"How far," said the Sirian, "do you reckon the distance between the great star of the constellation Gemini and that called Caniculæ?" To this question all of them answered with one voice: "Thirty-two degrees and a half." "And what is the distance from hence to the moon?" "Sixty semi-diameters of the earth." He then thought to puzzle them by asking the weight of the air; but they answered distinctly, that common air is about nine hundred times specifically lighter than an equal column of the lightest water, and nineteen hundred times lighter than current gold. The little dwarf of Saturn, astonished at their answers, was now tempted to believe those people sorcerers, who, but a quarter of an hour before, he would not allow were inspired with souls. "Well," said Micromegas, "since you know so well what is without you, doubtless you are still more perfectly acquainted with that which is within. Tell me what is the soul, and how do your ideas originate?" Here the philosophers spoke altogether as before; but each was of a different opinion. The eldest quoted Aristotle; another pronounced the name of Descartes; a third mentioned Mallebranche; a fourth Leibnitz; and a fifth Locke. An old peripatecian lifting up his voice, exclaimed with an air of confidence. "The soul is perfection and reason, having power to be such as it is, as Aristotle expressly declares, page 633, of the Louvre edition: "_Εντελεχεῖά τις ἐστι, καὶ λόγος τοὖ δύναμιν ἓχοντος_ _τοιοὗδι εἷ ταἷ_." "I am not very well versed in Greek," said the giant. "Nor I either," replied the philosophical mite. "Why then do you quote that same Aristotle in Greek?" resumed the Sirian. "Because," answered the other, "it is but reasonable we should quote what we do not comprehend in a language we do not understand." Here the Cartesian interposing: "The soul," said he, "is a pure spirit or intelligence, which hath received before birth all the metaphysical ideas; but after that event it is obliged to go to school and learn anew the knowledge which it hath lost." "So it was necessary," replied the animal of eight leagues, "that thy soul should be learned before birth, in order to be so ignorant when thou hast got a beard upon thy chin. But what dost thou understand by spirit?" "I have no idea of it," said the philosopher, "indeed it is supposed to be immaterial." "At least, thou knowest what matter is?" resumed the Sirian. "Perfectly well," answered the other. "For example: that stone is gray, is of a certain figure, has three dimensions, specific weight, and divisibility." "I want to know," said the giant, "what that object is, which, according to thy observation, hath a gray color, weight, and divisibility. Thou seest a few qualities, but dost thou know the nature of the thing itself?" "Not I, truly," answered the Cartesian.