willing to make Luciferous Experiments 6. It may engage them to be Mecaenates and Patrons of Arts 7. It will keepe them from worse occasions of spending their time and estates 8. As it will be a great Ornament in prosperity so it wil be a great Refuge and stay in adversity and common calamity As for what remaines of Education we cannot but hope that those whom we have desired should make it their trade will Supply it and render the Idea therof much more perfect We have already recommended the studie of the Elements of Arithmetick and Geometry to all Men in generall but they being the best grounded parts of Speculative knowledge and of so Vast use in all Practicall Arts We cannot but commend deeper enquiries into them And although the way of advancing them in particular may be drawne from what we have already delivered concerning the Advancement of learning in generall yet for the more explicite understanding of our meaning herein we referre to Master Pells most excellent Idea thereof written to Master Hartlib In the next place for the Advancement of all Mechanicall Arts and Manufactures we wish that there were erected a Gymnasium Mechanicum or a Colledge of Trades-men or for more expedition untill such a place could be built that the most convenient houses for such a purpose may be either bought or hired wherein we would that one at least of every Trade but the Prime most Ingenious Work-man the most desirous to improve his Art might be allowed therein a handsom dwelling Rent free which with the Credit of being admitted into this Society and the quick sale which certainly they would have of their Commodities when all men would repaire thither as to a Market of rare and exquisite pieces of Workmanship would be a sufficient Motive to attract the very ablest Mechanicks and such as we have described to desire a fellowship in this Colledge From this Institution we may clearly hope when the excellent in all Arts are not onely Neighbours but intimate Friends and Brethren united in a Common desire and zeal to promote them that all Trades will miraculously prosper and new Inventions would be more frequent then new fashions of Clothes and household-stuffe Here would be the best and most effectuall opportunities and meanes for writing a History of Trades in perfection and exactnesse and what Experiments and stuffe would all those Shops and Operations afford to Active and Philosophicall heads out of which to extract that Interpretation of Nature whereof there is so little and that so bad as yet extant in the world Within the walls of this Gymnasium or College should be a Nosecomium Academicum according to the most exact and perfect Idea thereof a compleate Theatrum Botanicum stalls and Cages for all strange Beastes and Birds with Ponds and Conservatories for all exotick Fishes here all Animalls capable thereof should be made fit for some kind of labour and imployment thaa they may as well be of use living as dead here should be a Repositorie of all kind of Rarities Naturall and Artificiall pieces of Antiquity Modells of all great and noble Engines with Designes and Platformes of Gardens and Buildings The most Artificiall Fountaines and water-Water-works a Library of Select Bookes an Astronomicall Observatory for celestiall Bodies and Meteor large pieces of Ground for severall Experiments of Agriculture Galleeries of the rarest Paintings and Satues with the fairest Globes and Geographcall Maps of the best descriptions and so farre as is possible we would have this place to be the Epitome or Abstract of the whole world So that a man conversant within those walls would certainly prove a greater Schollar then the Walking Libraries so called although he could neither write nor read But if a Child before he learned to read or write were made acquainted with all Things and Actions as he might be in this Colledge how easily would he understand all good Bookes afterwards and smell out the fopperies of bad ones As for the Situation Modell Policy Oeconomy with the Number of Officers and Retainers to this Colledge and the Priviledges thereof it is as yet time enough to delineate Only we wish that a Society of Men might be instituted as carefull to advance Arts as the Iesuites are to Propagate their Religion for the government and mannaging of it But what relish will there be in all those dainties whereof we have spoken if we want a palate to tast them which certainly is Health the most desirable of all earthly blessings and how can we in any reason expect Health when there are so many great difficulties in the curing of diseases and no proportionable Course taken to remove them we shall therefore pursue the Meanes of acquiring the Publicke Good and comfort of Mankind a little further and vent out conceits concerning a Nosocomium Academicum or an Hospitall to cure the Infirmities both of Physician and Patient We intended to have given the most perfect Idea of this Nosocomium Academicum and consequently to have treated of the Situation and Fabrick of the House Garden Library Chymicall Laboratorie Anatomicall Theater Apotheca with all the Instruments and Furniture belonging to each of them as also of the whole Policy and Oeconomy thereof But since such a work could not be brought to passe without much charge the very naming wherof doth deter men even from the most noble and necessary Attempts we are contented to pourtray only such a Nosocomium as may be made out of one of our old Hospitals without any new donations or creeping to Benefactors onely with a little paines taken by the Reforming hand of Authority For we do not doubt but that we have so contrived the businesse that there is no Hospitall in its corrupt estate can be more thriftily managed then Ours For the Number of our Ministers are no greater then usuall and absolutly necessary their Pensions no larger then are allowed to those who do not make the service of the Hospital the sixth part of their Employment and meanes of subsistance and yet we give encouragement enough to able men to undertake it without medling with any other businesse which we strictly forbid For as the Salaries are but small so the Charge of the Ministers is not great they being all to be unmarried Persons their Accommodation handsome their Employment being a work of Publike and highest Charity honourable and to Philosophicall Men who onely are to have a hand in this businesse most pleasant and delightfull Besides when their respective times are expired their profit and esteeme in the world cannot but be very great For their way of breeding will both procure them practice among such as are able to reward them and give them a dexterity and ability to manage and go thorough a great deale thereof Moreover the smalnesse of the Salary the long servitude among poore wretches and restraint from Marriages the great paines and naturall parts required to performe duties will I hope prevent all intrusions
by perusing al Books and taking notice of all Mechanicall Inventions 3. In this perusall all the Reall or Experimentall Learning may be sifted and collected out of the said Books 4. There must be appointed able Readers of all such Books with certaine and well limited Directions what to collect out of them 5. Every Book must be so read by two severall Persons apart to prevent mistakes and failings from the said Directions 6. The Directions for Reading must be such as the Readers observing them may exactly agree in their Collections 7. Out of all these Bookes one Booke or great Worke may be made though consisting of many Volumes 8. The most Artificiall Indices Tables or other Helps for the ready finding remembring and well understanding all things contained in these Bookes must be contrived and put in practice Having thus taken the height or pitch wherunto al Arts and Sciences whatsoever are already come and observed where they now stick the ablest Men in every respective Faculty must be set apart to drive them on further with sufficient maintenance and encouragement for the same Whereunto it is requisite that two or three one under another be employed about each Faculty to the end that some of them dying or any other wise failing there may never want men acquainted with the whole Designe and able to carry it on with the help of others to be admitted under them And that at least yearly Accompts be taken of those mens endeavours and rewards be proportioned to them accordingly And now we shall think of whetting our tooles and preparing sharp Instruments for this hard work by delivering our thoughts concerning Education which are 1. That there be instituted Ergastula Literaria Literarywork-houses where Children may be taught as well to doe something towards their living as to Read and Write That the businesse of Education be not as now committed to the worst and unworthiest of men but that it be seriously studied and practised by the best and abler persons That all Children of above seven yeares old may be presented to this kind of Education none being to be excluded by reason of the poverty and unability of their Parents for hereby it hath come to passe that many are now holding the Plough which might have beene made fit to steere the State Wherfore let such poor children be imployed on works wherby they may earne their living equall to their strength and understanding and such as they may performe as well as elder and abler persons viz. attending Engines c. And if they cannot get their whole living and their Parents can contribute nothing at all to make it up let them stay somewhat the longer in the Work-house That since few children have need of reading before they know or can be acquainted with the Things they read of or of writing before their thoughts are worth the recording or they are able to put them into any forme which we call inditing much lesse of learning languages when there bee Books enough for their present use in their owne mother Tongue our opinion is that those Things being withall somewhat above their capacity as being to be attained by Judgement which is weakest in children be deferred awhile and others more needfull for them such as are in the order of Nature before those afore mentioned and are attainable by the help of Memory which is either most strong or unpreoccupied in children be studied before them We wish therefore that the Educands be taught to observe and remember all sensible Objects and Actions whether they be Naturall or Artificiall which the Educators must upon all occasions expound unto them That they use such Exercises whether in work or for recreation as tend to the health agility and strength of their bodies That they be taught to Read by much more compendious meanes then are in common use which is a thing certainly very easie and feasible That they be not onely taught to Write according to our Common Way but also to Write Swiftly and in Reall Characters as likewise the dextrous use of the Instruments for Writing many Copies of the same thing at once That the Artificiall Memory be thought upon and if the precepts thereof be not too farre above Childrens Capacities We conceive it not improper for them to learn that also That in no case the Art of Drawing and designing be omitted to what course of Life soever those children are to be applied since the use thereof for expressing the conceptions of the mind seemes at least to us to be little inferiour to that of Writing and in many cases performeth what by words is impossible That the Elements of Arithmetick and Geometry be by all studied being not onely of great and frequent use in all humane Affaires but also sure guides and helps to Reason and especiall Remedies for a volatile and unstedy mind That effectuall Courses be taken to try the Abilities of the Bodies and Minds of Children the strength of their Memory inclination of their Affections either to Vice or Vertue and to which of them in particular and withall to alter what is bad in them and increase and improve what is good applying all whether good or bad to the least Inconveniencie and most Advantage That such as shall have need to learne Forraine Languages the use whereof would be much lessened were the Reall and Common Characters brought into practise may be taught them by incomparably more easie wayes then are now usuall That no ignoble unnecessary or condemned Part of Learning be taught in those houses of Education so that if any man shall vainely fall upon them he himselfe onely may be blamed That such as have any naturall ability and fitnesse to Musick be Encouraged and Instructed therein That all Children though of the highest ranke be taught some gentile Manufacture in their minority such as are Turning of curious Figures Making Mathematicall Instruments Dialls and how to use them in Astronomicall Observations Making Watches and other Trochilick motions Limning and Painting on Glasse or in Oyle Colours Graving Etching Carving Embossing and Molding in sundry matters The Lapidaries Art of knowing cutting and setting Iewells Grinding of Glasses Dioptricall and Catoptricall Botanicks and Gardening Making Musicall Instruments Navarchy and making Modells for buildings and rigging of Ships Architecture and making Modells for houses The Confectioners Perfumers or Diers Arts Chymistry refining Metalls and Counterfeiting Iewells Anatomy making Sceletons and excarnating bowells Making Mariners Compasses Globes and other Magnetick Devices And all for these Reasons 1. They shall be lesse subject to be cousened by Artificers 2. They will become more industrious in generall 3. They will certainly bring to passe most excellent Works being as Gentlemen ambitious to excell ordinarie Work-men 4. They being able to make Experiments themselves may doe it with lesse charge and more care then others will doe it for them 5. The Resp. Artium will be much advanced when such as are rich and able are also
shall see their Linnen conveniently changed so as to prevent all annoyance to the sick They shall in watching endevour to observe all remarkable Accidents hapning in the night as whether they raved or talked much in their sleepe snorted coughed c. all which they shall punctually report to the Physician shewing him the Urines and other Excrements telling him the time and manner wherein they were voyded and in breife they being the lowest Members of the house they shal be in all things obedient to their Superiours It is hard so to assigne to every Minister his particular duty as that the businesse which is the Recovery of the Patients and the Improvement of every mans knowledge in his proper way cannot be done better then by this distribution And it would be of ill Consequence if hereupon the Apprentice having done his owne work should refuse to help his fellow being perchance at some time overburthened wherefore it is to be understood that this contrivance shal be no warrant to any man not to help his fellow in case of Exigence but chiefely to shew what we desire should be done amongst them all For we hope that their common Frendship and desire of helping the sick and enabling themselves will tye them enough to performe all these things in the most advantagious manner to these Ends Having now after a fashion gone through the description of such Societies and Institutions as we have thought most fit for the advancement of Reall Learning and among the rest of the Ergastulum Literarium for the Education of Children we now come to speak of such Bookes as being well studied and expounded in those Schooles would lay a very firme foundation of Learning in the Schollers We recommend therefore in the first place besides those Bookes of Collection by us formerly mentioned and Master Pells three Mathematical Treatises the compiling of a Worke whose Title might justly be Vellus Aureum sive Facultatum Luoriferarum discriptio Magna wherein all the practised wayes of getting a Subsistance and whereby Men raise their fortunes may be at large declared And among these we wish that the History of Arts or Manufactures might first be undertaken as the most pleasant and profitable of all the rest wherein should be discribed the whole Processe of Manual Operations and Applications of one Naturall thing which we call the Elements of Artificials to another with the necessarie Instruments and Machines whereby every peice of worke is elaborated and made to be what it is unto which work bare words being not sufficient all Instruments and tooles must be pictured and colours added when the discriptions cannot be made intelligible without them This History must not be made out of a farrago of imperfect Relations made to the compiler either by too rude or cousening Workmen but all things thereunto appertaining must be by himselfe observed and attested by the most Judicious and candid of each respective Profession as well to make the work the more Authenticke it being to be the Basis of many future Inferences and Philosophations as the more cleerly and distinctly to enforme the compiler himselfe by whose Judgement as the Alembick and Industry as the fire it is hoped that the Quintessence and Magesteries of all present Inventions may be extracted and new ones produced in abundance Although it be intended to teach the making of all Artificials yet it is not to be understood that when there hath beene taught how to make a stoole or a naile of one fashion that the Art of making a Chaire or a naile of another fashion should belong insisted on But the Compiler should strive to reduce the making of all Artificials in each trade to a certaine Number and Classes of operations Tooles and Materials neither need he to set the Figures or mention the names of all Artificials that ever were made but onely of such as are most Knowne and of Common Use amongst men He needeth not to describe every punctilio in making all the aforementioned particulars and yet leave no more defects then may be supplyed by every common understanding For we question whether if he should engage himselfe in such an endlesse labour a man by the bare light and instruction of the Book could attaine to a dextrous practice of a trade whereunto hath been required seven yeares Autopsia But are confident that the help of this Book will lessen the former taeditum by more then half He should not so abridge the Work as not to distinguish between Instruments of the same name as between a Loome to weave Kersies and another wherein to weave silk Ribbands or Stockings He should all along give the Mechanicall reason of every Instrument Materiall and operation when the same is sensible and cleere He should all along note his own defects in setting down these Histories in case he had not at the time of the writing thereof sufficient information and withall the deficiencies of the Trades themselves Now whereas there be divers Wayes and Methods of working most Manufactures he should in each thing stick close to the way of some one Mr. but note al the diversities he Knoweth give his Opinion of the use and goodnes of each Moreover the Oeconomy Sive Ars augendas rei familiaris in all Professions ought to be enquired into viz. What seasons of the yeare are most proper to each Worke which the best places and times to buy Materials and to put off the Commodities when finished how most thriftily to hire entertaine and oversee servants and Workmen how to dispose of every excrement and Refuse of Materials or of broken worne or otherwise unserviceable Tooles and Utensils with all Cauteles Impostures and other sleights good or bad whereby men use to over-reach one another There ought to be added to this work many and various indices besides the Alphabeticall ones as namely one of all the Artificials mentioned in the whole worke Another of all the Naturall Materials or Elements of Artifials by what Artificers used from whence they come where to be had and what are the ordinary and middle prices of them Another of all the Qualities or Schemes of Matter as o fall liquifiable things visced friable heavy transparent abstersive or otherwise qualified according to all the classes of 1 2 and 3. qualities to the end that Materials for all Intentions and Experiments may be at hand and in sight Another of all Operations mentioned in the whole work as Sawing Hewing Filing Boaring Melting Dissolving Turning Beating Grinding Boyling Calcining Knitting Spinning Sowing Twisting c. To the end that they all may also be at hand for the purposes aforesaid Another of all Tooles and Machines as Files Sawes Chissels Sheeres Sives Loomes Shuttles Wheeles Wedges Knives Skrewes c. for the same purpose also The compiler ought to publish all his conjectures how old Inventions may be perfected and new one produceds giving directions how to try the truth of them So that by all those unto whose
hands these Books shall come perchance all the said suppositions may be tryed and the successe reported to the Compiler himselfe The Compilers first scope in Inventions shall bee how to apply all Materials that grow in Abundance in this Kingdome and whereof but in considerable use and Profits are as yet made to more advantage to the Common-wealth And also how all Impotents whether onely blind or onely lame and all Children of above seven yeares old might earne their bread and not be so long burdensome to their Parents and others There should be made a Preface to the Worke to teach men how to make the most of experiments and to record the successes of them whatsoever whether according to hopes or no all being equally Luciferous although not equally Lucriferous There ought to be much Artifice used that all the aforementioned Indices may handsomely referre One to anothers that all things contained in the whole Book may be most easily found and most readily attend the seekers of New Inventions The way to accomplish this Worke must be to enquire what to this purpose is already done or in hand in all places and also by whom so that Communication of councels and proceedings may if possible be had with those undertakers All Bookes of this Subject already extant in Print must be collected and bought not to transcribe them but to examine them per Autopsiam and Re-experiment the Experiments contained in them and withall to give hints of New Enquiries The Compiler must be content to devote his whole life to this employment one who as we said before hath the fire of Industry and the Alembick of a Curious and rationall head to extract the Quintescence of whatsoever hee seeth He should bee as young as sufficient Abilities will admit to the end that he may with the concurrence of Gods ordinary Providence either finish or very farre advance the Worke while he liveth and also that living long in that employment he may heap up the larger stock of Experiments which how much the greater it is in one Man affordeth so much the more hopes of New Inventions The Nature Manner and Meanes of Writing the History of Trades being so farre expounded before we proceed further therein for the better Encouragement of Vndertakers we shall now represent such Profits and Commodities thereof to the Common-wealth as we at present more nearly reflect upon For to Enumerate or Evaluate them all will be much above our Capacity 1. All men whatsoever may hereby so look into all Professions as not to be too grossely cozened and abused in them 2. The Mysteries of Trades being so laid open as that the Professors of them cannot make so unlawfull and exorbitant advantages as heretofore Such as are Cunning and Ambitious will never rest untill they have found new ones in their stead so that the Respublica Artium will be so much the more advanced 3. Schollers and such as love to Batiocinate will have more and better Matter to exercise their wits upon whereas now they pusle and tire themselves about meer Words and Chymaericall Notions 4. They will Reason with more alacrity when they shall not only get honour by shewing their Abilities but profit likewise by the Invention of Fructiferous Arts 5. Sophistry shall not be in such esteem as heretofore when even Sence shall be able to unmask its vanity and distinguish it from Truth 6 Men seeing what Arts are already invented shall not neede to puslle themselves to reinvent the same againe 7. All Men in generall that have wherewithall will be venturing at our Vellus Aureum by making of Experiments and whether thereby they thrive or no the Directions in the Preface being followed they shall neverthelesse more and more discover Nature 8. Nay all Nations sensible of this Auri Sacra fames will engage in this hopefull businesse and then certainly Many hands will make light work in the said businesse of discovering Nature 9. All Ingenious Men and Lovers of Reall Knowledge have along time begged this work wherefore it can be no small honour to him that shall satisfie them 10. A vast increase of honourable profitable and pleasant Inventions must needs spring from the work when one Man as the Compiler thereof may uno intuitu see and comprehend all the Labour and Wit of our Ancestors and be thereby able to supply the defects of one Trade with the perfections of another 11. We see that all Countries where Manufactures and Trades flourish as Holland c. become potent and rich For how can it otherwise be when the Revenues of the State shall be encreased by new and more Customes all Beggers feeding upon the Labours of other men and even Theeves and Robbers made for want of better employment shall be set on work barren grounds made fruitfull wet dry and dry wet when even hogs and more indocile beasts shall be taught to labour when all vile Materials shall be turned to Noble uses when one man or horse shall do as much as three and every thing improved to strange Advantages 12. There would not then be so many Fustian and Vnworthy Preachers in Divinity so many petti foggers in the Law so many Quack-salvers in Physick so many Grammaticasters in Country-schooles and so many Lazy-serving men in Gentlemens houses when every man might learne to live otherwise in more plenty and honour For all men desirous to take paines might by this Book survey all the wayes of Subsistance and choose out of them all one that best suits with his own Genius and Abilities 13. Schollers now disesteemed for their Poverty what ever other thing commends them and unable even for want of lively-hood to perfect any thing even in their own way would quickly help themselves by opening Treasures with the Key of Lucriferous Inventions 14. Boyes in stead of reading hard Hebrew words in the Bible where they either trample on or play with Mysteries or parratlike repeating heteroclitous nounes and verbs might read and hear the History of Faculties expounded so that before they be bound Apprentices to any Trade they may foreknow the good and bad of it what will and strength they have to it and not spend seven years in repenting and in swimming against the stream of their Inclinations All Apprentices by this Book might learn the Theory of their Trades before they are bound to a Master and consequently may be exempted from the Taedium of a seven years bondage and having spent but about three years with a Master may spend the other foure in Travelling to learn breeding and the perfection of their Trades As it would be more profitable to Boyes to spend ten or twelve years in the study of Things and of this Book of Faculties then in a rabble of words so it would be more easie and pleasant to them as more suitable to the naturall propensions we observe in them For we see Children to delight in Drums Pipes Fiddels Guns made of Elder-sticks and bellowes noses piped Keyes c. for painting Flags and Ensignes with Elder-berries and Corn-poppy making ships with Paper and setting even Nut-shels a swimming handling the tooles of workemen assoone as they turne their backs and trying to worke themselves fishing fowling hunting setting sprenges and traps for birds and other animals making pictures in their writing bookes making Tops Gigs and Whirligigs quilting balls practising divers jugling tricks upon the Cards c. with a million more besides And for the Females they will be making Pyes with Clay making their Babies Clothes and dressing them therewith they will spit leaves on sticks as if they were roasting meate they will imitate all the talke and Actions which they observe in their Mother and her Gossips and punctually act the Comedy or Tragedy I know not whether to call it of a Womans lying in By all which it is most evident that Children do most naturally delight in things and are most capable of learning them having quick Sences to receive them and unpreoccupied memories to retaine them As for other things whereunto they are now adayes set they are altogether unfit for want of judgement which is but weake in them and also for want of Will which is sufficiently seene both by what we have said before by the difficultie in keeping them at Schools and the punishment they will endure rather then be altogether debarred from this pleasure which they take in Things This work will be an help to Eloquence when men by their great acquaintance with things might find out Similitudes Metaphors Allusions and other graces of discourse in abundance To Arithmeticians and Geometricians supplying them with Matter whereupon to exercise those most excellent Sciences Which some having with much paines once learned do for want hereof forget againe or unprofitably apply about resolving needlesse Questions and making of new difficulties The number of mixt Mathematicall Arts would hereby be encreased For we see that Opticks are made up of pure Mathematicks the Anatomy of the eye and some Physicall Principles concerning the Nature of light and Vision with some Experiments of convexe and concave glasses Astronomy is constituted againe of them and some Caelestiall Phoenomena Enginry againe of them and some Propositions de Cochleâ ct Vecte And so certainly as the number of Axioms concerning severall subjects doth encrease by this work so the Number of their Applications to pure Mathematicks id est New Mathematicall Arts will encrease also Divines having so large a Booke of Gods works added to that of his word may the more cleerely from them both deduce the wisedome power and goodnesse of the Almighty Physicians observing the use of all Drugs and Operations in the production of Artificials may with successe transferre them to better Vses in their Art And Lawyers when they plead concerning Trades and Manufactures would better Know what to say on such Occasions A young beginner may Know by this Book how much stock is needfull to set him up in his Trade Gentlemen falling sometimes Accidentally into Tradesmen and handicrafts company would Know how to make use of such Occurrences to advantage