The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-05-28
Gte Aailp ao,traat.
AstoluhO,s Visit to the Noon, and
What He Saw There.

contain the richest vari-
.tv of marvellous stories that it has been
Dur lot to meet with for many day.
Mounted on fying-horse or hippogrif,
one of the heroes ascends to the moon.
He there 6nds q celestial guide, who j
shows him the wonders of the place. 1t
is an cid idea that the moon has some
thing to do with madness, which idea is
conveyed in the words lunacy, moon
struck, and perhaps others. Astolpho
found it But we viii extract from
the cbapter itself an account of his dis
eoveries:
The prince, We are told, discovered in
this region so new to him, rivers, lakes,
plains, hills and valleys. Many beauti
ful cities and castles enriched the land
scape. He saw also vast forests, and
heard in them the sounds of horns and
the barking of dogs, which led him to
conclude that the nymphs were follow
ing the chase.
The knight, filed with wonder at all
he saw, was conducted by the saint to a
valley, where he stood amazed at the
riches strewed all around him. Well he
might be so, for that valley was the re-
ceptacle of things lost on earth, either by
mems fault or the effect of time and
chance Let no one suppose we speak
here of kingdoms or of treasures they
are the toys of Fortune, which she dis
penses in turning her wheel we speak
of things which she can neither give nor
take away. Such are regulations, which
appear at one time so brilliant, and
short time after are heard of no more.
Here, also, are countless vows and pray
ers for unattainable objects, lovers signs
and tears, time spent in gaming, dress
ing and doing nothing, the leisure of the
dull and the intentions of the lazy, base
less projects, intrigues and plots these
and such like things Ell all the valley.
Astolpho had a great desire to under
stand all that he saw and that appeared
TO him so extraordinary. Among the
rest, he observed a great mountain of
blown bladders, from which issued indis-
tinct noises The saint told him these
were the dynasties of Assyrian and Per
sian kings, once the wonder of the earth,
of which now scarce the name remains.
Astolpho could not help laughing when
the saint said to him 6s
"All these hooks of silver and gold
that you see are the gifts of courtiers to
princes, made in the hope of getting
something better in return.
He also showed him garlands of flow
ers in which snares were concealed
these were batteries and adulations,
meant to deceive.
But nothing was so comical as the
sight of numerous grass-hoppers which
had burst their lungs With chipping.
These, he told him, were sonnets, odes
and dedieations, addressed by venal poets
to great people.
The paladin beheld with wonder what
seemed lake of spilled milk.
" 1t is, said the saint, q the charity
done BY frightened misers on their death
beds"
It would take too long to tell all that
the valley contained; meanness, affecta-
tons, pretended virtues and concealed
vices were there in abundance.
Among the rest, Astolpho perceived
many days of his own lost, and many i'm
prudent sallies which he had made, and
would have been glad not to be reminded
of Bat he also saw among so many
lost things a great abundance of one
thing which men are apt to think they
all possess, and do not think it necessary
to pray for-good sense. This com
modify appeared under the form of a
liquor, most light and apt to evaporate
It was therefore kept in phials, firmly
sealed. One of these was labeled, The
sense of the Paladin Orlando"
All the bottles were ticketed, and the
sage placed one in Astolphos hand
which he found was his own. 1t was
more than half full. De was surprised
TO find there many other phials which
contained almost all the wits of man.
many persons who passed among mel
for wise. All, how easy it is to los'
ones reasonl Some lose theirs b.
Welding to the sway of passions; some il
Drawing tempests and shoals in search o
wealth; some by trusting too much Il
the promises of the great; some by SET
ting their hearts on trifes. As Nigh
have been expected, the bottles whicl
held the wits of astrologers, inventors
meta-physicians, and above all, of poets
were in general the best filled of all
Astolpho took;his bottle, put it to hi
nose and inhaled it all; and Turpin a;
sures us that he was for long tim
afterwards as sage as one could wish
but the archbishop adds that there wa
reason to fear that some of the fluid after
wards found it's way back into the bottle
The paladin took also the bottle whic
belonged to Orlando 1t was a large on
and quite full.
Before quitting the planetary regior
Astolpho was conducted to an edifce o
on the borders of river. He was show
an immense hall full of bundles of sill
linen, cotton and wool. A thousan
different coIors, brilliant or dull, som
quite black, were among these skein
In one part of the hall an old woman VIZ
busy winding off yarns from all thes
different bundles. When she had inishe
a skein, another ancient dome took
and placed it with the others; thin
selected from the feeees, spun an
mingled them in due proportions: III
oalad;r ;rcu;red what all this might b