- Edition: Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
Inventions or Devices Very Necessary for all Generals and Captains or Leaders of Men (Selection)
- Introduction
- Texts of this edition
- Contextual materials
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- The Famous History of Friar Bacon
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- Inventions or Devices Very Necessary for all Generals and Captains or Leaders of Men
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- A Book of Magic, with Instructions for Invoking Spirits
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- A Geometrical Practice named Pantometria
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- Autobiographical Tracts of Dr. John Dee
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- The Vanity of the Eye
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- The Comical History of Alphonsus King of Aragon
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The 113[th] Device
As touching the making of any strange works that the world hath marvel[ed] at, as the brazen head that did seem for to speak, and the Serpent of brass for to hiss, or a dove of wood for to fly, or an eagle made by art of wood and other metal to fly, and birds made of brass, tin, or other metal to sing sweetly, and such other like devices, some have thought that it hath been done by enchantment, which is no such thing, but that it hath been done by wheels, as you may see by clocks that do keep time, some going with plummets and some with springs, as those small clocks that be used in tablets to hang about menʼs necks. And as the brazen head that seem for to speak might be made by such wheel-work, to go either by plummets or by springs, and might have time given unto it, that at so many hours end then the wheels and other engines should be set to work. And the voice that they did hear may go with bellows in some trunk or trunks of brass or other metal, with stops to alter the sound, may be made to seem to speak some words, according unto the fancy of the inventor, so that the simple people will marvel at it … thinking that it is done by enchantment, and yet is done by no other means but by good arts and lawful. [98-99]