The Blazing World

were both very glad at, and when the ships were made ready, the Duchess told the Empress, that it was requisite that her Majesty should go herself in body, as well as in soul; but I, said she, can only wait on your Majesty after a spiritual manner, that is, with my soul. Your soul, said the Empress, shall live with my soul, in my body; for I shall only desire your counsel and advice. Then said the Duchess, your Majesty must command a great number of your Fish-men to wait on your ships; for you know that your ships are not made for cannons, and therefore are no ways serviceable in war; for though by the help of your engines, they can drive on, and your Fish-men may by the help of chains or ropes, draw them which way they will, to make them go on, or fly back, yet not so as to fight: And though your ships be of gold, and cannot be shot through, but only bruised and battered; yet the enemy will assault and enter them, and take them as prizes; wherefore your Fish-men must do you service instead of cannons. But how, said the Empress, can the Fish-men do me service against an enemy, without cannons and all sorts of arms? That is the reason, answered the Duchess, that I would have numbers of Fish-men, for they shall destroy all your enemy’s ships, before they can come near you. The Empress asked in what manner that could be? Thus, answered the Duchess: Your Majesty must send a number of Worm-men to the burning-mountains (for you have good store of them in the Blazing-World) which must get a great quantity of the fire-stone, whose property, you know, is, that it burns so long as it is wet; and the ships in the other world being all made of wood, they may by that means set them all on fire; and if you can but destroy their ships, and hinder their navigation, you will be mistress of all that world, by reason most parts thereof cannot live without navigation. Besides, said she, the fire-stone will serve you instead of light or torches; for you know, that the world you are going into, is dark at nights (especially if there be no moonshine, or if the moon be overshadowed by clouds) and not so full of blazing-stars as this world is, which make as great a light in the absence of the sun, as the sun doth when it is present; for that world hath but little blinking stars, which make more shadows than light, and are only able to draw up vapours from the earth, but not to rarify or clarify them, or to convert them into serene air.

This advice of the Duchess was very much approved, and joyfully embraced by the Empress, who forthwith sent her Worm-men to get a good quantity of the mentioned fire-stone. She also commanded numbers of Fish-men to wait on her underwater, and Bird-men to wait on her in the air; and Bear- and Worm-men to wait on her in ships, according to the Duchess’s advice; and indeed the Bear-men were as serviceable to her, as the North Star; but the Bird-men would often rest themselves upon the deck of the ships; neither would the Empress, being of a sweet and noble nature, suffer that they should tire or weary themselves by long flights; for though by land they did often fly out of one country into another, yet they did rest in some woods, or on some grounds, especially at night, when it was their sleeping time: And therefore the Empress was forced to take a great many ships along with her, both for transporting those several sorts of her loyal and serviceable subjects, and to carry provisions for them: Besides, she was so wearied with the petitions of several others of her subjects who desired to wait on her Majesty, that she could not possibly deny them all; for some would rather choose to be drowned, than not tender their duty to her.

Thus after all things were made fit and ready, the Empress began her journey; I cannot properly say, she set sail, by reason in some part, as in the passage between the two worlds (which yet was but short) the ships were drawn underwater by the Fish-men with golden chains, so that they had no need of sails there, nor of any other arts, but only to keep out water from entering into the ships, and to give or make so much air as would serve, for breath or respiration, those land-animals that were in the ships; which the Giants had so artificially contrived, that they which were therein, found no inconveniency at all: And after they had passed the Icy Sea, the golden ships appeared above water, and so went on until they came near the kingdom that was the Empress’s native country; where the Bear-men through their telescopes discovered a great number of ships which had beset all that kingdom, well rigged and manned.

The Empress before she came in sight of the enemy, sent some of her Fish- and Bird-men to bring her intelligence of their fleet; and hearing of their number, their station and posture, she gave order that when it was night, her Bird-men should carry in their beaks some of the mentioned fire-stones, with the tops thereof wetted; and the Fish-men should carry them likewise, and hold them out of the water; for they were cut in the form of torches or candles, and being many thousands, made a terrible show; for it appeared as if all the air and sea had been of a flaming-fire; and all that were upon the sea, or near it, did verily believe, the time of Judgment, or the Last Day was come, which made them all fall down, and pray.

At the break of day, the Empress commanded those lights to be put out, and