the Stairs to a Closet or Privy, which he told me, was wash’d by Water, that I shou’d pour on, by pressing on a kind of Handle. Next by it was a Chamber for Washing your Person, that had a Bason, with two Taps, from which Water came. One brought forth Water very hot, that I was like to have Scalded my self, if I had not seen the Steam rising from it. By this Bason was a great Trough with two other Taps, and a Dish full of Holes in the Ceiling above it.
Besides a Dish of Tea, they had some Bread and some Jellie and a deal of little Cakes. After this the Husband goes to a Box, that stood on a Table at the side, and of a sudden a lowd Noise comes from the Box, and it was some kind of wild Musick. Thinks I, this is a new sort of Toy, but presently the Musick ceas’d, and the Voice of a Man came forth, that I quak’d for sudden fear. Then another Voice discours’d for some time, and presently ceas’d again, and the wild Musick began once more. They gave me an explanation, it was Musick from many Miles away, but how it came into their Box, they cou’d not make clear. This Box they call, a Raydeow. After that the Man remember’d his Chariot, which he call’d, his Car, and went out to conclude with his cleaning it. He shew’d it to me, and said, that it went by Burning within. When he had done with the cleaning it, he lit the Furnace in it’s Bowels, by no more then the turn of a little Key, and, seating him self in it, conducted it into it’s Stable, which he call’d, a Garraudge. He said, my Machine shou’d be more safe, within the House, and after we had measur’d it with a Measure he had of Steel, that bent round, and had measur’d the distance too, I mov’d it once again, within a commodious Porch he had.
Over a good Supper of cold Mutton, wash’d down with some bitter Ale from a glass Bottie, he assures me again, I shou’d be able to get a good Price, for a Book or a Peice of Silver. Several Pounds, says he, enough to buy you a Shirt or two. My Spirits shot up to the Heavens with the First part of his Sentence, and were blown half way back, with the Second. That a Book, purchas’d for a Shilling, cou’d be so priz’d, as to command several Pounds; and that such a vast Sum, cou’d buy no more, then a Shirt, I cou’d scarce credit. But he made me know, that a Pound was nothing today. I saw, I shou’d have to furnish my self well, upon my Excursion to my own Time. But in the mean while we fell to talking of the state of England. They took me for an Irish Man, it seems, which put me out of countenance, ‘till I saw they meant no harm by it, but were puzzled by my Speech, which indeed they found near as hard, as I theirs. So I told them, I came from a Village, where now stood his Town. And I found, the name of my Village, was now the name of a Sobbub of his Town (which is their name, for a part of a Town) and that was the part all around us. I thought his Town must be a very great City, but he says, ‘twas of but a middle size, with only fifty thousand Souls in’t. You may suppose, I open’d my Eyes at that. But it seems, they do not reckon a City is great, unless it reach above two hundred thousand; and of that reckoning they have a good number, while a few of the greatest have above a Million. How the Land cou’d support so many, I cannot tell, but where we have one Body, they have ten or twelve. Whilst we were speaking, the Lanthorns in the Road all came alight in one instant, and no Body lit ‘em. He said, ‘twas by Electricity, which they make in great Buildings from turning Wheels by Steam, or (in other places) from an Esoterick sort of Chymistry, and send many miles along Wires.
I was drowzy long before my Hosts, and they had me a Bed made in a spare Chamber above Stairs. But before I went to Rest, my Host perswaded me, to wash my self over in that Trough they had. The Dish with Holes, that hung from the Ceiling, was for Water to Rain down upon you, but I lik’d it not. They
Besides a Dish of Tea, they had some Bread and some Jellie and a deal of little Cakes. After this the Husband goes to a Box, that stood on a Table at the side, and of a sudden a lowd Noise comes from the Box, and it was some kind of wild Musick. Thinks I, this is a new sort of Toy, but presently the Musick ceas’d, and the Voice of a Man came forth, that I quak’d for sudden fear. Then another Voice discours’d for some time, and presently ceas’d again, and the wild Musick began once more. They gave me an explanation, it was Musick from many Miles away, but how it came into their Box, they cou’d not make clear. This Box they call, a Raydeow. After that the Man remember’d his Chariot, which he call’d, his Car, and went out to conclude with his cleaning it. He shew’d it to me, and said, that it went by Burning within. When he had done with the cleaning it, he lit the Furnace in it’s Bowels, by no more then the turn of a little Key, and, seating him self in it, conducted it into it’s Stable, which he call’d, a Garraudge. He said, my Machine shou’d be more safe, within the House, and after we had measur’d it with a Measure he had of Steel, that bent round, and had measur’d the distance too, I mov’d it once again, within a commodious Porch he had.
Over a good Supper of cold Mutton, wash’d down with some bitter Ale from a glass Bottie, he assures me again, I shou’d be able to get a good Price, for a Book or a Peice of Silver. Several Pounds, says he, enough to buy you a Shirt or two. My Spirits shot up to the Heavens with the First part of his Sentence, and were blown half way back, with the Second. That a Book, purchas’d for a Shilling, cou’d be so priz’d, as to command several Pounds; and that such a vast Sum, cou’d buy no more, then a Shirt, I cou’d scarce credit. But he made me know, that a Pound was nothing today. I saw, I shou’d have to furnish my self well, upon my Excursion to my own Time. But in the mean while we fell to talking of the state of England. They took me for an Irish Man, it seems, which put me out of countenance, ‘till I saw they meant no harm by it, but were puzzled by my Speech, which indeed they found near as hard, as I theirs. So I told them, I came from a Village, where now stood his Town. And I found, the name of my Village, was now the name of a Sobbub of his Town (which is their name, for a part of a Town) and that was the part all around us. I thought his Town must be a very great City, but he says, ‘twas of but a middle size, with only fifty thousand Souls in’t. You may suppose, I open’d my Eyes at that. But it seems, they do not reckon a City is great, unless it reach above two hundred thousand; and of that reckoning they have a good number, while a few of the greatest have above a Million. How the Land cou’d support so many, I cannot tell, but where we have one Body, they have ten or twelve. Whilst we were speaking, the Lanthorns in the Road all came alight in one instant, and no Body lit ‘em. He said, ‘twas by Electricity, which they make in great Buildings from turning Wheels by Steam, or (in other places) from an Esoterick sort of Chymistry, and send many miles along Wires.
I was drowzy long before my Hosts, and they had me a Bed made in a spare Chamber above Stairs. But before I went to Rest, my Host perswaded me, to wash my self over in that Trough they had. The Dish with Holes, that hung from the Ceiling, was for Water to Rain down upon you, but I lik’d it not. They
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