TO THE 
RIGHT HONOURABLE 
T H U 
EARL of ANGLES ET 
One of the LORD S of His Majefti^s moft Honourable 
Privy Counfel, 
My Lord, 
pVR Lord/hips many favours towards me ^ and mine 
cvpn engagements to record the modern Refufcitations 
and Advancements of the Vhilofophical Sciences ^ for 
which you have aln>aies fhewd a more than Ordinary 
propenfon , do^ in all rejpeiis^ both oblige and encourage 
me to dedicate this Volume of Philofophical Traafaftioos to your 
Lordjtftp, 
My Lord^ it hath been reported , that Thilofophy and 4II kinds of 
polite Literature have commonly retired to the obfcmefi receffes , for 
Jhelter from the noife oflVar^ and have expired or been almoji extin-^ 
guifht by publich^ Calamities. But theft our Generous Philofophers^ 
whom 1 have devoted my fervicestOy held out in all the Combujiions 
of our former Wars y when our potent Neighbors affaulted us on all 
fides^ and when the Tefiilence and Fire had wajied our Mother City. 
And they brought in not a few additions of Materials and Aids^ to 
all that hadbeeneffay din former Ages^ or had been invented or pro* 
fecuted by the modern enterprises of thofe admirable Men^ our Gil^- 
bert, Galilaeusj our JLe^r^s^BacqnjPeyrc&e^TorricelliuSsGaffendi)?, 
Des Cartes^H^rvey, and many others worthy of everlafiifjg monu- 
ments. Thefe were bright Stars of the fir fl magnitude^^yet their gr eat" 
efi Dejigns were lately illufirated, enlarged^ methodised^ and^ fome 
way or other , improved to more maturity and perfeUion ^ as may be 
feen in the Hldory of the R.Societyj and fomstimes more particu-. 
larly in thetwA^ Mifcellanies of thefi TranfaUions, 
So much have the nohleji Arts flouript among^ ti^ ever fince His 
Majeiiies moji aujpiciom Rejiauration (partly by the recovery of An^ 
tiquitiesspartly by recent aides, and fuccefful Inventions^) even in 
thefe rcugheji times of publick^confliBs^ that it m.ay remain for a fuffi- 
cient proof^that this Prailical Philofophy is not an effeminate or effete 
^ Jtudy, 
