There is a small Island on the Coast of Denmark, in which there are five Towns; the Lord of this Place was very poor, rather because he coveted much, than that he wanted any Thing.  God has afflicted the Inhabitants with a general Inclination in them all to be Projectors, so that the Land seemed to be infested with as many Monsters as there were Men:  So prodigious was the natural Proneness to projecting in that Country, that the very sucking Babes cried out Project, before they could say Papa or Mamma; the whole island was a confused Chaos, for Man and Wife, Father and Son, Neighbour and Neighbor, were ever jangling about their Projects, and they were as intoxicated with them as if they had been drunk with Wine.  The Lord of this Place ordered a general Examination of all Projects.  Legions of Projectors assembled before his Palace with Skrips and Scrolls of Paper stuck in their Girdles, run through their Button-holes, and peeping through their Pockets.  The Lord having made known his Wants, demanded their Assistance; and they all at once laying hold of their Papers, and crowding till they had almost stifled one another, in an Instant heap’d up four Tables with their Memoirs.  The first Paper he cast his Eyes on was, How to raise an unmeasurable Treasure by Subscription of all that Men are worth, and yet inrich them by taking it away.  The first Part, quoth the Lord, of taking from all Men, I like; but as to the second, which is to inrich them by taking it away, I am dubious of, yet let them look to that.  He looked over a Multitude of others.  In the mean Time the Projectors quarrelled, each approving his own Scheme, and condemning the rest; and they grew so Scurrilous, they called one another Sons of Projectors instead of Sons of Whores.  The Lord commanded Peace, and being tempted with their Offers, receiv’d and allow’d several of their Proposals:  Whereupon they all swore they would stand by him in all Extremities.  A few Days after, the Lord’s Servants came out, and cried the Palace was on Fire in three several Places, and the Wind blew high.  The Lord was in a great Consternation; the Projectors gathered about him, bid him sit still, and be easy, and they would set all to Rights in a Moment; Upon which they fell to Work, and laid their Hands on all they found in the House, casting every Thing of Value out at the Windows; others with Sledges threw down a Tower; others cried the Fire would cease, as soon as it had Vent, and fell to unroofing the House; and so destroy’d the whole Structure they were called to save.  None endeavoured to extinguish the Fire; they were all busy in confounding every Thing they could grasp.  At length the Smoak decreased, and the Lord, going out, perceived that the common People had master’d the Fire, while the Projectors had demolished his Palace, and destroyed his Furniture:  Incens’d and raging at this Sight, he cried out, Rogues, you are worse than the Fire, and so are