moft delicious fpot of ground in the world; and although they live here in the greatest plenty and magnificence, and are allowed to do whatever they pleafe, 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 eafy 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 Lagado on the pretence of health, there hid herfelf 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 foot-man, who beat her every day, and in whose company fhe was taken much against her will. And although her husband received her with all poffible kindness, and without the leaft reproach, fhe 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 pafs 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 women-kind

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are not limited by any climate or nation, and that they are much more uniform than can be eafily imagined,

In about a month's time, I had made a tolerable proficiency in their language, and was able to answer moft of the king's questions, when I had the honour to attend him. His majesty discovered not the least curiofity to enquire into the laws, government, history, religion, or manners of the countries where I had been, but confined his questions to the ftate of mathematics, and received the account I gave him with great contempt and indifference, though often roused by his flapper on each fide.

CHA P. III.

A phænomenon folved by modern philofophy and aftronomy. The Laputians great improvements in the latter. The king's method of fuppreffing infurrections.

Defired leave of this prince to fee the curiofities of the island, which he was gracioufly pleased 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 feve-. ral motions, whereof I will now give a philofophical account to the reader.

The flying or floating island is exactly circular, its diameter 7837 yards, or about four miles and an half, and confequently contains

ten

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, shooting 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 center, is the natural caufe why all the dews and rains, which fall upon the ifland, are conveyed in small rivulets towards the middle, where they are emptied into four large bafons, each of about half a mile in circuit, and two hundred yards diftant from the center. these 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 island above the region of clouds and vapours, he can prevent the falling of dews and rains whenever he pleases. For the highest clouds cannot rise above two miles, as naturalifts agree, at least they were never known to do fo in that country.

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At the center 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 surface of the adamant. In this cave are twenty lamps continually burning, which from the reflection of

the

the adamant, caft a ftrong light into every part. The place is ftored with great variety of fextants, quadrants, telescopes, astrolabes, and other aftronomical instruments. But the greateft curiofity, upon which the fate of the island depends, is a loadstone of a prodigious fize, in fhape resembling 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 paffing 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 stone cannot be moved from its place by any force, because the hoop and its feet are one continued piece with that body of adamant, which conftitutes the bottom of the illand.

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 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

the island defcends; but when the repelling extremity points downwards, the island mounts directly upwards. When the position of the ftone, is oblique, the motion of the island 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 represent a line drawn cross the dominions of Balnibarbi, let the line cd reprefent the load-ftone, of which let d be the repelling end, and c the attracting end, the ifland being over C; let the ftone be placed in the position cd, with its repelling end downwards; then the island 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 EF, with its repelling point downward, the ifland will rife obliquely towards F, where, by directing the attracting end towards G, the island may be carried to G, and from G to H by turning the stone, 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 oblique direction, and by thofe alternate rifings and fallings (the obliquity being not confiderable) is conveyed

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