The Hartlib Papers

hitherto God hath bene pleased to try among those before whose eyes my wants & miseryes haue bene displayed as in a living looking glasse what apprehension of Gods visitation, what fellowship & bowells of Compassion there was treasured and laid vp in theire hearts But what ever the principall ayme of God be in this matter, which we will leave to his divine wisedome I ever held it & still hold it my duty to ply continually my owne hands for the releife of my necessities yet alwayes with this provisoe & purpose that I would fit & frame myselfe therein according as God should direct & dispose Tymes meanes & occasions for it Therefore I am resolved to labour & find out meanes as long & farr as I am able for the supply of my present necessities & rather to get me maintenance by mine owne honest labour & paines taking then to trouble or molest any with the Bare recomendation of my Exile & Banishment And this ever since the Misery desolation & Ruine of my owne Country Moravia & the vtter suppressing of the Churches there [letter deleted] whereby my selfe also at once was deprived of all my former estate, calling, meanes & Imployment, Not to spend the time of my Banishment idly or about vnprofitable trifles I have bene still casting Considering & trying, how & wherein I might make the best advantage of my tyme both to the releife of my necessity & withall to the good [catchword: &]

& benefit of others. And herevpon I gave & applyed myselfe to some Mathemeticall Mechanicall speculations (wherein heretofore in the tyme of our prosperity I had often delighted & exercised myselfe) to essay & try whither & how divers things that were difficult hitherto might be facilitated & made more easy Nor were those Essayes without successe for God hath soe blessed my serious endeavours in this kind that I haue both something ready for present proofe, & withall can give true & infallible grounds for others some to be forthwith made & perfected Herein only I am straightned that by reason of my continuing wants & Banishment I am destitute of meanes to produce & expose them to the Common view & benefit. But whereas those Essayes of mine in this regard doe nothing availe me & come still short of my intentions I waighed & resolved with myselfe to repaire & open myselfe in private to those who show most bowells to our afflicted Churches that as they pitty our Comon Calamityes soe they may likewise Consider and Comunicate to my necessity & help these endeavours of mine, for the advantage and benefit of theire owne Country. But in respect that I as a stranger am but little acquanted with such as doe synceerely condole with vs & studdy for the publique & Common good (though I cannot but conceive the best of them all) I thought it

fittest to make vse of my freinds in this behalfe & desired they would take vpon them to propound & Comend my case & purpose to such of theire acquantance as they knowe by experience to be true & vnfeigned lovers of God & of theire neighbour & that soe much the rather first for that they may witnes of my condition & banishment, Secondly that the more freely they may propound my request concerning a pecuniary assistance towards the perfecting & publishing of my herevnder registred Essayes & endeavours: & that in this order that first of all soe much may be obtayned as may suffice to the perfecting & producing into act & proofe some one of these my mæchanicall inventions such a one namely as may most easely be put in vse & practice in this kingdome that soe the fruit & benefit of the same may afterwards promote & further other works, & then withall that something also may be allowed in the interim for the sustenance of my selfe & family that the Cares & thoughts thereof as a maine obstacle of Mathematicall Inventions may somewhat be allayed & diminished, And all this on such termes & conditions that all what shalbe contributed herevnto by any may be put & entrusted into the hands of some one or two sufficient men with order that they disburse of it soe much to the raising & speedy perfecting of such an Instrument as shalbe requisit & contribute [catchword: likewise]

likewise to the maintenance of me & myne, till the vndoubted fruite of such a worke doe follow. In regard whereof this Caution withall shalbe given That if God soe blesse the worke as that the fruite & benefit thereof doe exceede the Charge not only of that Instrument, but of all the rest besides of my owne mantenance too, the rest thereof shalbe by them that are entrusted with these contributions be distributed againe in proportion to the Contributers; that they may soe Ioyne with me in these Inventions, as to be both witnesses & sharers of the benefit & vsefulnesse redownding by them Now for the better satisfaction of every one & to shew that I haue good grownd for what I vndertake withall to evidence that my manner of working is not Imaginary but reall & experimentall I will set downe here some of these my Inventions whereof part I haue already perfected & part I have sufficient & Infallible grownds for how to perfect them

lift vp any waight to the highth of an 100 yeards Yea much higher & this elevation or transportation is done with farr more ease speede & safety then by any ordinary & vsuall Engine or Instrument hitherto could possibly be compassed for example To the lifting vp of 120000 ^lb waight an hundred yards high, I will Imploy noe more men then are required to an ordinary engine for the lifting vp of soe much waight only tenn yeards high. Nor shall this engine be heavyer but that by soe many men it may be removed & Carryed from one place to another & the charges to get such an one new made wilbe noe more then an ordinary engine requireth namely that serves to beare soe much waight; Also it needs noe frequent repayring And therefore of all Instruments & engines that were in vse hitherto this doubtles ought to take place & to be preferred if not for other Considerations, yet at the least for these following. 1. This engine is soe ordered that it may serve both for greater & smaller waights for by the benefit thereof things of greater waight <haue> sufficient strength to be elevated withall & things of lesser waight can be dispatched with greate Celerity, which is farr otherwise in our vulger engines, for though perhaps fewer men are Imployed of <about> things of lesser waight, yet they spend as much tyme as for heavyer matters, whereas [catchword: by]

by my engine noe small gaine of tyme is to bee gotten in such things. 2. This engine is easely transported from place to place & as easely setled any where for in plaines it stands of itselfe & hath neede of noe props, or to be fastened to any certayne place, Contrary againe in this to those vulgar engines which either not at all or at least with greate difficulty can bee removed whence arose that multiplicity of Engines in soe many places most whereof stand for the most part Idle, whereas this one Instrument of mine may easely though sucessively be transported & [word deleted] <H: imploied> any where at any tyme. 3. furthermore It may serve & be of vse in those places that cannot be approached vnto with other Instruments, by reason whereof many necessary & profitable works must ly neglected And especially Is[altered] this our[altered] Instrument of singular vse .1. for the conveyance of all kind of materialls in greate & lofty buildings both for erecting & repaireing of the same. 2. in mines for the extracting of all sorts of myneralls, Coles & in Quarries for the lifting of free stone. 3. If any things be fallen or sunck into waters or ponds it may easely be recovered & fetched vp againe by this engine 4 Pales also that stick fast in the grownd or in the waters may thereby be plucked vp & drawne forth againe 5. & if a ship or Vessell of proportionable lasts <H: neuer so many tunnes> chance to sinck by meanes thereof

it may be saved & recovered, of this particular I haue made triall in Holland in the presence of many hundreds of people as I can shew by the [2 letters deleted] testimoniall letters I have gotten there in this behalfe. 6. very greate vse there may also be made of it for the conveyance of greate ordnance into & out of ships or from one ship into another, as likewise for the Importing & exporting of any ponderous & waighty marchandize in bailes or packs or Caskes. 7. for plucking up trees by the very rootes & for divers such like workes for all these it will serve in that structure & proposition wherein it is at present but what further it may bee applyed vnto with ordering & altering of it a little we will shew at some other tyme. And this is one of my inventions or engines which I have ready at hand & which is to be seene together with the manner of it, & how one mans hand by meanes of the same may lift vp & remove from place to place the waight of 1500 ^lb The engine is here at London, & hee that will assist vs in this worke & is desireous to see it shalbe welcome to see both the Instrument & the operation of it.

of the same one may accurately know by foote measure how much way they haue gone The vse of these may be at London for transporting of people to & fro according to the rate of that measure   Soe that he that hath neede of such a wagon <left margin, H: but for a smal time> may not be compelled to pay for a whole or halfe a day. The owners likewise of such wagons may be Certifyed & know by the same how many foote theire servants, that drive those wagons have advanced in a day or in 2 or 3 dayes, whither it be here in the Citty or abroad in Country Iournyes. By this kind of wagon one may mete any grownd farr more easely & exactly then can be done by any other Instrument, whither the grownd be plaine or sinuous: yea by this meanes whole Countries kingdomes & dominions may be measured with farr greater facility speede & accuratenesse then hitherto is done by any. For the meting & measuring of grownds & Countries hitherto was only regulated either by some opticall Instruments or Prospectives, whereby the vallyes & hills & such other synuous places could not be measured, or ells by the relation and Computation of distance from one Citty to another In soe much that none of our Geographical mapps now extant doe shew and exhibit the true & proper distance of places, though this should be the end & vse of mapps to shew the length both of high wayes & of other Compendious bywayes. By this our[H alters from one] Instrument any feild or Champiegne

how sinuous how rising & falling soever it bee may better be measured then by any other meanes hitherto vsed In warlike expeditions also It may be of greate vse to measure the place of the Campe exactly & to know the distances of places of the grownd where the army are to be marshalled And of this Instrument alsoe there is a patterne ready & may be seene with the manner of it by such as wilbe furtherers of these workes.

raising the fire & softning the iron whereby noe small tyme may be gotten. If the Smithes bee desireous of any such Instrument they may shortly be provided with it I can assure them.

it may exactly be knowne how farr the strength of each shot reacheth & lasteth afore the bullet wax faint & fall by its owne naturall motion. For as for the vsuall and ordinary tryall that is made in this behalfe, it often faileth for the levell is either made too long soe that the bullet groweth faintish afore ever it comes neere to reach it or ells too short soe that the force thereof might be carryed a good way beyond yt The vse of these of these may serve for the measuring of such distances as are not soe proper for Geometricall or opticall Instruments neither can be soe speedely discerned as the Cases may require to witt if there be crossings of waters or ponds or other vncouth or difficult passages which either cannot be passed at all or where, or where the passing or pawsing somewhat vpon them may be full of hazard & danger (As if you were to meete & app charge your approaching enemy in open feild & desire to knowe the exact distance of the grownd betweene you & him: for in that case you may by the discharge of one only peece of ordnance without soe much as budging from the place you stand infallibly knowe that distance & to dispose accordingly.

passe. It shall haue in length eighteene foote in breadth 12 foote & 8 in higth with all necessary furniture for a Chamber viz of a bedd, of a table for 12 men to sit at & soe many stooles having with all her windowes & doores yea and a Chimney to make a fire on it, made all in such a manner that it may be all Complicated & put together, & within one halfe howres warning be reared & set up againe; a greate benefit against wyndy boysterous & rayny weather

assisted to the perfecting & practizing of any one of those aboue named mentioned Inventions I shalbe able afterwards by the fruite & benefit accrewing thereof vnto me to further & perfect all the rest at my owne proper Charges to the good & benefit of many, otherwise & if I can find noe assistance all these good Inventions must ly hidden in obscurity & noe good can redownd thereby to humaine society & therefore to free & Cleare myselfe of any wanting endeavours in this behalfe I cause this request of mine to be propounded when it is most like to find a favourable entertaynement to those namely that shew & approove themselues to be furtherers & promoters of the publique good & love to exercise theire liberality to all such workes and endeavours, that are tending therevnto. And to those that shall enclyne to further these Inventions I dare Confidently promise that theire contribucions will vndoubtedly procure & yeild them both fruit & praise before God & men And this also emboldens me the rather with all requisit respect, observance & submission to request & entreate both all & every one who shall either read or heare this present, for some speedy & Competent assistance: And whatsoeuer I shall obtayne at theire liberall hands both towards the furthering of these Inventions & the releife of my present necessityes I doe faithfully promise both for myselfe & all myne to acknowledge & acquitt it to all & every one according to our vtmost power by any kind of gratefull offices vpon all occasions/