Might receive the petitions of his subjects. And to this purpose several packthreads were let down with small weights at the bottom. On these packthreads the people strung their petitions which mounted up directly like the scraps of paper fastened by school boys at the end of the string that holds their kite. Sometimes we received wine and victuals from below which were drawn up by pulleys. The knowledge I had in mathematics gave me great assistance in acquiring their phraseology which depended much... read more
