This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
IF we regard the effect of a Cannon when it is to batter a wall, the Question is false, seeing it is most evident that the blowes which fall
perpendicular upon a wall, are more violent than these which strikes byas-wise or glaun∣singly.
But considering the strength of the blow on∣ly, the Question is most true, and often experi∣mented to be found true: a Peece mounted at the best of the Randon, which is neare halfe of the right, conveyes her Bullet with a farre greater violence than that which is shot at, Point blanke or mounted paralell to the Hori∣zon.
The cōmon reason is, that shooting high, the fire carries the bowle a longer time in the aire, and the aire moves more facill upwards, than downewards, because that the ayrie circles that the motion of the bullet makes are soonest bro∣ken. Howsoever this be the generall tenet, it is curious to find out the inequallity of moving of the aire; whether the Bullet fly upward, downeward, or right forward, to produce a sencible difference of motion: and some thinke that the Cannon being mounted, the Bullet pres∣sing the Powder maketh a greatar resistance, and so causeth all the Powder to be inflamed before the Bullet is throwne out, which makes it to be more violent than otherwise it would be. When the Cannon is otherwise disposed, the contrary arives, the fire leaves the Bullet, and and the Bullet rouling from the Powder resists lesse: and it is usually seene, that shooting out of a Musket charged onely with Powder; to shoote to a marke of Paper placed Point blanke, that there are seene many small holes in the
paper, which cannot be other than the graines of Powder which did not take fire: but this latter accident may happen from the overchar∣ging of the Peece, or the length of it, or windy, or dampenesse of the Powder.
From which some may thinke, that a Cannon pointed right to the Zenith, should shoote with greater violence, than in any other mount or forme whatsoever: and by some it hath beene imagined, that a Bullet shot in this fashion hath beene consumed, melt, and lost in the aire, by reason of the violence of the blow, and the acti∣vitie of the fire; and that sundry experiments hath beene made in this nature, and the Bullet never found. But it is hard to beleeve this as∣sertion: it may rather be supposed that the Bul∣let falling farre from the Peece cannot be discer∣ned where it falls: and so comes to be lost.