OP SAMUEL HARTLIB. 45 



institution^ but it had acquired a degree of stability in his 

 own mindj as frequently happens when a favourite theory 

 has been for many years entertained. The public how- 

 ever are less indulgent than the castle-builder^ and 

 rudely sneer^ or mildly turn a deaf ear to the charmer. 

 Hartlib constantly alludes to Macaria in his correspon- 

 dence, and his friends may have indulged him in his 

 dreams of its possible reaKzation. But that which was 

 based on fictions shared the usual fate of fictions^ for its 

 author, through twenty years, could never proceed 

 beyond the visionary conception. Still even the dreams 

 of men imbued with a benign philosophy may not be 

 entirely without their use, and even this romantic 

 production may have led many to think on improve- 

 ments, or fascinated them into paths of usefulness that 

 had otherwise been unconsidered. But, as for himself, 

 he saw no difficulty in the institution he proposed, 

 and even ventured to speak of an appropriation of 

 its funds to the publication of valuable treatises for 

 popular information. His writing to Dr. Worthington 

 in such a strain renders it manifest that Hartlib, at 

 least, had no misgivings on the subject. 



In 1651 he promoted propositions for a College of 

 Husbandry with a better promise of success, as it inte- 

 rested a large class of the community. The age, 

 however, was blind to the offered advantages; and, 

 indeed, it has required the further experience of two 

 hundred years to convince mankind of the utility of 



