of the IfldnJofBath^does. 



49 



I'ftmmenthe flapt, thefmaller or Ipgherthe found was, which he found 

 1 was bv the (harcntng of the ftring, confidered with himlcJf , how he 

 i mi^ht: make forne try al of this experiment upon fuch an inftrument as 

 [ he could eoale by 5 having no hope ever to have any inftrument of 

 this kind to pra^ice on^ In a day or two after , walking in the Plan- 

 tiae grove, to refredi me in that cool fhade, and to delight my felf 

 with the fight ofthofe plants, which are fo beautiful , as though they 

 left atrelh tmpreffion in me when! parted with them, yet upon a re- 

 view, fortiething is difcern d in their beauty more than I remem- 

 j bred at parting : which caufed rtle to make often repair thither^ I 

 [ found this Negro (whofe office it was to attend there) being the keep- 

 1 er of that grove, fitting on the ground, and before him a piece of large 

 timber, upon which he had laid cro(s, fix Billets, and having a hand- 

 (awanda hatchet by him, would cut the billets by little and little, 

 till he had brought them to the tunes, he would fit them to 5 for the 

 I fliorterthey were, the higher theNotes,whichhe tryed by knocking 

 upon the ends of them with a ftick, which he had in his hand. When 

 I found hiraat it , I took the ftick out of his hand, and tryed the 

 (bundj finding the fix billets to have fix diftinft notes, one above 

 another^ which put me in a wonder, how he of himfdf, fhould with- 

 out teaching do Co much. I then fticwed him the difference between 

 flats and (harps, which he prcfently apprehended, as between F^, and 

 Mi : and he would have cut two more billets to thofe tunes, but I had 

 then no time to fee it done, and fo left him to his own enquiries* I fay 

 thus much to let you fee that fome of thele people are capable of 

 learning Arts« 



Another, of another kind of fpeculation I found 3 but more inge- 

 nious than he: and this man with three or four more, were to attend 

 me into the woods, to cut Church vv^ayes, for I was employed fome- 

 times upon publickworks, and thofe men were excellent Axe-men, 

 and becaufc there were many gullies in the way, which were impaflSi- 

 ble, and by that meails I was compell'd to make traverfGs,up dnd down 

 in the wood 5 and was by that in danger to mifs of the point, to which 

 I was to make ray pafiage to the Church, and therefore was fain to take 

 a Compaiiwith me,vvhich was a Circumferenter,tomakemy traverfos 

 the mare exa^i:,and indeed without which,it could not be done,(etting 

 up the Circumfcrentcr, and obferving the Needle; This Negre Sambo 

 comes to me, and (ecing the needle wag, defiredto know thereafon 

 of its ftirring^ and whether it were alive : I told him no, but it ftood 

 upon a point, and for a while it would ftir, but by and by ftandftill , 

 which he oblerv'd and found it to be true. 



The next queftion was,why it ftood one way,and would not remove 

 to any other point, I told him that it would ftandno way but North 

 and Scuthj and upon that fhew'd him the four Cardinal points of the 

 compafsj Eaft, Weft, North, South,which he prefontly learnt by heart, 

 and promis'd me never to forget it.Hislaftqueftion was,why it would 

 ftand North, I gave this reafon, bccaufe of the huge Rocks of Load- 

 ftone that were in the North part of the world, v/hich had a quality to 

 draw Iron to it^ and this Needle being of Iron, and toueh'd with a 

 Loadftone, it would alwayes ftand that wav, 



O ' This 



