EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW, 



ble. It is not impoffible, faid I boldly to myfelf, es- 

 pecially fince the grand difcovery has been made, that 

 there may be beings, in fome other planet or comet, 

 with whom twice two, is three or five. I thought over 

 the matter, but always found in my way that fcurvy 

 axiom, that at leaft in our fnblunary world, nothing 

 can be brought to pafs without means, and that ordi- 

 narily, there muft.fubfift a more or lefs comprehenlible 

 relation between the . means and that which is to be ef- 

 fected by it. By good luck I revolved this pretended 

 reflection till at laft it awakened my memory, and I » 

 recollected that a long while ago I had read, in an old 

 bouquin, wifjiout either title page or conclufion, of a 

 certain manipulation, by means whereof the foul is 

 enabled to wing its way from the body, and tranfport 

 itfelf into any place it pleafes. I had formerly, from 

 a prejudice againft the marvellous, which our wonder- 

 workers, with fo much reafon, regard as the greater!: 

 of all impediments to the higher! exaltation of our na- 

 ture, placed this piece of art in the fame clafs with the 

 (Auiribirini of the fairy tales, and vouchfafed it not the 

 fmalleft attention. But now, that I was indulging the 

 wifh that it might fucceed, I held it at leaft worthy of 

 trial. The manipulation, as I before obferved, is, be- 

 yond companion, more fimple than the fomnambula- 

 torical, and fcarcely takes up a quarter of an hour. I 

 tried it ; and, behold, it was attended with fuccefs. 

 I found myfelf at once, and as quickly as a man can 

 tranfport himfelf in thought, to Rome, to Pekin, or 

 into the moon, in a region which I knew at firft fight 

 to be the elylian fields, of which Virgil, already in my 

 earlieft youth, had imprinted the moil delightful 



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