Part 6

CHAP. VI.

_Of the Discovery of a very fine Country, its Inhabitants, their Language, Manners and Customs_, &c. _and of the Esteem which our Author and his Comrade gain'd there._

Mean time, the Surf was at the End of his Race, and we found our selves very cold, which were two pressing Motives to induce us to betake our selves to some Shelter. We descended the Mountain with no great Difficulty, because on that side it was not very deep. At the Foot of it was a broad deep Ditch, where we were again forc'd to swim over. This was one of the Barriers of the Country, and was destitute of Bridges, so that People could neither pass in nor out of it.

The farther we went into the Country, the more of its Beauties we discover'd, and a thousand things occur'd to convince us that it was inhabited. The Creatures which we spy'd, as we thought, from the Mountains, were Goats feeding in the Meadows, where the green Herbage was so high, that it partly conceal'd them from our Sight. In short, we were not a great way from one of the Herds, when the Man that look'd after them, who was then lain down upon the Grass, observing that they stretch'd out their Necks as if they spy'd something that had affrighted them, rose up to see what it was, and as soon as he perceiv'd us, ran away with all the Speed he could; and we heard afterwards, that seeing two such naked Men coming down the Mountain in the Evening, he took us for Savages: His Goats also ran as if they had been pursu'd by some Beast of Prey. Certain Shepherds who were not far off, tending their Flocks of Sheep, knew not what to think of this Alarm, but they had the Courage to join one another, and came seven or eight in a Body to examine us. As soon as we thought they could see us, we wrung our Hands, and endeavour'd by all the Signs we could think of, to move them to Compassion. They advanc'd, and perceiving that we were naked and unarm'd, came within four Paces of us, each having a great Stick in his Hand, and fell a talking to us. I told them in _Latin_, in _French_, and in _Portuguese_, a Language which I understood pretty well, considering the Time I was in _Portugal_, that we were two honest _Europeans_, who believ'd in God, and at the same time lifted up my Hands to Heaven, and then smote my Breast. But notwithstanding all my various Looks and Actions, I plainly perceiv'd by their Countenances, that they understood us no more than we did them; upon which I fell prostrate at their Feet, and by trembling, and extending my Arms, endeavour'd to give them to understand that I was almost starv'd to Death with Cold. Then they talk'd with one another a few Moments, but without giving the least Indication that they intended us any Harm, and at length, after some Deliberation, they beckon'd to us to follow them, and carry'd us to a venerable Personage, who, after having survey'd us, first gave each of us a great Robe, which cover'd us from Head to Foot, for at the Top of it a Cap was fasten'd, in the manner of a Monk's Cowl; then he interrogated us by Signs from whence we came, whether from the East, the West, or from any other Part of the Globe. We answer'd him in our own Language, and by the best Signs we were capable of making, that we were neither Angels nor Devils; that we came neither from Heaven nor Hell; that we were rational Creatures like himself, who having put to Sea in a great Machine of Wood, were cast away about 150 Leagues off; that of all the Crew only three of us set out inquest of some Asylum to pass the Remainder of our Days; but that we left one of our Companions by the way, in the most tragical manner that could be; and so of the rest. Then we begg'd him to take Pity of us, to put us to work, and to give us Nourishment. Tho' I knew not whether he understood what we said to him, yet he seem'd to be affected, by his shedding of Tears. He gave us a Supper, and in an Hour after we were carry'd to a Bed, which was all done in so handsome a manner, that we were charm'd with our Entertainment. Next Day it was as good as a Comedy to see the Crowds of People that came from all Parts to gaze at us. Every one look'd upon us with Amazement, because no body could comprehend from whence or which way we came hither. These Visits held at least a Fortnight or three Weeks. By hearing them talk much, we began to understand some Words of their Language: The first we retain'd was the Word _Mula_, which they seldom fail'd to pronounce, when with our Eyes or Hands lifted up to Heaven, we utter'd the Name of God. We learnt the Terms, _At_, to Eat; _Bouskin_, to Drink; _Kapan_, to Sleep; _Pryn_, to Walk; _Tian_, to Work; _Touto_, Yes; _Touton_, No; and a great many others, which we found afterwards to bear the same Meaning as we imagin'd they had at first. What very much contributed to make this Language familiar to us, was there being but three Tenses in the Indicative Mood of every Verb, _viz._ the _Present_, the _Præterperfect_, indefinite or compound, and the _Future_; that they have no _Imperative Mood_; that in their _Subjunctive_ they have only the _Præterimperfect_ and _Præterpluperfect_; and that besides these they have only the _Infinitive Mood_ and _Participle_. They have also but three _Persons_ in both the _Singular_ and _Plural Numbers_, and thus, for Instance, they conjugate the Verb _At_:

_Indicative Mood, Present Tense._

_Ata_, I eat or We eat. _Até_, Thou eatest, You eat. _Atη_, He eateth, They eat.

_Præterperfect Tense._

_Atài_, I have eaten, We have eaten. _Atéi_, Thou haft eaten, You have eaten. _Atiη_, He has eaten, They have eaten.

_Future Tense._

_Atàio_, I shall or will eat, We will eat. _Atéio_, Thou wilt eat, You will eat. _Atηio_, He will eat, They will eat.

_Infinitive Mood._

_At_, To eat.

_Præterimperfect Tense of the Subjunctive Mood._

_Atàin_, I would eat, We would eat. _Atéin_, Thou wouldn't eat, Ye would eat. _Atηin_, He would eat, They would eat.

_Præterpluperfect._

_Atais_, I would have eaten, We would have eaten. _Atéis_, Thou would'st have eaten, You would have eaten. _Atηis_, He or she should have eaten, They would have eaten.

_Participle of the Present Tense._

_Atain_, Eating.

From thence are deriv'd the Words, _Ataus_, Kitchen; _Ataɤs_, Food; _Atiɤ_, Cook; _Atians_, Eater, or the Person that Eateth.

Their Alphabet consists of Twenty Characters, _viz._ Seven Vowels, _a_, _e_, _i_, _o_, _u_, _η_, _ɤ_, (the Sixth of which is properly the _Aita_ of the Greeks, and the Seventh is equivalent to the Dipthongue, _ou_) and Thirteen Consonants, _b_, _d_, _f_, _g_, _h_, _k_, _l_, _m_, _n_, _p_, _r_, _s_, _t_. These same Consonants serve them also for Numerals; as _b_, 1; _d_, 2; _f_, 3; _g_, 4; _h_, 5; _k_, 6; _l_, 7; _m_, 8; _n_, 9; _p_, 10; _pb_, 11; _pd_, 12; &c. _dp_, is equivalent to twice Ten, or Twenty; _fp_, to thrice Ten, or Thirty; _fb_, 31; &c. _pp_, ten times Ten, or 100; _r_, 1000; _pr_, 10000; _ppr_, 100000; _s_, a Million; _ps_, 10 Millions; _pps_, 100 Millions; _ppps_, 1000 Millions; and so on, always adding one _p_ more.

It must likewise be observed, that their Nouns and Verbs are deriv'd from one another, like the French, _Chat_, a Boar Cat; _Chate_, a She Cat; _Chatons_, Kittlings; _Chatonner_, to Kitten. Their Declensions are also very easy, of which this is an Example:

Nom. _Brol_, } Gen. _Brul_, } A Weather. Dat. _Brel_, }

Nom. _Brolu_, } Gen. _Brula_, } An Ewe or Sheep. Dat. _Brèla_, }

Nom. _Brolη_, } Gen. _Brulη_, } Weathers or Sheep. Dat. _Brelη_, }

'Tis wonderful, that there is not one Exception in the Conjugations and Declensions of this Language; and that when we know the Variations of one Verb or Noun, it leads to the Knowledge of all the rest; which Variation consists only in adding the Letter _A_ to the Infinitive Mood to make the Present Tense of the Indicative; as from _At_, comes _Ata_; from _Bɤskin_, _Bɤskina_, &c. And to the Nouns they add _A_, to the Nominative Case of the Masculine Gender, to make them Feminine in _η_ when they change them to the Plural Number, as is plain from the foregoing Example. From hence it will not be thought strange, that at the End of six Months we understood every thing they said to us; and that they also understood what we said to them. But to return to our former Subject.

Not many Days after our Arrival, we were awaken'd one Morning by an extraordinary Hurly-burly in the House. We arose to see what was the matter; but tho' we observ'd the minutest of their Proceedings, we could not conceive the Meaning of the Hurry they were all in from the the Highest to the Lowest; only we guess'd there was to be a grand Dinner, because there was a great Slaughter of Fowls, and abundance of Meat in the Kitchen. About Ten of the Clock, the whole Family went out. Our Patron march'd first, with a great Cock under his Arm, and we follow'd with the rest of the Houshold. As we pass'd the Bridge over the Canal, we saw that all our Neighbours did the same, every Family marching out with a Cock. Our opposite Neighbour expos'd his Cock against ours; and the others did the same thing, it being a general Cock-match between the People of both sides the Canal. It is incredible with what Courage and Fury, with what Vigor and Skill these Creatures fought. My Landlord, whose Cock was kill'd, went and took the Victor by the Hand, congratulated him on his Conquest, and carry'd him to his House, follow'd by all his Children and Domestics. The Provisions laid in at the other's House, were brought to ours. We sat down to Table, and I can say, that I had not been at such an Entertainment a long while. It was a Feast truly Royal, and we drank to a very hearty Pitch; but the worst on't was, we did not understand them.

Our People were every whit as alert next Day. As soon as the Sun was risen, all the young Men of the Canton, that is to say, the eldest Son of every Family, went out and took a straight Pole, like to the Mast of a Ship, which they planted in the middle of the Canal, and to the End of it they ty'd as many great Ropes as there were Families present. All these Ropes were afterwards extended, and wound about the several Trees which were planted on the Bank of the Canal; and that there might be no Jealousy, or any Cause of Complaint, there was a Noose made in each Rope, all at the same Distance from the Pole. To the Top of this Pole, which was not Thirty Foot from the Surface of the Water, a round Board was nail'd, upon which an Eagle was plac'd, whose two Feet were fasten'd separately with strong Packthread, to two Cramp-Irons drove into the Timber.

When every thing was ready, each of the young Men laid hold of one of the Ropes at the Place where the Noose was, and at the first Signal, which was given by our Landlord, they drove who could climb up fastest. They that came first up to the Eagle, endeavour'd to lay hold of him, but they had a smart Reception, for as their Hands were oblig'd to be bare, they were expos'd to the Strokes of the Eagle's Beak, which made them all over bloody. Besides, each Man had but one Hand at liberty to attack, because with the other he was oblig'd to hold fast. And then, the Eagle was not ty'd so short, but that he could rise at least two Foot from his Board; so that whereas I thought at the Beginning, the Battle would have been over in a Trice, when it had continued two Hours 'twas like to hold all Day. Notwithstanding the Vigour of the Assailants, their Situation was too fatiguing, and it was impossible they could keep it long. Some rested themselves as well as they could; others dropped into the Water, where they were reliev'd immediately by Persons who were underneath in little Boats, on purpose to catch them. In short, it was a wild Skirmish; but I think they had been engag'd about six Hours, when one of the Assailants nimbly seizing the Eagle, broke one of its Legs, but another pushing him, made him let go his Prize for fear of falling off of the Rope, grip'd the Bird with both his Hands, flung himself desperately down the Rope, and fell, with the dismembered Prey in his Arms, into the Water. At his Fall, the Spectators shouted as much for Joy, as if the Safety of the Publick had been the Matter in question. Those who were wet went to shift their Clothes, and soon after repair'd to the Victor's House, where every one paid him their Compliments. There they supp'd together, and spent part of the Night in Merriment, while the Parents of the Family treated one another reciprocally with hearty good Cheer. The third Day was spent in Plays, Dances, Races, and agreeable Diversions.

We knew not what all this meant; but afterwards we found that they observ'd the same Ceremonies throughout the Kingdom, every Year, at the Full Moon preceding the Solstice of _Capricorn_, and that the young Man who carries off the Eagle, has that Year the Choice of all the Girls in the Canton, in case he has a mind to alter his Condition, so that there can be no Marriage without his Consent, which however he seldom refuses; and therefore it may be said, that it all terminates in a meer Formality and Punctilio of Honour to the Conqueror. At all the other Full-Moons of the Year, without Exception, they fight Cocks. They take their Pleasure in Gondola's, during the Summer; and in the Winter they are drawn upon the Snow in Sleds. For two Days they take all the innocent Pleasures they are capable of, except that of the Eagle planted on the Pole. The rest of the Month every body is at their Business, and there are no other Feasts at all.

Having spent all this Time without putting our Hands to any thing, we gave our Patron to understand that we should be glad of some Business. At first they pretended not to give ear to it, but seeing that we insisted on being employ'd, they gave us Wool to cleanse, wash, beat, and card, as thinking that we were fit for nothing else. We were soon weary of this Work. _La Foret_, who was by Profession a Watchmaker, wanted to take a File in his Hand, and to work on the Movement of a Watch; but there were no such Machines in those Parts, and it would have been difficult to have given them a Notion of such presently. When they perceiv'd our Dissatisfaction, they were willing to make use of us for the Rigging of a little Fleet.

There being Twenty-two Houses in our Canton or Village, of which I shall give a Description hereafter, the Number of Vessels to be equipp'd was the same. Every Master of a Family caus'd his Vessel to be fitted, and the necessary Provisions to be put on Board, to serve four Persons for three Weeks. In these Vessels they put all manner of Provisions or Merchandise which they knew to be proper for a Voyage; as for Instance, Cordage, Pullies, Wheelbarrows, Hatchets, Spades, Mattocks, Pick-Axes, and other Tools fit to turn up the Ground; but especially Robes, and other Habits, Woollen and Linen. It was then the Month of _December_, and by consequence in the Heart of Summer, and in the finest Season of the Year. As the Goats are extremely large in that Country, and as strong as our Horses, they are generally made use of for Carriages. There were four of 'em to every Boat, of which two drew for two Hours, while the others eat, and relied in the Vessel. Thus they work'd alternately for fifteen or sixteen Hours every Day, which was in a manner from Sun-rise to Sun-set, but at Night there was a Halt, and a general Rest.

My Comrade and I could never see enough of the Beauties of this inchanting Country, and the Riches of its Soil. Their Orchards were adorn'd with fine Trees, some in Blossom, and others with ripe Fruit, the most excellent in the World; their Arable Lands were cover'd with Wheat, Barley, and other Grain; their Pastures were full of Goats and Sheep, of an extraordinary Size (for as to Horses and Cows, I never saw any there) and every thing was in such Elegance, Order, and Regularity, that it perfectly charm'd us.

The whole Country, which, as we were afterwards inform'd, extends 130 _French_ Leagues from East to West, and 80 at least from North to South, is divided into Cantons or Villages. These Cantons are exactly of the Form of a Quadrangle, each Side being 1500 Paces, or an _Italian_ Mile and Half in length, incompass'd all round, and separated from one another by a Canal 20 Paces broad, and a Royal Road on each side of it of 25 Paces, with two Rows of Trees in the middle, which form a Walk of 25 Foot, or five Geometrical Paces, that there may be free and commodious Passage for the Creatures employed to draw the Boats.

Every Canton is also divided in the middle by a Ditch of 20 Paces, and by a Road on both sides, of 25; with Trees planted after the same manner. Every one of these Roads contains 11 Habitations in length, each being 130 Geometrical Paces in Front, and about 700 in Depth, which are also separated by little Ditches five Foot over. At the Head of every one of these Habitations, on the Side of the Ditch which divides the Village into two equal Parts, there's a House only one Story high, but 60 Foot wide, with a Passage in the middle, which leads to all the Apartments, Stables, Barns, and other Offices. The Reason why they have no Upper Rooms is, because sometimes, tho' very seldom, they are subject to violent high Winds, which throw down their Houses to the Ground, for their Buildings are but slight.

From this Disposition that I have now describ'd, tis plain that in one Canton there are 22 Habitations; or Houses, opposite to one another, and all of the same Height and Breadth, 11 on one side of the Canal, and 11 on the other. At each End of this Water, on both Sides, there are Bridges to pass from one Village to the other, besides some in the middle of each Canton, which are all built of Free-Stone of fine Architecture, and kept in very good Repair. In these Twenty-two Families, there were always two of Distinction; one, that of the _Papɤ_ or Priest; and the other, that of the _Kini_, or Judge of the Canton, which face the middle Bridge, and are opposite to one another; and behind these Houses there's an Apartment the breadth of the whole House, which serve the one for the Church, the other for the Court or Senate. But we shall have occasion to treat more of this perhaps elsewhere, and therefore we return now to our Journey.

We stay'd nine Days upon the Road, and when we came within seven or eight Leagues from the Place to which we were bound, we began to discover the Highlands, where we saw nothing scarce but Mountains, whose Tops seem'd to touch the Clouds, and dazzled our Eyes with the Whiteness of the Snow, with which they are cover'd all the Year round. The Canal where we were, ended about two short Leagues from those Hills, so that there we were oblig'd to halt. Part of our Company stay'd there in the Boats, and the rest of us made our way to the Mountains. But before we came to them, we were fain to pass thro' a very beautiful Forest.

The perpetual Din and Clatter, which we heard as we went on, made me think more than once, of _Vulcan_ and his Cyclops. The Air resounded with great Strokes of Hammers, and one would actually have sworn that we were but three Paces from the Forges of Mount _Gibel_, or the Anvils of _Brontes_, _Pyracmon_, and _Steropes_. We were not vastly mistaken in our Conjecture, for the Men whom we discover'd soon after were not much unlike Giants and Dæmons; some of them were monstrously tall, others as shagged as Bears, and not one but was blacker than a _Newcastle_ Collier.

Some of our Company immediately apply'd to a Director, and told him what Canton we were come from, what sort of Merchandise we had brought, and what we came for in exchange. Then they presented me and my Comrade to him, which we believed was to desire him to conduct us to all those Places which he thought worth seeing by People who had never been there; for he presently gave Orders to one of his Footmen to accompany us wherever we went, and five of our Companions join'd us.

The first thing he shew'd us was a large Pit, of a prodigious Depth, where was an Iron Mine which had been work'd for thousands of Years, and from whence so much Earth, _&c._ had been dug as form'd several other Mountains near it. On the left side of this Pit was a Descent of Steps, which the Workmen had made in the Rock as they dug downwards, but tho' they were broad and easy, I did not care to go down them. Over it they had erected a wooden Machine, and a great Windlass, with a Pulley fasten'd to it three Foot in Diameter, which drew up the Oar, by means of Baskets that were fill'd by Men at the bottom, as often as they were let down. On the right side of the Pit there was not a Hand at work, but every thing seem'd in Disorder. Our Guide perceiving me stoop to view the confused State of it, made Signs to me, by which he gave me to understand, as well as he could, that not above five Months ago a great part of the Mountain; which had perhaps been undermin'd too far on that Side, broke away, and in the Fall crush'd 360 Labourers that were at work.

After we had view'd that Place, he carry'd us to another, from whence Coal was extracted after the same manner; but 'tis much fatter than the _English_ Coal, and even than that Mineral which is produc'd in the Country of _Liege_, for the Fire that is commonly made of it burns twenty-four Hours, without laying on fresh Coals.

Between these two Mines there was a Pond of Mineral Water, which continually bubbled up. They make use of it to scour their Bodies, Clothes, and Utensils; but they can't dress their Victuals with it, 'tis so very ill-tasted. The Iron which they steep in this hot Water becomes impenetrably hard, and is much fitter than our Steel to make Springs of. I never was at a Loss to account for the degree of Heat which is said to be in the Mineral Waters of _Aix la Chapelle_, because they come thro' long Subterranean Channels, where the Earth no doubt abounds with bituminous and sulphureous Particles, which being themselves much agitated, communicate a part of their Motion to them, as they pass along; but here I really saw nothing like it. For this was a little Lake of standing Water, which, as fast as it wafted by Exhalations, and what was drawn off by People for their Use, was supply'd by a Stone Pipe, which Nature seem'd to have form'd for the Purpose, from whence there came a Thread of Water as clear as Crystal, but colder than Marble; which made me think there must be a prodigious Fire of Spirits underneath to give it that Heat and Ferment.

We went also to see the Men that separated the Iron from the Mine, the Furnaces where they melted it, and the Forges where they extended it into Bars, to be work'd elsewhere; but all this was so like the Practice in _Europe_, that there's no need to describe it here.

I understood by what they told me afterwards, that this intire Chain of Mountains, which serves instead of a Barrier to this fine Country, is properly the Magazine from whence these People have great part of their Wealth, and things which are generally useful in Society; as Stones for Building, others for Lime; Salt, which, tho' different from ours, is very good; very fine Pewter, and red Copper, but in a very little Quantity, which at the same time coils a great deal of Labour, and the Lives of very many Men.