Human Industry, Chapter 2
CAP. II.
foreign: OR, Some curious Spheares and Representations of the World.
ARCHIMEDES of Syracuse was the greatest Mathematician and the rarest Engineer that was in his time, or hath been ever since (as 'tis believed) both for the Rational and Chirurgical part, the Theory and the Practick of the Mathematicks. Cicero calls him Divinum ingenium, 2o de natur a Deorum. He was not only, Caeli Syderùmque Spectator assiduus (as Livy speaks of him) a diligent Spectator of the heavenly Orbs and their Motions; but also Cyclorum & Staticorum indagator acerrimus, as the same Livy, a great Experimentator and devisor of Machanical Motions and Inventions. He was the first, qui stellarum errantium motus in Sphaeram illigavit, saith Cicero, 1o Tusc. that made a Sphear and an artificial heaven, wherein he did represent the rotations and revolutions of the Planets, and that with as true time and measure as they perform the same above. Of this Sphear Claudian hath an Epigram that acquaints us with some thing of the Fabrick of it.
Jupiter in parvo cùm cerneret aether… vitro;
Risit, & ad superos talia dicta refert.
Huccine mortalis progress a potentia curae:
Jam meus in Fragili luditur orbe labor.
Jura Poli, Rerùmque fidem, Legésque Deorum,
Ecce Syracusius Transtulit arte Senex*sc. Archi modes.
Inclusus variis famulatur Spiritus astris,
Et vivum certis motibus urget opus.
Percurrit proprium mentitus signifer annum,
Et simulata nove Cynthia mense redit.
Translated thus by Mr Nathaniel Carpenter in his Geography.
In a small Glass when Jove beheld the skies,
He smil'd, and thus unto the Gods replies;
Could man extend so far his studious care,
To mock my labours in a brittle sphear?
Heavens Laws, Mans Ways, and Natures Soveraign Right
This Sage of Syracuse translates to sight.
A soul within on various Stars attends,
And moves the quick Work into certain ends;
A feigned Zodiac runs its proper year,
And a false Cynthia makes new months appear.
And now bold Art takes on her to command,
And rule the heavenly Stars with humane hand.
Who can admire Salmoneus harmless Thunder,
When a slight hand stirs Nature up to wonder?
This is mentioned also by Ov. 6. Fast.
Arte Syracosia suspensus in aere clauso
Stat Globus, immensi parva figura poli.
From that description of Claudian, we observe first, That this Machin did move of it self, it was an Automaton, a selfmoving device; and which moved regularly by certain laws,
Et Vivum cert is, motibus urget opus.
As the Poet saith. 2. We learn from him, that these motions were driven and acted by certain Spirits pent within,
Inclusus variis famulatur spiritus astris.
About which spirits Kircher hath often beaten his brains, what to make of them, that he might know what was the inward principle of motion in that machin: But after all his study and scruting, he could never find it out, but he contends that the Circles of that Sphear were of brass, and the out-side (only) was of glass or specular stone, (which the Poet might call vitrum, glass, for the perspicuity of it.
Yet Authors do make mention of a Sphear of glass which Sapor King of Persia had, which was so large, that he could enter within it, and sit in the midst of it, and see the Sphears and Planets whirling round about him; which did swell him with such a conceit, that in his Letters he did use this stile, Rex regum Sapor, Particeps Syderum, Frater Solis & Lunae.
We read of a silver Heaven sent by the Emperour Ferdinand for a Present to Soliman the grand Signior,Paul… Jovius sabellicus. which was carried by twelve men with a book along with it that shewed the use of it, and how to order and keep it in perpetual motion. Du Bartas makes mention of both, and concludes his description of them with this Rapture touching humane wit.
O compleat Creature! who the starry Sphears
Canst make to move, who 'bove the heavenly Bears
Extend'st thy power, who guidest with thy hand
The days bright Chariot, and the heavenly brand.
Kercher doth highly extol and admire the Artificers of this latter age for making Sphears and Globes, and such representations; who can make them (saith he) with such exactness and perfection in all points, that Jupiter might have juster cause to complain of them, then he did of Archimedes (in Claudian) for their presumptuous emulation of his handyworks.
Among the Moderns, one Cornelius van Drebble a Dutchman of Alcmar, may deserve just admiration: This man lived here in England, and was Regi Jacobo à Mechanicis (as one saith… King James his Engineer, he presented the King with a rare Instrument of perpetual motion, without the means of Steel, Springs, or Weights; it was made in the form of a Globe, in the hollow whereof were Wheels of Brass moving about, with two pointers on each side thereof, to proportion and shew forth the times of dayes, moneths, and years, like a perpetual Almanack; it did represent the motions of the heavens, the hours of Rising and Setting of the Sun, with the Signe that the Moon was in every 24 hours, and what degree the Sun was distant from it; how many degrees the Sun and Moon are distant from us day and night, what Signe of the Zodiack the Sun was in every monethmonth; it had a circumference or ring which being hollow had water in it, representing the Sea, which did rise and fal, as doth the flood, twice in 24 hours, according to the course of the sides. This Bezaleel was sent for to the Emperour of Germany, who sent him a chain of gold: A rude Scheme of this Instrument may be seen upon paper in Mr Tho. Tims Philosophical Dialogue, Dignus rex Archimede isto altero; Dignus Archimedes Batavus mag no illo rege, as Marcellus Vrankheim (another Dutchman) speaks of King James and his Engineer, in his Epistle to Ernestus Burgravius. Of this Microcosme or Representation of the World which we now mentioned, the excellent Grotius hath framed this Epigram following.
In organum motus perpetui quod est penes Maximum Britanniaeum Regem Jacobum.
Perpetui motus indelass ata potestas
Abi que quiete quies, abs que labore labor,
Contigerant coelo, tunc cùm Natura caducis,
Et solidis unum noluit esse locum.
Et geminas partes Lunae dispescuit orbe,
In varias damnans inferiora vices.
Sed quod nunc Natura suis è legibus exit
Dans terris semper quod moveatur opus?
Mira quidem res est sed non nova (maxime Regum)
Hoc fieri docuit mens tua posse prius.
Mens tua quae semper tranquilla & torpida nunquam,
Tramite constanti per sua regna meat.
Ut tua mens ergò motûs caelestis Imago:
Machina sic haec est mentis Imagot…ae.
Translated thus.
The untired strength of never-ceasing motion,
A restless rest a toyl-less operation,
Heaven then had given it,H. V. when wise Nature did
To frail & solid things one place forbid;
And parting both, made the Moons Orb their bound.
Damning to various change this lower ground.
But now what Nature hath those Laws transgrest,
Giving to earth a work that ne're will rest?
Though 'tis most strange, yet (great King 'tis not new;
This Work was seen and found before in You.
In You, whose minde (though still calm) never sleeps,
But through your Realms one constant motion keeps:
As your minde (then) was Heavens type first, so this
But the taught Anti-type of your mind is.
One Janellus Turrianus a Citizen of Cremona, made brazen heavens in imitation of those of Archimedes, and far surpassing them for Art, saith Gaffarellus in his book of Curiosities; and Ambrose Morinus in his description of Spain. Erasmus had a golden Ring given him by one of the P…inces of Germany, which being explicated, was a perfect celestial sphear, just of that form we call the Armillary sphear, as we read in his life.
Janellus before mentioned did recreate the Emperour Charls the fift (when he had resigned up his Empire, and retired to a Monastique life in Spain) with ingenious and rare devices: Oftentimes when the cloth was taken away after dinner, he brought upon the board little armed Figures of Horse and Foot, some beating Drums, other sounding Trumpets, and others of them charging one another with their Pikes. Somtimes he sent wooden Sparrows into the Emperours Dining room, that would fly round about, and back again; so that the Superiour of the Monastery coming in by accident, suspected him for a Conjurer. He framed a Mill of Iron that turned it self, of such subtile work and smalness, that a Monk could easily hide it in his sleeve; yet would it daylie grinde so much wheat as would abundantly serve eight persons for their days allowance. This was he who made the Water work, which by a new Miracle of Art, drew up the River Tagus to the top of the Mountain of Toledo. All this we have from Famianus Strada's excellent History of the Low Country Wars.