Their priests and governors were princes of the imperial blood, and made eunuchs for that purpose; and as for the ordinary sort of men in that part of the world where the Emperor resided, they were of several complexions; not white, black, tawny, olive or ash-coloured; but some appeared of an azure, some of a deep purple, some of a grass-green, some of a scarlet, some of an orange-colour, etc.
Which colours and complexions, whether they were made by the bare reflection of light, without the assistance of small particles; or by the help of well-ranged and ordered atoms; or by a continual agitation of little globules; or by some pressing and reacting motion, I am not able to determine. The rest of the inhabitants of that world, were men of several different sorts, shapes, figures, dispositions, and humours, as I have already made mention, heretofore; some were Bear-men, some Worm-men, some Fish- or Mear-men, otherwise called Syrens; some Bird-men, some Fly-men, some Ant-men, some Geese-men, some Spider-men, some Lice-men, some Fox-men, some Ape-men, some Jackdaw-men, some Magpie-men, some Parrot-men, some Satyrs, some Giants, and many more, which I cannot all remember; and of these several sorts of men, each followed such a profession as was most proper for the nature of their species, which the Empress encouraged them in, especially those that had applied themselves to the study of several arts and sciences; for they were as ingenious and witty in the invention of profitable and useful arts, as we are in our world, nay, more; and to that end she erected schools, and founded several societies.
The Bear-men were to be her experimental philosophers, the Bird-men her astronomers, the Fly- Worm- and Fish-men her natural philosophers, the Ape-men her chemists, the Satyrs her Galenic physicians, the Fox-men her politicians, the Spider- and Lice-men her mathematicians, the Jackdaw- Magpie- and Parrot-men her orators and logicians, the Giants her architects,
Then the Empress seeing that the several sorts of her subjects had each their churches apart, asked the priests, whether they were of several religions? They answered her Majesty, that there was no more but one religion in all that world, nor no diversity of opinions in that same religion; for though there were several sorts of men, yet had they all but one opinion concerning the worship and adoration of God. The Empress asked them, whether they were Jews, Turks, or Christians? We do not know, said they, what religions those are; but we do all unanimously acknowledge, worship and adore the Only, Omnipotent, and Eternal God, with all reverence, submission, and duty. Again, the Empress enquired, whether they had several forms of worship? They answered, no: For our devotion and worship consists only in prayers, which we frame according to our several necessities, in petitions, humiliations, thanksgiving, etc.
The Empress was very well satisfied with their answers; and after some time, when she thought that her new founded societies of the virtuosos had made a good progress in the several employments she had put them upon, she caused a convocation first of the Bird-men, and commanded them to give her a true relation of the two celestial bodies, viz. the sun and moon, which they did with all the obedience and faithfulness befitting their duty.