The Hartlib Papers

Title:Letter, Cressy Dymock To Hartlib
Dating:29 September 1649
Ref:62/50/5A-6B: 6A BLANK
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Honored sir
Well hath Mr Wilkins (in his booke of Mechannicke Magicke) yeilded the reason for what wee see & suffer vnder (vizt) the exceeding antipathy that allmost all men haue in them against engenuitye which causes them to reiect all new inventions, how probable, possible, or excellent soever vnder the name & notion of proiects having even fortifyed them selues against all motions of that kind which there fore can find noe entrace
Mr Wilkins relates that Allexander allowed his master Aristotle -800 tallants yearely for to mainetayne fishers fowlers & hunters, whoe taking all strange creatures might bring them to Aristotle that soe hee might the better bee enabled to write of their natures (a thing mutch more vncertaine, farre off & inadvantageous then some other things now held forth) Hee [coses?] vs his discourse with this observation that the reason why in these later ages wee haue not many Aristotles is because there is soe few Alexanders
Since I was with you I haue beene thinking that since itt is soe that our freinds Mr Corceilis etc will not rellish any new invention from a (too deepe grounded in them though in itt selfe) groundlesse, suspition that itt will, or may fayle, to propound some thing that is noe new invention but onely a more perticuler aplication of one or two olde ones
My house stands verry fittly for the erecting a horizontall mill, two, or three, which I can sett vp for -50£ apeice & those when sett vp, & for each of them 50£ as [aforsaid? page edge] to provide wheate will clearely bring in 50£ per annum apeice soe that if I could sett vp two they would afford 100£ yearely, Now if they please not to venture as they call itt for the perfecting of my new invention for the
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great worke of ioyning strength and tyme togather what thinke you if I propound vnto them, the binding of soe mutch money amongst them for a yeare as may enable mee to erect, one, two, or three of those mills & provide corne to sett them goeing, att the end of :18 monthes I will bee bound iustly to returne them their money with interest and all possible thankefullnes, And in the meane tyme I shall (by God blessing I doubt not) bee thereby enabled to finish my great worke by slowe degrees without any farther helpe or engagement of or assistance from others, & then when they shall see itt finisht without any danger of losse in the meane tyme to them, I suppose they will bee more ready & willing to become partners therein This I humbly present to your consederation and alltogather submitt to your Iudgement whether to propound or forbeare. Sir I am
September                your humblest & most thankefull
the:29-                        freind & servant
      1649
                                        Dymock
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               To his verry mutch honored
               freind Mr Sammuell
               Hartlib att his house in
               Dukes place London
            present
                         these