The Life, Times, and Scientific Labours of the Second Marquis of Worcester / To which is added a reprint of his Century of Inventions, 1663, with a Commentary thereon.

by Henry Dircks

INVENTIONS OF Y^E E’ARLE OE WORCEST^R.

The Qvint E’ssence of Motion, or a C’ollection of all kinds of Movements, to wit, C’ircular, to & fro; Perpendicular, upwards & downewards; side motions, to y^e right & left; straight Motions, forewards & backwards with a Circular Vehiculum, to wch any of these, may bee applicable or moveable to all y^e points of y^e C’ompasse: At each of wch, it will bee as powerfull as if it were fixt to one place or Center.

All & every of these, by hight of Art, Industry, & Experim^t working y^e same Individuall & Intrinsecall effect, without disturbance one to y^e other: & yet by these absolutely contrary Motions soe perform’d, most strange & incredible E’ffects may bee brought to passe, to y^e Admiration even of y^e greatest Mathematicians.

The knowledge of these things, rendring all things as feacible to him, y^t is Master of this Art, as it is to make a C’ircle with a paire of C’ompasses, or a straight line, w^th a sqvare or Ruler. They beeing a direct abstract of Arithmetick, contrived by mee. And by y^e power of those, I have perfected these following Conclusions, w^th some hundreds besides all experimented by mee.

(1) I can render an ordinary Watch, wch beeing once wound up, will goe constantly, during a Mans life, beeing vsed but once in 24. houres, & (though oftner look’t on:) it is still y^e same, & though not look’t on for a weeke, still y^e same, if not bruised.

(2) By this I can make a Vessel of as great burthen, as y^e River can beare, to goe ag^t y^e streame, wch y^e more rapid it is, y^e faster it shall advance, & y^e moveable part y^t workes it, may bee by one man still guided, to take y^e best advantage of y^e streame, & yet to steer the boat to any point. And this E’ngine is applicable to any Vessell or Boate, whatsoever; without being therefore made on purpose; And worketh these effects. It roweth, it draweth, it driveth (:if need bee:) to passe London bridge ag^t y^e streame at low water: And a boate lying at Anchor, the E’ngine may be used for loading or vnloading.

(3) By this I can make an Artificiall Bird to fly wch way & as long as I please.

(4) By these I can make a ball of S’ilver or G’old wch throwne into a pale or poole of Water, shall rise againe to y^e perfect houre of any day or night: The superficies of y^e Water shall still show the houre distinctly, even y^e minutes, if I please.

(5) By this I can make a C’hilde in a C’oach, to stop y^e horses (run̄ing away) & shall be able to secure hims. & those y^t bee in y^e C’oach, having a little E’ngine placed therein, wch shall not bee perceived in what posture soever y^e horses draw: a C’hildes force shall bee able, to disengage them, from overturning y^e C’oach or prejudicing any body in it.

(6) By these I can make one pound raise an hundred, as high as ye one pound falls, & y^e one pound taken off y^e 112^lb shall againe descend, performing y^e entire effect of an hundred waight (i.e.) have y^t force wch nothing lesse, then 112^lb can have any other way. An incredible effect till seene, but true as strange.