TURRIANUS'S AUTOMATA. 319 



The next automata of which any distinct account has 

 been preserved are those of the celebrated John Muller or 

 Regiomontauus, which have been mentioned by Kircher, 

 Baptista Porta, Gassendi, Lana, and Bishop Wilkins. 

 This philosopher is said to have constructed an artificial 

 eagle, which flew to meet the Emperor Maximilian when 

 lie arrived at Nuremberg on the 7th June, 1470. After 

 soaring aloft in the air, the eagle is stated to have met the 

 Emperor at some distance from the city, and to have 

 returned and perched upon the town gate, where it waited 

 his approach. When the Emperor reached the gate, the ' 

 eagle stretched out its wings, and saluted him by an 

 inclination of its body. Muller is likewise reported to 

 have constructed an iron fly, which was put in motion by 

 wheel-work, and which flew about and leapt upon the 

 table. At an entertainment given by this philosopher to 

 some of his familiar friends, the fly flew from his hand, 

 and after performing a considerable round, it returned 

 again to the hand of its master. 



The Emperor Charles V., after his abdication of the 

 throne, amused himself in his later years with automata of 

 various kinds. The artist whom he employed was 

 Janellus Turrianus of Cremona. It was his custom after 

 dinner to introduce upon the table figures of armed men 

 and horses. Some of these beat drums, others played upon 

 flutes, while a third set attacked each other with spears. 

 Sometimes he let fly wooden sparrows, which flew back 

 again to their nest. He also exhibited corn-mills so 

 extremely small that they could be concealed in a glove, 

 yet so powerful that they could grind in a day as much 

 corn as would supply eight men with food for a day. 



The next piece of mechanism of sufficient interest to 

 merit our attention is that which was made by M. Camus 

 for the amusement of Louis XIV. when a child. It con- 

 sisted of a small coach, which was drawn by two horses, 



