same entrance I was ushered. It was as large as a
coach-door, and I took my seat in the centre, a kind of chair
self-balanced without touching anything, like the fancied tomb of
Mahomet. The whole interior surface of the nutshell appeared a luminous
representation of all the stars of heaven, the fixed stars, the
planets, and a comet. The stars were as large as those worn by our first
nobility, and the comet, excessively brilliant, seemed as if you had
assembled all the eyes of the beautiful girls in the kingdom, and
combined them, like a peacock's plumage, into the form of a comet--that
is, a globe, and a bearded tail to it, diminishing gradually to a point.
This beautiful constellation seemed very sportive and delightful. It
was much in the form of a tadpole! and, without ceasing, went, full
of playful giddiness, up and down, all over the heaven on the concave
surface of the nutshell. One time it would be at that part of the
heavens under my feet, and in the next minute would be over my head. It
was never at rest, but for ever going east, west, north, or south, and
paid no more respect to the different worlds than if they were so many
lanterns without reflectors. Some of them he would dash against and push
out of their places; others he would burn up and consume to ashes: and
others again he would split into fritters, and their fragments would
instantly take a globular form, like spilled quicksilver, and become
satellites to whatever other worlds they should happen to meet with in
their career. In short, the whole seemed an epitome of the creation,
past, present, and future; and all that passes among the stars during
one thousand years was here generally performed in as many seconds.

I surveyed all the beauties of the chariot with wonder and delight.
"Certainly," cried I, "this is heaven in miniature!" In short, I took
the reins in my hand. But before I proceed on my adventures, I shall
mention the rest of my attendant furniture. The chariot was drawn by a
team of nine bulls harnessed to it, three after three. In the first rank
was a most tremendous bull named John Mowmowsky; the rest were called
Jacks in general, but not dignified by any particular denomination. They
were all shod for the journey, not indeed like horses, with iron, or
as bullocks commonly are, to drag on a cart; but were shod with men's
skulls. Each of their feet was, hoof and all, crammed into a man's head,
cut off for the purpose, and fastened ther