who, as I obferved, live in air: their houses are all fingle and high, having no back rooms, but frequently feven or eight stories, which are all feperate houses above one another. They have one gate to their city, and generally no doors to their houfes; tho' I have fometimes feen them have particular doors, and even made of glass, where the inhabitants have been obferv'd to stand many days, that their fine apparel may be feen thro' them. If at any time they lie down, which they do when they come from their habitations (as if coming abroad were their greatest fatigue) they will lie together in heaps without receiving hurt though the foundest fleep they get,' is when they can have dust enough to cover them over. The females amongst them are but few, nothing being there produced by a marriage of fexes. The male's are of different strength or endowment of parts, fome having knowledge in an extream degree, and others none at all; yet at the fame time, they are mighty pretenders to instruct others. Their Names, (for as many as wou'd discover them to me) I obferv'd to be the very fame as ours are upon carth; I met a few who made theirs a mystery, but why, I am yet to learn. They are fo communicative, that they will tell all the knowledge they boaft, if a ftranger apply himself to their converfation: and this may be worth his while, if he confiders that all languages, arts, and sciences, are profest amongst them. I think I may fay it with out vanity, that I knew a certain Talisman, with pro per figures and characters infcrib'd, whereby their greateft people may be charm'd, brought to refide with a man, and ferve him like a familiar in the conduct of life. There is no fuch thing as fighting amongst them, but their controversies are determin'd by words, wherein they feldom own themselves conquer'd, yet proceed no further than two or three replies: perhaps indeed two others take up their neighbours quarrel, but then they desist too after the fame manner; fometimes however, blows have enfu'd upon their account, though not amongst them: in fuch a cafe they have defcended to infpire mankind with their fentiments, and chofen champions from among us, in order to decide it. The time of their life is very different, fome die as foon as born, and others in their youth; fome get a new leafe of life by their entering into the womb again, and if any weather it out to an hundred years, they generally live on to an extreme age. After which it is remarkable, that instead of growing weaker as we do, by time, they increase in ftrength, and become at laft fo confirm'd in health, that it is the opinion of their country, they never can perish while the world remains. The fickneffes which may take them off, besides what happens from their natural weakness of body, are of different forts. One is over moisture, which affecting their manfions, makes them lofe their complexi ons, become deform'd, and rot away infenfibly: this is often obviated by their not keeping too much within doors. Another is the Worms, which prey, upon their bowels if they be maimed by accidents, they become like us, fo far useless; and that maim will fome time or other be the occafion of their ruin. However, they perish by these means only in appearance, and like fpirits, who vanish in one place, to be seen in aBut as men die of paffions, fo Difesteem is what the most nearly touches them; then they withdraw into holes and corners, and confume away in darkness. Or if they are kept alive a few days by the force of Spices, it is but a fhort reprieve from their perishing to eternity; without any honour, but that instead of a burial, a small pyre of Past should be erected over them, while they, like the antient Romans, are reduc'd to ashes. nother. N. B. This Vision is to be understood of a Library of Books. |