ANTIQUITY OF THE INVENTION OF GUN-POWDER. 71 



IV. 



On the Antiquity of the Invention of Gun-pozader, and its firft Ap- 

 plication to Military/ Purpofes. By Mr. Wiegleb.* 



-u- HE period of the invention of Gun-powder, and its firft 

 application for the purpofe of artillery, has not yet been accu- 

 rately afcertained. Though there are many accounts which 

 have been given concerning the invention of this deftrudive 

 compound, yet none of them ftate their authorities. The un- 

 certainty concerning the invention of gun-powder feems merely 

 to be owing to the want of proper documents. The moft Hi.lorical fafts 

 fumraary accounts the author of this paper could find, are con- tpdetertiMie the 



■' ^ \ firft invi.'ntionof 



tamed in two ElTays, the one written by Gram, the other by gunpowder, and 

 Tremler. The firft account contains the hiftory of the inven, ^'^ "^'^ '" '^^^' 

 tion of gun-powder in Europe, and its firft application iu 

 Denmark ; the latter comprehends both the invention of pow~ 

 der, and the ufe of guns among the Europeans, 



According to the opinion of Gram, gun-powder was al- 

 ready known in Europe about the year 1340. Tremler, on th^ 

 contrary, endeavours to prove, that no author of credit has 

 pofitively ftiewn that it was knov^n before .he year 1354. 

 Thefe authors, therefore, differ only 14 years, r. fpefling the 

 period of the invention. Being the other day, fays Mf.. 

 Wiegleb, in fearch of fome documents depofited in the ar- 

 chives of this town (Langenfaize), I happened to meet with 

 the annual account of the expences of the town for the yegr 

 1378. This account contains a fpecification of different arms, 

 viz. pikes, bows, crofs-bows, arrows, guns and gun-powder. 

 The following articles particularly fixed his attention : 



1, One gun. 2. One gun and one charge of lead. 3. One 

 gun and one charge of lead, 4. Two guns and two charges 

 of lead. 5, One gun and one charge of lead. 6. Two 

 guns and three charges of lead, Befides thefe articles, the 

 following charge was made in the account : 



Pro Pulveribus, 35 fliillings. 



Pro Pulveribus quos domini emerunt ad Pyxides, 3 fliillings, 



J^ro duahus Patellis ad Pyxides, 3 fliillings. 



• From the German of Crell's Annales, v, xx. p. 6^, 



If 



