TO THE CENTURY. 349 



of admiration, respect, or emulation ; and it is no won 

 der, therefore, that he should cover his own ignorance 

 on scientific matters by declaring the book he affected 

 to criticise, &quot;an amazing piece of folly;&quot; closing his 

 flippant strictures with the sapient remark, &quot; But per 

 haps too much has been said on so fantastic a man ; no 

 wonder he believed transubstantiation, when he believed 

 that himself could work impossibilities !&quot; 



David Hume was equally at fault in comprehending 

 the mechanical skill of the Marquis of Worcester, for we 

 find the eloquent historian, in his History of England, 

 in perfect simplicity and ignorance, observing, &quot; That 

 the King judged aright of this nobleman s character, 

 appears from his Century of arts or scantling of inventions, 

 which is a ridiculous compound of lies, chimeras and 

 impossibilities, and shows what might be expected from 

 such a man !&quot; That the &quot; Century&quot; shows &quot; what might 

 be expected from such a man, 7 as its author, all must 

 willingly admit ; but that Hume s pungent tirade pre 

 sents any logical sequence, all must as strenuously deny. 

 Never surely did two talented writers, in different 

 departments of our literature, figure so unfortunately 

 and contemptibly as Walpole and Hume in their 

 unseemly efforts thus to misrepresent and malign their 

 country s noblest mechanical geuius. 



Verstegan, in his u Restitution of decayed Intelli 

 gence,&quot; printed at Antwerp in 1605, treating in the 

 second chapter of Germany as it was of old, exclaims : 

 &quot; And as touching the knowledge of the people, what 

 learning or skill is there among men that they exceed 

 not in.&quot; And proceeds &quot; Sundry most rare inventions 

 have had their original and birth among them. Where 

 of the noble art of printing, and the use of Artillery, 

 are of most note.&quot; He then goes on to enumerate 

 u the heaven of silver,&quot; a piece of exquisite workman- 



