Minstrelsy of the Scottish border - National Library of Scotland

330 MINSTRELSY OF
board was expended. This must have been no small
quantity, for a skilful mathematician who was on board,
judging from the proportion of line let down, declared,
that the adventurer must have descended at least double
the number of leagues which the moon is computed to
be distant from the earth. At such a depth, wonders
iToight be expected, and wonderful was the account
given by the adventurer, when drawn up to the air.
" After," said he, " I had passed the region of fishes,
" I descended into a pure element, clear as the air in the
" serenest and most unclouded day, through which, as
" I passed, I saw the bottom of the watery world, pa-
" ved with coral, and a shining kind of pebbles, which
«' glittered like the sun-beams, reflected on a glass. I
" longed to tread the delightful paths, and never felt
'' more exquisite delight than when the machine, I was
" inclosed in, grazed upon it.
" On looking through the little windows of my prison,
" I saw large streets and squares on every side, orna-
" mented with huge pyramids of crystal, not inferior in
" brightness to the finest diamonds ; and the most beau-
" tiful buildings, not of stone, nor brick, but of mother-
" of-pearl, and embossed in various figures, with shells
" of all colours. The passage, which led to one of those
" magnificent apartments, being open, 1 endeavoiu'ed,
" with my whole strength, to move my enclosure to-
" wards it; which I did, though with great difficulty, and
" very slowly. At last, however, I got entrance into a