248 LIFE, TIMES, AND SCIENTIFIC LABOURS [1661-2. 



life his necessities had obliged him to lead, especially 

 during the last ten or twelve years. 



But his indomitable spirit rose superior to every 

 calamity, whether public or private, and we find him in 

 the midst of all his personal grievances having a patent 

 sealed on the 15th of November, 1661, for four several 

 inventions; 1. a watch or clock; 2. guns or pistols; 

 3. an engine applicable for giving security to a coach ; 

 and 4. a boat to sail against wind and tide. No 

 description is afforded to guide the mechanic in con 

 structing such inventions, being a mere statement of 

 their nature and properties, as detailed probably in the 

 first written copy of the Century in 1655, and still pre 

 served in the printed edition. There is not the slightest 

 connection between these inventions, and their incon 

 gruity would rather dishearten than encourage modern 

 enterprise, variety of employments being contrary to 

 the proverbial recommendation of all traders. It may 

 be as well, therefore, to remark that this brief and 

 strange assemblage of inventions in the same inventor, 

 and in his single patent, was customary long before and 

 after this period ; so that, considered in this respect 

 alone, the circumstance wore no air of singularity in 

 the 17th century. Nothing occurs to throw the least 

 light on the effect of this first publication of these inven 

 tions, we are consequently led to suppose that they 

 proved of but little value to him, as regarded watches 

 or firearms ; and in respect to coaches and paddle-boats 

 we should certainly have heard more about them had 

 the one perambulated the streets or the other sailed on 

 the Thames. 



He appears, previous to his patent, probably imme 

 diately after his release from the Tower, to have circu 

 lated a written statement of such of his inventions as 



