CRESSY DYMOCK. 97 



had often been meditated by himself, and he was, 

 therefore, dehghted to see this Gondola-framed and 

 armed pinnace realizing what he had only imagined. 

 Men are often thus struck with an idea, and deficient in 

 details and ability to arrange, combine, and complete 

 the invention, satisfy themselves, when they see what 

 others effect, that the first conception and the practical 

 development are essentially the same, just as though by 

 imagination they could construct castles. 



Dymock had an opportunity, when writing to 

 Hartlib on ^^ Engines of Motion,^^ either to explain 

 himself fully, or to write of the matter like a me- 

 chanic. But he is altogether so vague, that no other 

 conclusion can be drawn from his opening remarks, than 

 that his Mills were to be worked by some self-motive 

 agency ; that in short he had discovered the perpetual 

 motion ! ITie pamphlet is dated 1651, and as late as 

 August, 1658, Hartlib, in his letters, writes to Mr. Boyle 

 informing him of Becker's similar discovery; so that only 

 seven years later literary and scientific men moving 

 in the best circles of society looked on its possibility as 

 an accredited fact. It is not surprising, therefore, that 

 Hartlib, who made no pretence to scientific knowledge, 

 readily listened to a man of Dymock^s versatile, active, 

 and intelligent mind. But where argument fails ex- 

 perience steps in with stern decision ; and it was only 

 after the mills doggedly refused to grind of themselves, 

 that Hartlib exclaimed with Terence — Taedit harum 



