The Hartlib Papers

I underwritten doe hereby certifie unto all whom it may concerne, That having for above twenty yeares last past held constant correspondence with Mr Iohn Morian an [deletion] <Exiled> Minister of the Reformed Religion, & dwelling for about Matters relating to Improvement of all sorts of usefull Knowledge, & Publique Good; and by his meanes having beene fully informed concerning an Invention of Dr Iohn Kuffeler whereby any ship though never so great & strong might be sunk at one blow, & conceiving the dreadfull effect of this Invention to be such as would enable any one Nation that should be first Master of it, to give the Law to other Nations at Sea, I could not but desire that <the commonwealth of> England might first have it from the Inventour, & accordingly did from time to time correspond with the said Mr Iohn Morian about it till at length the said Dr Kuffeler did come over into England with his wife & children in the yeare 1656 & offered his Invention to General Cromwell who had then taken upon him the title of Protector of this Commonwealth <the then present Government>. This upon his request I doe here attest with my hand

Westminster May 26, 1659.

     [Hartlib:] This is a true Copy of the Original Latin

                Testimonial witnesse my owne hand.

                              Th.