ARCUIMEDES. 



and workmanship, exhibiting the motions 

 >ft he heavenly bodies in a very pleasing 

 manner. 



Many wonderful stories arc told of his 

 discoveries, and of his very powerful and 

 curious niachir.es, &e. Iliero once ad- 

 miring them, Arriiiiiu -d<-s replied, these, 

 effects arc nothing, "but give me," said 

 lie, " sonic other place to fix a machine 

 on, and I will move the earth." He fell 

 upon a curious device for discovering the 

 deceit which had been practised by a 

 workman, employed by the said king 

 Hiero to make a golden crown. Iliero, 

 having- a mind to make an offering to the 

 gods of a golden crown, agreed for one 

 of great value, and weighed out the gold 

 to the artificer. After some time he 

 brought the crown home, of the full 

 weight ; but it was afterwards discovered 

 ;>ectedthat apart of the gold had 

 been stolen, &nd the like weight of silver 

 substituted in its stead. Hiero, being 

 angry at this imposition, desired Archi- 

 medes to take it into consideration, how 

 such a fraud might be certainly discover- 

 ed. While engaged in the solution of this 

 difficulty, he happened to go into the 

 bath ; where observing that a quantity of 

 water overflowed, equal to the bulk of 

 his body, it presently occurred to him, 

 that ] Hero's question might be answered 

 by a like method ; upon which he leap- 

 ed out, and ran homeward, crying out 

 ivgtx.0,1 ivr,x.*\ 1 have found it out ! I 

 have found it out! He then made two 

 masses, each of the same weight as the 

 crown, one of gold and the other of silvcs 

 this being done, he filled a vessel to 'Jlie 

 brim with watcr.and put the silver mnss in- 

 to it, upon which a quantity of water over- 

 flowed equal to the bulk of the mass; 

 then taking the mass of silver out he fill- 

 ed up the vessel again, measuring the 

 water exactly \\hich he put in; this 

 shewed him what measure of water an- 

 swered to a Certain quantity of silver. 

 Then lie tried the fcold in like manner, 

 .<nd found that it caused a less quantity 

 of water to overflow, the gold being less 

 in bulk than t.'u silver, though of the same 

 weight, lie then filled the vessel a third 

 time, and putting in the crown itself, he 

 found that it caused more water to over- 

 flow than the- golden mass of the same 

 weight, but less than the silver one ; so 

 that, finding its bulk between the two 

 of gold and silver, anil that in 

 certain known proportions, he was able 

 1o compute the real quantities of gold 

 and silver in the crown, and so manifestly 

 discovered the fraud. 



Archimedes also contrived many m.i- 

 chines for useful and beneficial pi: 

 among these, enginesfor launching large 

 ships; se.rew pumps, for exhausting the 

 v. ate, -out of ships, marshes or overflow- 

 ed lands, as Kg\ pt, &.C. which they would 

 do from any depth. 



Hut he became mas! famous by his ru. 

 rious coutrivanceB, by which tin- city of 

 Syracuse v\ as so long defended, when be- 

 sieged by the Itonian consul Mu 

 showering upon the enemy sonv-tmi. -, 

 long darts and stones of vasl w i ight and 

 in great quantities; at other times lifting 

 their ships up into the air, that had come 

 nearthe walls, and dashing tin-in ' 

 by letting them fall down again: nor 

 could they find their safely in removing 

 out of the reach of his cranes and ! \ei>, 

 for then- lie contrived to set fire to them 

 with the rays of the sun reflected from 

 burning gl:i 



However, notwithstanding all ' 

 Syracuse was at length laken by storm, 

 and Archimedes was s-> \ery intent upon 

 some geometrical problem. that he neither 

 heard the noise, nor regarded any thing 

 else, till a soldier that found him tracing 

 lines asked his name, and upon' 

 quest to begone, and not disorder his 

 figures, slew him. " AVhat ; 

 lus the greatest concern, savs Plutarch, 

 was the unhappy fate of Archimedes, who 

 was at that time in his museum ; and his 

 mind, as well as his , \ es, so fixed and in- 

 tent upon some geometrical figures, that 

 fie neither heard the noise and burn of 

 the Romans, nor perceived the city to b*> 

 taken. In the depth of study and cmitem- 

 plation.a soldier came suddenly upon him, 

 and commanded him to follow him to 

 Marcel lus ; which he refusing to do, till 

 he had finished his problem, the soldier 

 in a rage drew his sword, and ran him 

 through." l,ivysa\i 1 n by a 



soldier, not knowing who he w is while 

 he was drawing schemes in the dus' , that 

 Marccllns w as grieved at Kl8 death, and 

 took care of his funeral ; and in: 

 name a protection and 

 who could claim a relationship to him. 

 His death it seem-, happen, d u'.out the 

 HJd or 14.>d Olympiad. .irs be- 



fore the birth of Christ. 



U'hen Cicero was qu.rs'or for - 

 he discovered the tomb of Archimedes, 

 all overgrown with Irishes and brambles; 

 which he caused to be cleared, and the 

 plan- set in order. There were asjihcie 

 and cylindercut upon it, with an it 

 tion. but the latter part of the verses were 

 quite worn out. 



Many of the works of this great man 



