Путешествие Гулливера

Chapter 3

           Atthecentreoftheislandthereisachasmaboutfiftyyardsindiameter,whencetheastronomersdescendintoalargedome,whichisthereforecalledflandonagagnole,ortheastronomer’scave,situatedatthedepthofahundredyardsbeneaththeuppersurfaceoftheadamant.Inthiscavearetwentylampscontinuallyburning,which,fromthereflectionoftheadamant,castastronglightintoeverypart.Theplaceisstoredwithgreatvarietyofsextants,quadrants,telescopes,astrolabes,andotherastronomicalinstruments.Butthegreatestcuriosity,uponwhichthefateoftheislanddepends,isaloadstoneofaprodigioussize,inshaperesemblingaweaver’sshuttle.Itisinlengthsixyards,andinthethickestpartatleastthreeyardsover.Thismagnetissustainedbyaverystrongaxleofadamantpassingthroughitsmiddle,uponwhichitplays,andispoisedsoexactlythattheweakesthandcanturnit.Itishoopedroundwithahollowcylinderofadamant,fourfeetyardsindiameter,placedhorizontally,andsupportedbyeightadamantinefeet,eachsixyardshigh.Inthemiddleoftheconcaveside,thereisagroovetwelveinchesdeep,inwhichtheextremitiesoftheaxlearelodged,andturnedroundasthereisoccasion.

           Thestonecannotberemovedfromitsplacebyanyforce,becausethehoopanditsfeetareonecontinuedpiecewiththatbodyofadamantwhichconstitutesthebottomoftheisland.

           Bymeansofthisloadstone,theislandismadetoriseandfall,andmovefromoneplacetoanother.

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