Frontispiece French edition 1749
[TO ZIMA.]
Zima, embrace the moment. The Aga Narkis entertains your mother, and your governess is upon the watch in a balcony for your father's return: take, read, fear nothing. But even tho' the Bijoux indiscrets should be found behind your toilet, do you think it would be a matter of wonder? No, Zima, no; it is well known, that the Sopha, the Tanzai, and the Confessions have been under your pillow. Do you hesitate still? Know then, that Aglaé has not disdained to set her hand to the work, which you blush to accept. "Aglaé," say you, "the sober Aglaé!"—The same. While Zima was straying with, or perhaps contriving how to get rid of the young Bonza Alleluia; Aglaé amused herself innocently, by relating to me the adventures of Zaide, Alphana, Fannia, &c.—furnished me with the few strokes, which please me in the history of Mangogul, revised it, and pointed me out the means of making it better: for if Aglaé is one of the most virtuous and least edifying women in Congo; she is likewise one of the least jealous of wit, and one of the most witty. Can Zima now think, that it becomes her to play the scrupulous? Once more, Zima, take, read, read all; even without excepting the narrative of the Rambling Toy, which may be interpreted to you, without any expence to your virtue, provided the interpreter be neither your spiritual director nor your lover.
CONTENTS.
| [Preface] | |
| [Chap. I.] | Birth of Mangogul. |
| [Chap. II.] | Education of Mangogul. |
| [Chap. III.] | Which may be regarded as the first of this History. |
| [Chap. IV.] | Evocation of the Genius. |
| [Chap. V.] | Mangogul's dangerous temptation. |
| [Chap. VI.] | First Trial of the Ring, or Alcina. |
| [Chap. VII.] | Second Trial of the Ring, or the Altars. |
| [Chap. VIII.] | Third Trial of the Ring, or the private Supper. |
| [Chap. IX.] | The state of the Academy of Sciences at Banza. |
| [Chap. X.] | Less learned and less tedious than the preceding. Continuation of the Academical Sitting. |
| [Chap. XI.] | Fourth Trial of the Ring, or the Echo. |
| [Chap. XII.] | Fifth Trial of the Ring, or Play. |
| [Chap. XIII.] | Sixth Trial of the Ring, or the Opera at Banza. |
| [Chap. XIV.] | Orcotomus's Experiments. |
| [Chap. XV.] | The Bramins. |
| [Chap. XVI.] | The Muzzles. |
| [Chap. XVII.] | The two Devouts. |
| [Chap. XVIII.] | The Toyman's Return. |
| [Chap. XIX.] | Seventh Trial of the Ring, or the stifled Toy. |
| [Chap. XX.] | Eighth Trial of the Ring, or the Vapors. |
| [Chap. XXI.] | Ninth Trial of the Ring, or Things lost and found. |
| [Chap. XXII.] | A sketch of Mangogul's Moral Philosophy. |
| [Chap. XXIII.] | Tenth Trial of the Ring, or the Dogs. |
| [Chap. XXIV.] | Eleventh Trial of the Ring, or the Pensions. |
| [Chap. XXV.] | Twelfth Trial of the Ring, or a Law-Case. |
| [Chap. XXVI.] | Mirzoza's Metaphysical Essay, or the Soul. |
| [Chap. XXVII.] | Sequel of the preceding Conversation. |
| [Chap. XXVIII.] | Thirteenth Trial of the King, or the little Mare. |
| [Chap. XXIX.] | Mangogul's Dream, or a Voyage into the Region of Hypotheses. |
| [Chap. XXX.] | Fourteenth Trial of the Ring, or the Mute Toy. |
| [Chap. XXXI.] | Was Mangogul in the right? |
| [Chap. XXXII.] | The fifteenth Trial of the Ring, or Alphana. |
| [Chap. XXXIII.] | Sixteenth Trial of the Ring, or the Petits-maitres. |
| [Chap. XXXIV.] | Seventeenth Trial of the Ring, or the Comedy. |
| [Chap. XXXV.] | Conversation on Literature. |
| [Chap. XXXVI.] | Eighteenth and nineteenth Trials of the Ring, or the flatted Spheroïd, and Girgiro the entangled. |
| [Chap. XXXVII.] | Mirzoza's Dream. |
| [Chap. XXXVIII.] | Twenty-first and twenty-second Trials of the Ring, or Fricamona and Callipiga. |
| [Chap. XXXIX.] | Dreams. |
| [Chap. XL.] | Twenty-third Trial of the Ring, or Fannia. |
| [Chap. XLI.] | The History of Selim's Travels. |
| [Chap. XLII.] | Twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth Trials of the Ring, or, the Masquerade, and Sequel of the Masquerade. |
| [Chap. XLIII.] | Selim at Banza. |
| [Chap. XLIV.] | Twenty-sixth Trial of the Ring, or the Rambling Toy. |
| [Chap. XLV.] | Cydalisa. |
| [Chap. XLVI.] | Twenty-seventh Trial of the Ring, or Fulvia. |
| [Chap. XLVII.] | Prodigious Events of the Reign of Kanaglou, Mangogul's Grand-father. |
| [Chap. XLVIII.] | Twenty-eighth Trial of the Ring, or Olympia. |
| [Chap. XLIX.] | Twenty-ninth Trial of the Ring, or Zuleiman and Zaide. |
| [Chap. L.] | Platonic Love. |
| [Chap. LI.] | Thirtieth and last Trial of the Ring, or Mirzoza. |
[Transcribers' Note: Chapters I.-XXI. of the second volume of the 1749 publication have been renumbered XXXI.-LI. Illustrations weren't present in the copy of the English edition we used, we added those from the original French (at Gallica, Bibliothèque nationale de France.]