Take one of these coffins, put it into the Former, and take the composition for middle-sized rockets (mentioned before) and put thereof spoonfull after spoonfull, untill you haue filled the coffin unto the top of the former, after the putting of euery second spoonfull into the coffin, with a mallet giue two or three blowes upon the head of the rammer, that the composition may bee well rammed into the coffin: euery third or fourth driuing M. Norton wisheth (if the rockets are to be fired in three or foure dayes) to dip the rammer in gum-dragant, and camphir dissolued in spirit of wine, or good aquavitæ: but if it will bee a month before they will bee fired, then dip the rammer in oyle of peter, or liquid varnish, and linseed oyle mixed together: If you would haue the rocket to giue a report or blow, then within one diameter of the top, driue a bottom of leather, or six or eight double of paper, pierce and prime either of them through in three or foure places, and fill the rest of the coffin with whole gunpowder; afterwards driue another bottom of leather, and then with strong packthred choak the coffin close unto it: then take the rocket out of the Former, and prime it at the broach-hole with a peece of prepared stouple, and binde unto it a straight rod 6 or 7 times the length of the rocket, and so heavy, that being put on your finger, it may ballast the rocket within two or three diameters of the same: mark the following figure, which represents a rocket ready made and finished, A, B, the rocket, C, the stouple that primeth it, D, E, F, the rod bound unto the rocket with two strings, G, H, I, the hand that poyseth it.
How to make Serpents.
The coffins for serpents are made of paper rowled nine or ten times upon a rowler not much thicker than a goose quill, and about foure inches long. The coffins must bee choaked almost in the midst, but so that there may bee a little hole, through which one may see: the longest part of the coffins for Serpents must be filled with the composition specified before: if you would haue it wamble in the ayre, then choak it not after the composition, but if you would haue it wamble, then halfe-choak it, as is demonstrated by the following figure, the shorter end of the coffin must bee filled with whole gunpowder, and choaked quite up, as appeareth at B, in the figure M, N, O, which is the figure of a Serpent ready made.
How to make rayning fire.
Take diuers goose quils, and cut off the hollow ends of them, and fill them with the composition before mentioned, stopping them afterwards with a little wet gunpowder, that the dry composition may not fall out.
How to make starres.
I haue sufficiently taught the making of these in describing their compositions, wherefore I will now onely present the figures of them unto your view; A, A, signifieth two that are bound up in paper or cloth, and peirced, and primed with stouple: the other two, E, E, signifie those that are made up without paper, and need no priming more than the powder or sulphur dust that they are rowled in.
