30 Science in Early England. 



which moves artificial wings made to beat the air, much 

 after the fashion of a bird's flight. 



" IV. It is possible to invent an engine of little bulk, 

 yet of great efficiency, either to the depressing or elevation 

 of the very greatest weights. 



" V. A man may easily make an instrument whereby 

 one man may, in despite of all opposition, draw a thousand 

 men to himself, or any other thing which is movable. 



" VI. A man may make an engine, whereby without any 

 corporal danger, he may walk at the bottom of the sea or 

 other water. Such engines as these were of old, and are 

 made even in our days. All of them, excepting only that 

 instrument of flying, which I never saw, nor know any who 

 hath seen it, with an infinite number of other inventions, 

 are possible, such as the making of bridges over rivers 

 without pillars or supporters." 



As my intention is by no means to trace the early 

 history of science in general, but merely to record what 

 was done by English writers between definite limits of 

 time, I have of course to omit all reference to the work of 

 Geber, Albertus Magnus, Raymond Lully, and others. It 

 is only too evident that in these seven centuries science 

 would have fared very badly had its development been left 

 to Englishmen alone ; but a noble recompense for this 

 neglect has been made since by a long line of busy workers 

 from the days of Boyle and Hooke down to our own time. 



