EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW. 75 



cent theatre, where I could perceive a numerous con- 

 courfe of majeftic Shades engaged in deep and earneft 

 consultation. Notwithstanding the fpace that kept me 

 at a diftance from them, and which was of a conside- 

 rable extent, I beheld them, by means of the extraor- 

 dinary acutenefs of the fenfes, which is a prerogative 

 of this State of abfence from the body, as if they were 

 no more than the diftance of three paces before me. 

 The phyfiognomy of the greateft part of them Seemed 

 perfectly familiar to me, and yet I could neither ima- 

 gine nor judge who they were nor what they were 

 about. 



While I was now looking around, to fee if there was 

 any one who could help me out of this Surprife, I per- 

 ceived a Shade coming up to me, whom, by his form 

 and attire, I mould at firft have taken for a capuchin 

 monk, if it were poShble to SuppoSe of Such creatures 

 in elyfium. But immediately, on looking again, I 

 knew him, by his bald-pate, by his merry countenance, 

 and a certain Satirical leer, to be the Menippus of Lucian* 

 who, on account both of his likenefs and unKkeneSs to 

 the wifefl of the Greeks, v/as Styled in two words, 

 the laughing as his maSter Diogenes was called 

 the raving Socrates. This Menippus here played the 

 part, as I afterwards learnt, of a philofophical harle- 

 quin; tolerated, as I fuppofe, on the Same footing 

 as Momus among the gods. A buffoon, who always 

 finding Subjects for his jeers in one or other even of 

 the inhabitants of Elyfium, appeared almost indiSpen- 

 Sable to the keeping up of a certain genial conviviality 

 in their Society; and the Salt of his wk was found to 

 give greater attractions and variety to the conversation, 



which, 



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