man shall do the work of ten, a palace may be built in a week of materials fo durable, as to last for ever without repairing. All the fruits of the earth fhall come to maturity at whatever feafon we think fit to chufe, and increase an hundred fold more than they do at prefent; with innumerable other happy propofals. The only inconvenience is, that none of these projects are yet brought to perfection; and in the mean time the whole country lies miferably wafte, the houses in ruins, and the people without food or cloaths. By all which, instead of being difcouraged, they are fifty times more violently bent upon profecuting their schemes, driven equally on by hope and despair: that as for himself, being not of an enterprising spirit, he was content to go on in the old forms, to live in the houses his ancestors had built, and act as they did in every part of life without innovation. That fome few other persons of quality and gentry had done the fame, but were looked on with an eye of contempt and ill-will, as enemies to art, ignorant, and ill common-wealths-men, preferring U 4 their their own ease and floth before the general improvement of their country. His lordship added, that he would not by any further particulars prevent the pleafure I fhould certainly take in viewing the grand academy, whither he was refolved I should go. He only defired me to observe a ruined building upon the fide of a mountain about three miles diftant, of which he gave me this account: that he had a very convenient mill within half a mile of his houfe, turned by a current from a large river, and fufficient for his own family as well as a great number of his tenants. That about feven years ago, a club of those projectors came to him with proposals to destroy this mill, and build another on the fide of that mountain, on the long ridge whereof a long canal must be cut for a repofitory of water to be conveyed up by pipes and engines to fupply the mill: becaufe the wind and air upon a heighth agitated the water, and thereby made it fitter for motion: and becaufe the water defcending down a declivity would turn the mill with half the current of a river, whofe courfe is more upon upon a level. He faid, that being then not very well with the court, and preffed by many of his friends, he complied with the propofal; and after employing an hundred men for two years the work miscarried, the projectors went off, laying the blame intirely upon him, railing at him ever fince, and putting others upon the fame experiment with equal affurance of fuccefs, as well as equal disappointment. In a few days we came back to town, and his excellency confidering the bad character he had in the academy would not go with me himself, but recommended me to a friend of his to bear me company thither. My lord was pleased to represent me as a great admirer of projects, and a perfon of much curiofity, and eafy belief; which indeed was not without truth; for I had myself been a fort of projector in my younger days. CHAP. CHAP. V. The author permitted to fee the grand academy of Lagado. The academy largely defcribed. The arts wherein the pro- feffors employ themselves *. THIS academy is not an entire fingle building, but a continuation of feveral houses on both fides of a street, which growing wafte was purchased, and applied to that ufe. I was received very kindly by the warden, and went for many days to the academy. Every room hath in it one or more projectors; and I believe I could not be in fewer than five hundred rooms. The first man I faw was of a meagre afpect, with footy hands and face, his hair and beard long, ragged and finged in seve *However wild the defcription of the flying island and the manners and various projects of the philofophers of Lagado may appear, yet it is a real picture embellished with much latent wit and humour. ORRERY.. This note in general feems to be a teftimony of his lord fhip's approbation, but it is not eafy to discover what in particular is meant by the word real, fince every picture is a real picture, whether it be copied from nature or fancy; and indeed it is equally difficult to conceive how a picture of any kind can be embellished with that which is hidden. ral ral places. His cloaths, shirt, andskin, were all of the fame colour. He had been eight years upon a project for extracting funbeams out of cucumbers, which were to be put into vials hermetically fealed, and let out to warm the air in raw inclement fummers. He told me, he did not doubt, that in eight years more he should be able to fupply the governor's gardens with fun-fhine at a reasonable rate; but he complained that his flock was low, and entreated me to give him fomething as an encouragement to ingenuity, especially fince this had been a very dear season for cucumbers. I made him a small prefent, for my lord had furnished me with money on purpofe, because he knew their practice of begging from all who go to see them. I went into another chamber, but was ready to haften back, being almoft overcome with a horrible ftink. My conductor preffed me forward, conjuring me in a whisper to give no offence, which would be highly resented, and therefore I durft not fo much as ftop my nose. The projector of this cell was the moft ancient ftudent of the academy; his face and beard were of a pale |