Chap. 1.]

History polluted with accounts of Warriors.

3

Plato in

and shoes which he wore, were the work of his own hands.) veighed with great indignation against Archytas and Eudoxus, for having debased and corrupted the excellency of geometry, by mechanical solutions, causing her to descend, as he said, from incorporeal and intellectual to sensible things; and obliging her to make use of matter, which requires manual labor, and is the object of servile trades.a

To the prevalence of such unphilosophical notions amongst the learned men of old, may be attributed, the irretrievable loss of information respecting the prominent mechanics of the early ages, those

Their works, their inventions, and their names, are buried beneath the waves of oblivion; whilst the light and worthless memorials of heroes, falsely so called, have floated on the surface, and history has become polluted with tainted descriptions of men, who, without having added an atom to the wealth, or to the happiness of society, have been permitted to riot on the fruit of other men's labors; to wade in the blood of their species, and to be heralded as the honorable of the earth! And still, as in former times, humanity shudders, at these monsters being held up, as they impiously are, to the admiration of the world, and even by some christians too, as examples for our children.

"We may reasonably hope," says Mr. Davies in his popular work on the Chinese, "that the science and civilization which have already greatly enlarged the bounds of our knowledge of foreign countries, may, by diminishing the vulgar admiration of such pests and scourges of the human race, as military conquerors have usually proved, advance and facilitate the peaceful intercourse of the most remote countries with each other, and thereby increase the general stock of knowledge and happiness among mankind." Vol. 1, 18.

"Of what utility to us at this day, is either Nimrod, Cyrus, or Alexander, or their successors, who have astonished mankind from time to time? With all their magnificence and vast designs, they are returned into nothing with regard to us. They are dispersed like vapors, and have vanished like phantoms. But the INVENTORS of the ARTS and SCIENCES labored for ALL AGES. We still enjoy the fruits of their application and industry— they have procured for us, all the conveniencies of life-they have converted all nature to our uses. Yet, all our admiration turns generally on the side of those heroes in blood, while we scarce take any notice of what we owe to the INVENTORS OF THE ARTS." Rollin's Introduction to the Arts and Sciences of the Ancients.

Who that consults history, only for that which is useful, would not prefer to peruse a journal of the daily manipulations of the laborers and mechanics who furnished clothing, arms, culinary utensils, and food for the armies of old-to the most eloquent descriptions of their generals, or their battles? And as it is now with respect to accounts of such transactions in past ages so will it be in future with regard to similar ones of modern times. Narrations of political convulsions, recitals of battles, and of honors conferred on statesmen and heroes, while dripping with human gore, will hereafter be unnoticed, or will be read with horror and disgust, while DISCOVERIES IN SCIENCE and DESCRIPTIONS OF USEFUL MACHINES, will be all in all.

It is pleasing to anticipate that day, which the present extensive and extending diffusion of knowledge is about to usher in, when despotism

4

Workshops of the Ancients,

[Book 1. shall no longer hold the GREAT MASS of our species, in a state of unnatural ignorance, and of physical degradation, beneath that of the beasts which perish; but when the mechanics of the world, the creators of its wealth, shall exercise that influence in society to which their labors entitle them.

If we judged correctly of human character, we should admit that the mechanic who made the chair in which Xerxes sat, when he reviewed his mighty host, or witnessed the sea fight at Salamis, was a more useful member of society than that great king:-and, that the artisans who constructed the drinking vessels of Mardonius, and the brass mangers in which his horses were fed, were really more worthy of posthumous fame, than that general, or the monarch he served: and, if it be more virtuous, more praiseworthy, to alleviate human sufferings than to cause or increase them; then that old mechanician, who, when Marcus Sergius lost his hand in the Punic war, furnished him with an iron one, was an incomparably better man, than that or any other mere warrior: and so was he, who, according to Herodotus, constructed an artificial foot for Hegisostratus.a

b

Notwithstanding the opinion of Plato-we believe a description of the WORKSHOPS Of DEDALUS, and of TALUS his nephew; those of THEODORUS of Samos and of GLAUCUS of Chios, (the alleged inventor of the inlaying of metals;) an account of the process of making the famous Lesbian and Dodonean cauldrons, and of the method by which those celebrated paintings in glass, were executed, fragments of which have come down to us, and which have puzzled, and still continue to puzzle, both our artists and our chemists; (the figures in which, of the most minute and exquisite finish, pass entirely and uniformly through the glass ;) if to these were added, the particulars of a working jeweller's shop of Persepolis and of Troy; of a lapidary's and an engraver's of Memphis; of a cutler's and upholsterer's of Damascus; and of a cabinet maker's and brazier's of Rome; together with those of a Sidonian or Athenian ship yard -such a record would have been more truly useful, and more really interesting, than almost all that ancient philosophers ever wrote, or poets ever sung.

A description of the FOUNDRIES and FORGES of India and of Egypt; of Babylon and Byzantium; of Sidon, and Carthage and Tyre; would have imparted to us a more accurate and extensive knowledge of the ancients, of their manners and customs, their intelligence and progress in science, than all the works of their historians extant; and would have been of infinitely greater service to mankind.

Had a narrative been preserved, of all the circumstances which led to the invention and early applications of the LEVER, the SCREW, the WEDGE, PULLEY, WHEEL and AXLE, &c.; and of those which contributed to the discovery and working of the metals, the use and management of fire, agriculture, spinning of thread, matting of felt, weaving of cloth, &c. it would have been the most perfect history of our species-the most valuable of earthly legacies. Though such a work might have been deemed of trifling import by philosophers of old, with what intense interest would it have been perused by scientific men in modern times! and what pure delight its examination would have imparted to every inquisitive and intelligent mind!

Such a record, would not only have filled the mighty chasm in the early history of the world, but would have had an important influence in pro

a Herod. ix, 37. Eneid, iii, 595, and v, b

350. Herod. iv, 61. Ed. Encyc. Art. Glass.

Chap. 1.]

And their Tools.

5

moting the best interests of our race. It would have embraced incidents respecting man's early wants, and his rude efforts to supply them; particulars respecting eminent individuals, and the origin of antediluvian discoveries and inventions, &c. of such thrilling interest, as no modern novelist could equal, nor the most fertile imagination surpass.

It would have included a detail of those eventful experiments in which iron was first cast into cauldrons, forged into hatchets, and drawn into wire; with an account of the individuals, by whose ingenuity and perseverance, these invaluable operations, were, for the first time on this planet, successfully performed. Finally, it would have convinced us, that these men were the true HEROES of old, the genuine benefactors of their species, whose labors were for the benefit of all ages, and all people; and an account of whose lives (not those of robbers,) should have occupied the pages of history, and whose names should have been embalmed in everlasting remembrance.

A chronological account of a few mechanical implements, would have afforded a clearer insight into the state of society in remote times, than any writings now subsisting. Nay, if we could realize a complete history of a single tool, as a hammer, a saw, a chisel, a hatchet, an auger, or a loom, it would form a more comprehensive history of the world, than has ever been, or perhaps ever will be written. Take for example a hammer; what a multitude of interesting circumstances are inseparably connected with its development and early uses! circumstances, which, if we were in possession of, would explain almost all that is dark and mysterious respecting our ancient progenitors. A history of this implement would embrace the origin and general progress of all the useful arts; and would elucidate the civil and scientific acquirements of man, in every age. It would open to our view, the public and private economy of the ancients; introduce us into the interior of their workshops, their dwellings and their temples; it would illustrate their manners, politics, religion, superstition, &c. In tracing the various purposes to which it was applied, we should become acquainted with all the material transactions in the lives of some ancient individuals from their birth to their death; and also, with the circumstances which led to the rise and fall of empires. Like the celebrated "History of a Guinea," it would open to our inspection all the minutiæ in private and public life.

How infinitely various, are the materials, sizes, forms, and uses of the hammer? and how indicative are they all of the state of society and manmers? At first, a club; then a rude mallet of wood; next, the head formed of stone, and bound to the handle by withes, or by the sinews of animals; afterward, the heads formed of metal. These, before iron or steel was known, were often of copper and even of gold; and subsequently, those of the latter material were faced, like some ancient chisels, with the more scarce and expensive iron."

Ancient hammers varied as now in size, from the huge sledge of the Cyclops, to the portable one, with which Vulcan chased the more delicate work on the shield of Achilles,-from the maul, by which masses of ore were separated from their beds in the mines, to the diminutive ones, which Myrmecides of Miletus, and Theodorus of Samos, used to fabricate carriages and horses of metal, which were so minute as to be covered by the

a" It appears that in the tangible remains of smelting furnaces, found in Siberia, that gold hammers, knives, chisels, &c. have been discovered, the edges of which were skilfully tipped with iron; showing the scarcity of the ore, the difficulty of manufacturing it, and the plenty and apparently trifling value of the other." Scientific Tracts, Boston, 1833. Vol. iii, 411.

6

The Hammer.

[Book I. wings of a fly. Its figure has always varied with its uses, and none but modern workers in the metals can realize the endless variety of its shapes, which the ancient smiths required, to fabricate the wonderfully diversified articles of their manuafcture: from the massive brazen altars and chariots, to the chased goblets, and invaluable tripods or vases, for the possession of which, whole cities contended.

The history of the hammer in its widest range, would let us into the secrets of the statuaries and stone cutters of old: we should learn the process of making those metallic compounds, and working them into tools, with which the Egyptian mechanics sculptured those indurate columns that resist the best tempered steel of modern days. It would introduce us to the ancient chariot makers, cutlers and armorers; and would teach us how to make and temper the blades of Damascus; as well as those which were forged in the extensive manufactory of the father of Demosthenes. It would make us familiar with the arts of the ancient carpenters, coiners, coopers and jewellers. We should learn from it, the process of forging dies and striking money in the temple of Juno Moneta; of making the bodkins and pins for the head dresses of Greek and Roman ladies; while at the religious festivals, we should behold other forms of this implement in use, to knock down victims for sacrifice by the altars.

Finally, a perfect history of the hammer, would not only have made us acquainted with the origin and progress of the useful arts, among the pri meval inhabitants of this hemisphere; but would have solved the great problems respecting their connection with, and migration from the eastern world.

But although we justly deplore the want of information relating to the arts in general of the remote ancients; it is probable that few of their devices for raising water have been wholly lost. If there was one art of more importance than another to the early inhabitants of CENTRAL ASIA and the VALLEY OF THE NILE, it was that of raising water for agricultural purposes. Not merely their general welfare, but their very existence depended upon the artificial irrigation of the land; hence their ingenuity was early directed to the construction of machines for this purpose; and they were stimulated in devising them, by the most powerful of all inducements. That machines must have been indispensable in past, as in present times, is evident from the climates and physical constitution of those countries. Their importance therefore, and universal use, have been the means of their preservation. Nor is it probable that any of them were ever lost in the numerous political convulsions of old. These seldom affected the pursuits of agriculture, and never changed the long established modes of cultivation; besides, hydraulic apparatus, from their utility, were as necessary to the conquerors as the conquered.

Perhaps in no department of the useful arts, has less change taken place than in Asiatic and Egyptian agriculture. It is the same now, that it was thousands of years ago. The implements of husbandry, modes of irrigation, and devices for raising water are similar to those in use, when Ninus and Nebuchadnezzar, Sesostris, Solomon, and Cyrus flourished. And it would appear that the same uniformity in these machines prevailed over all the east, in ancient as in modern times: a fact accounted for, by the great and constant intercourse between continental and neighboring nations; the practice of warriors, of transporting the inhabitants and especially the me chanics and works of art, into other lands; and also from the great importance and universal use of artificial irrigation.

Battles were sometimes fought in one field, while laborers were cultivating unmolested the land of an adjoining one.

Chap. 1.]

Hydraulic machines of the Ancients not lost.

7

Every part of the eastern world has often had its inhabitants torn from it by war, and their places occupied by others. This practice of conquerors was sometimes modified, as respected the peasantry of a subdued country, but it appears that from very remote ages, mechanics were invariably carried off. The Phenicians, in a war with the Jews, deprived them of every man who could forge iron. "There was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, lest the Hebrews make swords and spears." SHALMANEZER, when he took Samaria, carried the people "away out of their own land to Assyria, and the king of Assyria, brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof." When Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem, he carried off, with the treasure of the temple, "all the craftsmen and smiths." Jeremiah says he carried away the "carpenters and smiths, and brought them to Babylon." Diodorus says, the palaces of Persepolis and Susa were built by mechanics that Cambyses carried from Egypt. Ancient history is full of similar examples. Alexander practised it to a great extent. After his death, there was found among his tablets, a resolution to build several cities, some in Europe and some in Asia; and his design was to people those in Asia with Europeans, and those in Europe with Asiatics. In this manner some of the most useful arts, necessarily became common to all the nations of old; and their perpetuity in some degrree secured, especially such as related to the tillage and irrigation of the soil.

We are inclined to believe that the hydraulic machines of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians and Egyptians, have all, or nearly all, come down to us. Most of them have been continued in uninterrupted use in those countries to the present times; while others have reached us through the Greeks and Romans, Saracens and Moors; or, have been obtained in modern days from China and Hindostan.

It is remarkable that almost all machines for raising water, originated with the older nations of the world; neither the Greeks, (if the screw of Conon be excepted, and even it was invented IN EGYPT,) nor the Romans, added a single one to the ancient stock; nor is this surprising; for with few exceptions, those in use at the present day, are either identical with, or but modifications of those of the ancients.

It is alleged that Archytas of Tarentum, 400, B. C. invented "hydraulic machines," but no account of them has reached our times, nor do we know that they were designed to raise water. They consisted probably, in the application of the windlass or crane, (the latter it is said he invented) to move machines for this purpose. Had any important or useful machine for raising water, been devised by him, it would have been continued in use; and would certainly have been noticed by Vitruvius, who was acquainted with his inventions, and who mentions him several times in his work. 1 b. chap. 1., and 9 b. chap. 3.

We have arranged the machines described in this work in five classes; to each of which, a separate BOOK is devoted. A few chapters of the first book, are occupied with remarks on WATER; on the ORIGIN OF VES

*1 Sam. chap. xiii, 19, 22. 62 Kings chap. xvii, 23, 24. Goguet, Tom. iii, 13. Diodorus Siculus, quoted by Robertson. India page 191. See Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians, 1 vol. 206.

Archytas made an automaton pigeon of wood which would fly. It was this probably, which gave the idea to the modern mechanician of Nuremburgh, who constructed an eagle, which flew towards Charles V. on his entrance into that city.