316 LIFE, TIMES, AND SCIENTIFIC LABOURS 



ingenuity, perfection, and variety of his Lordship s 

 inventions are traceable to this laborious and expensive 

 practical process. 



When at length, in 1655, he commenced in earnest 

 to make known among a select number of persons his 

 determination to bring out his inventions for public 

 advantage, he had a difficult task before him. The 

 recluse philosopher was about to assume a new cha 

 racter, offering to submit for approbation, to an igno 

 rant and prejudiced public, his mechanical marvels, 

 the product of nearly thirty years 7 study ! At fifty-four 

 years of age, without the least practice in trading trans 

 actions, bred to no profession, and known only as a 

 high-minded but ruined nobleman, he sues for public 

 patronage ! 



Among his manuscripts we find a slip of paper 

 which has all the appearance of having passed through 

 many hands,* and suggests the idea that it was one of 

 many similarly written, to enable others to make known 

 among their friends what the Marquis had to offer, 

 seeking their encouragement therein, of what they 

 chose to select. It reads thus : 



1. Intelligence at a distance communicative & not 



limitted to distance, nor by it the time p long d. 



2. Ffountaines of pleasure, with artificiall snow or 



haill or thunder, & quantity not limitted. 



2. Oft suteing [shooting] peerds, controuleable, in 



one plane, either for number or time. 



3. Discourse to be had by a Lamp. 



4. A Brass head, capable to Eeceave at the Eare a 



Whisper & the mouth thereof to Kender An- 

 swere in any Language to the Interrogator. 

 There is a somewhat similar but fuller MS. list of eight 



* From MSS. Badminton. 



