Chapter 1. Once In the very middle of the great forest which is the forest of the world, and from which spring all kinds of marvels, a very curious people used to go in search of things that could only be found there. These people, which were rather thin and tall, and who only ate certain fruits, were called Gossips and were exceedingly devoted to their sciences. They loved their sciences as much as any other people; but, most of all, they loved to philosophize. As they had the greatest desire to know what they could not see with their eyes, they invented a kind of instrument for finding out the hidden things, called Philosophizing Speeches. They divided these Speeches into two kinds, just as they had divided the forest into two parts. The first were those which could only be used by the thin and tall people. They also divided these into two kinds: by dividing them, they meant to show that such an instrument could be used by everyone, as they could be used by anyone, to observe the things that were seen by every eye. These first divisions showed that Philosophizing Speeches could be found in all places where someone was wise enough to use them: the only thing that had to be seen was that the Speeches were only there, hidden. But the people, who ate nothing but certain fruits, could never use all of the Philosophizing Speeches because they wanted to know things which could only be seen by people with more senses than they had. So they split those Speeches in two and divided them again in two and in two again and kept on splitting these into two different kinds of Speeches, until the result was that there were no Speeches but Philosophizing Speeches which the people with many senses could not use. When this had happened, the people, who only ate certain fruits, were very unhappy. They did not understand the reason for this, but they hated their new Speeches as much as they had previously disliked the Philosophizing Speeches which they could not use. So, instead of using these new Philosophizing Speeches they preferred to eat certain fruits, and they felt content to eat the fruits which they could not use. This is how the forest grew; all the people were as content as they could be, and they called the trees which they ate fruits. Chapter 2. What these two kinds of trees were is better known to the people, who eat them; but what they were before this is not at all known. When people say that certain things began as a certain thing, and they add the 'once', it is a metaphor for saying that what you saw formerly, no longer exists; and one can say 'they begin as a certain thing' as if one were saying 'you can see them nowadays'. One can say 'these fruits begin as a certain thing' as if one were saying 'you can see them these days'. The reason why they begin as a certain thing is because their beginning is such a thing. The reason why these things became a certain thing is because of their nature. Chapter 3. They were named and divided in this way: because of the thing that they were, their original names were so as to indicate this; one of them was called 'pears' because their shape and their colour were so; but another was named 'quinces' and they were so called because they were round like fruits. They grew up at the same time and when they reached the same size they were put in a garden. This is how they were first named and their name 'pears' did not mean what we think it does. They have also some strange names which may be confusing. Chapter 4. The other tree was called 'plums' because they were like the shape and colour of the fruits we eat nowadays; but they were then so named because of what the people ate. All these people, who eat different fruits, are so called because they eat them. All the people, who eat other trees, are so called because they have in their names the name of that tree. Chapter 5. It was at first said that these trees were in the place where they are now and then they grew a bit longer; but now it is said that they only grew a little longer, and are now as they were before. In fact, the people, who only eat certain fruits, are pleased at the fruit growing again, since it is the same fruit. The people, who eat other fruits, would like to see the fruit growing again, because they think that it would become like it was before. Chapter 6. The first fruits were called 'pears', and the second fruits were called 'plums'. The reason they are called 'plums' is because they are so called by the people who eat them. But there is a way of not distinguishing these two kinds of fruit as they are seen from the outside. For if one looks from the outside, then the plum and the pear are all together, while one looks at it when it is eaten, then the pear and the plum are divided. One cannot see them well enough to see that they are divided. The pear and the plum could perhaps be distinguished if they were seen from within and from the side, but they are not seen that way. Chapter 7. Their original name was 'twigs', which is not known because they began as twigs. What their name is now does not make them any more like what they began to be. Chapter 8. One must say that the reason they changed their name was because of the two differences which divided them, since that is what this name indicates. The name is so called because they are two different kinds. The name is not like the tree, but it is named like the tree, because their name is composed of the name of the tree which they have in their names. Chapter 9. As they were two kinds of people, they ate two kinds of things. For when they ate the pears, they thought they were pears and when they ate the plums, they thought they were plums. Those who ate pears thought that they were pears, and those who ate plums thought that they were plums; yet all people ate all sorts of things. Chapter 10. People also said that there were different kinds of people: some people were named as those who eat the pears and others as those who eat the plums. Such a thing could also be said, because the pears and the plums had been named and divided. Chapter 11. And if we say that this is a thing which is true, then we must say, 'I am speaking the truth' in such a way as to say that if we do not say this, it is false. Chapter 12. There are many kinds of people; they are the same people who eat pears and plums. And there are many kinds of pears and plums. They had different original names, the plums having 'quinces', and the pears 'pears'. And there are also different kinds of quinces and pears. The people who ate the pears thought that they were pears, and those who ate the plums thought that they were plums. It is said that there are different kinds of people, for the plums and the pears were said to have been named and divided. And it is said that there are many kinds of people; but there are many kinds of plums and pears as well. And one could also say that there are different kinds of quinces and pears. People could also say that the people who ate quinces think that they are plums, and those who ate pears think that they are quinces. Chapter 13. All the other trees are named from the things that people eat; but these two are the only two, which are called the pears and the plums, and they are so called because of what the people eat. A lot of trees are named after these two because they are two different kinds of pears and plums; those who eat the pears think they are pears, and those who eat the plums think they are plums; and there are many who think that they are pears, and many who think that they are plums. Chapter 14. There are trees with different names and the people who eat them think that they are the same. The pears are called pears because of what they are called from what people eat. This is the meaning of the original name of the pears. The plums are called plums because of what they are called from the thing they eat. This is the meaning of the original name of the plums. Chapter 15. 'Fruit' is a word which shows that they begin as the same things as the things which are said to be there now. The fruit is also one of their names. They are all