The Two Travelers’ Experiments and Reasoning

Micromegas slowly reached his hand towards the place where the object had appeared, extended two fingers, and withdrew them for fear of being mistaken, then opened and closed them, and skillfully seized the vessel that carried these fellows, putting it on his fingernail without pressing it too hard for fear of crushing it.

Micromegas slowly reached his hand toward the place where the object had appeared. He extended two fingers, then pulled them back for fear of making a mistake. Then he opened and closed his fingers and skillfully picked up the ship carrying these fellows. He placed the ship on his fingernail, careful not to press too hard for fear of crushing it.

"Here is a very different animal from the first," said the dwarf from Saturn.

"This animal is very different from the first one," said the dwarf from Saturn.

The Sirian put the so-called animal in the palm of his hand. The passengers and the crew, who believed themselves to have been lifted up by a hurricane, and who thought they were on some sort of boulder, scurried around; the sailors took the barrels of wine, threw them overboard onto Micromegas hand, and followed after. The geometers took their quadrants, their sextants, two Lappland girls¹³, and descended onto the Sirian's fingers. They made so much fuss that he finally felt something move, tickling his fingers. It was a steel-tipped baton being pressed into his index finger. He judged, by this tickling, that it had been ejected from some small animal that he was holding; but he did not suspect anything else at first. The microscope, which could barely distinguish a whale from a boat, could not capture anything as elusive as a man. I do not claim to outrage anyone's vanity, but I am obliged to ask that important men make an observation here. Taking the size of a man to be about five feet, the figure we strike on Earth is like that struck by an animal of about six hundred thousandths¹⁴ the height of a flea on a ball five feet around. Imagine something that can hold the Earth in its hands, and which has organs in proportion to ours—and it may very well be that there are such things—conceive, I beg of you, what these things would think of the battles that allow a vanquisher to take a village only to lose it later.

The Sirian put the so-called animal in the palm of his hand. The passengers and crew believed a hurricane had lifted them up. Thinking they were on some sort of boulder, they scurried around. The sailors grabbed the wine barrels, threw them overboard onto Micromegas hand, and jumped down after them. The geometers took their quadrants, their sextants, and two Lappland girls¹³, and climbed down onto the Sirian's fingers. They made such a fuss that he finally felt something moving and tickling his fingers. A steel-tipped baton was pressing into his index finger. From the tickling, he concluded that some small animal he was holding had ejected the baton. But at first he suspected nothing more. His microscope could barely tell a whale from a boat. It could not make out anything as hard to see as a man. I do not mean to offend anyone's vanity, but I must ask important men to consider something here. Take a man's height to be about five feet. On Earth, we are proportionally like an animal about six hundred thousandths¹⁴ the height of a flea on a ball five feet around. Imagine a being that can hold the Earth in its hands, with organs proportioned like ours. Such beings may very well exist. Now consider, I beg you, what such beings would think of our battles. These battles let a conqueror capture a village, only to lose it later.

I do not doubt that if ever some captain of some troop of imposing grenadiers reads this work he will increase the size of the hats of his troops by at least two imposing feet. But I warn him that it will have been done in vain; that he and his will never grow any larger than infinitely small.

I have no doubt what will happen if some captain of a troop of imposing grenadiers ever reads this work. He will make his troops’ hats at least two imposing feet taller. But I warn him that making the hats taller will be pointless. He and his men will never be anything more than infinitely small.

What marvelous skill it must have taken for our philosopher from Sirius to perceive the atoms I have just spoken of. When Leuwenhoek and Hartsoëker tinkered with the first or thought they saw the grains that make us up, they did not by any means make such an astonishing discovery. What pleasure Micromegas felt at seeing these little machines move, at examining all their scurrying, at following them in their enterprises! how he cried out! with what joy he placed one of his microscopes in the hands of his traveling companion!

What amazing skill our philosopher from Sirius must have needed to see the atoms I have just mentioned! Leuwenhoek and Hartsoëker tinkered with the first ones, or thought they saw the particles that make us up. But their discovery was nowhere near as astonishing. What pleasure Micromegas took in watching these tiny machines move, studying all their scurrying, and following their activities! How he cried out! With what joy he put one of his microscopes into his traveling companion's hands!

"I see them," they said at the same time, "look how they are carrying loads, stooping, getting up again." They spoke like that, hands trembling from the pleasure of seeing such new objects, and from fear of losing them. The Saturnian, passing from an excess of incredulity to an excess of credulity, thought he saw them mating.

"I see them," they both said at once, "look how they carry loads, bend down, and get up again." As they spoke, their hands trembled with delight at seeing such new things and fear of losing sight of them. The Saturnian went from doubting far too much to believing far too much. He thought he saw them mating.

"Ah!" he said. "I have caught nature in the act"¹⁵. But he was fooled by appearances, which happens only too often, whether one is using a microscope or not.

"Ah!" he said. "I've caught nature in the act"¹⁵. But appearances had fooled him. People are fooled by appearances all too often, whether they're using a microscope or not.