The Gunner may keepe that thicknesse or dispart in his hands and take his leuell by the mettall as the fashion is vntill thereby he discerne the marke and them both to bee in one right visuall line And then setting on the dispart vpon the muzzle ring duly and bringing downe the mouth of the peece vntill the said marke and the top of the dispart and the highest of the mettall at the Breech become all three in one right visuall line then take off the said dispart and note what marke will then bee in one right line with the midst or highest of the mettall at the breech muzzle which will be much vnder the first marke and it will so serue euer after to make a shott to an assured good effect at the same marke and with the same peece from the same plat-forme The like is to be done in shooting at a marke eleuated to any degree about the leuell As also for such marks as are beyond the distance of the right line or right range by allowing an addition of a Minute Degree or Poynt of eleuation for aduantage more or lesse as need shall be vntill the Shot hit right and as reason will direct As for example a Saker is to shoote at a marke eleuated vnto 15 degrees it being distant from the plat-forme 1325 Geometricall paces 5 feete to the pace But being mounted to the second poynt or 15 degrees she will shoote but 1062 paces in her dead range and in her best Randon she will conuay a shott but 600 paces in a right line wherefore it being almost 300 paces short of the dead range for 15 degrees and aboue 700 paces short of her right range vpon her best Randon I must by my Gunners Scale or by the Diagram of Randons in the 27 precedent Chapter by the perpendicular raised from the Base at 1325 paces finde what randon crosseth the aspect of the second point which will be thereby found to be the fifth points Randon If then I shall mount the said Saker vnto the fifth poynt so then I may expect her said Randon to strike or come neere to that marke that shall be eleuated to the aspect of the second poynt or 15 degrees at the distance of 1325 paces and so after 2 or 3 shotts at that aduantage attaine my desire This is the ordinary manner of shooting vpon aduantage of any Mounture whatsoeuer alwayes obseruing the meanes how to draw as neere the Enemie as can be In generall you may obserue that in taking ayme by the highest of the mettall without consideration of the disparture if the visuall line thereof aspect the marke the shott will bee alwayes too high within the right range contrary to the Gunners diseigne which should be to ruinate the Foote of the defence in Batteries the sooner to ouerthrow the wall also to facillate the entery of the Breach but singly to shoote at a Troope of Horse or Squadron of Foote and especially in grauelly or stony places it were not amisse purposely to shoote short to light vpon the stones to beate them so vp as that the raysing of the grauel and stones may do the more execution entering trauerse-wise amongst the Enemie But in a plaine or leuell Champion and amongst Battalions of men the Peece should be so bended and directed as that her shot may passe by the midst or thickest of them guirdle height and so it may cut off a hundred or whole Ranke or File of Men at once and breake their Orders and Rankes whereby those that fall on their Faces will hardly elcape but shooting ouer profiteth nothing at all but is meerely lost To amend a wide shot if it went too much towards the right hand then remoue the dispart or take the large of your sight line somewhat more towards the left hand at the muzzle ring keeping the former height or letting the Dispart stand as before and take your marke as before onely remooue your eye a little more towards the right hand vpon the Base ring And so likewise doe contrariwise if the fault of the short aforesaid went too much towards the left hand and so you shall assuredly amend the former shooting vnlesse some of these ouer-ruling causes or accidents cause the contrary namely her Soule or Concaue bore not being strairt and right or lying a wry in the body of the mettall for then the fault is not in the Gunner but in the Gunne which hee must with iudgement and good discretion rectifie as hath bene already shewed in the 44. Chapter hereof She will shoot wide also if the Trunions lye not directly the one against the other as also if the platforme lye awry one side higher then the other or if the Gunner take not his ayme so that the visuall line that passeth from his eye to the marke or if one wheele be higher then the other or if one wheele be stiffe and the other iocond or be squatted with any rub in the reuerse of the Peece or run vpon soft and the other vpon hard ground or if the Cariage-maker haue made the Cariage leane or hang more vpon one then the other side If the Naue be too wide that the Peece shake therby in her discharge and reuerse or if the tayle of the Cariage rest harder on the plat-forme vpon one side more then on the other when the shott is too lowe for the Peece and at the deliuery toucheth vpō one side And lastly the vehemency of the wind being sidewise ouer-rules it to the contrary-side-ward c. But if the Shot fall to short or too farre that happeneth by the force or feeblenesse of the Powder or vnskilfulnesse of the Gunner not directing his peece as he ought or in ignorance or by mistaking the distance to the marke he would shoote at CHAP. XLIIII How the Gunner may be assured to make a good Shott SOmetimes the occasions offer to require that the Peece be curiously directed and precisely bended to dismount a Peece of the Enemies that galleth shrewdly or at a single mark or at the Loope Tronier Cassamat Horseman Boat or other secret place assigned that else would impeach the appointed seruice and deseigne For which the Gunner ought to haue an entire and perfect knowledge of the condition and quality of his Peece by experience made by former practises in her otherwise it wil be vncertaine and vnlikely that he at the first shot out of a Peece wherein they neuer practized to make an assured good shott and then in loading her to haue great care so to put home the Powder Shott and Wadd as that the powder may fire at once that the Peece reuerse not vnrulily it being a certaine thing that the more slowe the powder is in firing within the Peece the greater will her reuerse be and the shott also of the lesse force in execution And likewise the reasonable putting home of the Shott and Wadds neither too hard nor too easie but that the Ball may
are still proportionall to those of the planes Horizontall respectiuely taken by Graduation from the Zenith in all Peeces whatsoeuer But the Lines of Altitudes their Bases and Lines Hipethenusalls are euer different in euery seuerall Angle both of Inclination and Declination and vary by such a different Proportion from the Horizontall as they are to be discouered by a seuerall Methode of Calculation THEOR. 67. Such Theorikes Scales and Instruments may be framed for the Inuention of these strange proportions of Altitudes Lines Diagonall and Ranges Horizontall as thereby with the aide of Calculations Arithmeticall and some Rules Geometricall a man may exactly and readily discouer the true Circuits and Ranges of the Bullets of all Peeces of Ordnance whatsoeuer mounted howsoeuer and vpon all grounds or planes enclining or declining that can be Imagined DEFINITION OF ARITHMETICKE ARithmeticke is the Art to number well and is the ground of the Mathematicks Of Notation or Numeration The Caracters are 9 significant as 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and 0 a Cypher Remembring onely One Ten a Hundred reckon all your figures or places from the right hand towards the left alwayes making a pricke or dash ouer euery third figure omitting the first As suppose this number were to be valued 4-6 7 2-3 5 6. So herein you find two pricks then reckoning backe againe from the last figures on the left hand towards the right hand name after each figure pricked so many times a thousand as there are prickes towards the right hand saying 4 with his prick and the next pricke is foure thousand thousand then say sixe hundred seuenty two thousand three hundred fifty sixe and so of all others bee the places neuer so many you shall name their true values to their numeration being the common beginning is knowne well enough This shall suffice The foure Principles of Arithmeticke in whole Numbers Addition TO adde is to Collect or assemble many Summes into one totall beginning at the right hand and so proceeding towards the left as by the example following To adde 2356 with 5876 place them so vnder one another that all the first figures of the summes towards the right hand stand right vnder one another and likewise all the second figures and third c. of each sum directly vnder his fellow first second or third c. Thus as 6 vnder 6 7 vnder 5 and 8 vnder 3 and 5 vnder the 2 and then saying 6 and 6 make 12 whereof set downe the two vnder the two sixes and carry one for the other tenne vnto the next summe to adde to 7 and 5 saying one and seuen are eight and siue makes 13 place the 3 thereof vnder the 7 and 5 and carry one againe for the other ten to the next place saying one that I carry and 8 make 9 and 3 make 12 Of which I set downe the two and for the tenne againe I likewise carry one vnto the next place saying one that I carryed and fiue make sixe and two make eight which being the last I set it right vnder the fiue 2. and finde that they make totally 8232. Substraction TO Substract is to take a lesser summe out of a greater and to note the remainder or difference beginning also at the right hand and proceeding towards the left As to substract 5876 from 8232 placing as before in Addition each first second and third figure of the other thus As 6 vnder 2 and 7 vnder 3 and 8 vnder 2 and 5 vnder 8. And then saying 6 out of 2 cannot be but borrowing tenne from the next place maketh the 2 to bee 12 then 6 out of 12 there remaineth 6 which set downe vnder 6 and 2 then say 7 out of 3 lesse one that was borrowed cannot be done but 7 out of 12 that is 1 tenne borrowed out of the next place and 3 lesse 1 that is 2 making 12 remaineth 5 which also set downe vnder 7 and 3. Then say 8 out of 2 cannot be but 8 out of 11 that is one tenne borrowed of the next and one lent out of the 2 maketh together 3 to remaine Lastly say 5 out of 8 lesse one lent that is 5 out of 7 resteth 2. And so you shall finde that 5876 being taken from 8232 will leaue 2356 which the precedent Addition prooueth true for the remainder Multiplication TO Multiply signifieth to augment a summe by it selfe or by some other number placing the lesser which we cōmonly name the Multiplicator vndermost so that no figure towards the right hand outreach other except Cyphers and then beginning at the right hand and proceeding towards the left still multiplying euery figure of the vppermost summe by each figure of the lower and set the products vnder the line as the example here following will demonstrate to the eye And for the more easy solution of this proposition it will be necessary to know by memory the products of the multiplication of the 9 simple Characters 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9 amongst themselues As fiue times 7. make 35 and 9 times sixe make 54 c. Now 4563 are giuen to be multiplyed by 327. Place the lesser number vnder the greater with the first of it towards the right hand vnder the first of the other then draw a line vnder them thus And say 7 times 3 make 21. Place the 1 vnder the 7 and 3 and carry 2 for the 2 tennes vnto the next place and say 3 time 6 make 18 and 2 that I carryed in memory make 20 whereof I set downe the 0 and carry the 2 to the next saying 7 times 5 make 35 and the 2 I bore in minde make 37 whereof I set the 7 vnder the 5 and 3 and carry 3 to the next place saying 7 times 4 make 28 and 3 make 31 which I set downe also so I haue done with the 7 and cancell it and begin with the 2 saying 2 times 3 make 6 which I set downe vnder the 2 and carry 1 to the next saying 2 times 5 make 10 and 1 that I carryed make 11 whereof I set downe 1 and carry 1 and say 2 times 4 make 8 and 1 maketh it 9 which I set downe also and so I haue done with the 2. Lastly beginning with the 3 remaining I say first 3 times 3 make 9 which I set down right vnder the 3 And againe say 3 times 6 make 18 whereof I set down the 8 and carry the 1 to the next place where say 3 times 5 make 15 and 1 that I carryed make 16 whereof I set downe the 6 and carry 1 to the next saying 3 times 4 make 12 and 1 that I carryed makes 13 and so I haue ended onely adding the numbers vnder the line as you were shewed to do before in Addition and you shall finde the Products will be 1491861 which hauing set downe may be enclosed betweene 2 lines as the Operation requireth Diuision To diuide is to search how many times one some is contained in another
loose powder or Cartouch turning the Mouth neere vpright the powder being so put into the Chāber ther must be a wad put in either of hay or Okam after a Tampkin of Willow or other soft Wood such as may together with the powder that was first put in fully fill vp the whole Chamber thereof that there may bee no vacuity betweene the powder and wadd or wadd and shot after which the shot shall be also put in at the Mouth with a wadd after it especially if the Peece be not much mounted least the shot goe out too soone and the wadd between the Tampkin and the Shot is not onely to saue the shot from the Tampkins breaking of it but also to auoide vacuities which are very dangerous for the Peece by second expansions Hauing then resolued vpon the premisses concerning the Peece Shot Powder as before is shewed and vpon the distance and Mounture for the Marke as hereafter the Rules and Tables following shall direct then for the bending and disposing it to the assigned seruice Obserue first to lay a straight Ruler vpon the mouth of the Peece and vpon it place a Quadrant or other Instrument crosse-wise to set the Peece vpright to auoide wide shooting and then placing them fore-right to eleuate it into the resolued degree of Monuture to auoyde short or ouetshooting accordingly as the Tables and examples following will leade you for hauing made one shot you may thereby proportion the rest considering whether you are to shoote with or against the wind or whether it blowe towards the right or left hand and whether weakely or strongly and so accordingly to giue or abate the aduantage or disaduantage which iudgement not Rule must induce and yet by helpe of the Notes following of mine owne experience late made in one of his Maiesties Morter Peeces and by these Tables any iudicious Gunner may with a Shot or two first made out of the Peece hee with practise may very much helpe himselfe Captaine Vffano his Table for a Morter Peece to shoote therewith by the twelue Poynts of the Gunneers Quadrant And Poynts Paces 0 100 1 248 2 377 3 468 4 534 5 570 6 583 7 566 8 532 9 468 10 377 11 243 12 000 Mine owne Notes of practise in a Morter peece that shot a stone shot of 5 inches in Dyametre high The Morter Peeces Chamberbeing 2 ½ inches at the Mouth therof and three inches deep and the rest of her Chase being 10 inches deepe which I discharged with three ounces of powder there being little wind degrees yards Skores At 45 750 37 ½ At 50 710 35 ½ At 55 675 33 ½ At 60 620 31 At 65 575 28 ¾ At 70 480 24 At 75 360 18 At 80 270 13 A Table out of Vffano for the Morter Peeces Randons made for euery degree betweene the Leuell and 90 degrees degr paces degr 0 100 89 1 122 88 2 143 87 3 164 86 4 285 85 5 104 84 6 224 83 7 243 82 8 262 81 9 280 80 10 297 79 11 314 78 12 331 77 13 347 76 14 363 75 15 377 74 16 392 73 17 406 72 18 419 71 19 432 70 20 445 69 21 457 68 22 468 67 23 479 66 24 490 65 25 500 64 26 510 63 27 518 62 28 524 61 29 529 60 30 534 59 31 539 58 32 543 57 33 549 56 34 552 55 35 558 54 36 562 53 37 568 52 38 573 51 39 477 50 40 580 49 41 582 48 42 583 47 43 584 46 44 582 46 45 582 46 The vse of the former Table The vse of the Table may bee thus explained Hauing once made knowne the distance the Peece did shoote at any Monuture giuen As for example suppose at 53 degrees which conueyed the shot 700. paces and you desire to know how far she would shoote at 60 degrees Now because 700 degrees is not at all in this Table but against 60 degrees there standeth 529 paces Therefore say by the Rule of 3 if 562 the number against 53 degrees giueth 700 paces what shall 529 the number against 60 degrees giue multiplying 700 by 529 and diuide the product by 562 and the Quotient will be 649 ¼ fere the number of paces which the said Morter Peece will shoote at 60 degrees Monuture being alike loaded and hauing such like accidents as it had when it was shot off at 52 degrees and so for any other number of paces or degrees or distances assigned The second sort of this fourth and last kind of Ordnance are the Pettards which are short Peeces of late yeares deuised and practised to make ouertures into Townes Cities and Forts by breaking open their Ports Gates and blowing vp of Bridges and Walls by meanes of the force of powder fired Of these there are of seuerall formes and magnitudes euen as they are of seuerall vses and for different seruices especially in grcatnes when great force is requisite Some of them are cast in shape not much vnlike the fashion of a Grocers or Apothecaryes spice Morter and some are tapered much like a Coopers water pay le little deeper then the Dyametre of their mouthes but being not aboue ¼ in Dyametre at their bottome or breech of their mouthes Calibre and in thicknes of mettall ½ of the Dyametre at their breech and lessening in thicknes towards their mouths Their magnitudes are some to hold but one pound of powder or lesse and others to hold 50 lb. or more and they vsually allow 4 lb. of Brasse or 5 lb. of iron to cast a Pet. for one pound of powder and 250 pound of Brasse or 300 pound for a Pettard that shall hold 50 pound of powder vsing those proportions diminished for lesser and augmented for greater The Pettard is sometimes to be vsed in places accessible and inaccessible Suppose then we are to Pettard a Port or Gate vnto which we may approach in that case a skrewed hooke is to bee let into the Port vpon which the pettard with her Planchier or Matria is to be hanged as in the 13 figure at ◠is representd The Plāshier is at least to be 3 inches thick arm'd with irō plates to defend it from splitting it is also to be vnder propped with the forked Rest stayed in the ground at the hinder end to hinder the reuerse thereof Pettards are to be loaded with fine corne powder the finer corned the better being very hard beaten in by little and little at once with iron drifts or such like of the iust height of the Dyametre of each places concaue of the Pettard vntill it be full within one finger breadth of the top and then some vse to make a hole through the powder vnto the bottome with apyke head or such like into which hollownes they put in certaine quils filled with raw quicke-siluer Lastly they couer the mouth thereof with a waxed cloath being cut of the iust breadth of the inside of the mouth of it fill
lagen Poinct du nueau Punct der Wagen there may 40 foote of ground and for the thicknesse thereof it must â—e 21 or 22 foote with 27 or 30 foote for reuerse for each Peece making almost 100 foote in all and leauing yet thirty foote more at least from the said reuerse to the other Parrapet of the same Bulwarke to the end there may he no impeachment but that the Troopes may march and passe to the defences required freely And hauing also roome to plant three Peeces of Ordnance vpon each of the Shoulders of the same which will also require 65 some of ground at the least The Trouniers or Loopes are to be 3 foote broad within and distant 20 foote one from another Hauing within the Platformes 3 foote of Barb and without 9 foote of breadth and euery where 8 foote of height These three loopes must haue a counter loope at the Parapet of the Bulwarke hauing in the midst 4 within 6 and without 8 foote in breadth and deepe that it be euen with the Terraplene Now from these Loopes there must be as we haue said so much roome that within the Shouldrings there may be 3 Peeces distant 20 foote asunder Now two or three of these Shouldrings discharge their three Peeces trauersing croswise to the Enemies Batteries beating so vpon them that they must be forced to quit the place And although the Euemie abroad may beate the Couertures of the outmost Loopes yet can they neither for the inner Loopes not the Peeces within come to touch any of them But you may note that such Batteries cannot be made in a narrow or straight place as I haue said without demolishing structures and raising the ground so that it be leuell with the Terraplene of the Bulwarke which would otherwise be too small for that purpose And hauing finished them they are not to serue for one place onely but they may turne those Shouldrings and defences and make the Peeces thunder about on all sides where the Enemie would settle himselfe CHAP. XLIX Of certaine reasons that causeth a Shott though well directed to erre in her discharge and be faulty at the Mark wide short or ouer THere are very many causes and accidents that may make a Shott well directed to deuiate from the expected course The first is when as the Soule or bore of the Peece lyeth awry in the Body or Mettall thereof or that the Chase or vacant Cillinder the director of the Shott is not straite wherefore the Gunner may receiue disgrace but hauing examined and found the fault hee is to supply the defect by discretion and skill And if the Trunions also be not duly placed directly in a dyagonall lyne with the Axis of the Peece it will be wide likewise if the Platforme bee vnequall as higher vpon one side then the other Also if the Gunner lay the highest of the mettall at mouth and Breech it will shoot ouer if it be within distance if one wheele be higher then another also if one wheele goe stiffer then the other or if one wheele meete with a squat by a stone or otherwise when the Naues be one longer wyder then the other when one wheele reuersing goeth on soft ground the other on harder when the Cariage or Trunion eares are higher lower one then another if the Cariage be too wyde so that the Peece lyeth not fast the rein but starteth in her discharge if the Shot be not equally round or the bore of the Peece not lying strait but more on the one side of the mettall then the other The vehemencie of the winde with against or aside may driue the Shot forward backe it or deuie-at it aside the thicknesse and thinnesse of the ayre the heating and cooling the sleight or hard ramming of the Powder putting home or short the shott And lastly the want of skill and experience All these and many more may be causes of the fayling of a Shott at an assigned Marke which I thought fit here to note at last not to minister matter of excuse to ignorant negligent carelesse Gunners but to aduise the discreete Gunner to haue a vigilant eye and consideration of all or as many of those accidents with reason of the former directions to auoyd or amend them as wel as he can at first To faile at the first shott if he be not acquainted with the Peece and Marke is passable and at the second to fayle is pardonable but to faile of a faire shott at the third time is too much and argues but little iudgement and discretion in such a Gunner CHAP. L. How to conduct a Mine vnder ground to blow vp a place and to prepare a Gallerie to passe the Dyke to the foote of the Breach THe vse of Mining is ancient and was commonly vsed by the Persian Greeke Parthian Romanes and other Nations that haue mannaged great warres and no meruaile for that the same is the easiest and most proper meanes to force a place But Pietre Nauarro a Spaniard was the first that inuented the Fowrne and the vse of Powder therein for which and some other seruices the Emperour Charles the fifth gaue him the name of a Conde and great rewards besides Yet neuerthelesse there is nothing more dangerous for such as worke in these Mines by reason the Counter-mines of the Enemie so that if there be any suspition of countermining it will not be amisse to diuert the course with all dexterity either toward the right or left hand as the occasion of the Place will permit And forasmuch as according to the naturall effects of feare it behoueth the besieged to seeke out the shortest and neerest way possible to offend the Enemie abroad by Countermine or otherwise The Mine-Master then may sinke his Mine and conduct the same either as in the 16 Figure at α is described by the letters from A by B to C or as the other 4 square angular course and there to prepare the Fourne which may be armed with powder in Barrels so that giuing Fire thereunto by a Trayne he blow vp the Place and the Enemies aboue it And to the end the same hurt not the Pyoners or Worke-men that digge and trauell therein it will bee needfull to lyne the same with sparres and bords framed accordingly seauen foote in height and 5 foote in breadth but it must be couered with 2 inch planke to keepe vp the earth But if the ground be moyst or full of Springs a gutter with 2 descent must bee made that the water may runne to some lower euacuation if that cannot be a Well at the mouth of the Mine must be made for a receptackle for all the Springs to runne into by their gunters and Pumpsor Forcers are to be set sufficient to mount the water that it may after finde a current to runne away But if there be any suspition of Countermining then alwayes forwards in your intended course you may bore long holes in the earth with your
best you may thereby know how much Salpetre will renew all the whole quantity of decayed powder in the same manner without new making the same To make powder that shall not decay with time TAke what quantity of powder you will and mixe it well with Aqua-vitae and make it vp in Balles and dry them well in the Sunne or in a warme place and keepe them in an earthen pot well glazed vntill you haue cause to vse them Cateneo saith this powder will neither decay nor waste by age CHAP. LXXIII Of the making of ordinary and extraordinary Matches to giue fire with vnto Ordnance or Artificiall Fire-workes and such like TAke Ropes made of Towe about the bignesse of a Mans little finger being twisted loosely and Taw and beate them with a Mallet vpon a stone till they be soft and opening Then put them into a Caldron full of strong Lee made with ashes and quick Lyme wherein also a quantity of Salpetre or Mothers being put and when they haue boyled well ⅔ of the liquour of the Lee consumed Then draw out the Match and twist it harder while it is moyst and afterward dry it vpon Lynes but first draw them through a hole as Wyre-drawers doe their Wyre to make it euen To make extraordinary Match of Cotton Yarne made Bobbinwise of a finger thicknesse TAke as many threds of grosse Cotton yarne that hath not taken Salt-water by transportation or other ill Accident and worke them Bobbinwise of a competent bignesse and boyle them in Salpetre-water and squeese them and rowle them on a Table whereon Mealed-Petre and Sulpher is spread then draw them through the palme of your hand and then dry them well To make Match that will resist fire and water TAke Salpetre refined one part Sulpher part and put them into a Pot with ½ part of Camphere mealed with the Sulpher and one part of fine mealed quick Lyme with so much Lynseed oyle oyle of Petre a little Vernish liquid to temper them well together Then take of Cotton bobbin Match as bigge as your little finger and put it into the mixture to soke ouer a sire vntill it be well imbybed and haue soked vp the liquor Then take the Feces or remainder and put them in the palme of your left hand and with your right draw the Match through it twice or thrice clasping close your fist that the Match may receiue the substance of it thereinto Then dry it vpon a line and keepe it for speciall vses for Vaults Mynes and moyst weather To make a very violent Match TAke two ounces of Powder 4 z. of Petre two ounces of Aqua vitae dissolue them ouer fire and put in your Cotton Match to soke it vp if you imbibe the Ficelles for your Rockets therein it will bee very proper you may rowle and rub them in Meale Powder vpon a Table dry them and keepe them in a dry place which let suffice at this time OF ARTIFICIALL FIRE WORKES FOR Tryumph and Seruice ALthough Gunpowder with the soule Petre and the life Sulpher and the body thereof Coale be indeed the chiefe bases and foundations vpon which the practise of Artillery and making of all artificiall Fire-workes either for seruice in the Warres or for Triumph after Victory or for delight and pleasure dependeth whereof wee haue already spoken sufficiently yet Fire being the Primarie cause for performing their sequent effects we will first briefly define what Fire is and then shew who were the inuenters of it according as Antiquity hath diuersly left vs their Testimonie Fire is an element hot and dry the most rare light and piersing either detayned here below by Art or constrained by Accident It ingenders and feedes vpon that which by Nature it alwayes affecteth and it striueth to get aloft as vnto the naturall place and repose thereof as our first Theorem plainly manifesteth The Poets fained that Promethius first stole the Fire from Heauen But Vitruuius saith it was accidently found and happened by the violent agitation of the Windes and Tempest among the Armes and Branches of Trees robustly rubbing one against another which made them kindle fire burne Plynie said that it was found by Souldiers because they vsually giue violent strokes vpon solid things oft times striking sparkes of fire Lucretius said it was ingendred from the lightning and that Vulcan the King of Egypt was the first that perceiued that fire to make vse of it amongst humane creatures wherfore the making of Ioues Thunderbolts was attributed to him And Orpheus making little or no distinction betweene Vulcan and fire in his Himne singeth Braue valtant Vulcans liuing flames on earth remaine as yet Where in bright shining firie Roabes his Maiestie doth sit c. Fire being also a thing necessary for mans life consisting of heate and humidity simbolizeth generation so neerely that sage Antiquity therefore faigne the marriage betweene Vulcan and Venus and attibute the cariage of Nuptiall Torches vnto him at such times as the Louers would embrace each other Many more were the ancient fictions opinions concerning this element of fire but those I leaue for breuities sake concluding it as I begun Fire to be a more rare subtle and light element of Nature then the ayre which is but his Nurse seeing that if ayre become compact and fixed in a straight place and fire chance to burne such an Ayerie body that would either eate or drinke or consume it and thereby leaue the place voyd which nature abhorreth as appeareth by our 4 or 5 Theorems or else that rarifieth and encreaseth the body thereof by the third and 6 Theorem and so 2 bodies should be in one place contrary to the 7 Theorem hereof which let suffice and so I will proceede to the matter for contriuing and composing of some Fire-workes both for Seruice and Triumph and conclude this Treatise for this time Of Rockets and their structures Tract 3. cap. 26. fig. 5. So then the Rocket N will be 10 Calibres 9 for the powder and 1 for the bindings aboue the bond and fucill below And the Pearcer O must be at least ½ of the length of the Rocket whereof by the figure you may see both the forme and proportion And also although some would haue a pin reach so high from the breech of the Rocket and of the Drifts fitted with a hollownesse to receiue it in the driuing yet that fashion being very vncertaine and requiring much skill handinesse and practised experience to bring it to rise well I haue rather left it to be pearced after the driuing For the Receipts they must be according to their grandures to be filled by a little and a little at once and giuing 4 or 5 strokes vpon the Drift with a waighty Mallet continuing so vntill it be full within a finger or twos breadth of the top and it must bee made of strong paper or parchment well rowled about the Former or else it will be worth nothing and