EARLY HISTORY OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY 



having on one side a gold plate bearing the shield of the 

 Society, and on the other a corresponding plate showing 

 the crest an eagle holding a shield with the arms of 

 England. The leaves of the book are of the finest vellum. 

 After copies of the second and third Charters, the first 

 page of the autograph portion contains the signatures of 

 Charles R., Founder ; James, Fellow ; and George Rupert, 

 Fellow. 



Prince Rupert, a nephew of Charles I., a dashing soldier 

 and cavalry leader in the Civil War, was also distinguished 

 for his interest in science, and for his service to Art by the 

 introduction into England, where afterwards it so greatly 

 flourished, of mezzotint engraving, learned directly from 

 the inventor of the process, L. von Siegen. Prince Rupert 

 furnished Evelyn with a plate of the head of the executioner, 

 from his splendid mezzotint engraving, of " the Executioner 

 of St. John the Baptist" after Spagnoletto, to form an 

 illustration to Evelyn's chapter on the new process in his 

 monograph on the processes of engraving, Sculptura, 

 published in 1662. Evelyn had received practical in- 

 struction in mezzotinting from Prince Rupert, whom he 

 appears to regard as the inventor of the process ; he says 

 he is preparing a full statement for the Archives of the 

 Royal Society, where it is still preserved. 



On the following page of the Charter Book, reproduced 

 on Plate IV., beneath the Obligation which heads each 

 leaf, are the signatures of many of the original Fellows. 

 After that of Lord Brouncker, the first President, follow 



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