Translation o/' Rey's Essays. 271 



in fire itself. This compression of air, is a fertile field in which 

 ingenious minds will collect rare devices. From hence the 

 Sieur Marin, Citizen of Lisieux, has derived his Arquebuss, 

 which I discovered many years since, before the Sieur Flurance 

 had described it*, but which far excels that of Marin, (I say 

 it without vanity,) in having much greater force. I could ac- 

 quaint the reader with another elegant and profitable invention, 

 which I have derived from the same source, but I am purposely 

 silent concerning it; hoping one day to have the happhiess 

 of presenting a most humble petition to his Majesty, that he 

 will honour me with the privilege of the exclusive use of it, for 

 a certain time, in order somewhat to reimburse me for the ex- 

 pense I must be at in bringing the said invention, as well as 

 some others which till that time I keep secret, into use. 

 [To he continued.'} 



* This relates to an air-gun invented by Jean Rey. He quotes the 

 work of David Rivault, Sieur de Flurance, a native of Laval on the Maine, 

 but descended from an ancient family in Britaniiy, a counsellor of state, 

 and preceptor to Louis XHI. The work is called Elements of ArtiUci y , iSfc. 

 8vo. Paris, Adrien Deuis, l608. It is dedicated to the Due de Sully, 

 and the preface contains the history of the invention and first use of fire- 

 arms, ancient and modern. Flurance left the service of Louis XIJI, in 

 consequence of a blow he received from the king, for having kicked a 

 favourite dog, which was troublesome to him, whilst giving the prince a 

 lesson. He was afterwards recalled to court, and died at Tours, in 

 January 16I6, at the age of 45. 



The Editor of the reprint of Rey's essays, adds, that air-guns were 

 discovered in France, by the Sieur Marin Bourgeois, an inhabitant of 

 Lisieux in Normandy, whom Flui ance calls " a man of most rare judgment 

 " in all sorts of inventions, of the most artful imagination, and of con- 

 " summate dexterity in handling the tools of every art known in Europe, 

 " without having learnt of any master. He is an excellent painter, statu- 

 " ary, musician aud astronomer, and works more delicately in iron and 

 " copper than any other artist that I know^. The king, Louis Xill, has 

 " a table of polished steel, made by him, in which his majesty is repre- 

 " scnted to the life, without the help of engraving, modelling, or painting, 

 " hut merely by (ire, which this admirable workman applied more or less 

 " to the different parts, as the figure required to be bright, brown, or 

 " obscure. He has a sphere made also by him, in which the motions of 

 " the sun, moon and stars are rei)resented. He ha.«, likewise, invented 

 " a musical scale, for his own use, by means of which he writes down in 

 " a manner only known to himself, the airs of all songs, and plajs them 

 " afterwards ou his viol, in concert with those who ])lay the other parts, 

 " without their knowing any thing of his method, or he understanding 

 '* their science." Flurance saw Marin Bourgeois' air-gun at Lisieux 

 in I6117, and having become inliniate with him, obtained the descri|>tion 

 of it, whi<:h he published in I608. Experiments wore made with the aii- 

 (Cun in the i)rescn(e of the king and one of his minitlcrs. "It is right," 

 adds the editor, "to ]>ublish this anecdote, so honourable to the artist, and 

 which secures to us the priority of the invention." 



