cence, and are allowed to do whatever they please, they long to fee the world, and take the diverfions of the metropolis, which they are not allowed to do without a particular licence from the King; and this is not easy to be obtained, because the people of quality have found, by frequent experience, how hard it is to perfuade their women to return from below, I was told, that a great court-lady, who had feveral children, is married to the prime minifter, the richest fubject in the kingdom, a very graceful perfon, extremely fond of her, and lives in the finest palace of the island, went down to Ļagado on the pretence of health, there hid herself for feveral months, till the King fent a warrant to fearch for her, and fhe was found in an obfcure eating-house all in rags, having pawned her cloaths to maintain an old deformed footman, who beat her every day, and in whofe company 1 y fhe was taken much against her will. And although her husband received her with all offible kindnels, and without the leaft reproach, the foon after contrived to steal down again with all her jewels to the fame gallant, and hath not been heard of fince.

This may perhaps pass with the reader rather for an European or English ftory, than for one of a country fo remote. But he may please to confider, that the caprices of womankind are not limited by any climate or nation, and that they are much more uniform than can be easily imagined.

In about a month's time, I had made a tolerable proficiency in their language, and was able to anfwer moft of the King's queftions, when I had the honour to attend him. His Majefty difcovered not the leaft curiofity to inquire into the laws, government, hiftory, religion, or manners of the countries where I had been, but confined his questions to the state of mathematics, and received the account I gave him with great contempt and indifference,

ference, though often roufed by his flapper on each fide

CHA P. III.

A phænomenon folved by modern philosophy and aftronomy. The Laputians great improvements in the latter. The King's method of fuppreffing infurrec

I

tions.

Defired leave of this prince to fee the curiofities of the island, which he was gracioufly pleafed to grant, and ordered my tutor to attend me I chiefly wanted to know, to what cause in art or in nature it owed its feveral motions, whereof I will now give a philofophical account to the reader.

The flying or floating iftand is exactly circular, its diameter 7837 yards, or abut four miles and an half, and confequently contains ten thousand acres, It is three hundred yards thick. The bottom, or under furface, which appears to those who view it from below, is one even regular plate of adamant, fhooting up to the height of about two hundred yards. Above it lie the feveral minerals in their ufual order, and over all is a coat of rich mould, ten or twelve feet deep. The declivity of the upper furface, from the circumference to the centre, is the natural caufe why all the dews and rains, which fall upon the ifland, are conveyed in fmall rivulets towards the middle, where they are emptied into: four large bafons, each of about half a mile in cir-. cuit, and two hundred yards diftant from the centre. From thefe bafons the water is continually exhaled by the fun in the day-time, which effectually prevents their overflowing. Befides, as it is in the power of the monarch to raise the ifland above the

region of clouds and vapours, he can prevent the falling of dews and rains whenever he pleafes. For the highest clouds cannot rise above two miles, as naturalifts agree, at least they were never known to do fo in that country.

At the centre of the ifland there is a chaẩm about fifty yards in diameter, from whence the astronomers defcend into a large dome, which is therefore called flandona gagnole, or the aftronomer's cave, fituated at the depth of a hundred yards beneath the upper furface of the adamant. In this cave are twenty lamps continually burning, which, from the reflection of the adamant, caft a strong light into every part. The place is ftored with great variety of fextants, quadrants, telefcopes, aftrolabes, and other aftronomical inftruments. But the greatest curiofity, upon which the fate of the island depends, is a loadstone of a prodigious fize, in fhape refembling a weaver's fhuttle. It is in length fix yards, and in the thickest part at least three yards over. This magnet is fuftained by a very strong axle of adamant pafling through its middle, upon which it plays, and is poifed fo exactly, that the weakest hand can turn it It is hooped round with an hollow cylinder of adamant, four feet deep, as many thick, and twelve yards in diameter, placed horizontally, and fupported by eight adamantine feet, each fix yards high, In the middle of the concave fide there is a groove twelve inches deep, in which the extremities of the axle are lodged, and turned round as there is occafion.

The ftone cannot be moved from its place by any force, becaufe the hoop and its feet are one continued piece with that body of adamant, which conftitutes the bottom of the island.

By means of this load-ftone the island is made to rife and fall, and move from one place to another. For, with respect to that part of the earth over which the monarch prefides, the ftone is endued at

one

one of its fides with an attractive power, and at the other with a repulfive. Upon placing the magnet erect, with its attracting end towards the earth, the ifland defcends; but when the repelling extremity points downwards, the ifland mounts directly upwards. When the pofition of the ftose is oblique, the motion of the ifland is fo too: for in this magnet the forces always act in lines parallel to its direction.

By this oblique motion the island is conveyed to different parts of the monarch's dominions. To explain the manner of its progrefs, let A B reprcfent a line drawn cross the dominions of Balnibarbi, let the line c d reprefent the load-ftone, of which let d be the repelling end, and c the attracting end, the island being over C; let the ftone be placed in the position cd, with its repelling end down-wards; then the ifland will be driven upwards obliquely towards D. When it is arrived at D, let the ftone be turned upon its axle, till its attracting end points towards E, and then the island will be carried obliquely towards E; where, if the ftone be again turned upon its axle, till it ftands in the pofition E F, with its repelling point downward, the ifland will rife obliquely towards F, where, by directing the attracting end towards G, the ifland may be carried to G, and from G to H, by turning the ftone, so as to make its repelling extremity point directly downward. And thus, by changing the fituation of the ftone as often as there is occafion, the island is made to rife and fall by turns in an ob lique direction, and by thofe alternate rifings and fallings (the obliquity being not confiderable,) is conveyed from one part of the dominions to the other.

But it must be obferved, that this ifland cannot move beyond the extent of the dominions below, nor can it rife above the height of four miles. For which the aftronomers (who have written large fyf

tems concerning the ftone,) affign the following reafon: that the magnetic virtue does not extend beyond the distance of four miles, and that the mineral, which acts upon the ftone in the bowels of the earth, and in the fea about fix leagues diftant from the fhore, is not diffufed through the whole globe, but terminated with the limits of the King's dominions; and it was ealy, from the great advantage of fuch a fuperior fituation, for a prince to bring under his obedience, whatever country lay within the attraction of that magnet.

When the ftone is put parallel to the plane of the horizon, the island ftandeth ftill; for in that cafe the extremities of it, being at equal distance from the earth, act with equal force, the one in drawing downwards, the other in pushing upwards, and confequently no motion can enfue.

This load-ftone is under the care of certain aftronomers, who from time to time give it fuch positions as the monarch directs. They spend the greateft part of their lives in obferving the celeftial bodies, which they do by the affiftance of glaffes far excelling ours in goodness. For, although their largest telescopes do not exceed three feet, they magnify much more than thofe of an hundred with us, and fhew the stars with greater clearness. This advantage hath enabled them to extend their difcoveries much farther than our aftronomers in Europe; for they have made a catalogue of ten thou. fand fixed ftars, whereas the largest of ours do not contain above one third part of that number. They have likewife discovered two leffer stars, or fatellites, which revolve about Mars, whereof the innermoft is diftant from the centre of the primary planet, exactly three of his diameters, and the outermoft five; the former revolves in the space of ten hours, and the latter in twenty-one and an half; fo that the fquares of their periodical times are very near in the fame proportion with the cubes of their

distance