing that since all other animals are contented with their 

 " feathers or their hides, it is beneath the dignity of the lord 

 " of the creation to seek for any extraneous covering. No 

 " one can be said ever to be alone. It is common for a 

 " man to talk to himself, and then answer himself — to play 

 " at games with himself in a contentious and often quarrel- 

 "some manner, laughing or weeping abundantly at his 

 " own acts." 



A long chapter is now devoted to a description of a nu- 

 merous class of religionists, called Morosophs, who give 

 away all they have, and go about begging with bare feet, 

 who scruple to eat flesh, but devour fish in excess ; give 

 gold for lead and parchment ; burn large candles at noon- 

 day, and prostrate themselves before wood and stone. I 

 may here remark, that the author is in this and various 

 other parts of bis book very severe upon the Koman Catholic 

 priesthood, especially the Mendicant orders. 



He then proceeds to give some account of the first divi- 

 sion of Moronia, called Variana, or the changeable — pre- 

 mising, that if any of his readers should hereafter visit the 

 country, they must not doubt the truth of his narrative, 

 seeing that all things are subjected to a Protean, or Cha- 

 mselion change. What was recently a flower-garden is now 

 a corn field ; what was a mountain becomes a valley ; what 

 was water becomes land. The names of their very cities are 

 altered during his stay in the country. The natives are 

 clothed after the Indian fashion, in feathers of various co- 

 lours, which are continually changed. What they offer, or 

 promise to-day, is retracted to-morrow. If to-day they sell 

 any thing cheap, and then hear that the purchaser is pleased 



