THE
CENTURY OF INVENTIONS,

WRITTEN IN 1655;

BY

EDWARD SOMERSET, MARQUIS OF WORCESTER

BEING

A VERBATIM REPRINT

OF

THE FIRST EDITION, PUBLISHED IN 1663.

" He was a man, take him for all in all,

We shall not look upon his like again."

WITH

An Introduction and Commentary

BY HENRY DIRKS, ESQ.,

CIVIL ENGINEER,

AUTHOR OF "PERPETUUM MOBILE, OR HISTORY OF THE SEARCH AFTER

SELF-MOTIVE POWER;'

"CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF ELECTRO-METALLURGY;"

AND "THE LIFE OF SAMUEL HARTLIB;" ALSO

INVENTOR OF THE "DIRCKSIAN PHANTASMAGORIA," PRODUCING THE OPTICAL

ILLUSI0NS POPULARLY CALLED "THE GHOST !"

Contents of Electronic Edition

Cover image

Introduction

Section One

Section Two

Addenda

Appendices

Catalogue of Early Scientific Works

Images found in the electronic version

'Cover' Illustration

First Page of the'Century'

Cipher Seal

A One-line Cipher

A Multi-line Cipher

more detail of the Cipher

A primitive Paddle-Boat

A Bucket Fountain

a chain fountain

an early 'elevator'

an engine to provide 'thrust'

an "easie level Draught"

tobacco-tongs

"change of Centres"

a Water-flowing and ebbing

Soldier

an example 'Fountain'

a example of a 'Force'

Savery's water raising Engine

Raising a one pound weight

John Baptista Porta's engraving of a boiler

Producing sound with steam

Stoking a file

Sir Hugh Plat's fire-blowing AEolipile

"the moveable perpendicular glass"

the Marquis's Engine

Cipher Writing

A Water Screw

Signature of Col. Christopher Copley