Academia scientiarum, or, The academy of sciences being a short and easie introduction to the knowledge of the liberal arts and sciences, with the names of those famous authors that have written on every particular science : in English and Latine / by D. Abercromby ...

AN APPENDIX,

Pointing at some of the chief Authors of this, and the foregoing Ages. By Authors, here are meant, those that are really such, and the first Inventors of any useful piece of Knowledge.

READER,

THou mayest rest satisfied with this very short and imperfect account of some of the chief new Inventions, either of this, or of the past Ages, since I design, at more leisure, to write a larger Treatise of this Subject, as likewise to set down the particular times every thing was Printed in, that so the unjust deal∣ing both of Domestick and Foreign Transcri∣bers, who have so often stolen the greatest, or (at least) the best part of their Writings from

the Honourable Robert Boyle, Hook, Des∣cartes, Gassendi, and Others, may to their confusion, be discovered; and to the great en∣couragement of all ingenious Men, who shall the more willingly venture abroad their No∣tions, and new Contrivances, in what kind soever, if they▪ are once secured from usurping Authors.

I shall begin with the deservedly Famous Robert Boyle, though I may dispatch in one word, what relates to this Noble Author, if I say, as truly I may, that whatever he has publish'd, is in every respect new, both as to the subject it self, the Arguments he proposeth, and the particular Method: But because the curious Reader will not be satisfied with this general account, I come to particulars, but shall speak but of a very few things, as design∣ing, at greater conveniency, a more accurate History of this Great Author's new Contrivan∣ces, whether Notions, Engines, or Experi∣ments. As likewise whatever the Natives of this Island have invented towards the promo∣ting of useful Learning.

The famous Air-Pump was invented by the Honourable Robert Boyle: He giveth a full account of it, in his Discourse of Physico

Mechanical Experiments; by the help where∣of, he proves the Elastick Power and Spring of the Air, and several other wonderful Phaeno∣mena's relating to the nature, spring, expan∣sion, pressure, weight of the Air, &c.

He contrived the Experiment concerning the different parts and redintegration of Salt-Peter; whence he concludes, that motion, figure, and disposition of Parts, may suffice to produce all secondary affections of Bodies, and so ba∣nisheth the substantial forms and qualities of the Schools.

But because I design a larger account in ano∣ther Treatise of this Noble Author's new Inven∣tions, I shall only tell you here, that his Phy∣siological and Experimental Essays, his Sceptical Chymist, his Usefulness of Expe∣rimental Philosophy, his History of Cold, his Experimental History of Colours, his Hydrostatical Paradoxes, his Origine of Forms and Qualities, his Free Enquiry into the Receiv'd Notion of Nature, his Recon∣ciliableness of Specifick Remedies to the New Philosophy, his History of Humane Bloud, his Discourse of Final Causes, not yet published; as likewise all his other Trea∣tises contain as many new Notions and Exepri∣ments almost as lines.

I shall not forget in this place, what that very Learned and Ingenious Gentleman, Sir Robert Gordon, of Gordistoun, has lately invented; I mean, his famous Water-Pump, a piece of Mechanism, far beyond the Contrivances of all foregoing Ages, in this kind, as I shall easily make out by the follow∣ing account of this useful Engine.

This new Pump draweth twice as much water as any other; it is wrought with half the force, and costs half the price, and takes up but half the room. The Experiment, per∣formed at Deptford the Twenty Second of March, in presence of my Lord Dartmouth, and the Commissioners of the Navy; appointed to give account of it to the King, was as fol∣lows.

In a Sixth-Rate Frigat, this new Pump did fill the Gaged Cistern of two Tuns, in one minute and forty five seconds; and the Ship∣pump did the same in six minutes and some more, each Pump being wrought by four men.

In a Fourth-Rate Frigat, this Pump being wrought by twelve men, did fill the Cistern in thirty one seconds; and the Ship-Pump, being wrought by six men, fill'd it in four minutes and some more.

The chief Authors of new Discoveries in Anatomy, we reckon to be these following: Fabricius ab aqua pendente discover'd the Valve of the Veins, as the Valve at the en∣trance of the great Gut Colon was found out by Bauhinus; the Milky Veins of the Mesen∣tery, by Asellius; the Receptacle of the Chyle, hy Pequet; the Ductus Virsungianus, by George Virsung, of Padua; the Lymphatick Vessels, by Dr. Joliffe, Bartholin, and Olaus Rudbeck; the internal Ductus salivaris in the Maxillary Glandule, by Dr. Wharton, and Dr. Glisson; the Glandules under the Tongue, Nose and Palate; the Vessels in the nameless Glandules of the Eye; the Tear Glan∣dule, by Nicolas Steno; a new Artery, called Arteria Bronchialis, by Frederick Rusch; the Circulation of the Bloud, by Dr. Harvey, though some, upon no very good grounds, ascribe it to Paulus Venetus, and others to Prosper Alpinus, and Andreas Cae∣salpinus.

The Act of making Salt water Fresh, was lately invented in England, whereof the de∣servedly famous R. Boyle gave a very rational account, in a Letter written upon this Subject.

Arithmetick was either invented, or much promoted by Pythagoras, by Euclid, not the Euclid that was Contemporary to Plato, and

Hearer of Socrates, but the Famed Mathema∣tician of that Name, who was after Aristotle, and at Ninety years distance from the former; by Diaphantus, Psellus, Apuleius, Cardan, Gemma Frisius, Clavius, &c.

Neper invented the Logarithms, by the help whereof we perform all the operations of Arithmetick by Addition and Substraction. He invented likewise an easie, certain and compendious way of accounting by Sticks, called Rabdology, as also Computation by Ne∣per's Bones.

The Telescope was invented by James Metius, of Amsterdam, though commonly ascribed to Galile, who indeed, improved it.

Torricellius found the Barometer, whereby we weigh the Air itself.

Printing, according to Polidore Vergile, was found by John Cuttemberg, of Ments, in Germany, though Others give the Honour to one Fust, of the same City; and Some, to Lawrence, a Burgher of Harlem. The Chi∣neses knew this Art before the Europeans.

Flavius Goia, of Amalphis, in the King∣dom of Naples, is thought to be the Inventor of the Mariners-Compass, three hundred years since.

FINIS.