THE

EXPANSE OF HEAVEN.

A DREAM THAT WAS NOT ALL A DREAM.

Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in His sight. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son which is a worm?-JOB xxv. 5, 6.

of man,

ON a time I dreamed, and my dream was on this wise.

In a vast black space there appeared a glowing orb about three yards in diameter, as it seemed to me; but it was nearly a quarter of a mile away from me, and its real nature I could not perceive. It shone with a mighty light, whiter than the driven snow, and more intense than the light from the heart of the fiercest furnace.

Close by me I perceived a tiny globe, about an inch in diameter, travelling slowly along, and turning round and round as it travelled. Amidst the intense darkness which prevailed, this globe would have been wholly lost but for the glowing orb I have just spoken of, which lit up one

half of the surface of the small body. Looking closer, I perceived a yet smaller body, little more than a quarter of an inch in diameter, which seemed to be moving round the other at a distance of about 2 feet.

But as I looked, wondering what these small bodies might be, a power of keener vision was given to me, and I saw many animalcules, inconceivably minute, upon the surface of the layer of the two small globes. I could perceive that the greater part of the surface of this globe was covered with a film or moisture, and in this film were myriads of living creatures, moving about according to their several powers, some pursuing others, some pursued, but for the most part intent in seeking what they might devour. Over the dry part of this tiny globe, which I could have held (so it seemed in my dream) between my finger and thumb, were other creatures in countless myriads, though not in all parts equally numerous.

But what astonished me mightily was to perceive among the creatures moving over this little globe certain beings, not larger than the rest, nor remarkable in any respect save in this, that they appeared to act as though they possessed powers of reasoning. I could see that they constructed microscopic dwellings for themselves, and formed roads over their tiny domain, and made other constructions intended apparently for the convenience of their race. They even ventured, in minute floats, upon the film of moisture, which they crossed and recrossed in the most venture someway, considering that, film though

it was, it was many times deeper than the largest of the floats in which these strange creatures crossed it. Indeed, sometimes when the film was agitated as by some one breathing on it, these floats upset, and many of the tiny creatures upon them were drowned. At some places I could perceive threads, infinitely finer than the threads of a spider's web, laid down under the film of moisture, and in many places such threads were extended over the dry part of this one-inch globe. The object of this arrangement I could not at first understand, but I learned presently that these creatures used the threads as a means of conveying messages to each other!

But I have no space to tell of all that I could perceive or that went on in this small globe. I must speak only of certain matters which struck me as chiefly interesting.

These little creatures, so small that the most powerful microscope yet made by man would altogether have failed to show them, were actually able to learn a great deal about objects outside their tiny abode. They could not only see the great glowing body which as I have said lay nearly a quarter of a mile from them, but they had found out how large it was, how far away from them, how bright, how hot, and even how heavy. This in creatures so utterly insignificant, as it seemed to me-so weak and small that with a touch of my little finger I could have destroyed many millions of them-appeared very wonderful. They were quite unable to leave their tiny world. It did not even give them a fixed stand-point, for it moved slowly

onwards, as I have said, turning round and round, so that for half the time the shining globe was not even in sight. Yet these little beings had measured and weighed and tested it with results surprisingly accurate. They had found out, what I could not perceive from where I was placed, that this great globe, fully three yards in diameter, was in its way a sort of furnace, the flames on its surface being sometimes a foot high and sometimes even two feet. Its whole surface, they had found, was in a state of wonderful disturbance, being, on a small scale, like a sea of fire, and covered all over with intensely hot vapour extending to a height of nearly half an inch. But, even more wonderful to tell, these tiny creatures had found out what was burning (or at least glowing) in that large body. They had also learned the very rate at which the flames I have spoken of rose up above the surface of the glowing orb, or spread themselves over it.

This seemed to me so wonderful that I left the little globe to pursue its course, and went to the large bright body. It was not quite a quarter of a mile away, I found; but (precisely as these small creatures had somehow learned) about 320 yards from the small globe. When I got to a certain distance from it, I found the heat so great that I did not care to approach it more nearly. It was surrounded on all sides by glowing matter, not nearly so bright or so hot as its own substance, but still shining very resplendently. I found that the little beings on the small globe I had lately left were quite right in their