Archimedes Texts

166
as far one way as another. Having observed all these particulars,
though no man doubteth that so long as the vessel stands still, they
ought to succeed in this manner; make the Ship to move with
what velocity you please; for (so long as the motion is uniforme,
and not fluctuating this way and that way) you shall not discern
any the least alteration in all the forenamed effects; nor can you
gather by any of them whether the Ship doth move or stand still.
In leaping you shall reach as far upon the floor, as before; nor for
that the Ship moveth shall you make a greater leap towards the
poop than towards the prow; howbeit in the time that you staid
in the Air, the floor under your feet shall have run the contrary way
to that of your jump; and throwing any thing to your companion
you shall not need to cast it with more strength that it may reach
him, if he shall be towards the prow, and you towards the poop,
then if you stood in a contrary situation; the drops shall all distill
as before into the inferiour bottle and not so much as one shall
fall towards the poop, albeit whil'st the drop is in the Air, the Ship
shall have run many feet; the Fishes in their water shall not swim
with more trouble towards the fore-part, than towards the hinder
part of the tub; but shall with equal velocity make to the bait
placed on any side of the tub; and lastly, the flies and gnats
shall continue their flight indifferently towards all parts; nor
shall they ever happen to be driven together towards the side of
the Cabbin next the prow, as if they were wearied with fol
lowing the swift course of the Ship, from which through their
suspension in the Air, they had been long separated; and if
burning a few graines of incense you make a little smoke,
you shall see it ascend on high, and there in manner of a cloud
suspend it self, and move indifferently, not inclining more to one
side than another: and of this correspondence of effects the cause
is for that the Ships motion is common to all the things contained
in it, and to the Air also; I mean if those things be shut up in the
Cabbin: but in case those things were above deck in the open Air,
and not obliged to follow the course of the Ship, differences more
or lesse notable would be observed in some of the fore-named ef
fects, and there is no doubt but that the smoke would stay behind
as much as the Air it self; the flies also, and the gnats being hin
dered by the Air would not be able to follow the motion of the
Ship, if they were separated at any distance from it. But keeping
neer thereto, because the Ship it self as being an unfractuous Fa
brick, carrieth along with it part of its neerest Air, they would
follow the said Ship without any pains or difficulty. And for the
like reason we see sometimes in riding post, that the troublesome
flies and ^{*} hornets do follow the horses flying sometimes to one,

sometimes to another part of the body, but in the falling drops