The birth of chemistry / by G.F. Rodwell.

  • George Farrer Rodwell
Date:
1874
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The birth of chemistry / by G.F. Rodwell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    106/156 page 90
    speaks of gunpowder, although somewhat obscurely. “ Mix,” says he, “ together saltpetre, luru vopo vir C071 utriet, and you can make thunder and lightning, if you know the method of mixing them.” Else- where he says, “ a small quantity of matter properly manufactured, and not larger than one’s thumb, may be made to produce a horrible noise and sudden flash of light.” The third constituent of gunpowder is designated under the anagram Iw'u vopo vir con utriet, for it was dangerous in those days to speak too plain- ly ; indeed Bacon tells us that he adopted an obscure style both on account of the example of other writers, and of propriety, and also on account of the dangers of plain speaking. According to some writers, the following passage' is to be found in Bacon’s writings ; —“ Sed tamen salis petrae, luru mo7ie cap ubre, et sul- phuris, et sic facies tonitrum si scias artiflcium.” Thus the saltpetre and the sulphur are directly designated, while the anagram luru mone cap ubre is convertible into cai'bonum pulvere, the remaining constituent powdered charcoal. It is improbable that Roger Bacon invented gunpowder, although he was the first to know of its properties in England ; he probably procured the knowledge from an Arabic source. Gun- powder was first used by the English at the battle of Crecy in 1346, sixty-one years after the death of Bacon ; at this time it was apparently unknown to other European nations. Roger Bacon is believed to have been far in advance of his times in all matters of science. To him has been attributed the invention of the tele.scope and Camera obscura, and several discoveries of a later
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3