 Land with Chaff, wherein he affirmed the true seminal Virtue to be
contained, as he demonstrated by several Experiments which I was not skilful
enough to comprehend. The other was, by a certain Composition of Gums, Minerals,
and Vegetables outwardly applied, to prevent the Growth of Wool upon two young
Lambs; and he hoped in a reasonable Time to propagate the Breed of naked Sheep
all over the Kingdom.
    We crossed a Walk to the other Part of the Academy, where, as I have already
said, the Projectors in speculative Learning resided.
    The first Professor I saw was in a very large Room, with Forty Pupils about
him. After Salutation, observing me to look earnestly upon a Frame, which took
up the greatest Part of both the Length and Breadth of the Room; he said,
perhaps I might wonder to see him employed in a Project for improving
speculative Knowledge by practical and mechanical Operations. But the World
would soon be sensible of its Usefulness; and he flattered himself, that a more
noble exalted Thought never sprang in any other Man's Head. Every one knew how
laborious the usual Method is of attaining to Arts and Sciences; whereas by his
Contrivance, the most ignorant Person at a reasonable Charge, and with a little
bodily Labour, may write Books in Philosophy, Poetry, Politicks, Law,
Mathematicks and Theology, without the least Assistance from Genius or Study. He
then led me to the Frame, about the Sides whereof all his Pupils stood in Ranks.
It was Twenty Foot square, placed in the Middle of the Room. The Superficies was
composed of several Bits of Wood, about the Bigness of a Dye, but some larger
than others. They were all linked together by slender Wires. These Bits of Wood
were covered on every Square with Paper pasted on them; and on these Papers were
written all the Words of their Language in their several Moods, Tenses, and
Declensions, but without any Order. The Professor then desired me to observe,
for he was going to set his Engine at work. The Pupils at his Command took each
of them hold of an Iron Handle, whereof there were Forty fixed round the Edges
of the Frame; and giving them a sudden Turn, the whole Disposition of the Words
was entirely changed. He then commanded Six and Thirty of the Lads to read the
several Lines softly as they appeared upon the Frame; and where they found three
or four Words together that might make Part of a Sentence, they dictated to the
four remaining Boys who were Scribes. This Work was repeated three or four
Times, and at
