Pyrotechnia or, A discourse of artificiall fire-works in which the true grounds of that art are plainly and perspicuously laid downe: together with sundry such motions, both straight and circular, performed by the helpe of fire, as are not to be found in any other discourse of this kind, extant in any language. VVhereunto is annexed a short treatise of geometrie, contayning certaine definitions and problemes, for the mensuration of superficies and sollids, with tables for the square root to 25000, and the cubick root to 10000 latus, wherein all roots under those numbers are extracted onely by ocular inspection. VVritten by Iohn Babington gunner, and student in the mathematicks.
Babington, John., Droeshout, John, d. 1652, engraver.

CHAP. XXIV. How to represent an antike dance, by the helpe of fire, which shall move in a circular forme.

CAuse a board to bee made of two foot square, so that one side of it may bee hollowed, (or grooved) to lay your rockets in; then cause another board to bee made of the same largenesse, so that it may sit close on the other, the rockets lying betweene, and in the center of the same board, place a brasse socket, which must passe thorow the other for the center pinne to enter into it; then place your antike figures on the top of the said board, with wiers passing thorow both; to the end they may be turned about in their motion, by certaine pinnes placed in another board, which must stand fixed; so that moving about the said board, the pinnes take hold of the wiers which come thorow, and turne them backward and forward; but in regard of the extraordinary vio∣lence of this motion, it will teare all in pieces, unlesse you have a great care in making all things to runne very exactly, which must bee tried be∣fore you come to use it. The order of this is represented in the seventh Figure by the letter E.

  • A B C D The bottome board, which stands fixed with a socket to put on a long pole, and hath a small pinne standing at each corner.
  • E E E The under board which moveth, in which is placed the rockets.
  • F F The uper board which is fastened to the other, wherein the rockets are placed.
  • G G The wiers passing thorow both boards which are fastened to the foot of each anticke.
  • H H The other wiers which stand fast in the fixed board, and are to turne a∣bout the antickes passing by them.