SAMUEL HARTLIB'S PUBLICATIONS. 63 



the Council of State/' after commencing in his usual 

 scriptural and quaint style, Samuel Hartlib says of 

 himself : — " It hath been one of my aims, to have the 

 honor (if possibly I could attain unto it) of serving the 

 Publick gratis, and at mine own cost, to the best 

 things : So I have made it a part of my Agencie, to 

 provok others, to do the like, by offering unto everie 

 one, the things which might bee most advantagious 

 unto themselves, by doing service unto others. And 

 how far my affections have carried mee beyond my 

 abilities in this cours, I need not to mention : this hath 

 onely been my comfort, that having served my genera- 

 tion generously and freely, I never had cans to repent 

 of what I had done, whether it were resented by others, 

 or not/' 



He speaks of Agriculture as ^' being one of the 

 noblest and most necessarie parts of Industrie belonging 

 to a Common- wealth, the first ground of mutual trading 

 amongst men, and the well-spring of wealth in all well 

 ordered societies." 



Of his own acquaintance with the subject of Hus- 

 bandry he observes : — " I cannot say much of mine 

 own experience in this matter, yet providence having 

 directed mee by the improvement of several relations 

 unto the experiences and observations of others, I 

 finde myself obliged to become a conduit-pipe thereof 

 towards the Publick." 



The author of the Discourse remarks, ^^ I did think I 



