Chapter 8

The Author leaves the ship to visit the seat of government.--Description of the country.--Account of the polity of the Symzonians, as stated by his conductor.--Comparison of the industry, its objects and ends in the two worlds, and of the necessities and habits of the internals and externals.-Expulsion of the unworthy from Symzonia, to a place of exile near the north pole.--External world supposed to have been people by the outcasts.

Note: In this chapter, an elder of Symzonia, Surui, explains to Seaborn the social and political structure of the country. The chief of the nation is known as the Best Man. A grand council, made up of worthies, aids the Best Man and appoints Efficients to carry out executive duties. The worthies are of three orders: the Good, the Wise, and the Useful.

All Symzonians follow the tenet that "to be good is to be happy;" however, should a man degenerate into vice, he is transported "to a land far distant to the north, the extreme limit of the world, where a part of the year the heat is intense." In this place of exile, bad men may continue their degenerate lives, but their appearance changes: "they become dark colored, ill favored and mis-shapen." Seaborn determines that the place of exile must "be situated somewhere on the verge of the rim of the north polar opening, as there, and there only, could the sun be seen directly over head, without going to the external tropic."

Chapter 9

The Author arrives at the seat of government.-Description of the Auditory.--Symzonian manner of assembling for devotion and public business.--Etiquette of the Symzonian Court.--He is admitted to an audience by the Best Man.--Account of the interview, and of his unfortunate efforts to exalt the character of the externals, by describing some of their splendid follies.

Chapter 10

Containing some account of the strange rationality of the Symzonians.--Their simplicity of dress.--Manner of making cloth.--Circulating medium.--Taxes.

Chapter 11

Containing some account of the Symzonian engine of defense.--Story of a very ancient war with an internal nation called Belzubians, which caused the invention of this engine.--Opposition of the Good men to its being used.--Fultria the inventor's speech in defense of it.--Deliberations of the council.--Termination of the war.--Sentiments of the people on the subject.

Chapter 12

Wonderful faculties of the Symzonians.--Translation of my books into their language.--Proposition of a Wise man to make slaves of the Author and his people.--The Author's remonstrance.--The wise man disgraced

Chapter 13

Recreations of the Symzonians.--Wonderful provision of nature for supplying the internal world with light.--Character and employments of the women of Symzonia.

Excerpt

The soft reflected light of the sun, which was now no longer directly visible, gave a pleasing mellowness to the scene, that was inexpressibly agreeable, being about midway between a bright moonlight and clear sunshine. I had great cause to admire the wonderful provision of nature, by which the internal world enjoyed almost perpetual light, without being subject at any time to the scorching heats which oppress the bodies and irritate the passions of the inhabitants of the external surface.

When the sun has great southern declination, it is seen directly through the opening at the south pole, a little above the horizon-this gives an interval of bright light; and as the rays of heat are more refrangible than those of light, a sufficient degree of heat is experienced to ripen the most delicate fruits.

At this season, during night, the ryas of the sun are reflected from the opposite rim of the polar opening, and afford so much light as to render the stars invisible. The full moon is never seen at this period; for while the sun is in south declination, the moon fulls to the north of the equator, to give light to the north polar region, and the northern internal hemisphere.

March and September are the darkest months. Both the sun and full moon are then in the equator, and shine very obliquely by refraction, into both polar openings. Yet, by reflection from side to side, they afford a faint light quite to the internal equator, where tow reflected suns and moons are dimly seen at the same time. This circumstance had led the internals to suppose that there were actually duplicates of those luminaries. Their situation, it should be considered, did not admit of such observations of the celestial bodies, as were necessary to correct that error.

During this season, the planets and stars of the southern hemisphere are visible, some directly, and others by reflection. This occasions great mistakes in their astronomical calculations, which they ascribe to the aberrations of the heavenly bodies. It never occurred to them that their field of vision was a limited internal concave sphere, and a great part of their firmament nothing but a reflection of the external heavens.

When the sun is in north declination, it is not seen at all to the south; but as it then shines into the north polar opening, its influence is felt at Symzonia by a repeated reflection, and being aided both by the powerful light of the moon, (which always fulls in high south declination, when the sun is near the northern tropic, and shines directly into the southern opening,) and by the direct and reflected light of the planets and stars of the southern hemisphere, gives light enough for all necessary purposes.

Chapter 14

The Author examines the records of the Assembly.--Grounds of proposal for admittance to the order of Worthies.--Shell fish of Symzonia.--Great quantities of Pearls, and the use to which they are applied.

Note: Pearls are used to glaze the walls of the apartments of the Symzonians. They are dissolved in a liquid, and laid on like a paint.