REAPING MACHINE. 
171 
to overlook the description of an ingenious machine, known to 
very few persons, and which we are persuaded few Jearned 
men have remarked. 
“ Within these few days,” says M. Lenormand, “ one of Passage in P» 
R T Mmi- 
my friends, who is much employed in reading the ancient au- j ianus * de- 
thors, was struck with a passage of Palladius Rutilius Taurus scribing an 
JEmilianus, in which he describes a machine used amongst f^gmacWne" 
the Gauls for reaping their fields. The construction of this of the Gauls, 
machine considerably embarrassed my friend, who was not 
well acquainted with mechanics. Knowing that I occasion- 
ally made them my study, he brought me that-author, and re- 
quested me to explain, as well as I was able, the detail which 
he gave. He farther wished me to make a drawing of this 
machine if I succeeded in clearly understanding it. 
“ I think I have understood the meaning of the author, and Drawing and 
have drawn the machine according to his description : and I explanation 
, . , , . .. „ . , - . . . . developed, 
think the publication or it may be ot use in assisting the pro- 
gress of the arts. 
“ It is well known, that the- precise epocha at which our Time at which 
author wrote, cannot be determined. It is ascertained, that this author 
he lived before Cassiodorus — that is to say, before the year 5 1 4 wrote ’ 
of the vulgar era, after the decay of letters in Rome. Palla- 
dius was still living in the fifth century, and the reader will be 
not a little surprised to find at this epocha, which is termed by 
the moderns the barbarous ages , that the arts had arrived at 
such perfection, and the description of this machine given by 
our author with such correctness and precision. 
“ I do not pretend to say here, that this machine was perfect, q-he machine 
Much is wanting — but though its construction shews many im- though not 
perfections, we ought not the less to conclude, that even at that ^ ates a ’n ad- 
period, men were already occupied with the improvement of vanced state 
the arts, for this machine was undoubtedly not the only one in 0 ie 8 * 
use. 
" The following is a literal translation of that passage of the The passagf . 
author*. translated. 
* Pars Galliarum planior hoc compendio utitur ad metendom, et 
prater homiimm Jabores, unius bovis opera spatium totius messis ab 
sumit. Fit itaque vehiculum, quod duabus notis brevibu3 fertur 
linjus qqadrata superficies tabulis munitur, quae forinsecus reclives hi 
“ f Ts 
