284

THE LIFE OF

grew steep and large; and yet this was to be done before the Masons couldbegin to lay the Foundations’.

The City having Streets to pave anew, bought, from the Rubbish, most ofthe Stone, call’d Kentijh-rag, which gave some Room to dig, and to layFoundations; which yet was not easy to perform with any Exactness, but bythis Method.

The Surveyor placed Scaffolds high enough to extend his Lines over theHeaps that lay in the Way; and then by Perpendiculars set out the Places be-low, from the Lines drawn with Care upon the level Plan of the Scaffold.

Thus he proceeded, gaining every Day more Room, till he came to theMiddle Tower that bore the Steeple ; the Remains of the Tower being near200 Feet high, the Labourers were afraid to work above, thereupon he con-cluded to facilitate this Work by the Use of Gunpowder.

He dug a Hole of about 4 Feet wide, down by the Side of the North-westPillar of the Tower, the 4 Pillars of which were each about 14 Feet diame-ter ; when he had dug to the Foundation, he then, with Crows and Tools madeon purpose, wrought a Hole 2 Feet square, level into the Center of the Pillar jthere he placed a little Deal-box, containing eighteen Pounds of Powder, andno more : a Cane was fix’d to the Box with a Quick-match, (as Gunners callit) within the Cane, which reach’d from the Box to the Ground above, andalong the Ground was laid a Train of Powder, with a Match: after theMine was carefully clos’d up again with Stone and Mortar to the Top of theGround, he then obferv’d the Effect of the Blow.

This little Quantity of Powder not only lifted up the whole Angle of theTower, with two great Arches that rested upon it, but also two adjoiningArches of the Ailes, and all above them; and this it feem’d to do somewhatleisurely, cracking the Walls to the Top, lifting visibly the whole Weightabout nine Inches, which suddenly jumping down, made a great Heap of Ruinin the Place without scattering, it was half a Minute before the Heap alreadyfallen open’d in two or three Places, and emitted some Smoke. By this De-scription may be obferv’d the. incredible Force of Powder : 18 Pounds only ofwhich lifted up above 3000 Tun, and saved the Work of 1000 Labourers.

The Fall of so great a Weight from an Height of 200 Feet, gave a Con-cussion to the Ground, that the Inhabitants round about took for an Earth-quake.

Encourag’d by this Success, he thought to proceed this Way, but beingoblig’d to go out of Town in the King’s Service, he left the Management ofanother Mine begun, to the Care of his next Officer, who too wife in hisown Conceit, put in a greater Quantity of Powder, and neither went loWenough, nor sufficiently fortified the Mouth of tire Mine; and tho’ it had theEffect, yet one Stone was shot out to the opposite Side of the Church-yard,through an open Window, into a Room of a private House, where someWomen were sitting at Work, without any Harm done; this Accident frightedthe Neigbours to that Degree, that he was importun’d to use no more Powder,and was so directed also by his Superiors; tho’ with due Caution it mighthave been executed without any Hazard, and fav’d much Time and Money.

He then turn’d his Thoughts to another Method; tq gain Time, preventmuch Expence, and the endangering of Men’s Lives; and that was, to makean Experiment of that ancient Engine in War, the Battering-ram.

He took a strong Mast of about 40 Feet long, arming the bigger End witha great Spike of Iron, fortified with Bars along the Mast, and Ferrels: thisMast in two Places was hung up to one Ring with strong Tackle, and sosuspended Level to a Triangle-prop, such as they weigh great Guns with'thirty Men, fifteen on a Side, vibrated this.Machine to and again, and beatin one Place against the Wall the whole Day; they believed it was to little

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