,transcriber's note3 this etext is a    
translation of ,project ,gutenberg's    
#dfdi4                                  
,,the ,,works                           
,,of                                    
,,voltaire4                             
,,volume ,,xxxiii          ,,from ,,the 
,,printing ,,house ,,of ,a4 ,,firmin    
,,didot1                          ,,rue 
,,jacob1 ,no #bd4                       
,,the ,,works                           
,,of                                    
,,voltaire                ,,prefaces1   
,,cautions1 ,,notes1 ,,etc4             
,,by  ,m4 ,,beuchot4                    
,,volume ,,xxxiii4                      
,,novels4  ,,volume   ,i4               
,,in ,,paris1                           
,,lef,,vre1 ,,bookseller1               
,,rue ,,de ,l',,peron1 ,ko #f4  ,,werdet
 ,,et ,,lequien ,,fils1                 
,,rue ,,du ,,battoir1 ,no #bj4          
,,mdcccxxix4                            
,,micromegas1                           
,,philosophical ,,history4              

,publisher's preface4  ,voltaire's      
lengthy correspondences do not contain  
anything that might indicate the period 
in which ,micromegas was published4 ,the
 engraved title of the edition that ,i  
believe to be the original displays no  
date4 ,abbot ,trublet1 in his ,biography
 of ,fontenelle1 does not hesitate to   
say that ,micromegas is directed against
 ,fontenelle2 but does not speak of the 
date of publication4 ,i have therefore  
retained that given by the ,kehl        
editions3 #ageb4 ,however there is an   
edition carrying the date of #agjj4 ,is 
this date authentic8 ,i would not make  
this claim2 far from it4 ,i have        
therefore followed the ,kehl editions1  
in which ,micromegas is preceded by this
 warning3   ,this novel can be seen as  
an imitation of ,gulliver's ,travels4   
,it contains many allusions4  ,the dwarf
 of ,saturn is ,mr4 ,fontenelle4        
,despite his gentleness1 his            
carefulness1 his philosophy1 all of     
which should endear him to ,mr4         

,voltaire1 he is linked with the enemies
 of this great man1 and appears to      
share1 if not in their hate1 at least in
 their preemptive censures4 ,he was     
deeply hurt by the role he played in    
this novel1 and perhaps even more so due
 to the justness1 though severe1 of the 
critique2 the strong praise given       
elsewhere in the novel only lends more  
weight to the rebukes4 ,the words that  
end this work do not soften the wounds1 
and the good that is said of the        
secretary of the academy of ,paris does 
not console ,mr4 ,fontenelle for the    
ridicule that is permitted to befall the
 one at the academy of ,saturn4   ,the  
notes without signature1 and those      
indicated by letters1 are written by    
,voltaire4  ,the notes signed with a ,k 
have been written by the ,kehl          
publishers1 ,mr4 ,condorcet and ,mr4    
,decroix4 ,it is impossible to          
rigorously distinguish between the      
additions made by these two4  ,the      
additions that ,i have given to the     

notes of ,voltaire or to the notes of   
the ,kehl publishers1 are separated from
 the others by a --1 and are1 as they   
are mine1 signed by the initial of my   
name4  ,,beuchot  ,october #d1 #ahbi4   
,,contents     ,i4  ,voyage of an       
inhabitant of the ,sirius star to the   
planet ,saturn4   ,,ii4  ,conversation  
between the inhabitant of ,sirius and   
that of ,saturn4  ,,iii4  ,voyage of the
 two inhabitants of ,sirius and ,saturn4
   ,,iv4  ,what happened on planet      
,earth4    ,v4  ,experiments and        
reasonings of the two voyagers4   ,,vi4 
,what happened to them among men4       
,,vii4  ,conversation with the men4     
,,micromegas1                           
,,philosophical ,,history     ,,chapter 
,i4  ,voyage of an inhabitant of the    
,sirius star to the planet ,saturn4     
,on one of the planets that orbits the  
star named ,sirius there lived a        
spirited young man1 who ,i had the honor
 of meeting on the last voyage he made  
to our little ant hill4 ,he was called  

,micromegas#a1 a fitting name for anyone
 so great4 ,he was eight leagues tall1  
or #bd1jjj geometric paces of five feet 
each4   #a ,from micros1 small1 and from
 megas1 large4  ,b4   ,certain          
geometers#b1 always of use to the       
public1 will immediately take up their  
pens1 and will find that since ,mr4     
,micromegas1 inhabitant of the country  
of ,sirius1 is #bd1jjj paces tall1 which
 is equivalent to #abj1jjj feet1 and    
since we citizens of the earth are      
hardly five feet tall1 and our sphere   
#i1jjj leagues around2 they will find1  
,i say1 that it is absolutely necessary 
that the sphere that produced him was   
#ba1fjj1jjj times greater in            
circumference than our little ,earth4   
,nothing in nature is simpler or more   
orderly4 ,the sovereign states of       
,germany or ,italy1 which one can       
traverse in a half hour1 compared to the
 empires of ,turkey1 ,moscow1 or ,china1
 are only feeble reflections of the     
prodigious differences that nature has  

placed in all beings4   #b ,this is how 
the text reads in the first editions4   
,others1 in place of geometers1 put     
algebraists4  ,b4   ,his excellency's   
size being as great as ,i have said1 all
 our sculptors and all our painters will
 agree without protest that his belt    
would have been #ej1jjj feet around1    
which gives him very good proportions4#c
 ,his nose taking up one third of his   
attractive face1 and his attractive face
 taking up one seventh of his attractive
 body1 it must be admitted that the nose
 of the ,sirian is #f1ccc feet plus a   
fraction2 which is manifest4   #c ,i    
restore this sentence in accordance with
 the first editions4 ,b4   ,as for his  
mind1 it is one of the most cultivated  
that we have4 ,he knows many things4 ,he
 invented some of them4 ,he was not even
 #bej years old when he studied1 as is  
customary1 at the most celebrated#d     
colleges of his planet1 where he managed
 to figure out by pure willpower more   
than #ej of ,euclid's propositions4     

,that makes #ah more than ,blaise       
,pascal1 who1 after having figured out  
#cb while screwing around1 according to 
his sister's reports1 later became a    
fairly mediocre geometer#e and a very   
bad metaphysician4 ,towards his #dejth  
year1 near the end of his infancy1 he   
dissected many small insects no more    
than #ajj feet in diameter1 which would 
evade ordinary microscopes4 ,he wrote a 
very curious book about this1 and it    
gave him some income4 ,the mufti of his 
country1 an extremely ignorant          
worrywart1 found some suspicious1       
rash#f1 disagreeable1 and heretical     
propositions in the book1 smelled       
heresy1 and pursued it vigorously2 it   
was a matter of finding out whether the 
substantial form of the fleas of ,sirius
 were of the same nature as those of the
 snails4 ,micromegas gave a spirited    
defense2 he brought in some women to    
testify in his favor2 the trial lasted  
#bbj years4 ,finally the mufti had the  
book condemned by jurisconsults who had 

not read it1 and the author was ordered 
not to appear in court for #hjj years#g4
   #d ,in place of the most celebrated  
that one finds in the first edition1    
subsequent editions read some jesuit4   
,b4  #e ,pascal became a very great     
geometer1 not in the same class as those
 that contributed to the progress of    
science with great discoveries1 like    
,descartes1 ,newton1 but certainly      
ranked among the geometers1 whose works 
display a genius of the first order4 ,k4
  #f  ,the edition that ,i believe to be
 original reads3 rash1 smelling heresy4 
,the present text is dated #agef4  ,b4  
#g ,mr4 ,voltaire had been persecuted by
 the theatin ,boyer for having stated in
 his ,letters on the ,english that our  
souls develop at the same time as our   
organs1 just like the souls of animals4 
,k4   ,he was thereby dealt the minor   
affliction of being banished from a     
court that consisted of nothing but     
harassment and pettiness4 ,he wrote an  
amusing song at the expense of the      

mufti1 which the latter hardly noticed2 
and he took to voyaging from planet to  
planet in order to develop his heart and
 mind#h1 as the saying goes4 ,those that
 travel only by stage coach or sedan    
will probably be surprised learn of the 
carriage of this vessel2 for we1 on our 
little pile of mud1 can only conceive of
 that to which we are accustomed4 ,our  
voyager was very familiar with the laws 
of gravity and with all the other       
attractive and repulsive forces4 ,he    
utilized them so well that1 whether with
 the help of a ray of sunlight or some  
comet1 he jumped from globe to globe    
like a bird vaulting itself from branch 
to branch4 ,he quickly spanned the      
,milky ,way1 and ,i am obliged to report
 that he never saw1 throughout the stars
 it is made up of1 the beautiful        
empyrean sky that the vicar ,derham#i   
boasts of having seen at the other end  
of his telescope4 ,i do not claim that  
,mr4 ,derham has poor eyesight1 ,god    
forbid6 ,but ,micromegas was on site1   

which makes him a reliable witness1 and 
,i do not want to contradict anyone4    
,micromegas1 after having toured around1
 arrived at the planet ,saturn4 ,as     
accustomed as he was to seeing new      
things1 he could not1 upon seeing the   
smallness of the planet and its         
inhabitants1 stop himself from smiling  
with the superiority that occasionally  
escapes the wisest of us4 ,for in the   
end ,saturn is hardly nine times bigger 
than ,earth1 and the citizens of this   
country are dwarfs1 no more than a      
thousand fathoms tall1 or somewhere     
around there4 ,he and his men poked fun 
at them at first1 like ,italian         
musicians laughing at the music of      
,lully when he comes to ,france4 ,but1  
as the ,sirian had a good heart1 he     
understood very quickly that a thinking 
being is not necessarily ridiculous just
 because he is only #f1jjj feet tall4   
,he got to know the ,saturnians after   
their shock wore off4 ,he built a strong
 friendship with the secretary of the   

academy of ,saturn1 a spirited man who  
had not invented anything1 to tell the  
truth1 but who understood the inventions
 of others very well1 and who wrote some
 passable verses and carried out some   
complicated calculations4 ,i will report
 here1 for the reader's satisfaction1 a 
singular conversation that ,micromegas  
had with the secretary one day4   #h    
,see my note1 page #aaj4  ,b4  this     
note1 in ,zadig1 says3 ,this line is    
mostly written at the expense of        
,rollin1 who often employs these        
expressions in his ,treatise on         
,studies4 ,voltaire returns to it often3
 see1 in the present volume1 chapter ,i 
of ,micromegas1 and in volume ,,xxxiv1  
chapter ,,xi of ,the ,man of ,forty     
,crowns1 chapter ,,ix of ,the ,white    
,bull and volume ,,xi1 the second verse 
of song ,,viii of ,the ,young ,virgin4  
,b4  #i ,english savant1 author of      
,astro-,theology1 and several other     
works that seek to prove the existence  
of ,god through detailing the wonders of

 nature3 unfortunately he and his       
imitators are often mistaken in their   
explanation of these wonders2 they rave 
about the wisdom that is revealed in a  
phenomenon1 but one soon discovers that 
the phenomenon is completely different  
than they supposed2 so it is only their 
own fabrications that give them this    
impression of wisdom4 ,this fault1      
common to all works of its type1        
discredited them4 ,one knows too far in 
advance that the author will end up     
admiring whatever he has chosen to      
discuss4     ,,chapter ,,ii4            
,conversation between the inhabitant of 
,sirius and that of ,saturn4   ,after   
his excellency laid himself down to rest
 the secretary approached him4  ,you    
have to admit1 said ,micromegas1 that   
nature is extremely varied4  ,yes1 said 
the ,saturnian1 nature is like a flower 
bed wherein the flowers--  ,ugh6 said   
the other1 leave off with flower beds4  
,the secretary began again4 ,nature is  
like an assembly of blonde and          

brown-haired girls whose jewels--  ,what
 am ,i supposed to do with your         
brown-haired girls8 said the other4     
,then she is like a gallery of paintings
 whose features--  ,certainly not6 said 
the voyager4 ,i say again that nature is
 like nature4 ,why bother looking for   
comparisons8  ,to please you1 replied   
the ,secretary4  ,i do not want to be   
pleased1 answered the voyager4 ,i want  
to be taught4 ,tell me how many senses  
the men of your planet have4  ,we only  
have #gb1 said the academic1 and we     
always complain about it4 ,our          
imagination surpasses our needs4 ,we    
find that with our #gb senses1 our ring1
 our five moons1 we are too restricted2 
and in spite of all our curiosity and   
the fairly large number of passions that
 result from our #gb senses1 we have    
plenty of time to get bored4  ,i believe
 it1 said ,micromegas1 for on our planet
 we have almost #a1jjj senses2 and yet  
we still have a kind of vague feeling1 a
 sort of worry1 that warns us that there

 are even more perfect beings4 ,i have  
traveled a bit2 and ,i have seen mortals
 that surpass us1 some far superior4    
,but ,i have not seen any that desire   
only what they truly need1 and who need 
only what they indulge in4 ,maybe       
someday ,i will happen upon a country   
that lacks nothing2 but so far no one   
has given me any word of a place like   
that4  ,the ,saturnian and the ,sirian  
proceeded to wear themselves out in     
speculating2 but after a lot of very    
ingenious and very dubious reasoning1 it
 was necessary to return to the facts4  
,how long do you live8 said the ,sirian4
  ,oh6 ,for a very short time1 replied  
the small man from ,saturn4  ,same with 
us1 said the ,sirian4 we always complain
 about it4 ,it must be a universal law  
of nature4  ,alas6 ,we only live through
 #ejj revolutions around the sun1 said  
the ,saturnian4 7,this translates to    
about #ae1jjj years1 by our standards47 
,you can see yourself that this is to   
die almost at the moment one is born2   

our existence is a point1 our lifespan  
an instant1 our planet an atom4 ,hardly 
do we begin to learn a little when death
 arrives1 before we get any experience4 
,as for me1 ,i do not dare make any     
plans4 ,i see myself as a drop of water 
in an immense ocean4 ,i am ashamed1 most
 of all before you1 of how ridiculously 
,i figure in this world4  ,micromegas   
replied1 ,if you were not a philosopher1
 ,i would fear burdening you by telling 
you that our lifespan is #gjj times     
longer than yours2 but you know very    
well when it is necessary to return your
 body to the elements1 and reanimate    
nature in another form1 which we call   
death4 ,when this moment of             
metamorphosis comes1 to have lived an   
eternity or to have lived a day amounts 
to precisely the same thing4 ,i have    
been to countries where they live a     
thousand times longer than we do1 and   
they also die4 ,but people everywhere   
have the good sense to know their role  
and to thank the ,author of nature4 ,he 

has scattered across this universe a    
profusion of varieties with a kind of   
admirable uniformity4 ,for example1 all 
the thinking beings are different1 and  
all resemble one another in the gift of 
thought and desire4 ,matter is extended 
everywhere1 but has different properties
 on each planet4 ,how many diverse      
properties do you count in yours8  ,if  
you mean those properties1 said the     
,saturnian1 without which we believe    
that the planet could not subsist as it 
is1 we count #cjj of them1 like         
extension1 impenetrability1 mobility1   
gravity1 divisibility1 and the rest4    
,apparently1 replied the voyager1 this  
small number suffices for what the      
,creator had in store for your dwelling4
 ,i admire his wisdom in everything2 ,i 
see differences everywhere1 but also    
proportion4 ,your planet is small1 your 
inhabitants are as well4 ,you have few  
sensations2 your matter has few         
properties2 all this is the work of     
,providence4 ,what color is your sun    

upon examination8  ,a very yellowish    
white1 said the ,saturnian4 ,and when we
 divide one of its rays1 we find that it
 contains seven colors4  ,our sun       
strains at red1 said the ,sirian1 and we
 have #ci primary colors4 ,there is no  
one sun1 among those that ,i have gotten
 close to that resembles it1 just as    
there is no one face among you that is  
identical to the others4  ,after        
numerous questions of this nature1 he   
learned how many essentially different  
substances are found on ,saturn4 ,he    
learned that there were only about      
thirty1 like ,god1 space1 matter1 the   
beings with extension that sense1 the   
beings with extension that sense and    
think1 the thinking beings that have no 
extension2 those that are penetrable1   
those that are not1 and the rest4 ,the  
,sirian1 whose home contained #cjj and  
who had discovered #c1jjj of them in his
 voyages1 prodigiously surprised the    
philosopher of ,saturn4 ,finally1 after 
having told each other a little of what 

they knew and a lot of what they did not
 know1 after having reasoned over the   
course of a revolution around the sun1  
they resolved to go on a small          
philosophical voyage together4          
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,voyage of the two    
inhabitants of ,sirius and ,saturn4     
,our two philosophers were just ready to
 take off into ,saturn's atmosphere with
 a very nice provision of mathematical  
instrument when the ruler of ,saturn1   
who had heard news of the departure1    
came in tears to remonstrate4 ,she was a
 pretty1 petite brunette who was only   
#ffj fathoms tall1 but who compensated  
for this small size with many other     
charms4  ,cruelty6 she cried1 after     
resisting you for #a1ejj years1 just    
when ,i was beginning to come around1   
when ,i'd spent hardly a hundred#a years
 in your arms1 you leave me to go on a  
voyage with a giant from another world2 
go1 you're only curious1 you've never   
been in love3 if you were a true        
,saturnian1 you would be faithful4      

,where are you running off to8 ,what do 
you want8 ,our five moons are less      
errant than you1 our ring less          
inconsistent4 ,it's over1 ,i will never 
love anyone ever again4  ,the           
philosopher embraced her1 cried with    
her1 philosopher that he was2 and the   
woman1 after swooning1 went off to      
console herself with the help of one of 
the dandies of the country4   #a ,the   
#aggc edition is the first that reads a 
hundred2 all the earlier editions read3 
two hundred4  ,b4   ,our two explorers  
left all the same2 they alighted first  
on the ring1 which they found to be     
fairly flat1 as conjectured by an       
illustrious inhabitant of our little    
sphere#b2 from there they went easily   
from moon to moon4 ,a comet passed by   
the last2 they flew onto it with their  
servants and their instruments4 ,when   
they had traveled about one hundred     
fifty million leagues1 they met with the
 satellites of ,jupiter4 ,they stopped  
at ,jupiter and stayed for a week1      

during which time they learned some very
 wonderful secrets that would have been 
forthcoming in print if not for the     
inquisition1 which found some of the    
propositions to be a little harsh4 ,but 
,i have read the manuscript in the      
library of the illustrious archbishop   
of44441 who with a generosity and       
goodness that is impossible to praise   
allowed me to see his books4 ,i promised
 him a long article in the first edition
 of ,morri1 and ,i will not forget his  
children1 who give such a great hope of 
perpetuating the race of their          
illustrious father4   #b ,huygens4  ,see
 volume ,,xxvi1 page #cih4  ,b4   ,but  
let us now return to our travelers4     
,upon leaving ,jupiter they traversed a 
space of around one hundred million     
leagues and approached the planet ,mars1
 which1 as we know1 is five times       
smaller than our own2 they swung by two 
moons that cater to this planet but have
 escaped the notice of our astronomers4 
,i know very well that ,father ,castel  

will write1 perhaps even agreeably      
enough1 against the existence of these  
two moons2 but ,i rely on those who     
reason by analogy4 ,these good          
philosophers know how unlikely it would 
be for ,mars1 so far from the sun1 to   
have gotten by with less than two moons4
 ,whatever the case may be1 our         
explorers found it so small that they   
feared not being able to land on it1 and
 they passed it by like two travelers   
disdainful of a bad village cabaret1    
pressing on towards a neighboring city4 
,but the ,sirian and his companion soon 
regretted it4 ,they traveled a long time
 without finding anything4 ,finally they
 perceived a small candle1 it was earth2
 this was a pitiful sight to those who  
had just left ,jupiter4 ,nevertheless1  
from fear of further regret1 they       
resolved to touch down4 ,carried by the 
tail of a comet1 and finding an aurora  
borealis at the ready1 they started     
towards it1 and arrived at ,earth on the
 northern coast of the ,baltic sea1     

,july #e1 #agcg1 new style4             
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,what happened on      
planet ,earth4   ,after resting for some
 time they ate two mountains for lunch1 
which their crew fixed up pretty nicely4
 ,then they decided to get to know the  
small country they were in4 ,they went  
first from north to south4 ,the usual   
stride of the ,sirian and his crew was  
around #cj1jjj feet4 ,the dwarf from    
,saturn1 who clocked in at no more than 
a thousand fathoms1 trailed behind1     
breathing heavily4 ,he had to make      
twelve steps each time the other took a 
stride2 imagine 7if it is alright to    
make such a comparison7 a very small    
lapdog following a captain of the guards
 of the ,prussian king4  ,since our     
strangers moved fairly rapidly1 they    
circumnavigated the globe in #cf hours4 
,the sun1 in truth1 or rather the       
,earth1 makes a similar voyage in a day2
 but you have to imagine that the going 
is much easier when one turns on one's  
axis instead of walking on one's feet4  

,so there they were1 back where they    
started1 after having seen the nearly   
imperceptible pond we call the          
,mediterranean1 and the other little    
pool that1 under the name ,ocean1       
encircles the molehill4 ,the dwarf never
 got in over his knees1 and the other   
hardly wet his heels4 ,on their way they
 did all they could to see whether the  
planet was inhabited or not4 ,they      
crouched1 laid down1 felt around        
everywhere2 but their eyes and their    
hands were not proportionate to the     
little beings that crawl here1 they     
could not feel in the least any         
sensation that might lead them to       
suspect that we and our associates1 the 
other inhabitants of this planet1 have  
the honor of existing4  ,the dwarf1 who 
was a bit hasty sometimes1 decided      
straightaway that the planet was        
uninhabited4 ,his first reason was that 
he had not seen anyone4 ,micromegas     
politely indicated that this logic was  
rather flawed3 ,for1 said he1 you do not

 see with your little eyes certain stars
 of the #ejth magnitude that ,i can     
perceive very distinctly4 ,do you       
conclude that these stars do not exist8 
,but1 said the dwarf1 ,i felt around a  
lot4  ,but1 answered the other1 you have
 pretty weak senses4  ,but1 replied the 
dwarf1 this planet is poorly            
constructed4 ,it is so irregular and has
 such a ridiculous shape6 ,everything   
here seems to be in chaos3 you see these
 little rivulets1 none of which run in a
 straight line1 these pools of water    
that are neither round1 nor square1 nor 
oval1 nor regular by any measure2 all   
these little pointy specks scattered    
across the earth that grate on my feet8 
7,this was in reference to mountains47  
,look at its shape again1 how it is flat
 at the poles1 how it clumsily revolves 
around the sun in a way that necessarily
 eliminates the climates of the poles8  
,to tell the truth1 what really makes me
 think it is uninhabited is that it     
seems that no one of good sense would   

want to stay4  ,well1 said ,micromegas1 
maybe the inhabitants of this planet are
 not of good sense6 ,but in the end it  
looks like this may be for a reason4    
,everything appears irregular to you    
here1 you say1 because everything on    
,saturn and ,jupiter is drawn in        
straight lines4 ,this might be the#a    
reason that you are a bit puzzled here4 
,have ,i not told you that ,i have      
continually noticed variety in my       
travels8   #a ,all the editions that    
precede those of ,kehl read3 ,it might  
be for this  ,b4   ,the ,saturnian      
responded to all these points4 ,the     
dispute might never have finished if it 
were not for ,micromegas who1 getting   
worked up1 had the good luck to break   
the thread of his diamond necklace4 ,the
 diamonds fell2 they were pretty little 
carats of fairly irregular size1 of     
which the largest weighed four hundred  
pounds and the smallest fifty4 ,the     
dwarf recaptured some of them2 bending  
down for a better look1 he perceived    

that these diamonds were cut with the   
help of an excellent microscope4 ,so he 
took out a small microscope of #afj feet
 in diameter and put it up to his eye2  
and ,micromegas took up one of #b1jje   
feet in diameter4 ,they were excellent2 
but neither one of them could see       
anything right away and had to adjust   
them4 ,finally the ,saturnian saw       
something elusive that moved in the     
shallow waters of the ,baltic sea2 it   
was a whale4 ,he carefully picked it up 
with his little finger and1 resting it  
on the nail of his thumb1 showed it to  
the ,sirian1 who began laughing for a   
second time at the ludicrously small    
scale of the things on our planet4 ,the 
,saturnian1 persuaded that our world was
 inhabited1 figured very quickly that it
 was inhabited only by whales2 and as he
 was very good at reasoning1 he was     
determined to infer the origin and      
evolution of such a small atom2 whether 
it had ideas1 a will1 liberty4          
,micromegas was confused4 ,he examined  

the animal very patiently and found no  
reason to believe that a soul was lodged
 in it4 ,the two voyagers were therefore
 inclined to believe that there is no   
spirit in our home1 when with the help  
of the microscope they perceived        
something as large as a whale floating  
on the ,baltic ,sea4 ,we know that a    
flock of philosophers was at this time  
returning from the ,arctic ,circle1     
where they had made some observations1  
which no one had dared make up to then4 
,the gazettes claimed that their vessel 
ran aground on the coast of ,bothnia1   
and that they were having a lot of      
difficulty setting things straight2 but 
the world never shows its cards4 ,i am  
going to tell how it really happened1   
artlessly and without bias2 which is no 
small thing for an historian4           
,,chapter ,v4  ,experiments and         
reasonings of the two voyagers4         
,micromegas slowly reached his hand     
towards the place where the object had  
appeared1 extended two fingers1 and     

withdrew them for fear of being         
mistaken1 then opened and closed them1  
and skillfully seized the vessel that   
carried these fellows1 putting it on his
 fingernail without pressing it too hard
 for fear of crushing it4  ,here is a   
very different animal from the first1   
said the dwarf from ,saturn4  ,the      
,sirian put the so-called animal in the 
palm of his hand4 ,the passengers and   
the crew1 who believed themselves to    
have been lifted up by a hurricane1 and 
who thought they were on some sort of   
boulder1 scurried around2 the sailors   
took the barrels of wine1 threw them    
overboard onto ,micromegas hand1 and    
followed after4 ,the geometers took     
their quadrants1 their sextants1 two    
,lappland girls#a1 and descended onto   
the ,sirian's fingers4 ,they made so    
much fuss that he finally felt something
 move1 tickling his fingers4 ,it was a  
steel-tipped baton being pressed into   
his index finger4 ,he judged1 by this   
tickling1 that it had been ejected from 

some small animal that he was holding2  
but he did not suspect anything else at 
first4 ,the microscope1 which could     
barely distinguish a whale from a boat1 
could not capture anything as elusive as
 a man4 ,i do not claim to outrage      
anyone's vanity1 but ,i am obliged to   
ask that important men make an          
observation here4 ,taking the size of a 
man to be about five feet1 the figure we
 strike on ,earth is like that struck by
 an animal of about six hundred         
thousandths#b the height of a flea on a 
ball five feet around4 ,imagine         
something that can hold the ,earth in   
its hands1 and which has organs in      
proportion to ours--and it may very well
 be that there are such                 
things--conceive1 ,i beg of you1 what   
these things would think of the battles 
that allow a vanquisher to take a       
village only to lose it later4   #a ,see
 the notes to the speech in verse1 ,on  
,moderation 7,volume ,,xii71 and those  
of ,russia to ,paris 7,volume ,,xiv74   

,k4  #b ,the edition that ,i take to be 
original reads sixty thousandths4  ,b4  
,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 feet4   
,but ,i warn him that it will have been 
done in vain2 that he and his will never
 grow any larger than infinitely small4 
,what marvelous skill it must have taken
 for our philosopher from ,sirius to    
perceive the atoms ,i have just spoken  
of4 ,when ,leuwenhoek and ,hartsoker    
tinkered with the first or thought they 
saw the grains that make us up1 they did
 not by any means make such an          
astonishing discovery4 ,what pleasure   
,micromegas felt at seeing these little 
machines move1 at examining all their   
scurrying1 at following them in their   
enterprises6 how he cried out6 with what
 joy he placed one of his microscopes in
 the hands of his traveling companion6  
,i see them1 they said at the same time1

 look how they are carrying loads1      
stooping1 getting up again4 ,they spoke 
like that1 hands trembling from the     
pleasure of seeing such new objects1 and
 from fear of losing them4 ,the         
,saturnian1 passing from an excess of   
incredulity to an excess of credulity1  
thought he saw them mating4  ,ah6 he    
said4 ,i have caught nature in the      
act#a4 ,but he was fooled by            
appearances1 which happens only too     
often1 whether one is using a microscope
 or not4   #a j'ai pris la nature sur le
 fait4 ,a happy1 good-natured turn of   
phrase expressed by ,fontenelle upon    
making some observations of natural     
history4  ,k4     ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,what
 happened to them among men4            
,micromegas1 a much better observer than
 his dwarf1 clearly saw that the atoms  
were speaking to each other1 and pointed
 this out to his companion1 who1 ashamed
 of being mistaken about them           
reproducing1 did not want to believe    
that such a species could communicate4  

,he had the gift of language as well as 
the ,sirian4 ,he could not hear the     
atoms talk1 and he supposed that they   
did not speak4 ,moreover1 how could     
these impossibly small beings have vocal
 organs1 and what would they have to    
say8 ,to speak1 one must think1 more or 
less2 but if they think1 they must      
therefore have the equivalent of a soul4
 ,but to attribute the equivalent of a  
soul to this species seemed absurd to   
him4  ,but1 said the ,sirian1 you       
believed right away that they made love4
 ,do you believe that one can make love 
without thinking and without uttering   
one word1 or at least without making    
oneself heard8 ,do you suppose as well  
that it is more difficult to produce an 
argument than an infant8 ,both appear to
 be great mysteries to me4  ,i do not   
dare believe or deny it1 said the dwarf4
 ,i have no more opinions4 ,we must try 
to examine these insects and reason     
after4  ,that is very well said1 echoed 
,micromegas1 and he briskly took out a  

pair of scissors with which he cut his  
fingernails1 and from the parings of his
 thumbnail he improvised a kind of      
speaking-trumpet1 like a vast funnel1   
and put the end up to his ear4 ,the     
circumference of the funnel enveloped   
the vessel and the entire crew4 ,the    
weakest voice entered into the circular 
fibers of the nails in such a way that1 
thanks to his industriousness1 the      
philosopher above could hear the drone  
of our insects below perfectly4 ,in a   
small number of hours he was able to    
distinguish words1 and finally to       
understand ,french4 ,the dwarf managed  
to do the same1 though with more        
difficulty4 ,the voyagers' surprise     
redoubled each second4 ,they heard the  
mites speak fairly intelligently4 ,this 
performance of nature's seemed          
inexplicable to them4 ,you may well     
believe that the ,sirian and the dwarf  
burned with impatience to converse with 
the atoms4 ,the dwarf feared that his   
thunderous voice1 and assuredly         

,micromegas1 would deafen the mites     
without being understood4 ,they had to  
diminish its force4 ,they placed        
toothpicks in their mouths1 whose       
tapered ends fell around the ship4 ,the 
,sirian put the dwarf on his knees and  
the ship with its crew on a fingernail4 
,he lowered his head and spoke softly4  
,finally1 relying on these precautions  
and many others1 he began his speech    
like so3  ,invisible insects1 that the  
hand of the ,creator has caused to      
spring up in the abyss of the infinitely
 small1 ,i thank him for allowing me to 
uncover these seemingly impenetrable    
secrets4 ,perhaps those at my court     
would not deign to give you audience1   
but ,i mistrust no one1 and ,i offer you
 my protection4  ,if anyone has ever    
been surprised1 it was the people who   
heard these words4 ,they could not      
figure out where they were coming from4 
,the chaplain of the vessel recited the 
exorcism prayers1 the sailors swore1 and
 the philosophers of the vessel         

constructed systems2 but no matter what 
systems they came up with1 they could   
not figure out who was talking4 ,the    
dwarf from ,saturn1 who had a softer    
voice than ,micromegas1 told them in a  
few words what species they were dealing
 with4 ,he told them about the voyage   
from ,saturn1 brought them up to speed  
on what ,mr4 ,micromegas was1 and after 
lamenting how small they were1 asked    
them if they had always been in this    
miserable state so near nothingness1    
what they were doing on a globe that    
appeared to belong to whales1 whether   
they were happy1 if they reproduced1 if 
they had a soul1 and a hundred other    
questions of this nature4  ,a reasoner  
among the troop1 more daring than the   
others1 and shocked that someone might  
doubt his soul1 observed the            
interlocutor with sight-vanes pointed at
 a quarter circle from two different    
stations1 and at the third spoke thusly3
 ,you believe then1 ,sir1 that because  
you are a thousand fathoms tall from    

head to toe1 that you are a--  ,a       
thousand fathoms6 cried the dwarf4 ,good
 heavens6 ,how could he know my height8 
,a thousand fathoms6 ,you cannot mistake
 him for a flea4 ,this atom just        
measured me6 ,he is a surveyor1 he knows
 my size2 and ,i1 who can only see him  
through a microscope1 ,i still do not   
know his6  ,yes1 ,i measured you1 said  
the physician1 and ,i will measure your 
large companion as well4 ,the           
proposition was accepted1 his excellency
 laid down flat2 for were he to stay    
upright his head would have been among  
the clouds4 ,our philosophers planted a 
great shaft on him1 in a place that     
doctor ,swift would have named1 but that
 ,i will restrain myself from calling by
 its name1 out of respect for the       
ladies4 ,next1 by a series of triangles 
linked together1 they concluded that    
what they saw was in effect a young man 
of #abj1jjj feet#a4   #a,the edition ,i 
believe to be original reads1 a         
beautiful young 444 of #abj1jjj feet4   

,b4   ,so ,micromegas delivered these   
words3 ,i see more than ever that one   
must not judge anything by its apparent 
size4 ,oh ,god6 you who have given      
intelligence to substance that appears  
contemptible4 ,the infinitely small     
costs you as little as the infinitely   
large2 and if it is possible that there 
are such small beings as these1 there   
may just as well be a spirit bigger than
 those of the superb animals that ,i    
have seen in the heavens1 whose feet    
alone would cover this planet4  ,one of 
the philosophers responded that he could
 certainly imagine that there are       
intelligent beings much smaller than    
man4 ,he recounted1 not every fabulous  
thing ,virgil says about bees1 but what 
,swammerdam discovered1 and what ,raumur
 has anatomized4 ,he explained finally  
that there are animals that are to bees 
what bees are to man1 what the ,sirian  
himself was for the vast animals he had 
spoken of1 and what these large animals 
are to other substances before which    

they looked like atoms4 ,little by      
little the conversation became          
interesting1 and ,micromegas spoke      
thusly3     ,,chapter ,,vii4            
,conversation with the men4   ,oh       
intelligent atoms1 in which the ,eternal
 ,being desired to make manifest his    
skill and his power1 you must1 no doubt1
 taste pure joys on your planet2 for    
having so little matter1 and appearing  
to be entirely spirit1 you must live out
 your life thinking and loving1 the     
veritable life of the mind4 ,nowhere    
have ,i seen true bliss1 but it is here1
 without a doubt4  ,at this all the     
philosophers shook their heads1 and one 
of them1 more frank than the others1    
avowed that if one excepts a small      
number of inhabitants held in poor      
regard1 all the rest are an assembly of 
mad1 vicious1 and wretched people4 ,we  
have more substance than is necessary1  
he said1 to do evil1 if evil comes from 
substance2 and too much spirit1 if evil 
comes from spirit4 ,did you know1 for   

example1 that as ,i am speaking with    
you#a1 there are #ajj1jjj madmen of our 
species wearing hats1 killing #ajj1jjj  
other animals wearing turbans1 or being 
massacred by them1 and that we have used
 almost surface of the ,earth for this  
purpose since time immemorial8   #a ,we 
saw1 at the end of chapter ,,iii1 that  
the story occurs in #agcg4 ,voltaire is 
referring to the war between the ,turks 
and the ,russians1 from #agcf to #agci4 
,b4   ,the ,sirian shuddered1 and asked 
the reason for these horrible quarrels  
between such puny animals4  ,it is a    
matter1 said the philosopher1 of some   
piles of mud as big as your heel#b4 ,it 
is not that any of these millions of men
 that slit each other's throats care    
about this pile of mud4 ,it is only a   
matter of determining if it should      
belong to a certain man who we call     
',sultan1' or to another who we call1   
for whatever reason1 ',czar4' ,neither  
one has ever seen nor will ever see the 
little piece of ,earth1 and almost none 

of these animals that mutually kill     
themselves have ever seen the animal for
 which they kill4   #b ,crimea1 which   
all the same was not reunited with      
,russia until #aghc4  ,b4   ,oh6 ,cruel 
fate6 cried the ,sirian with            
indignation1 who could conceive of this 
excess of maniacal rage6 ,it makes me   
want to take three steps and crush this 
whole anthill of ridiculous assassins4  
,do not waste your time1 someone        
responded1 they are working towards ruin
 quickly enough4 ,know that after ten   
years only one hundredth of these       
scoundrels will be here4 ,know that even
 if they have not drawn swords1 hunger1 
fatigue1 or intemperance will overtake  
them4 ,furthermore1 it is not they that 
should be punished1 it is those         
sedentary barbarians who from the depths
 of their offices order1 while they are 
digesting their last meal1 the massacre 
of a million men1 and who subsequently  
give solemn thanks to ,god4  ,the       
voyager was moved with pity for the     

small human race1 where he was          
discovering such surprising contrasts4  
,since you are amongst the small number 
of wise men1 he told these sirs1 and    
since apparently you do not kill anyone 
for money1 tell me1 ,i beg of you1 what 
occupies your time4  ,we dissect flies1 
said the philosopher1 we measure lines1 
we gather figures2 we agree with each   
other on two or three points that we do 
not understand4  ,it suddenly took the  
,sirian and the ,saturnian's fancy to   
question these thinking atoms1 to learn 
what it was they agreed on4  ,what do   
you measure1 said the ,saturnian1 from  
the ,dog ,star to the great star of the 
,gemini8  ,they responded all at once1  
thirty-two and a half degrees4  ,what do
 you measure from here to the moon8  #fj
 radii of the ,earth even4  ,how much   
does your air weigh8  ,he thought he had
 caught them#c1 but they all told him   
that air weighed around #ijj times less 
than an identical volume of the purest  
water1 and #ai1jjj times less than a    

gold ducat4 ,the little dwarf from      
,saturn1 surprised at their responses1  
was tempted to accuse of witchcraft the 
same people he had refused a soul       
fifteen minutes earlier4   #c ,the      
edition ,i believe to be original reads 
put them off in place of caught them4   
,finally ,micromegas said to them1      
,since you know what is exterior to you 
so well1 you must know what is interior 
even better4 ,tell me what your soul is1
 and how you form ideas4 ,the           
philosophers spoke all at once as       
before1 but they were of different      
views4 ,the oldest cited ,aristotle1    
another pronounced the name of          
,descartes2 this one here1 ,malebranche2
 another ,leibnitz2 another ,locke4 ,an 
old peripatetic spoke up with           
confidence3 ,the soul is an entelechy1  
and a reason gives it the power to be   
what it is4 ,this is what ,aristotle    
expressly declares1 page #fcc of the    
,louvre edition4 ,he cited the          
passage#d4  #d ,here is the passage such

 as it is transcribed in the edition    
dated #agej3 ,entele'xeia' tis esi kai' 
lo'gos to dy'namin e'xontos toude'      
ei'nai4  ,this passage of ,aristotle1   
,on the ,soul1 book ,,ii1 chapter ,,ii1 
is translated thusly by ,casaubon3      
,anima quaedam perfectio et actus ac    
ratio est quod potentiam habet ut       
ejusmodi sit4  ,b4  ,i do not understand
 ,greek very well1 said the giant4      
,neither do ,i1 said the philosophical  
mite4  ,why then1 the ,sirian retorted1 
are you citing some man named ,aristotle
 in the ,greek8  ,because1 replied the  
savant1 one should always cite what one 
does not understand at all in the       
language one understands the least4     
,the ,cartesian took the floor and said3
 ,the soul is a pure spirit that has    
received in the belly of its mother all 
metaphysical ideas1 and which1 leaving  
that place1 is obliged to go to school1 
and to learn all over again what it     
already knew1 and will not know again4  
,it is not worth the trouble1 responded 

the animal with the height of eight     
leagues1 for your soul to be so         
knowledgeable in its mother's stomach1  
only to be so ignorant when you have    
hair on your chin4 ,but what do you     
understand by the mind8  ,you are asking
 me8 said the reasoner4 ,i have no idea4
 ,we say that it is not matter--  ,but  
do you at least know what matter is8    
,certainly1 replied the man4 ,for       
example this stone is grey1 has such and
 such a form1 has three dimensions1 is  
heavy and divisible4  ,well6 said the   
,sirian1 this thing that appears to you 
to be divisible1 heavy1 and grey1 will  
you tell me what it is8 ,you see some   
attributes1 but behind those1 are you   
familiar with that8  ,no1 said the      
other4  --,so you do not know what      
matter is4  ,so ,micromegas1 addressing 
another sage that he held on a thumb1   
asked what his soul was1 and what it    
did4  ,nothing at all1 said the         
,malebranchist philosopher#e4 ,god does 
everything for me4 ,i see everything in 

him1 ,i do everything in him2 it is he  
who does everything that ,i get mixed up
 in4   #e ,see the opuscule entitled    
,all in ,god in ,miscellaneous 7#agif74 
,it would be just as well not to exist1 
retorted the sage of ,sirius4 ,and you1 
my friend1 he said to a ,leibnitzian who
 was there1 what is your soul8  ,it is1 
answered the ,leibnitzian1 the hand of a
 clock that tells the time while my body
 rings out4 ,or1 if you like1 it is my  
soul that rings out while my body tells 
the time1 or my soul is the mirror of   
the universe1 and my body is the border 
of the mirror4 ,all that is clear4  ,a  
small partisan of ,locke was nearby1 and
 when he was finally given the floor3 ,i
 do not know1 said he1 how ,i think1 but
 ,i know that ,i have only ever thought 
through my senses4 ,that there are      
immaterial and intelligent substances ,i
 do not doubt1 but that it is impossible
 for ,god to communicate thought to     
matter ,i doubt very much4 ,i revere the
 eternal power4 ,it is not my place to  

limit it4 ,i affirm nothing1 and content
 myself with believing that many more   
things are possible than one would      
think4  ,the animal from ,sirius smiled4
 ,he did not find this the least bit    
sage1 while the dwarf from ,saturn would
 have kissed the sectarian of ,locke    
were it not for the extreme             
disproportion4 ,but there was1          
unfortunately1 a little animalcule in a 
square hat who interrupted all the other
 animalcule philosophers4 ,he said that 
he knew the secret3 that everything     
would be found in the ,summa of ,saint  
,thomas4 ,he looked the two celestial   
inhabitants up and down4 ,he argued that
 their people1 their worlds1 their suns1
 their stars1 had all been made uniquely
 for mankind4 ,at this speech1 our two  
voyagers nearly fell over with that     
inextinguishable laughter which1        
according to ,homer#f1 is shared with   
the gods4 ,their shoulders and their    
stomachs heaved up and down1 and in     
these convulsions the vessel that the   

,sirian had on his nail fell into one of
 the ,saturnian's trouser pockets4      
,these two good men searched for it a   
long time1 found it finally1 and tidied 
it up neatly4 ,the ,sirian resumed his  
discussion with the little mites4 ,he   
spoke to them with great kindness1      
although in the depths of his heart he  
was a little angry that the infinitely  
small had an almost infinitely great    
pride4 ,he promised to make them a      
beautiful philosophical book#g1 written 
very small for their usage1 and said    
that in this book they would see the    
point of everything4 ,indeed1 he gave   
them this book before leaving4 ,it was  
taken to the academy of science in      
,paris1 but when the ancient#h secretary
 opened it1 he saw nothing but blank    
pages4 ,ah6 he said1 ,i suspected as    
much4   #f ,illiad1 ,i1 #eii4  ,b4  #g  
,the edition that ,i believe to be      
original1 and the one dated #agej1      
reads1 philosophical book1 that would   
teach them of admirable things1 and show

 them the goodness of things4  #h       
,although this scene occurs in #agcg1 as
 one saw in pages #agg to #ahh1 one     
could assign the epithet of old to      
,fontenelle1 who was #hj at that point1 
and who died #bj years later4 ,in #agdj 
he resigned from his position as        
perpetual secretary4                    
,,end ,,of ,,the ,,history ,,of         
,,micromegas4