Page:A trip to the moon (IA triptomoon00mcde).pdf/69

 various Cases that they were capable of, in long Pieces of Paper, whose Breadth did not exceed half an Inch; they next twisted this Paper with their Wheels, till those Letters which appear'd on the Outside of the Thread were jumbled into a Poetical Line. Those Lines were carefully set down in a Day-Book by one appointed for that Purpose; from which they were transferr'd by others into another Book, and rang'd in harmonious Order, according to their Agreement or Disagreement. Whensoever it happen'd that a Thread was broke, they piec'd it with a proper Name, an old Proverb, or a Simile; of which they always had a good Store ready made for those Occasions. It is not strange that those Poets should make those Verses thus mechanically, to any one that considers how possible the Work is; for where the Vowels and Consonants are so variously mix'd, and such a Quantity of them on each Side of the Paper, it necessarily follows, that in Twisting some of the Letters must be hid, whilst those that appear'd on the Sides of the Thread as certainly must make Words, as that Words are made of Vowels and Consonants. I will not say that the uniform Motion of the Wheel, and the Squeezing of the Letters according to Art, contributed nothing to their Endeavours. Indeed, they could not find a Line which was good Sense upon every Thread, tho' upon some they found two or three, when the Spinster was skilful, and the Paper able to endure many Twistings. Abbreviations and Apostrophes were occasion'd by some Letters being hid in a Wrinkle, which did really belong to the Line, tho' the Skill of the Spinsters could not force them to shew themselves.

As to those at work at the Anvils, said he, they are employ'd in making Epick Poems: Their Hammers are of Leads, and their Anvils of Crab-Tree: They have all the Letters of the Alphabet written