He “had another virtuoso acquaintance in the Temple, one Mr. Ball ... one in the list of his Lordship’s ingenious acquaintance.”

“And once, upon an invitation, his Lordship dined with Sir Samuel (Morland) at his house; and though his entertainment was exquisite, the greatest pleasure was to observe his devices; for every thing showed art and mechanism, as—1. A fountain in the room.—2. A cistern in his garret—supplying all parts of the house.—3. His coach was most particular.—4. A portable engine, moved by watch-work—it had a fire-place and grate,—cost £30. He took it with him in his own coach, and, at inns, he was his own cook.”

These notices afford a glimpse of the early progress of mechanical science. To return to our remarks on the “Century;” two of the articles the Marquis borrowed, No. 21, “A Bucket fountain,” of which he obtained information at Rome; and No. 26, “A to and fro Lever,” which he saw at Venice. A great number refer to Cipher writing and means of holding secret correspondence, many of which contrivances depend on very slight modifications, so that, although only twenty-three are set down, he might very easily have enlarged this one subject tenfold, only to arrive at still more extended conclusions. His engine is noted under the articles Nos. 68, 98, and 100, as, a fire water-work; a semi-omnipotent engine; and a stupendous water-work. So that discarding 2, and reducing these three to one, will leave 96 inventions emanating from the Marquis. But a further reduction might be made, if we strike out the additions made to the list, thus: No. 9 is “a ship destroying engine,” but No. 10 is only the means whereby to fasten it; and No. 11, a mode of preventing the operation of the engine, in the hands of an enemy. Now in strictness the whole can only be considered as one invention. So likewise, in his improvements on Fire-arms; No. 61, is a way for Muskets, No. 62, for Harquebusses, and No. 63, for Sakers, &c. which again can but be taken as representing one invention variously applied. These examples would remove four other inventions from the list, thereby reducing the number of inventions, due to the Marquis of Worcester in the Century, to 92. But this rather explains the plan adopted in indicating the several inventions, and in no way detracts from the value of the work.

The Inventions may be thus classified:

3 refer to Seals and Watches.
2 . . . Games.
2 . . . Arithmetic and Perspective.
6 . . . Automata.
23 . . . Ciphers, Correspondence, and Signals.
10 . . . Domestic affairs.
9 . . . Mechanical appliances.
32 . . . Naval and Military affairs.
13 . . . Hydraulics and the Water Engine.
—–
100

The very incongruous character of these matters is suggestive of their having occurred to the inventive mind of the Marquis at very different times, at remote intervals, and under varied circumstances; they might occasionally have resulted from his reading, his studies, or his experiments. He evidently availed himself of every suggestion that either reading, accident, experience, or travel threw in his way. His domestic life led to light, amusive, and mechanical exercises; while his military operations drew him to consider improvements in ordnance, fire-arms, and military and naval affairs generally.

All we know regarding the origin of the work itself is derived from the author’s title page, wherein he states that it was written in 1655, his “former notes” then “being lost.” He consequently sets down “at the instance of a powerful friend,” only those inventions he “can call to mind to have tried and perfected.” This explicit language admits of no doubtful construction, yet he has been maligned by the envious as recording dreams and fancies. The Century closes with the remarkable declaration of his “meaning to leave to posterity a book, wherein under each of these heads the means to put in execution and visible trial all and every of these inventions, with the shape and form of all things belonging to them, shall be printed by brass-plates.” An intention which his premature decease rendered unavailing, yet sarcastic writers have not been wanting to stigmatize the “Century” as though its author had offered it to public approbation as a complete work; making no allowance for the circumstances under which it was produced, as a mere syllabus of the intellectual treasures he possessed, or the sad occurrence to which alone the non-completion of his promised publication with engravings of his several designs can be attributed.

Some of his inventions he specially notices to signify their practical development. Thus No. 56, he performs at the Tower before Charles I, most of his Court, and the Lieutenant, Sir William Balfour.

No. 64, an improvement on fire-arms, was “tried and approved before the King (Charles I.), and an hundred Lords and Commons.”

Nos. 59 to 67, further improvements on fire-arms and cannon, occasion his particularly stating that:—“by several trials and much charge I have perfectly tried all these.”