This observation amazed the Empress very much; for she had hitherto believed, that snow was made by cold motions, and not by such an agitation or beating of a fiery extract upon water: Nor could she be persuaded to believe it until the Fish- or Mear-men had delivered their observation upon the making of ice, which, they said, was not produced, as some had hitherto conceived, by the motion of the air, raking the superficies of the earth, but by some strong saline vapour arising out of the seas, which condensed water into ice; and the more quantity there was of that vapour, the greater were the mountains of precipices of ice; but the reason that it did not so much freeze in the torrid zone, or under the ecliptic, as near or under the poles, was, that this vapour in those places being drawn up by the sunbeams into the middle region of the air, was only condensed into water, and fell down in showers of rain; when as, under the poles, the heat of the sun being not so vehement, the same vapour had no force or power to rise so high, and therefore caused so much ice, by ascending and acting only upon the surface of water.

Lastly, the Empress asked the Bird-men of the nature of thunder and lightning? and whether it was not caused by roves of ice falling upon each other?

To which they answered, that it was not made that way, but by an encounter of cold and heat; so that an exhalation being kindled in the clouds, did dash forth lightning, and that there were so many rentings of clouds as there were sounds and cracking noises: But this opinion was contradicted by others, who affirmed that thunder was a sudden and monstrous blaze, stirred up in the air, and did not always require a cloud; but the Empress not knowing what they meant by blaze (for even they themselves were not able to explain the sense of this word) liked the former better; and, to avoid hereafter tedious disputes, and have the truth of the phenomenas of celestial bodies more exactly known, commanded the Bear-men, which were her experimental philosophers, to observe them through such instruments as are called telescopes, which they did according to her Majesty’s command; but these telescopes caused more differences and divisions amongst them, than ever they had before; for some said, they perceived that the sun stood still, and the earth did move about it; others were of opinion, that they both did move; and others said again, that the earth stood still, and sun did move: some counted more stars than others; some discovered new stars never seen before; some fell into a great dispute with others

The Bear-men being exceedingly troubled at her Majesty’s displeasure concerning their telescopes, kneeled down, and in the humblest manner petitioned, that they might not be broken; for, said they, we take more delight in artificial delusions, than in natural truths. Besides, we shall want employments for our senses, and subjects for arguments; for, were there nothing but truth, and no falsehood, there would be no occasion to dispute, and by this means we should want the aim and pleasure of our endeavours in confuting and contradicting each other; neither would one man be thought wiser than another, but all would either be alike knowing and wise, or all would be fools; wherefore we most humbly beseech your Imperial Majesty to spare our glasses, which are our only delight, and as dear to us as our lives. The Empress at last consented to their request, but upon condition, that their disputes and quarrels should remain within their schools, and cause no factions or disturbances in state, or government.