TO THE READER. xj;-

tain and useful Consequences may be deduced. Therefore they 'donot fill their Papers with Transcripts out of Rhapsodills, Mounte-banks, and Compilers of Receipts and Secrets, to the Loss of Oiland Labour , but, as it were , eviscerating Nature , disclosing IheRessorts, and Springs of Motion, have collected innumerable Ex-periments, Histories, and Discourses ; and brought in Specimens forthe Improvement of Astronomy, Geography, Navigation, Opticks;all the Tarts of Agriculture, the Garden and the Forest ; Ana-tomy of Plants, and Animals, Mines and Oars; Measures and Equa-tions of Time by accurate Pendulums, and other Motions , Hydro-and Hygrostaticks, divers Engines, Powers and Automata, withinnumerable more luciferous Tarticulars , subservient to humanLife, of which Dr. Glanvil has given an ample aud ingenious Ac-count in his Learned Essay : And since in the Posthumous Worksof Dr. Hooke, lately publish'd by the mofi obliging Mr. Waller,already mention d. : x

THIS is (Reader) what they have done ; and they are butPart of the Materials which the Society have hitherto amassed,\ andprepared for this great and illustrious Work • not to pass overan Infinity of solitary and loose Experiments subsidiary to it, ga-thered at no snail Tains and Cost : For so have they hithertoborn the Burden and Heat of the Day alone; Sapping and Miningto lay the Foundation deep, and raise a Superstructure to be oneDay perse It ed, by the joint Endeavours of those who shall in akinder Age have little else to do, but the putting and cementingof the Parts together, which to collect and fit , have cost them somuch Solicitude and Care. Solomon indeed built the gloriousTemple ; but ’twas David provided the Materials ; Did Men inthose Days insolently ask , What he had done, in all the Time ofthat tedious Trepanation ? 1 beseech you, what Obligation hasthe Royal Society to render an Account of their Troceedings toany who are not of the Body, and that carry on the Work -attheir own Expence amidst so many Contradictions ? It is an EvilSpirit, and an Evil Age, which having sadly debauch’d the Mindsof Men, seeks with Industry to blast and undermine all Attemptsand Endeavours that signify to the Illustration of Truth, the dis-covery of Impostors, and Jhake their sandy Foundations.

THOSE who come ( fays the Noble V.erulam) to enquireafter Knowledge, with a Mind to scorn , shall be sure to find Mat-ter for their Humour ; but none for their Instruction WouldMen bring Light ot Invention , and not Fire-brands of Contradi-ction, Knowledge would infinitely increase. But these are the San-Neh . t9ballats and Horonites who disturb our Men upon the Wall: But ,let us rife up and build, and be no more discouraged. ’Tis im-possible