Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/424

 far I hope the way is clear as I go: I have some Confidence that I have sufficiently prov'd, that the Invention of Trade may still proceed farther, and that by the help of Men of free Lives, and by this course of Experiments. But yet the main Difficulty continues unremov'd. This arises from the suspicions of the Tradesmen themselves: They are generally infected with the narrowness that is natural to Corporations, which are wont to resist: all new Comers, as profess'd Enemies to their Privileges: And by these interested Men it may be objected, That the growth of new Inventions and new Artificers, will infallibly reduce all the old ones to Poverty and Decay.

But to take off these Fears in this Particular, they are to be inform'd, that there are two sorts of Experiments which the Royal Society attempts in Mechanical Matters. The first will be employ'd about the revising, changing, and correcting of the old Mechanics themselves: The second, about inventing of New. In the first of these they can have no ground of Jealousy; seeing they are not intended to bring others over their Heads, but only to beautify and fasten those which they already enjoy. And even this is a Work so necessary to be done, that if there were not a continual Reparation made in them, they would soon languish, and insensibly consume away into Barbarism: For the Arts of Mens Hands are subject to the same Infirmity with Empire, the best Art of their Minds, of which it is truly observ'd, that whenever it comes to stand still, and ceases to advance, it will soon go back and decrease.

Hence it appears, that one part of Experiments, and that a very considerable part, is free from their Cavils. Let us then go on to the other kinds, which