# The Genuine Remains in Verse and Prose of Mr. Samuel Butler/Volume 1/The Elephant in the Moon—A Satyr—in short Verse

THE
ELEPHANT
IN THE
MOON.
* ↑ This Poem was intended by the Author for a Satyr upon the Royal Society, which, according to his Opinion, at least, ran too much at that Time into the Virtuoso Taste, and a whimsical Fondness for surprizing and wonderful Stories in natural History. It was founded upon a Fact mentioned in a Note upon Hudibras's Heroical Epistle to Sidrophel, where the Annotator observing, that one Sir Paul Neale, a conceited Virtuoso, and Member of the Royal Society, was probably characterised under the Person of Sidrophel, adds———"This was the Gentleman who, I am told, made a great Discovery of an Elephant in the Moon, which upon Examination, proved to be no other than a Mouse, which had mistaken its Way and got into his Telescope." See Greys Hudibras, vol. ii. p. 105. Butler was a profest Enemy to the Method of Philosophizing in fashion in his Time, as appears not only from his Works, which are already printed, but from those which I have in Manuscript.—To ridicule this, he introduced into his Hudibras the Character of Sidrophel, which I can assure the Reader, upon the Poet's own Authority, was intended for a Picture of Sir Paul Neal; and, indeed one must own, notwithstanding the many useful Labours of the Royal Society, that at their first setting out, even as it is represented by their learned and florid Panegyrist the Bishop of Rochester, they did justly lay themselves open to the Lashes of Wit and Satyr.
* ↑ As true a that of Ireland, &c.) This probably is a satyrical Allusion to Sir William Petty, who was employed in taking a Survey of Ireland in Cromwell's Time, and was afterwards impeached in the Parliament of 1658, for mismanagement in the Distributions and Allotments of the Irish Lands. See Ward's Lives of the Professors of Gresham College, p, 219.
* ↑ For settling of new Plantations.] A Sneer, no doubt, upon Bishop Wilkins, who, in his Discourse to prove, that the Moon may be an habitable World has this Passage.— "'Tis the Opinion of Keplar that as soon as the Art of flying is found out, some of their Nation will make one of the first Colonies that shall transplant into that other World. I suppose his appropriating this Preheminence to his own Countrymen, may arise from an over partial Affection to them. But yet thus far I agree with him, that whenever that Art is invented, or any other, whereby a Man may be conveyed some twenty Miles high, or thereabout, then 'tis not altogether improbable that some or other may be successful in this attempt." See Wilkins's Mathematical and Philosophical Works, p. 115.
* ↑ And now the lofty Tube, the Scale—With which they Heav'n itself avail] This too seems to be a Banter upon a Passage in Wilkins, where he says,—"'Tis related of Eudoxus, that he wished himself burnt with Phaeton, so he might stand over the Sun to contemplate its Nature; had he lived in these Days, he might have enjoy'd his Wish at an easier Rate; and scaling the Heavens
* ↑ When one who for his deep Belief—Was Virtuoso then in chief.] There is no avoiding the appropriating this Character and Speech to the then President of the Royal Society the Lord Viscount Brounker. Sprat in his History mentions him in the following Terms:—"William, Lord Viscount Brounker President; which Office has been annually renew'd to him by Election, out of the true Judgment, which the Society has made of his great Abilities in all natural and especially mathematical Knowledge:" And 'tis very probable, that the Poet sneeringly alludes to this Compliment in these two Lines. Butler as well in this, as in the following Characters and Speeches, which he introduces into this Story, may very plainly be observed to describe particular Persons; and it would be no difficult Task, perhaps, from the Circumstances he mentions, to point them out; but I chuse to decline it, rather than to be thought to endeavour by an invidious Explication to add Bitterness to a Satyr, which may be judged severe enough already against Gentlemen, who in many Respects have deserved so well of their Country, and the learned World. I cannot help observing on this Occasion, that 'tis very probable, that the true Reason of this Poem's not being published in the Author's Life-time, was the many personal Reflections contained in it upon Persons of great Consideration, who were, some of them, then alive.
* ↑ Do live in Cellars under-ground, &c.] This alludes to a visionary Book of Keplar's about the Moon and its Inhabitants.—A Passage from Bishop Wilkins's Discovery of a new World in the Moon, will be sufficient to explain it. Speaking of the Gibbosities of the Moon, he says—"Now if you would ask a Reason, why there should be such a multitude of these in that Planet, the same Keplar shall jest you out an Answer. Supposing (saith he) that those Inhabitants are bigger than any of us, in the same Proportion as their days are longer than ours, viz. by fifteen Times, it may be, for want of Stones to erect such vast Houses as were requisite for their Bodies, they are fain to dig great and round Hollows in the Earth, where they may both procure Water for their Thirst, and turning about with the Shade, may avoid those great Heats, which otherwife they would be liable unto. Or if you will give Cæsar la Galla leave to guess in the same Manner, he would rather think, that those thirsty Nations cast up so many and so great Heaps of Earth, in digging of their Wine cellars." See Wilkins's Mathem. and Philosoph. Works, p. 68.
* ↑ Calld Privolvans, &c.] This and the following Term Subvolvans are also taken from Keplar.—Wilkins, speaking of the Moon and its supposed Inhabitants, says—"Keplar calls this World by the Name of Levania, from the Hebrew Word לבכה which signifies the Moon, and our Earth by the Name of Volva, a volvendo; because it does by Reason of its diurnal Revolution appear unto them constantly to turn round; and therefore he stiles those, who live in that Hemisphere, which is towards us, by the Title of Subvolvani, because they enjoy the Sight of this Earth; and the others Privolvani, quia sunt privati conspectu volvæ, because they are deprived of this Privilege." See Wilkins's Mathem. Works, p. 46.
* ↑ For as th' Arcadians were reputed—Of all the Grecians the most stupid—Whom nothing in the World could bring—To civil Life, but fiddling.] The Arcadians were reckoned stupid even to a Proverb.—Hence Lucian's Expression Ποθεν γαρ εν Αρκαδια σοφιςης, η φλοσοφος. See also Juvenal,—————————læva in parte mamillæ Nil salit Arcadico juveni ——— —————Sat. vii. v. 160. They were no less remarkable for their Fondness for Music; and Polybius observes, that by the Laws of their Country, they were obliged to learn and practise it from their Infancy, till they were thirty Years old; and that they introduced it into all their public Meetings upon every Occasion. See Polybius, b. 8. With what particular View our Author introduc'd this Circumstance of the Privolvans being akin to the old Arcadians, and of their both being fond of Music, I must leave to the Conjectures of future Annotators. I shall only add, that I find by many satyrical Flings among his loose Papers, that he was no Friend to Musicians—and perhaps, he only intended to hint, that they are a Sort of Lunatics.
* ↑ And which produc'd best Genet-Moyles.] Butler here had in his Eye John Evelyn, Esq; F.R.S. who wrote a philosophical Discourse of Earth, and presented it to the Royal Society, April 29, 1625, which is dedicated to Lord Viscount Brounker. He also wrote a Treatise called Pomona, or an Appendix concerning Fruit-trees in relation to Cyder, in which (speaking of the best sort of Cyder-Apples) he says, p. 65.—Some commend the Fox-whelp; and the Gennet-Moyle was once prefer'd to the very Red-strake, and before the Bromsbury-Crab; but upon mature Consideration the very Critics themselves now recant, as being to effeminate and soft for a judicious Palate.
* ↑ Should cause the startled Beast t' imboss.] To imboss is to hide himself, taken from the Italian imboscare to run into cover.
* ↑ All other Stars and Constellations—Have Cattle of all sorts of Nations;] See much the same Thought in Hudibras, where Sidrophel speaking about the new Star, which he took the Paper-lanthorn to be, says, I'm certain 'tis not in the Scrowl Of all those Beasts, and Fish and Fowl, With which like Indian Plantations The Learned stock the Constellations.P. II. C. 3. ver. 429.
* ↑ And if the Moon produce by Nature—A People of so vast a Stature,] See a Passage before cited from Keplar, where he supposes the Inhabitants of the Moon to be fifteen Times bigger than any of us.
* ↑ Most excellent and virtuous Friends.] The Sense of the Word virtuous in this Speech and other Parts of this Poem is to be taken from the French Virtù, from whence the Term Virtuoso.
* ↑ Nor shall our ablest Virtuosos—Prove Arguments for Coffee-houses.] To the same Thing Butler alludes in his Hudibras, where Sidrophel, defending his Art against the Objectors to it, calls them Those wholesale Critics, that in Coffee- Houses, cry down all Philosophy.P. II. C. 3. ver. 109. And that the Wits of that Age did joke upon the Labours of the Royal Society is clear from Sprat's History of it, in which, after having enumerated the many Advantages arising from their Labours, and among the rest that of improving Wit by furnishing the Imagination with such a Stock of new Images, he adds—"And now I hope that what I have said will prevail something with the Wits and Railleurs of this Age, to reconcile their Opinions and Discourses to these Studies: For now they may behold that their Interest is united with that of the Royal Society; and that if they shall decry the promoting of Experiments, they will deprive themselves of the most fertile Subject of Fancy; and indeed it has been with respect to these terrible Men, that I have made this long Digression. I acknowledge that we ought to have a great Dread of their Power: I confess I believe, that new Philosophy need not (as Cæsar) fear the Pale, or the Melancholy, as much as the Humourous, and the Merry: For they perhaps by making it ridiculous, because it is new, and because they themselves are unwilling to take Pains about it, may do it more Injury than all the Arguments of our severe and frowning dogmatical Adversaries." See Sprat's History, p. 417.
* ↑ Nor new invented Chariots draw.] This and the three following Verses are very nearly verbatim inserted in Hudibras's heroical Epistles to Sidrophel, besides several others here and there in this Poem, which it will be unnecessary to point out to the Admirers of Butler.—It is very usual with him to introduce a Verse or two almost literally the same into different Compositions.
* ↑ To clear the grand Hypothesis———Of th' Motion of the Earth from this.] The Copernican System of the Earth's Motion was not at this Time generally received; and our Poet seems in most Places wherein be mentions it, to sneer it as a philosophic Whim. Wilkins, who was pretty sanguine in his Opinions, writ a Book upon this Subject, and yet modestly entitles it—"A Discourse, concerning a new Planet tending to prove, that ('tis probable) our Earth is one of the Planets." See Wilkins's Philosophical Works.
* ↑ ————This Disquisition,———Is, half of it, in my Discission.] The Defect in the first of these Lines must not be imputed to any in the Manuscript, which is very fair, but to the Poet's Whim—The Word Discission is spelled in this fanciful Way, I suppose, with a punning Allusion to the Character of this philosophical Cutter-up of Rats, Mice, &c.
* ↑ Only to make new Work for Stubs,—And all the academick Clubs.] Henry Stubbe, Physician at Warwick, published a Book entitled, Legends as Histories: or a Specimen of some Animadversions upen the History of the Royal Society. Lond. 1670. 4to.———In which he is no less severe upon the Labours of that learned Body, than he is upon the Manner of their Historian's setting them forth.
* ↑ Some hold no Way so orthodox—To try it as the Ballot-Box.] It is almost needless to observe, that the Method of determining Elections, &c, at the Royal Society is by Ballotting.
* ↑ Should be chaldes'd by Gnats, and Flies.] The Term chaldes'd we meet with in Hudibras in the same Sense. He stole your Cloak, and pick'd your Pocket, Chorus'd and caldes'd you like a Blockhead. Hudib. P. II. C. 3. ver. 1009.
* ↑ That those who greedily pursue—Things wonderful, &c.] From this moral Application of the Whole, one may observe, that the Poet's real Intention in this Satire, was not to ridicule real and useful Philosophy, but only that conceited and whimsical Taste for the marvelous and surprizing, which prevailed so much among the Learned of that Age. And though it would be ungrateful, not to acknowledge the many useful Improvements then made in natural Knowledge; yet, in justice to the Satyrist, it must be confess'd that these curious Inquirers into Nature did sometimes in their Researches run into a superstitious and unphilosophical Credulity, which deserved very well to be laughed at.