The Duchess answered, that she spent most of her time in the study of natural causes and effects, which was her chief delight and pastime; and that she loved to discourse sometimes with the most learned persons of that world: And to please the Emperor and his nobles, who were all of the royal race, she went often abroad to take the air, but seldom in the daytime, always at night, if it might be called night; for, said she, the nights there, are as light as days, by reason of the numerous blazing-stars, which are very splendorous, only their light is whiter than the sun’s light; and as the sun’s light is hot, so their light is cool; not so cool as our twinkling starlight, nor is their sunlight so hot as ours, but more temperate: And that part of the Blazing-World where the Empress resides, is always clear, and never subject to any storms, tempests, fogs or mists, but has only refreshing-dews that nourish the earth: The air of it is sweet and temperate, and, as I said before, as much light in the sun’s absence, as in its presence, which makes that time we call night, more pleasant there than the day: And sometimes the Empress goes abroad by water in barges, sometimes by land in chariots, and sometimes on horseback; her royal chariots are very glorious, the body is one entire green diamond; the four