ledge of the ways of men. His with ftill continued, but his hope grew lefs. He ceafed to furvey any longer the walls of his prison, and spared to fearch by new toils for interftices which he knew could not be found, yet determined to keep his defign always in view, and lay hold on any expedient that time fhould offer.

CHA P. VI.

A differtation on the art of flying.

A

MONG the artifts that had

been allured into the happy valley, to labour for the accommodation and pleasure of its inhabitants, was a man eminent for his knowledge of the mechanick powers, who had contrived ma

VOL. I.

D

ny

ny engines both of ufe and recreation. By a wheel, which the ftream turned, he forced the water into a tower, whence it was distributed to all the apartments of the palace. He erected a pavillion in the garden, around which he kept the air always cool by artificial fhowers. One of the groves, appropriated to the ladies, was ventilated by fans, to which the rivulet that run through it gave a conftant motion; and inftruments of soft musick were placed at proper distances, of which fome played by the impulse of the wind, and fome by the power of the stream,

This artift was fometimes vifited by Raffelas, who was pleased with every kind of knowledge, imagining that the time would come when all his acquifitions

fhould

fhould be of use to him in the open world. He came one day to amuse himself in his usual manner, and found the mafter busy in building a failing chariot: he faw that the defign was practicable upon a level furface, and with expreffions of great esteem folicited its completion. The workman was pleased to find himself so much regarded by the prince, and refolved to gain yet higher honours. "Sir, faid he, you have seen but a small pars of what the mechanick fciences can perform. I have been long of opinion, that, inftead of the tardy conveyance of ships and chariots, man might use the swifter migration of wings; that the fields of air are open to knowledge, and that only ignorance and idleness need crawl upon the ground."

This hint rekindled the prince's defire of paffing the mountains; having feen what the mechanist had already performed, he was willing to fancy that he could do more; yet refolved to enquire further before he fuffered hope to afflict him by disappointment. "I am afraid, faid he to the artist, that your imagination prevails over your skill, and that you now tell me rather what you wish than what you know. Every animal has his element affigned him; the birds have the air, and man and beafts the earth." "So, replied the mechanist, fishes have the water, in which yet beafts can fwim by nature, and men by art. He that can swim needs not despair to fly: to swim is to fly in a groffer fluid, and to fly is to fwim in a fubtler. We are only to pro portion our power of refiftance to the

dif

different density of the matter through which we are to pafs. You will be neceffarily upborn by the air, if you can renew any impulse upon it, faster than the air can recede from the preffure."

"But the exercife of fwimming, faid the prince, is very laborious; the strongeft limbs are foon wearied; I am afraid the act of flying will be yet more violent, and wings will be of no great ufe, unless we can fly further than we can fwim."

"The labour of rifing from the ground, faid the artist, will be great, as we fee it in the heavier domeftick fowls; but, as we mount higher, the earth's attraction, and the body's gravity, will be gradually diminished, till we fhall arrive at