The Life of Dr. Robert Hooke.

I have the drawing of this air pump and all its parts, as it was later published by Mr. Boyle, designed by Mr. Hooke. I have heard him say that he was sent to London by Mr. Boyle to get the barrel and other parts for that engine which could not be made at Oxford. But to return to other notes:

"The same year, I contrived and made many trials concerning the art of flying in the air and moving very swiftly on land and water. I showed several designs of these to Dr. Wilkins, then Warden of Wadham College. At the same time, I made a model which, by the help of springs and wings, raised and sustained itself in the air. But finding by my own trials, and afterwards by calculation, that the muscles of a man's body were not sufficient to do anything considerable of that kind, I applied my mind to contrive a way to make artificial muscles. I showed various designs of these also at the same time to Dr. Wilkins, but in many of my trials, I was frustrated in my expectations."

What is mentioned here regarding his attempts at flying is confirmed by several drafts and schemes on paper of the methods that might be attempted for that purpose. These include contrivances for fastening "succedaneous" (substitute) wings—not unlike those of bats—to the arms and legs of a man, as well as a device to raise him up by means of horizontal vanes placed at a slight slope to the wind. These being blown round turned an endless screw in the center, which helped move the wings to be managed by the person raised aloft. I have these schemes with me now, along with a few fragments relating to them, but they are so imperfect that I do not judge them fit for the public. But to return to his own notes:

Vol. 1, Book 2, Chapters 20 & 21.

"About this time, having an opportunity of acquainting myself with astronomy through the kindness of Dr. Ward, I applied myself to improving the pendulum for such observations. In the year 1656 or 1657, I contrived a way to continue the motion of the pendulum, so much commended by Ricciolus in his Almagestum, which Dr. Ward had recommended to me to peruse. I made some trials for this end, which I found to succeed to my wish. The success of these made me think further of improving it for * I never could meet with what is mentioned here, and in several other places of his tracts already printed—and of those contained in this volume—regarding a method for mechanical inventions, which he somewhere calls a 'mechanical algebra' for solving any problem in mechanics as easily and certainly as any geometric problem by algebra. He says that by this method, he could readily determine whether any such problem was possible, and if so, what was the nearest and easiest way of solving it. finding the longitude, and the method I had made for myself for mechanical inventions quickly led me to the use of springs instead of gravity for making a body vibrate in any posture. Upon this, I satisfied myself of the practicability of such an invention in large and later smaller models. Hoping to have made great advantage thereby, I acquainted several of my friends—particularly Mr. Boyle—that I was possessed of such an invention and craved their assistance for improving the use of it to my advantage."

"Immediately after His Majesty’s Restoration, Mr. Boyle was pleased to acquaint Lord Brouncker and Sir Robert Moray with it, who advised me to get a patent for the invention and proposed very probable ways of making considerable profit by it. To induce them to believe in my performance, I showed a pocket-"