Page:A trip to the moon (IA triptomoon00mcde).pdf/36



soon as he was gone, Blmmsl invited me to drink Tea with her, over which she oblig'd me in taking poor Fribbigghe to pieces. Then she gave me the private Characters of all the beautiful Ladies in Town; but amongst them all, there was not one that got a good Word; and as the Tea Leaves began to spread themselves, so she began to discover her Mind, 'till I became acquainted with all her Secrets. I have since enquir'd of many ingenious Gentlemen, to find out the true Cause of Ladies venting their Scandal over Tea; some of whose Opinions, with their leave, I shall set down.

One told me that Sympathy was the Cause of it; for, said he, we may observe that the hot Water has the same Effect upon the Tea Leaves, that it has upon a Lady, for they both discover what was not seen before, upon taking it; whence he inferr'd, that a Woman's Soul was most like a Tea Leaf, of any thing it cou'd be compar'd to, because it is so easily oblig'd to discover its Secrets. But I objected that Sympathy was exploded, and 'till he cou'd prove that the Soul of a Woman is surrounded by the hot Water upon drinking it, as Tea Leaves are in the Pot, his Similitude would not be just; which if he undertook to prove, he must inevitably place a Lady's Soul in some part of her Belly; but I advis'd him to take care how he asserted such a thing, since thereby he might probably incur the Displeasure of the whole Sex.

Another said, since by the help of Microscopes, we have discover'd certain Eminences upon Leaves, and certain Animals creeping, nay, running among them,