Fire extinguishers: 1668

How to make dainty sport with a Cat.

"Dainty"; this should be nice.

If you will have some sport with a Cat, then get a little Bell, such as the tame Hawkes have at their legs, and tye the Bell something hard...

Uh oh!

...at the end of the Cats taile, and let her go, the feeling, of her tail smart, and hearing of the Bell gingle, she will run up and down as if she were mad, flying against the walls and windows...

Okay, that was pretty awful.

Some have shod a Cat round, with putting melted Pitch into four Walnut-shels, and placing her feet therein, and she will make pretty sport.

Oh My God!

I was told of a merry Fellow that came into an Ale-house in cold weather, and finding but a reasonable Fire, said, He would make the Cat piss it out, and watching his oppertunity, he getteth his Hostesses Cat, putting her head betwixt his thighs, and holding her four feet fast in one hand, and with the other hand held up her taile near the fire, and did piss such aboundance that she quite quenched the same.

Ha!

--From A Rich Cabinet--

Edutainment: 1668

A very pretty and ready way to teach Children or others suddenly to learn their ABC in manner of play.

Cause four pieces of Bone or Wood to be cut into six square-like Dice, and upon every side or square let one of the letters of the Alphabet be ingraven or writ, ABCDEF upon one of them, then GHIKLM on the other, and so of the rest in order, as you may see in the Figure.

Now the Child taking delight, and using to play with them (amongst other Children) and being told what Letters are uppermost, will soon learn their Aphabet, as it were by the way of sport and pastime.

--From A Rich Cabinet--

Let's be new and innovative, let's make learning fun!

Like they did in the 17th century.

Also of interest to those teaching reading: this chapter where teaching by highlighting syllables is suggested if using a system based on letters doesn't work. No big fuss was made about it.

Encrypted email: 1668

How to write Love-letters secretly, or From one Friend to another, that cannot be discovered.

Take a sheet of white Paper, and double it in the middle, then cut holes through both the half-sheets, let the holes be cut like panes of Glass-windows, or other forms that you best fancy, and then pin prick holes at each end, and cut your paper in two halfs, give one to your Friend... ...the other half keep to your self: Now when you do write, lay your cut paper on a half sheet of writing Paper, and stick two Pins through the two holes that it stir not, then through those holes that you did cut, write your minde to your Friend; when you have done, take off your Paper with the holes again, and then write some other idle words both before and after your lines, but if they were written to make some little sense, it would carry the less suspicion; then seal it up, and send it.

--From A Rich Cabinet--

I take it by "Love-letters" they mean "Plots to overthrow the king" and by "Friends" they mean "Conspirators". Does this mean I have the mind of a jailer or a revolutionary? I suppose when someone in government has these thoughts they are those of a jailer, and when a citizen, they are the thoughts of a revolutionary.

Kitchen gadgets: 1668

An excellent way for baking of Bread, that it shall not be hard crusted, nor yield so many crums.

Goe to the Plate-worker, (such as maketh ordinary Dripping-pans) and cause him to make a Pot... ...according as you mean the bigness of your Loaf shall be... ...when it is done, take a little Butter, and annoint the in-side of the pot there-with, and when your Dow is moulded put it in the same...

--From A Rich Cabinet--

While I like a hard crust, it's funny to learn that all the people who don't are the ones who have traditional taste buds, because having a soft crust on bread was a selling point in 1668.

Rocket propulsion: 1668

You may make Figures of what shape your fancy best pleaseth: the body must be made of light wicker rods, and in the midst of the body let there be placed an axel-tree, having two Wheels coming into the water, yet so as they may not be seen: these Wheels must be made hollow, to contain a quantity of sand or water: the use of it is to keep the body of your Figure upright, and able to sink it so far into the water as is needful, and likewise to make it swim more steady: note that these Wheels must be lose, and the axel-tree fast: in the midst of the axel-tree place three or four Rockets one by another, with their mouths all one way: yet so provided that there may be such a distance between each Rocket, that there may come a vent from the tayl of the first to the mouth of the second, and from the second to the third. And to the end that may continue the longer in motion, you may place divers lights about the Body, to make it more beautiful; every of which lights extinguishing shall give a report, and so conclude.

--From A Rich Cabinet--

If you were watching a fireworks display in 1668 you might be sitting on a boat, or on the shore of a river. Rocket-propelled mermaids and whales would float by, covered in lights that made loud noises as they went out. Someone would have built a small castle, from the door of which a dragon would emerge, spitting flames. Then Neptune, riding on a sea-horse would fight him. There would be fountains of fire, and other such wonders, but there also would be a real story and a clear demonstration of art involved.

With our high-flying fireworks displays of today, that's something we hardly ever see. I can only imagine what it must have been like, because I've never seen a fireworks display that sounds half as good as one of theirs. Fireworks just seem kind of boring to me, and compared to what used to be done with them, they are.