rt, he understood very quickly that a thinking being is not
necessarily ridiculous just because he is only 6,000 feet tall. He
got to know the Saturnians after their shock wore off. He built a
strong friendship with the secretary of the academy of Saturn, a
spirited man who had not invented anything, to tell the truth, but
who understood the inventions of others very well, and who wrote some
passable verses and carried out some complicated calculations. I will
report here, for the reader's satisfaction, a singular conversation
that Micromegas had with the secretary one day.

[8] See my note, page 110. B. [this note, in Zadig, says: "This
line is mostly written at the expense of Rollin, who often employs
these expressions in his _Treatise on Studies_. Voltaire returns
to it often: see, in the present volume, chapter I of Micromegas,
and in volume XXXIV, chapter XI of _The Man of Forty Crowns_,
chapter IX of _The White Bull_ and volume XI, the second verse of
song VIII of _The Young Virgin_. B."]

[9] English savant, author of _Astro-Theology_, and several other
works that seek to prove the existence of God through detailing
the wonders of nature: unfortunately he and his imitators are
often mistaken in their explanation of these wonders; they rave
about the wisdom that is revealed in a phenomenon, but one soon
discovers that the phenomenon is completely different than they
supposed; so it is only their own fabrications that give them this
impression of wisdom. This fault, common to all works of its type,
discredited them. One knows too far in advance that the author
will end up admiring whatever he has chosen to discuss.

CHAPTER II.

Conversation between the inhabitant of Sirius and that of Saturn.

After his excellency laid himself down to rest the secretary
approached him.

"You have to admit," said Micromegas, "that nature is extremely
varied."

"Yes," said the Saturnian, "nature is like a flower bed wherein the
flowers--"

"Ugh!" said the other, "leave off with flower beds."

The secretary began again. "Nature is like an assembly of blonde and
brown-haired girls whose jewels--"

"What am I supposed to do with your brown-haired girls?" said the
other.

"Then she is like a gallery of paintings whose features--"

"Certainly not!" said the voyager. "I say again that nature is like
nature. Why bother looking for comparisons?"

"To please you," replied the Secretary.

"I do not want to be