As soon as the sun sunk beneath the seas, and the moon presented its luminous disk, the holy man had the chariot brought out in which he was accustomed to make excursions among the stars, the same which was employed long ago to convey Elijah up from earth.  The saint made Astolpho seat himself beside him, took the reins, and giving the word to the coursers, they bore them upward with astonishing celerity.

At length they reached the great continent of the Moon.  Its surface appeared to be of polished steel, with here and there a spot which, like rust, obscured its brightness.  The paladin was astonished to see that the earth, with all its seas and rivers, seemed but an insignificant spot in the distance.

The prince discovered in this region so new to him rivers, lakes, plains, hills, and valleys.  Many beautiful cities and castles enriched the landscape.  He saw also vast forests, and heard in them the sound of horns and the barking of dogs, which led him to conclude that the nymphs were following the chase.

The knight, filled with wonder at all he saw, was conducted by the saint to a valley, where he stood amazed at the riches strewed all around him.  Well he might be so, for that valley was the receptacle of things lost on earth, either by men’s fault, or by the effect of time and chance.  Let no one suppose we speak here of kingdoms or of treasures; they are the toys of Fortune, which she dispenses in turning her wheel; we speak of things which she can neither give nor take away.  Such are reputations, which appear at one time so brilliant, and a short time after are heard of no more.  Here, also, are countless vows and prayers for unattainable objects, lovers’ sighs and tears, time spent in gaming, dressing, and doing nothing, the leisure of the dull and the intentions of the lazy, baseless projects, intrigues, and plots; these and such like things fill all the valley.

Astolpho had a great desire to understand all that he saw, and which appeared to him so extraordinary.  Among the rest, he observed a great mountain of blown bladders, from which issued indistinct noises.  The saint told him these were the dynasties of Assyrian and Persian kings, once the wonder of the earth, of which now scarce the name remains.

Astolpho could not help laughing when the saint said to him, “All these hooks of silver and gold that you see are the gifts of courtiers to princes, made in the hope of getting something better in return.”  He also showed him garlands of flowers in which snares were concealed; these were flatteries and adulations, meant to deceive.  But nothing was so comical as the sight of numerous grasshoppers which had burst their lungs with chirping.  These, he told him, were sonnets, odes, and dedications, addressed by venal poets to great people.

The paladin beheld with wonder what seemed a lake of spilled milk.  “It is,” said the saint, “the charity done by frightened misers on their death-beds.”  It would take too long to tell all that the valley contained:  meanness, affectations, pretended virtues, and concealed vices were there in abundance.