The Hour-Glasses marked the Hours by the help of VVater, which passing slowly, a little hole made at the bottom of a Vessel, and falling into another, in elevating it self insensibly in the Vessel which it filled, raised a piece of Cork, which hanging at one of the ends of a Chain wrapped about an Axle-tree, and which had at the other end a little Bag full of Sand, and a little lighter than the Cork: for this Chain turning, the Axle-tree likewise turned a Pin or Hand, which marked the Hours upon a Dial.
Lib. 10.
Chap. 12. The Organs played by help of two Suckets, which were pulled up or let down in the Bodies of the Pump. The Suckets pushed the Air with violence into a Funnel reversed in a Copper Coffer half full of VVater, and pressed the Water, and constrained it to ascend round about within the Coffer, which made that its weight in making it re-enter into the Funnel, pushed the Air into the Pipes, and made them Play, producing the same Effects that the Bellows did.
Lib. 10.
Chap. 14. They measured the way that the Ships make by the help of a little Mill, which was fastned to the Ship, and which turned by the resistance that its VVings found in the VVater when the Ship went forward and the Axle-tree of this Mill had a little Rong or Tooth, which every round pushed forwards one of the Teeth of the great VVheel, which turned another, and that another which turned a Pin or Handle, which marked the number of turnings, that the Mill made, by which means it was easie to take an account of the Perches, and Leagues that the Ship sailed.
They made use of the same Machine on the Land, fixing to the Nave of the VVheel of a Coach, a Tooth which made many VVheels be turned as in the above-mentioned Machine, at the last of which, was fastned a Pin or Handle, which marked the number of Perches and Leagues. This Machine had likewise a sort of a Counting VVheel, which at every Mile that the Coach went, let a Pibble fall into a Vessel of Brass, to give notice that they had gone a Mile.
ART. VII.
Of Machines of War.
Lib. 10.
Chap. 15.
HE Machines of VVar of the Ancients were of three Sorts, for they were made either to Lance, Arrows, such as were the Scorpions or Javelins, such as were the Catapulta’s, or Stones, such as were Ballista’s or fiery Darts, such as were the Pyroboli, or they were made to beat down the VValls, such as were the battering Rams, and the Terebra, or to come covered to the VValls, and so safely Mount the Ramparts, such as were the Tortoises or Testudo’s, and the Towers of VVood.