For these Instruments, (by which the moist Fires are driven far off upon the Enemies like fiery showers and Clouds of Rain, and that without intermission, and as oft as ever need requires) although they be great, yet a few Men may govern or manage them, so that it will be impossible for the Enemies to effect any considerable enterprize in besieging any City. But it is needfull to place such Instruments that thus squirt forth Fire, behind the Walls and Bul-warks, that the Enemies great Ordinance may not hurt or destroy them. Verily I cannot so very accurately and compleatly show what [the best] way [is] of endamaging the Enemies by the help thereof, for this the practice it self will better shew us. I can furnish forth the Instruments themselves and the moist Fires belonging thereunto. I commend the use of them unto the Souldiers, who may learn to use them as they shall find good by experience I do again repeat what I have hitherto so often spoken, and I do affirm, that with one such Instrument may some thousands of Men be blinded in a moments time, and being blinded what I pray can they then do? If so be that others shall endeavour to come to help them and fetch them off, they may likewise be blinded, nor can they run away, and therefore must necessarily be taken Prisoners. And this in my judgment may be done in Hostile Invasions and Sieges.
But now whether or no there may be any use of such Instruments in Battailes and Conflicts with the Enemies, I do not well know, but that a City, Castle, or House may be defended by their means, and so drive off the Assailants, is a thing evident and undoubted. Should there be a thousand Enemies beset the House of some particular Citizen, yet must they depart if onely such a fiery Cloud or Rain (the Doors and Windows being shut) should be shoured down upon them. For so they would be rendred blind and not be able to see or find the Door, as it was in Lots time, when his Enemies environed his House to have out those two Strangers, they were smitten with such blindness that they were constrained to leave the House, and it was permitted Lot, and his, to pass out of the same without any impediment. And is it not lawfull for us to smite our Capital Enemies the Turks with blindness, and to defend our selves, our Wives and Children?
God himself saith, I will encompass those that are mine, with a Wall of Fire, and defend them against their Enemies. Briefly, this invention of mine, of making such a fiery Mist or Rain, is an incomparable defence and safeguard, the like of which was never as yet known in the World. And now may any one easily conjecture what may be done offensively with this same invention. For example, suppose ’tis necessary to take such or such a place from the Enemy, but now there is not time enough left, nor are there Souldiers enough for the enterprize; and therefore some Stratagem must be used to become Masters of one of the Gates at least whereby the Souldiers may be let in.
And now in my judgment some Gate may be seized on and that easily by the help of these moist Fires of mine, and ’tis thus, let some Souldier or other fit for such a design, be taught the use of my Fire-spiting Instruments, and when he understands it, he may be clad in Countrey Habit, and so let him go to them upon the Guard, and in the Court of Guardhouses in which they be, let him shour in upon them a fiery, Eye-blinding, and forcibly hissing shour. [This done] how can the Guarders possibly resist those that come to the Gate and are ready to enter in? Nay more, the Souldier thus clad may have a Granadoe given him to carry in a Sack, which being filled with those moist Fires, may of its own accord (without any benefit of Gun-powder) leap assunder and fill all the whole room with his blind making Dew, he may throw into those Watch-houses where they keep Guard, and so make all that are there present unfit to fight. And if so be there should be more of those Houses than one, the same Souldier may likewise have more such Granadoes given him, one of which he may throw into each House. Nay farther, if need be, and that you would have it fadge better and have it more certainly succeed, there may be sent several Souldiers with such Fire-breathing Granadoes to several Gates, to o’erwhelm the Watch-men and possess them. For the Watch-men suspecting no evil from one Countrey-man onely, will not cry out Arm, Arm, but let him in without any impediment. Such Fire-breathing Balls or Granadoes may be made of Iron, Copper or Earth, which however, properly are not Fires as long as they feel not the Air, and they then become Fires onely, when any one is so minded to have them such, breaking every thing in their reach like Gun-powder burning, and depriving all such as are present of their sight, and making them Sick. Granadoes made on this manner, and of about the bigness of a Mans Head, do not of their own accord conceive a flame without Air, nor do they flie assunder, or at all operate. But if you would that the Air be let in whereby they may operate, there must be a little Spicket or Tap to be drawn out of the Granadoe, that so the Air entring in may vivifie the Fire that lies in the Ball or Granadoe. Such a Granadoe being thrown into any Watch house, the Watch men will without doubt presently run and take it up and see what it should be, and what end it was thrown in there for; then as they all of them stand round and contemplate upon the novelty, if any of them hap to draw out the Spicket, which without all question they would do, the Air gets in, and the Fire enkindles and breaks that Granadoe thus stuft with that venemous Fire all to pieces, and so will strike them all down together. And may not now the Souldiers in the mean time hasten and break in to that fenced place without any let, and become Masters of the Gate? Verily methinks it should succeed very well. I tell you my thoughts of the business, I never tried the thing it self nor do I ever desire to try. Such as have a desire to try it, and have occasion and opportunity of doing it, may more accurately contemplate thereupon, and so will they find what way they may most conveniently detriment their Enemies most of all by. I have laid the foundation, others must valiantly proceed on and bring the thing to a most usefull Issue. However I do not doubt but that the most part of Men that shall hear me say, that there may be such effects produced by these fiery Waters, that may equal the dreadfull Operations of Gun-powder, will mock at me, and judge it an impossible thing; nor will it be any thing strange they should, because they have not any knowledge of nature.
Before those dreadfull virtues of Gun-powder were known, certainly no body would have believed the same, had they heard it told, that it were a possible thing to hurry or throw such a great Ball of Iron, into so far a place with so little Powder. And now it is a thing so very common, that he that will not believe it will be laught at. Even so, those things I have here mentioned of moist Fires will seem extraordinarily wonderfull and absurd to the ignorant, untill they shall see with their Eyes, and feel with their hands, that the Turks shall even this very Summer feel it if God permit, and vouchsafe me health so long. If God (I say) shall permit, which I would have you understand, as thus, viz. unless the wrath of God shall be so enkindled against the Christians, and shall therefore put a stop, and prevent the accrewing of any benefit, by any help how great soever it be. For when God pleaseth to punish any Countrey with deserved afflictions, certainly no Instruments of defence will at all help or do ought.
These things was I willing to declare at present, to demonstrate in what manner the Enemies power may by such Artificial moist Fires, and a peculiar kind of Granadoes, such things as never were as yet known in the World be broken. There are verily other far greater effects, and which exceed Mans belief, that may be effected by these my newly found out Fires; and such as are not to be written but to be revealed onely unto those that are truly well Willers to the common Weal, and who study how to destroy the Capital Enemy of all the Christian World. But thus much I add, that by these Artificial, Secret, and unknown burning and flame-conceiving Fires, far greater things may in my judgment be effected at any time whensoever one is minded, than by Gunpowder, for that it operates not afore it be enkindled with the Fire. But my Fires are enkindled and inflamed by the Air, and therefore must necessarily exeed Gun-powder in the production of greater effects, and this time will manifest.
Those common Granadoes being thrown into any City may be covered with wet Hides or Cloaths and be quenched, so as not at all to operate, but it cannot be so with my Instruments. And therefore it is not without cause that I prefer them afore Gunpowder.
’Tis not expedient to make any larger discourse concerning these matters, and to take up any more room by revealing more. I could verily in a few words so disclose these things that every one mought be able palpably to feel, and visibly to see them, and so as that he would assuredly know that far greater things mought be effected by these my Fires than by Gun-powder. They may together with the Gun-powder use these my moist Fires as they think good and as need requires. And I do not question but that hereafter Wars will be waged after another manner than hath hitherto been done, and force must give place to Art. For Art doth sometimes overcome strength. We will illustrate the business by an example.
When any little weak Man Fights with a bigger and stronger than himself, and they have both of them like skill in the use of their Arms, the stronger over Masters the weaker and Conquers him. But now if the little Man be better skilled in the use of Weapons than the greater and stronger one is, he beats him and becomes the Victour. And when two are of equal Stature and Strength; they smite alike forcibly, and beat one another alike, just as your Laundresses that beat Cloaths with a wash Beetle, so do these lay on blows on each other with like measure. So among the Ancients did they fight Man to Man, and the strength of the blows prevailed. But when Gun-powder was found out, then a few could kill and put to flight a greater number than themselves.
And now again ’tis every where known, that Men now a days do again fight with equal hand, as ’twere, neither party having more help [by Art] than the other party hath: save that the stronger party doth for the most part get the Victory, so that the Wars in our time consist not in Art, but in the multitude and company of Men. Mean while I firmly hope that if the use of my moist Fires be but known, there will be another kind of Warfare than now is, by fighting on equal Terms with blows as the Countrey fellows do, and whereby the stronger can overmaster and subdue the weaker. But now by the help of Art, the weaker may overcome the stronger. And if so be that Art and strength concur together they are wont to be most efficacious. David with his sling shewed the skilfulness of his Art, and subdued that great Goliah, who little expected such a mischance from such a little Shepherd. And like as Goliah mocked at David with his Sling, so perhaps will the Turk have us in derision, should we meet him with such Water-throwing Instruments. But even as that great Goliah was smitten down by a Stone of the Shepherd, so may the Turk be easily burnt and radically rooted out by those moist Fires, if the Christians will themselves.