TO THE CENTURY. 3G1 



When we read in article No. 56, the expression, &quot; A 

 most incredible thing if not seen,&quot; and find Dr. Dee, in 

 his preface to Euclid, expressing himself on a kindred 

 subject, that it is &quot; A thing almost incredible,&quot; we 

 cannot refuse to believe from internal evidence that the 

 author was from natural inclination well acquainted 

 with that early English translation. The range of 

 such studies as he delighted in, taken from the reign 

 of Elizabeth to the troubled times of Charles the First, 

 or even later, was very restricted ; therefore a course 

 of scientific reading would soon be exhausted by an 

 indefatigable inquirer, who would then probably settle 

 down to being satisfied with a small but chosen collec 

 tion of his favourite authors. It is not only in traits 

 of language that we see a resemblance in such early 

 authors, but equally do we find a certain agreement 

 in their matter. John Bate, for example, mingles the 

 great with the small, the serious with the ludicrous ; 

 he has philosophical experiments, a great water-work, 

 amusive toys, pyrotechny, drawing, and medical re 

 cipes arranged in four books ; and the several editions 

 appear to have enjoyed an amount of popularity which 

 has made any of them very scarce in a perfect form. 



A careful perusal of the &quot; Century&quot; will satisfy the 

 reader that its contents relate principally to the prac 

 tical and useful, notwithstanding that some appear of 

 doubtful value, and some even paradoxical. The 

 variety of cannon and musquetry is singular, the 

 improvements in ships and fortifications quite surpris 

 ing, and in various mechanical appliances remarkably 

 ingenious. But, after all, what was the special design 

 of its author ; what was he principally seeking to 

 establish through this wide course of investigation ? It 

 is evident he sought some mechanical power to super 

 sede ordinary wind, water, and animal power. He 

 tried weights and springs, screws and levers, and 



