A journey to the world under-ground
Poplars, Palms, Brambles, _&c._ from whence the sixteen Months, into
which the subterranean Year is divided, have their Names. For every
sixteenth Month the Planet _Nazar_ returns to its first Station, yet
not upon the same Day, upon account of the Inequality of its Motion;
for just like our Moon, by its manifold _Phases_, it perplexes the
_Literati_ of the Firmament. Their Dates or Æras of Time are various;
these they fix from some memorable Circumstance, and particularly from
the great Comet which appear’d 3000 Years ago, and is said to have
caus’d an universal Deluge, in which the whole Race of Trees, and
other Animals perish’d, except a few which on the Tops of Mountains
escap’d the general Wreck, and from whom the present Inhabitants are
descended. The Soil abounds with Corn, Herbs, and Pulse; and produces
all the Fruits of _Europe_, except Oats, of which there is no Want,
since there are no Horses. The Seas and Lakes afford delicious Fish,
and the Shoars and Banks are adorn’d with the most entertaining Variety
of Villages, some contiguous, and some divided. The Liquor they drink
is extracted from certain Herbs which flourish all the Year. The
Venders of this Liquor are call’d _Minhalpi_, that is, Herb-Dressers,
who in every City are restrained to a certain Number, and who alone
have the Privilege of preparing it. Those who enjoy this Advantage, are
commanded to abstain from all other Business or lucrative Employment.
In particular it is provided, that those who already are in any publick
Offices, or who have Salaries from the Government, shall never concern
themselves in this Branch of Trade; because these by their Power and
Authority in the City might monopolize the Business, and be able to
undersel the rest, from the Revenues they already enjoy. An Artifice
often practised by the Courtiers and great Men of our World, who in the
Shape of Merchants or Jobbers, become immensely rich.
Their Populousness is mightily promoted by a certain salutary Law
concerning Procreation; for according to the Number of Children, their
Privileges and Immunities are increas’d or diminish’d. He who is
the Father of six Children is exempted from all Taxes, ordinary and
extraordinary. Hence a numerous Issue is deem’d as advantageous there
as it is hurtful and inconvenient in our World, where often a Tax is
impos’d in the Way of Capitation. No one here fills two Posts at once,
because they are of Opinion, that the least Employment requires the
whole Activity of the Soul. And therefore, with the Leave of my fellow
Creatures, I must say, that Business is better done with them than with
us. So sacred is the Observance of this Law, that a Physician does not
direct his Studies to the whole Circle of Physick, but bends all his
Application to the Nature and Cure of one only Disorder. A Musician
plays upon only one Instrument, quite otherwise than it is upon our
Earth, where by the Variety of our Pretensions, Humanity is trampled
on, Bitternesses increase, and our Duty is neglected; and where, by
aiming at every Thing, we do nothing to good Purpose. Thus a Physician,
while he affects to rectify the Disorders of the State, as well as
those of the Body, performs neither well. Thus, if another will be both
a Senator and a Musician, we can expect nothing but Discord. We are apt
to admire such daring Spirits as fly at all Things, who mix officiously
in Matters of the highest Concern, and think there is nothing they are
unfit for. But it is all Rashness, Presumption, and a total Want of
Sense of their own Strength, that we thus blindly admire. Did they
but thoroughly know the Weight of publick Office, and the Shortness
of their own Abilities, they would reject the offer’d Honours, and
tremble at the Sound. No one here undertakes the least Employment
_invita Minerva_. I remember to have heard an illustrious Philosopher,
by Name _Rakhasi_, descanting upon this Subject, and thus expressing
himself: “Every one of us should be acquainted with his own Abilities,
and be the strictest Judge of his own Virtues and Vices; otherwise
Stage-Players will appear to have more Wisdom than we; for they do not
chuse the finest Parts, but those that are the fittest for them. And
shall a Player see that on a Stage, which a wise Man cannot see in
Life?”
The Natives of this Empire are not divided into Nobles and Commons.
Formerly indeed this Distinction obtain’d. But when the Sovereigns
observ’d that the Seeds of Discord sprang from hence, they wisely
removed all such Privileges as were deriv’d from Birth, so that
Virtue alone is now the Test of Honour; and this will appear plainer
hereafter. The sole Preheminence of Birth consists in a Plurality of
Branches. The Offspring is accounted Noble or Ignoble, according to the
Plenty or Want of those, for this Reason, because the greater Plenty
they have, the fitter they are for all manual Operations.
Enough has been said in the foregoing Part of this Work concerning the
Genius and Manners of this People; and therefore referring the Readers
to those Passages, I conclude this Chapter, and proceed to some other
Particulars.
CHAP. VI.
_Of the Religion of the_ Potuan _Nation_.
The _Potuan_ System of Religion lies in a narrow Compass, and contains
a Confession of Faith, something longer than our Apostles Creed. It
is prohibited here, under Pain of Banishment to the Firmament, to
comment upon the sacred Books. And if any presume to dispute about
the Essence and Atrributes of God, or about the Nature of Spirits and
Souls, he is condemn’d to the _Venæ-section_, and then confin’d in the
publick _Bedlam_. For they think it the height of Folly to offer to
describe or define those Things, to which the human Mind is as blind
as the Eyes of an Owl to the Light of the Sun. They are all unanimous
in adoring one Supreme Being, by whose Almighty Power all Things were
created, and by whose Providence they subsist. Let but this Principle
be uncontroverted, and they never molest any one for entertaining
different Sentiments concerning a Method of Worship. Those alone who
openly attack this Religion, as by Law established, are regarded as
Disturbers of the publick Tranquillity. Hence I had the free Exercise
of my own Religion, nor suffer’d the least Affront upon that Account.
The _Potuans_ pray but seldom, but then it is with great Ardency,
insomuch that they seem to be in an Extasy. And when I related that we
pray and sing Psalms very often while employ’d about the common Affairs
of Life, the _Potuans_ thought it a vicious Custom, replying, that an
earthly Sovereign would take it extremely ill, to see any one humbly
approaching him with a Petition, and at the same Time brushing his
Cloaths, or buckling his Hair. Nor had they a much greater Relish for
our Hymns, and Anthems, as holding it ridiculous to express Grief and
Penitence in musical Measures, since the Displeasure of the Deity is
to be appeas’d by Sighs and Tears of real Sorrow, not by the Artifice
of Tunes and Instruments. This and more I heard, but not without some
Indignation, especially as my own Father of blessed Memory, who was
once Chanter of a Cathedral, had compos’d several Anthems in Vogue to
this Day, and as I myself intended once to have stood for a vacant
Chantership. But I stifled my Resentment; for the Subterraneans so
strenuously defend their Opinions, and so speciously set every Thing
out to View, that it is no easy Matter to refute even the plainest of
their Errors. There were also several other Opinions upon religious
Subjects, which they maintained with the same Art, and Appearance of
Truth. Thus, when I had often observ’d to some Acquaintance, that they
could hope for no Salvation after Death, as living in utter Darkness,
they reply’d, That those who were so free of dealing Damnation to
others, run the greatest Risque of it themselves; that the Source of
all that, is Arrogance, which God must hate and disallow; and that to
condemn the Judgment of others, and to use Force to convince them,
was the same Thing as to assume the whole Light of Reason; which
is just the Conduct of Fools, who think that they alone are wise.
Moreover, when I was proving a certain Opinion, and had oppos’d to my
Adversary’s Reasonings the Dictates of my own Conscience, he extol’d my
Argument, and desir’d me still to persist in following those Dictates
of Conscience, as he himself would always do; for that then, every one
following the Testimony of his Conscience, all Contention would cease,
and much Matter of Controversy be cut off.
Among other religious Mistakes maintained by the People of this Globe,
were these: They did not deny that good Actions were rewarded, and bad
ones punish’d by God; but then they thought that Branch of Justice,
consisting in the Distribution of Rewards and Punishments took Place
only in a future State. I brought various Examples of such as for
their Impieties had been punish’d in this Life; but they alledg’d as
many opposite Examples of very wicked Trees, who yet were as fortunate
as they were wicked to the End of their Lives. In a Dispute, said
they, we are too apt to borrow only those Weapons, and attend to only
those Instances, which make for our Purpose and strengthen our Cause,
overlooking and disregarding such as might injure it. With that I
instanc’d in myself, by shewing that many who had injur’d me came to
a miserable End. In Answer they urg’d, that all this proceeded from
Self-Love, from my over-weening Opinion, that in the Eyes of the
Supreme Being I was of more Consequence, than many others, who, like
me, had suffered the severest Injuries undeservedly, and yet had beheld
their Persecutors bless’d and prosperous to the last Day of their
Lives. Again, when accidentally I was commending the Practice of daily
Prayer, they reply’d, That indeed they did not deny the Necessity of
Prayer, but that they were thoroughly persuaded that the truest Piety
consisted in a practical Observance of the divine Law. To prove this,
they borrow’d an Argument from a Prince, or Lawgiver: This Prince has
two Sorts of Subjects; some are continually offending and transgressing
his Laws thro’ Infirmity or Contumacy; and yet these shall be found
continually haunting the Court to procure Pardon for Faults, to be
repeated as soon as pardon’d. Others approach the Court very rarely,
but remaining peaceable at Home, are habitual Observers of their
Sovereign’s Laws. Who can doubt but that he must think this latter Sort
more worthy of his Favour, and regard the first as bad Subjects and
troublesome Creatures?
In these and the like Controversies was I often engag’d, tho’ without
Success; for I was able to bring nobody over to my Way of thinking.
And therefore omitting all other religious Disputes, I shall only give
you their general and most observable Doctrines, leaving it to the
intelligent Reader to applaud or censure them as he shall judge best.
The _Potuans_ believe in one God, Omnipotent, Creator and Preserver
of all Things, whose Omnipotence and Unity they demonstrate from this
ample and harmonious Creation. And since they are admirably skill’d in
the Study of Nature, they have such magnificent and exalted Sentiments
of the Nature and Attributes of the Deity, that they look upon it as a
Defect in the Understanding to attempt to define what transcends their
Capacities. The Year is distinguish’d by five Festival Days; the first
of which is celebrated with the utmost Devotion in such obscure Places
as that no Rays of Light can pierce them, indicating by this, that the
Being they adore is incomprehensible. There the Worshipers remain
almost immoveable, from the Rising to the Setting of the Sun, as tho’
they were in an Extasy. This high Day is called, _the Day of the