Had all paft Mufter, by mifchance, 490 Both for the Sub, and Privolvans. This, b'ing discover'd, put them all Into a fresh, and fiercer Brawl, Afham'd, that Men fo grave and wife Should be chaldes'd by Gnats and Flies, 495 And take the feeble Infects' Swarms For mighty Troops of Men at Arms; As vain as thofe, who when the Moon Bright in a crystal River shone, Threw Cafting-nets as fu'tly at her, 500 To catch and pull her out o' th' Water. But, when they had unfcrew'd the Glass, To find out, where th' Impoftor was, And faw the Moufe, that by mishap, Had made the Telescope a Trap,

494. Should be chaldes'd by Gnats, and Flies.] The Term chal des'd we meet with in Hudibras in the fame Senfe.

He fiole your Cloak, and pick'd your Pocket,
Chows'd and caldes'd you

like a Blockhead.

HUDIB. P. II. C. 3. ver. 1009,

509, 510. That thofe who greedily purfue-Things wonderful, &c.] From this moral Application of the Whole, one may obferve, that the Poet's real Intention in this Satire, was not to ridicule real and

ufeful

505 Amaz'd, confounded, and afflicted,
To be fo openly convicted,
Immediately they get them gone,
With this Discovery alone;
That those who greedily pursue
510 Things wonderful, instead of true;
That in their Speculations chufe
To make Difcoveries ftrange News ;
And Nat'ral History a Gazette
Of Tales fupendous, and far-fet;
515 Hold no Truth worthy to be known,
That is not huge, and over-grown,
And explicate Appearances,

Not as they are, but as they pleafe,
In vain ftrive Nature to fuborn,

510 And, for their Pains, are paid with Scorn.

ufeful Philofophy, but only that conceited and whimsical Taste for the marvelous and furprizing, which prevailed fo much among the Learned of that Age. And though it would be ungrateful, not to acknowledge the many ufeful Improvements then made in natural Knowledge; yet, in juftice to the Satyrift, it must be confefs'd that thefe curious Inquirers into Nature did fometimes in their Researches run into a fuperftitious and unphilofophical Credulity, which deferved very well to be laughed at.

A

Virtuous, learn'd Society, of late
ThePride andGlory of a foreign State,

Made an Agreement on a Summer's Night,
To fearch the Moon at full, by her own
Light;

5 To take a perfect Invent'ry of all

Her real Fortunes, or her Perfonal;

After the Author had finished this Story in short Verfe, he took it in his Head to attempt it in long. That this was compos'd after the other is manifest from its being wrote oppofite to it upon a vacant Part of the fame Paper; and though in moft Places the Poet has done little more than fill up the Verfe with an additional Foot, preserving the fame Thought and Rhime, yet, as it is a fingular Instance in its Way, and has befides many confiderable Additions and Variations, which tend to illuftrate and explain the preceding Poem, it may be looked upon not only as a Curiofity in its Kind, but as a new Production of the Author's. This I mention only to obviate the Objections of thofe, who may think it inferted to fill up the Volume. To the Admirers of Butler, I am fure no Apology is neceffary.

17.

And make a geometrical Survey,

Of all her Lands, and how her Country lay,
As accurate, as that of Ireland, where

10 The fly Surveyor's faid t' have funk a Shire: T'observe her Country's Climate, how 'twas planted,

And what fhe most abounded with, or wanted

;

And draw Maps of her prop'reft Situations For fettling, and erecting new Plantations; 15 If ever the Society fhould incline

T'attempt fo great, and glorious a Design:
A Tafk in vain, unless the German Kepler
Had found out a Difcovery to people her,
And flock her Country with Inhabitants
20 Of military Men, and Elephants.

For th' Ancients only took her for a Piece
Of red-hot Iron, as big as Peloponese,
Till be appear'd; for which, fome write, fhe fent
Upon his Tribe as frange a Punishment.

17. A Talk in vain, unless the German Kepler] This and the following Verfes to the End of the Paragraph, are not in the foregoing Compofition; and are diftinguifhed, as well as the rest of the fame Kind, by being printed in the Italic Character.

21, 22. For th' Ancients only took her for a Piece-Of red-hot Iron as big as Peloponefe.] Similar to thefe Lines are thofe in Hudibras,

And beld the Sun was but a Piece
Of red-hot Iron, as big as Greece.

HUDIB. P. II. C. 3. ver. 739.

23, 24. Till he appear'd, for which fome write. fhe fentUpon his Tribe as ftrange a Punishment.] No doubt by the Punish

ment

25

This was the onlyPurpose of their Meeting,

For which they chose a Time, and Place most fitting;

When, at the Full, her equal Shares of Light And Influence were at their greatest Height. And now the lofty Telescope, the Scale, 30 By which they venture Heav'n itself t' affail, Was rais'd, and planted full against the Moon; And all the reft ftood ready to fall on, Impatient, who should bear away the Honour To plant an Enfign, first of all, upon her. When one, who for his folid deep Belief, Was chofen Virtuofo then in chief;

35

Had been approv'd the most profound, and wife

At folving all Impossibilities,

With Gravity advancing, to apply

40 To th' Optick-glafs his penetrating Eye, Cry'd out, Oftrange! then reinforc'd his Sight

Against the Moon with all his Art and Might;
And bent the Muscles of his pensive Brow,

As if he meant to ftare and gaze her thro',

ment here mentioned to be fent upon these fantastical and prefumptuous Speculators about the Ufe and Destination of the celestial Bodies, the Poet means Lunacy, or, as Milton expreffes it, Mon-ftruck Madness.

Whether