Perpetual Motion 65 



Men like Leibniz, Sturm, De la Hire and others wrote denying 

 its possibility, and putting forward many so-called demonstrations 

 of the truth of their views. It was not, however, until Rankin, 

 Clausius and Thompson, half-way through the nineteenth century, 

 had developed the new science called by Rankin " Energetics " 

 that it became possible to give an absolutely general [)roof 

 acceptable to all physicists. Until then the objection might very 

 properly be made that such demonstrations, perhaps, conclusively 

 proved the fallacy of the various schemes put forward, but had 

 not shown that some new scheme, quite different in principle, 

 might not be successful. 



To us there is no particular interest to be found in the 

 arguments of the great scientists against perpetual motion, but it 

 may repay us to refer shortly to some of those men, eminent in 

 their time, who believed in the possibility of the quest. 



The earliest work of any authority which I have been able to 

 consult is the ^'Mathematical Magic" of ]!ishop Wilkin, a man 

 of great learning in many branches of knowledge, of considerable 

 acuteness, and of candour and common sense. 



1 his book seems to have been written about 1650, and his 

 ninth chapter deserves quotation. He has been describing many 

 mills, clocks, &c., and proceeds : " It is the chief inconvenience 

 of all the automata before mentioned that they need a frequent 

 repair of new strength, the causes from whence their motion doth 

 proceed being subject to fail and come to a period, and therefore 

 it would be worth our enquiry to examine whether or no there 

 may be made any artificial contrivance which might have the 

 principle of moving from itself, so that the present motion should 

 constantly be the cause of that which succeeds " . . . . '■ It 

 is the fact that you can scarce talk with anyone who hath never 

 so small smattering in these arts but will instantly promise such a 

 motion, as being but an easy achievement, till further trial and 

 experience hath taught him the difficulty of it ; there being no 

 enquiry that does more entice with the probabih'ty and deceive 

 with the subtiHty." 



Here you have no doubt of the possibility, a strong impres- 



