The Strange Voyage and Adventures of Domingo Gonsales, to the World in the Moon. Godwin Francis

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СКАЧАТЬ enough to acknowledge me: By their means I was received into Pay, and in Time obtained Favour with the Duke, who would sometimes jest a little more severely at my Personage than I could well bear, for though I must acknowledge my Stature is so little, as I think no Man living is less, yet since it is the Work of Heaven and not my own, he ought not to have upbraided a Gentleman therewith, and those glorious Things that have happened to me may evince, that wonderful Matters may be performed by very unlikely Bodies, if the Mind be good, and Fortune second our Endeavours.

      Though the Duke's Jokes a little disgusted me, yet I endeavoured to conceal my Resentment, and accommodating myself to some other of his Humours, I was so far interested in his Favour, that at his going into Spain, whither I attended him, by his Kindness, and other Accidents, wherein by my Industry I was seldom wanting to myself, I was able to carry home 300 °Crowns in my Pocket.

      At my Return, my Parents, who were extremely disturbed at my Departure, received me with Joy, which was increased because they found I had brought wherewith to maintain Myself without being chargeable to them, or lessening the Portions of my Brothers and Sisters. But doubting I would spend it as lightly as I got it, they sollicited me to marry the Daughter of John Figueres, a considerable Merchant of Lisbon, to which I complied, and putting my Marriage Money, and good Part of my own into the Hands of my father, I lived like a Gentleman many Years very happily: At length a Quarrel arising between me and Pedro Delgades, a Gentleman and Kinsman of mine; it grew so high, that when no Mediation of Friends could prevail, we two went alone with our Swords into the Field, where it was my Chance to kill him, tho' a stout proper Man; but what I wanted in Strength I Supplied in Courage, and my Agility countervailed for his Stature. This being acted in Carmona, I fled to Lisbon, thinking to conceal myself with some Friends of my Father-in-Law, till the Business might be accommodated; at which Time, a famous Spanish Count coming from the West-Indies, published triumphant Declarations of a great Victory he had obtained against the English near the Isle of Pines, whereas in reality he got nothing at all in that Voyage but Blows, and a considerable Loss. It had been well if Vanity and Lying had been his only Crimes; his Covetousness had like to have been my utter Ruin, though since it hath proved the Occasion of eternizing my Name I verily believe to all Posterity, and to the unspeakable Benefit of all Mortals for ever hereafter, at least if it please Heaven that I return home safe to my Country, and give perfect Instructions how those almost incredible and impossible Acquirements may be imparted to the World. You shall then see Men flying in the Air, from one Place to another, you shall then be able to send Messages many hundred Miles in an Instant, and receive Answers immediately, without the Help of any Creature upon Earth; you shall then presently impart your Mind to your Friend, though in the most remote and obscure Place of a populous City, and a Multitude of other notable Experiments; but what exceeds all, you shall then have the Discovery of a New World, and Abundance of rare and incredible Secrets of Nature, which the Philosophers of former Ages never so much as dreamt of; but I must be cautious in publishing these wonderful Mysteries, till our Statesmen have considered how they may consist with the Policy and good Government of our Country, and whether the Fathers of the Church may not judge the divulging them prejudicial to the Catholic Faith, which (by those Wonders I have seen above any mortal Man before me) I am instructed to advance without Respect to any temporal Advantage whatsoever.

      But to proceed: This huffing Captain pretended much Discontent for the Death of Delgades, who was indeed some Kin to him; however, he was willing to be quiet if I would give him a thousand Ducats: I had now, besides a Wife, two Sons, whom I was not willing to beggar, only to satisfy the avaricious Humour of this Boaster, and so was necessitated to take some other Course. I embarked in a stout Carrick bound for the East-Indies, carrying the Value of two thousand Ducats to trade with, leaving as much more for the Support of my Wife and Children behind, whatever Misfortune might happen to me. In the Indies I thrived exceedingly, laying out my Stock in Diamonds, Emeralds, and Pearls, which I bought at such easy Rates, that my Stock safely arriving in Spain, (as I understood it did) must needs yield ten for one. But having doubled Cape Bona Esperanza in my Way home, I fell dangerously sick, expediting nothing but Death, which had undoubtedly happened, but that we just then recovered the blessed Isle of St. Hellens, the only Paradise I believe on Earth, for Healthfulness of Air, and Fruitfulness of Soil, producing all Necessaries for the Life of Man. It is about 16 Leagues in Compass, and has no firm Land or Continent within 300 Leagues, nay not so much as an Island within an hundred Leagues of it, so that it may seem a Miracle of Nature, that out of so vast and tempestuous an Ocean, such a small Rock or Piece of Ground should arise and discover itself. On the South is a good Harbour, and near it divers small Houses built by the Portuguese to accommodate Strangers, with a pretty Chapel handsomely beautified with a Tower, and Bell therein. Near it is a Stream of excellent fresh Water, divers handsome Walks, planted on both Sides with Orange, Lemon, Pomegranate, Almond-Trees and the like, which bear Fruit all the Year, as do also divers others. There are Store of Garden Herbs, with Wheat, Pease, Barley, and most Kinds of Pulse; but it chiefly aboundeth with Cattle and Fowl, as Goats, Swine, Sheep, Partridges, wild Hens, Pheasants, Pigeons, and wild Fowl beyond Credit; but especially about February and March are to be seen huge Flocks of a kind of wild Swans, (whereof I shall have Occasion to speak more hereafter) who like our Cuckows and Nightingales, go away at a certain Season, and are no more seen that Year.

      On this happy Island did they set me ashore with a Negro to attend me, where. I recovered my Health, and continued a whole Year, solacing myself for want of human Society with Birds and brute Beasts; Diego my Black moor was forced to live in a Cave at the West End of the Isle, for had we dwelt together, Victuals would not have been so plenty with us; but now, if one succeeded well in hunting or fowling, the other would find Means to treat him, and if both missed, we were fain to look out sharply; but this seldom happened, since no Creature there fears a Man more than a Goat or Cow, whereby I easily tamed divers Kinds of Birds and Beasts by only muzzling them, so that till they came either to me or Diego they could not feed. At first I much delighted in a Kind of Partridges, and a tame Fox, whereof I made good Use for if I had Occasion to confer with Diego, I would take one of them muzzled and hungry, and tying a Note about his Neck, beat him from me, whereupon he would strait away to Diego's Cave, and if he were not there, would beat about till he found him, yet this Conveyance being not without some Inconvenience, I persuaded Diego, (who tho' a Fellow of good Parts, was content to be ruled by me) to remove to a Cape on the North-west Part of the Island, being though a League off, yet within Sight of my House and Chapel, and so when the Weather was fair, we could by Signals declare our Minds to each other in an Instant either by Night or Day, wherein we took much Pleasure. If in the Night I would signify any Thing to him, I set up a Light in the Bell Tower, which was a pretty large-Room with a fair Window well glazed, and the Walls within plaistered white, so that though the Light were but small, it made a great Show; after this Light had stood half an Hour, I covered it, and then if I saw any Signal of Light again from my Companion I knew he waited for my Notice, and so by hiding and shewing my Light according to the Agreement betwixt us, I certified him of what I pleased. In the Day I advertised him by Smoke, Dust, and other refined Ways.

      After a while I grew weary of it as too painful, and again used my winged Messengers, upon the Shore, about the Mouth of our River, I found Store of a kind of wild Swans feeding upon Prey, both of Fish and Birds, and which is more strange; having one Claw like an Eagle, and the other like a Swan. These Birds breeding here in infinite Numbers, I took thirty or forty of them young, and bred them up by Hand for Recreation; yet not without some Thoughts of that Experiment which I after put in Practice. These being strong and able to continue a great Flight, I taught them first to come at Call afar off, not using any Noise, but only shewing them a white Cloth; and here I found it true what Plutarch affirms, That Creatures which eat Flesh are more docible than others. 'Tis wonderful to think what Tricks I taught them ere they were a Quarter old, amongst others I used them by Degrees to fly with Burdens, wherein I found them able beyond Belief, and a white Sheet being displayed to them by Diego, upon the Side of a Hill, they would carry from me to him Bread, Flesh, or whatever I pleased, and upon the like Calf come to me again. Having proceeded thus far, I consulted how to join a Number of them together, so as to carry a heavier Weight, which if I could compass, СКАЧАТЬ