MDCCXII - MMXII Three Hundreds Of Years Hence!

[primemignonite]

On this greatly important day I find it somewhat sad that no mention has here yet been made of what happened so long ago, now to three centuries precisely, as-to the birth of a whole new energy form for a needful World.

In order to ameliorate the lack somewhat, I have endeavored to cause the event of the Geran Attestation of 1712 to become more a thing of the here and now rather than not, and thus on account too far from heart and mind as I conceive it.

The Twin Events - the first the advent of self-motion and the later, the nobly commanded testimonial to the fact - were historically both intensely salient as happenings and, deserve considerable of kind remembrance as well as simple acknowledgement, for true and fair justice to Posterity to be done.

Of course, the German to English translation I used was extracted from the Collins' "Das Triumphirende" re-publication, as originally done by Mr. Mike Senior (?) for that good writer's use for inclusion therein. (That delicous bit about "frenzy of covetous lust" really did tickle my fancy.)

To the objective of further clarification, I took some liberties with matters as found, and re-paragraphed some sentencing, as I imagine the original document might have appeared. As-to this exactly, lacking the original now lost (as I understand the case to be), my belief is that clarification's purposes may have been served, or, at least somewhat. There were other little things done too, but not as-to meaning in any least degree.

My intention is to completely re-do the translation eventually, as some areas are found troublesome-still to my eye, most especially where mention the Count himself - that rascally Heinrich XVIII - is not anywhere to be seen except for a meager "his heir"! Naturally it is a small point, but to myself it constitutes a very small mole-hill of monstrous perturbance. (Surprised?)

Also, it may be noticed by the more picky, that the Queen's English overlay has been exchanged for that rather more American. (For example, sometimes there are to be found 's's here or there where we over here more expect 'z's to be, and so were exchanged. Also, the addition of 'u's such as on 'colour' was handled same-basis similarly.)

Ideally, there could be a re-translation into the KING'S English of that time. Such a work would fit nicely alongside the German and Latin, and would be a lovely thing to behold, if done just right.

Perhaps the marvelous original will be found someday, which would be the best thing of all, I think.

To close, further down below following, can be seen my idea of a title page referencing that good and grand event (but not for physicists!) of tymes antient.


(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+


TESTIMONIAL FROM GERA, 1712

AFTER A VERY LONG QUEST, the much-desired Principle of Perpetual Motion was, with God’s grace, very recently discovered here at Gera.

Based on this principle, an ingenious and most useful machine has been constructed which - without any external help from weights, wind, water or clockwork and, utilizing a most wondrous internal P.M. mechanism - is able not only to maintain its own structure in a state of continuous rotatory motion, but is also capable of driving in addition, other machines which require great force to turn them (fountains, mills, etc.).

Contrary to expectation, the invention has already acquired fame in all neighboring districts, and news has already reached us that some of the Inventor’s so called friends, in a frenzy of covetous lust, formed the intention of violating the sacred secret by, as-it-were, craftily stealing the idea of the invention, in order to make their own versions. Indeed, by one method or an other, they have already begun to promote most zealously, their own selfish interests.

After all due consideration it is hereby attested THAT Herr Doktor Johann Ernst Elias Orffyreus, Doctor of Medicine and mathematician, native of Oberlausnitz, (but who for a long time now has resided here, acting at all times in such an honest, Christian peaceable fashion, that all reports speak only of his kindness and goodness) IS through God’s grace

- the sole true originator, inventor and constructor of this so rare device;

- that no-one else can make such a claim;

- and, that the said Orffyreus has now expressed the desire to presume to make in the fairly near future, an official declaration thereof, PRECEDENT for all which shall be, that said much-discussed machine was, as early as 6th June of this present year 1712, set into perfect motion for all curious eyes to behold, by the said Orffyreus, for the first time in Herr Richter’s house on the Nicklausberg.*

This was seen by the Count’s widow and his heir, and, with Her Serene Highness’ consent, by all of us who are named below, wherefore this testimonial shall now be personally signed and sealed by us, as confirmation of what we have seen - this to the greater glory, praise and honour of God, and for the especial protection, benefit, praise and promotion of the Inventor and, in the interests of all persons of whatever standing, high or low, so long as they are Lovers Of Art and Wisdom.


Done at Gera on 9th October in the year 1712


(L.S.) Dr Johann Georg Pertsch, Paster and Medical Superintendent

(L.S.) Johann Christoph Zopff, Doctor to the Court, and Town Physician

(L.S.) (Magister) Heinrich Fischer, Archdeacon and Consistory Physician

(L.S.) Oswald Leupold, Interpreter and recorder

(L.S.) Johann Adam Of Kassel, Chief Architect to the Hochfûrst of Sachsen-Weissenfels, Mathematician and Engineer of Works, who examined the device.

(L.S.) Reinhold Richter

(L.S.) Christian Lange

(L.S.) Adolf Anshelm Von Carlowitz

(L.S.) Emanuel Kegel Landgrave of Rheuss, Prince. Dir.

(L.S.) H. Von Weissbach

(L.S.) Joachim Conrad Dõring, (teacher of) mathematics

(L.S.) N. Sturm, mathematician

(L.S.) Georg Heinrich Nollhard, Engineer

(L.S.) J. Chilian Freyfinger

All (these) were present, and many others also.

*Where a church has now been built.

(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+(+

All the Best(s)!

James

[Morphyreus]

Thank you for this excellent contribution. This is my first post and the latest blog newbie! and I hope I don't upset anybody with claims that I can't support with evidence. "Nullius in verba"

I believe that the 8th Century Indian Astronomer and Mathematician Shri Bhaskara may have been a great influence? It is certainly possible that Gottfried Liebniz a friend of Johann Bessler, may have encountered his work. Shri Bhaskara introduced "Khalakalaanayam" a vedic version of the differential calculus, perhaps a little closer to Sir Isaac Newton's "Fluctions", that Liebniz's "Calculus"? Of great interest is the Bhaskara Bamboo Swastika Quicksilver (Hg.) Perpetuum Mobile Wheel.

Subdivide a square into nine equal squares, then attach plastic drinking straws of say 7.0 > 8.0 mm. diameter in four rectangular blocks, with parallel straws forming rotational symetric fields, leaving the center square empty.

Now fill these straws half-full with 6.0 mm heavy BB shot. if we label the square:-
A <<< B ^^^ C
D ^^^ E *** F
G *** H <<< I

And tilt the block the BB shot will roll from say square 'B' to square 'A' and also from square 'I' to square 'H', while squares 'F' & 'G' will be full of BB shot.

The circle that intersects the center of gravity of squares 'A', 'C', 'G' & 'I', is 1.4142 longer radius that an inner center of gravity circle intersecting 'B', 'D', 'F' & 'H'. The ratio is one to the square root of two, about 7:10, and this is the essence of Shri Bhaskara's Wheel, except that multiple C.O.G. Swastika Squares are mounted on a single axle.

I suggest experimental replication with four or more Bhaskara squares on one axle, at suitable even incremental subtended angles. (22.5 degrees for four bhaskara squares) Glass tubes half filled with Mercury (Hg.) is more authentic. and even water works fine, if the tubes are large enough to avert surface tension effects.

"Nullius in verba" (Suck It And See) Please make sure you 'load' your Bhaskara Wheel, if it does no work, it won't work! because the forces of increasing centripetal acceleration, with tend to make the wheel degenerate into a choas pendulum. The Tricentenary of Johann Bessler is not forgotten!

[John Collins]

I have to admit I had overlooked the importance this particular date until you kindly reminded me some weeks ago, James, and I thank you for it.

The translation by my friend Mike Senior was but the first English version published and I'm sure more will follow, each differing slightly in their interpretation. Your own efforts to improve on Mike's and your transforming it for American usage can only help and I look forward to some other of Bessler's certificates receiving the 'James' treatment.

JC

[primemignonite]

Morphyreus:

How good of you to make you first ever post on my thread!

Thanks for it, and your very nice compliment and opinion.

The poor creature is only half right, but shall be wholly-so one day soon, mind and luck cooperating.

Your suggestion that great Leibniz may have been familiar with Bahaskara is most interesting. Is this only speculated by yourself or are there more?

Your plan I will draw-up and see how it impresses visually; if good I may try for a build. (Being a Gemini, as I am, I've plenty of mercury around!)

Being of a generally too curious nature I must ask, have you yourself yet built one, a Shri Bhaskara's Wheel? If so, more details would be gratefully received here.

"Nullius in verba"

Ah!, see you on 11059!

CHEERS! and All the Best(s)!

James

[primemignonite]

Dear John:

I'm happy that it did serve some good purpose and, of course, you are most welcomed.

Excepting for good Morphyeus' and yours, there seems to be not much interest in the finer points of Besslerian/Orffyrean collateral matters. (Personally speaking, I find all details of such things delicious!)

I have concluded that both Mr. Senior's and Stewart's fine work are necessary, seeming actually complimentary as interpretational, translating views. I think Stewart mentioned that, at it's best, translation is artistry. (Or, words to that general effect.)

Really John, you MUST find the original as it was absolutely the official birth certificate of Perpetual Motion! (Mein Gott! Perhaps the thing was BURIED with Johann! Now, wouldn't that be a fact horrifying to know? I pray that He may have forbidden it!)

There is no doubt: From some quarter unexpected, Perpetual Motion shall materialize by the end of this Orffyean Tri-Centennial Year - I am sure of it!

All the Best(s)!

James

[Perpetual Motionist]

Hi Morphyreus ,

You are most welcome here. Thanks for your excellent attempt to replicate “Bamboo Swastika Quicksilver (Hg.) Perpetuum Mobile Wheel� but you made a little mistake here as Bamboo Hg wheel belongs to Bhaskara II (1114–1185) and not to the Bhaskara I, a seventh century Indian astronomer cum mathematician who probably lived between c.600- c.680. He is not associated with discovery of calculus and perpetual motion as you have stated. It is Bhaskara II second (1114–1185) who described perpetual motion and calculus in his “Siddhanta Shromani. So “Bamboo Swastika Quicksilver (Hg.) Perpetuum Mobile Wheel� belongs to Bhaskara second and not Bhaskara first as you have erroneously stated.
Wiki states:

“Bh&#257;skara's work on calculus predates Newton and Leibniz by half a millennium.[5][6] He is particularly known in the discovery of the principles of differential calculus and its application to astronomical problems and computations. While Newton and Leibniz have been credited with differential and integral calculus, there is strong evidence to suggest that Bh&#257;skara was a pioneer in some of the principles of differential calculus. He was perhaps the first to conceive the differential coefficient and differential calculus.[7]�

Please note the correct order of the Siddhanta period between 500 and 1200 AD that was the golden age of Indian Astronomy. In this long span of time, Indian Astronomy flourished mainly due to the contributions from the great astronomer-mathematicians that in a chronological order were: Aryabhatta I (505 AD), Lallacharya (720 - 790),Varahamihira (505-587 AD), Brahmagupta (598 AD), Bhaskara I (600 AD) Aryabhata II, Sripati, Bhaskara II (known popularly as Bhaskaracharya), Madhava, Paramesvara and Nilakantha.

Brahmagupta (598 AD), had already described perpetual motion in his Brahamsphutikasiddanta and Lallacharya (720 - 790) too. Bhaskara II (known popularly as Bhaskaracharya) took it as a tradition to describe self revolving sphere in his classic Siddhanta shiromani that he dedicated to her daughter Leelavati.

I have speculated over your question about probable Bhaskara -Leibniz connection while responding to James here.

Best regards,

Sincerely yours,

P-M

[Perpetual Motionist]

Hi James!

Many many greetings for reminding the wondrous event.

Yes, because of you, the Tricentenary of Johann Bessler is yet not forgotten! Many many thanks for reproducing the Gera certificate.

The Gera certificate along with 14 signatories issued by Count and Countess of Reuss-Gera was indeed a very very special achievement for Bessler, and its great value for him is obvious to us, it is also one of the most valuable things for all of us as it is the first certificate in the history of perpetual motion that put stamp on the truth of the perpetual motion, on Bessler’s outstanding skills and his life long labors to finally create the gravity wheel that also underlines the fact that human intelligence is capable of learning God’s Majestic arts by which He has created this world ex nihilo. In fact, Gera Certificate dated: 9th October, 1712, well reminded by you here, marked the beginning of the Bessler’s career as the great inventor of the Gravity wheel but what followed after patronage of the Count Karl and destruction of his Weissenstein’s wheel was a constant regress in the life of Bessler as the great inventor of the perpetual motion, we know that he failed to fulfill his dreams because of his enemies and because of prejudice of the scientists and so on.

After getting the Gera certificate, Bessler himself must have spent some fine days in joyous state like a scientist who would feel immense pleasure after getting some high rank/ great reward for his outstanding scientific work. After getting the Gera certificate, while people around Gera would have noticed a boost in Bessler’s pride, and a change in his gait, his enemies, the Gärtner, Borlach Wagner, and the rest of gang had some set back in their plans to ridicule Bessler and his invention, the certificate might have forced them to change their strategy.

It is interesting to note that Bessler didn’t choose to earn some scientific reward from any scientific institutions for many reasons. Bessler liked to enjoy recognition of his talents more by Royal circles than by scientific circles. Bessler might have reckoned that under Royal patronage, he would have more influence and more security than the one acquired by the company and support of the scientists. He wanted to avoid visiting and imploring scientists for help in the matter and didn’t want leaving the entire matter on their mercy. Bessler wanted to be a celebrity in a short time, and perhaps, he didn’t have much hope from the scientists to get support of them as he knew that he himself was not formerly educated and trained, so he would have thought, it would be difficult for him to earn respects of the scientists and get any significant post in the scientific department. Acquiring Royal patronage was a shortcut to boost his ego in an easy manner as Royal support would definitely help him to prevail over the opinions of the scientists and also defend the enemies effectively in a short time. His ego found better gratification in seeking opportunities at the Royal courts where at the command of the ruling king, scientist would rush to examine his machine and give their opinion on the matter, whereupon Bessler would puff with pride reducing scientist as underdogs in his eyes. Bessler would be much delighted when scientists would find them insignificant in front of king and Bessler standing beside him. As an inventor of the perpetual motion, Bessler probably held his self-concept far greater than being a Scientist as in the matters of understanding of gravity, and its direct application in the generation of power via his invention of the gravity wheel scientists of his time failed to conceive even the fact that perpetual motion was possible.

I don’t know whether by doing any personal harm to them, Bessler had any personal enmity with Gartner and gang that would constantly incite them to take revenge from Bessler. His opponents and their malicious designs that were plotted to defame Bessler, I find, were far greater than a case of fierce criticism as it is evident from the intensity, length and the extent of the vicious campaign they launched against Bessler to defame him. Gang was not certainly alone, all evidence raises a lot of doubts about the presence of some mastermind behind the whole plot. I think vicious campaign was being sponsored by the alchemist, Jehovah Sanctus Unus (1642-1727), and it is possible that he funded them for spreading all kinds of rumors against Bessler, may be, he gave ten thalers for each rumor.

We read in the Bessler’s story that Bessler acquired Royal patronage from the Karl, but we do not read much about his frustrations, agonies, woes and wounds during that time. Karl supported him, yes, true, thanks to him, yet with passage of time, at some stage, Bessler witnessed in Karl and his Royal patronage fading out of the interest, his perpetual motion exertions being lost in the strangeness of the Royal hood, etiquette, lavishness and Royal pomp and show. Moreover, because of the growing age of Count Karl and his death, Bessler lost the active support from his patron, which allowed his enemies to discredit him again.

Bessler was grieved to see that Count Karl had all money to display his princely power and royal tastes, but he had no money to buy his gravity wheel. A couple of years before he acquired Gera certificate, Landgrave couple had built a larger Orangerie Palace, which was built from 1701 to 1710. Orangerie palace was first built by Wilhelm IV (reign 1567- 1592) as a small and insignificant structure, Landgrave Count Karl enlarged it into a larger palace and made it a prominent masterpiece of garden landscaping. Bessler would have not taken much delight in the fact when he heard that Landgrave had given a free hand to landgravian Maria Amalia to spend lavishly on the creation of Karlsaue Park in Kassel but it is sad to learn that Karl was giving him only hope after hope for settling the his reward for the Gravity wheel. Or was Bessler thinking that if Maria somehow could live more, he could have persuade her to install a fountain operated by his gravity wheel in Karlsaue Park.


It is strange to see that after Karl’s death, Bessler couldn’t influence any member from the Karl’s big family to take interest in his gravity wheel. On 21 May, 1673, Karl married his first cousin Maria Amalia of Courland (1653–1711), daughter of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland. After 38 years of marriage, his wife, 58 Years Old, died, in 1711 and was buried in the St. Martin's Church in Kassel. Maria Amalia left ten sons and five daughters. Karl’s 15 children married into a number of good courts: one of his sons, for instance, became King of Sweden.

The Landgrave couple enjoyed the two rectangular pavilions as a summer residence. After death of Maria Amalia in 1711, almost one year before the issue of the Gera certificate, lost and languished in her memory, Karl continued to spend money lavishly on developing Orangerie Palace, Karlsaue Park with many other exquisite pavilion structures ornamenting them with large number of marble statues and marble carving. He commissioned Roman sculptor Pierre Etienne Monnot (1657-1733) for the entire marble work that also included designing Marmorbad (Marble Bath) and the Marmor fountain in the park which contained a medallion depicting Maria Amalia. However, only the small Marble Bath was finished in a central position on the North side in Landgrave’s lifetime. Large portions of the Karlsaue Park were destroyed in Second World War. The Orangerie Palace was totally consumed by flames, only the Marble Bath remained. Bessler found that ever since Maria died, Karl had little attention for his diplomatic affairs and it was difficult for him to insist to take care of his gravity wheel. After arriving at Karl’s court, Bessler heard stories of Karl’s romance with Maria, people would love to tell him about how the Landgrave couple enjoyed the two rectangular marble pavilions as a summer residence and along with its the surroundings found it as an ideal place for their love making, ....... kissing Maria, and Karl fondling those beautiful contours and curves of Maria in open..... Having imagined or heard all this sumptuousness, sometimes, Bessler soul must have simmered with anger and cursed his own fate. It seems to me that he could not enjoy peace of mind in spite of Karl’s patronage. It is really an irony that Karl had opened Royal treasury to materialize Maria’s costly projects but he was recommending other agencies to buy Bessler’s gravity wheel. God soon punished him as in his last years, the Landgrave could not enjoy peace as his two wives were always quarreling with each other. For this reason, Count Karl was not able to give proper attention to Bessler. It adversely influenced Bessler's fate.

So we are naturally tempted to ask the question: why Landgrave, who lavishly expended on building palace and parks, after all, why did not he take much interest in buying for himself the Bessler’ wheel? Yet, we know that Bessler confided in landgrave and offered him watching the interior of his wheel that Landgrave found nothing but a simple mechanism consisting of an assembly of levers and heavy weights mounted on them.

The turbulent Nights that Bessler spent during the construction of the gravity wheel were not easy if they were not the nightmares always. Bessler would often sleep with hope that next day Karl would buy his gravity wheel. And why not, when Peter Czar could decide to come personally from a distance to buy the Bessler wheel, why not Karl someday would decide to buy his invention? His hope was real. Famous for his collections of the curiosities, Count Karl probably lost his curiosity in the gravity wheel much at the moment when he saw simple patterns of zigzag levers in the interior of the machine. Later, he might have not found it charming enough to excite the awe and wonder of the visitor/onlooker but found extremely simple that even any carpenter boy would rebuild. Karl had collections of rarities acquired from the best artists and engineers of the Europe, certainly anything that even a carpenter boy could build didn’t deserve its place in his collection of the curiosities. However, we actually cannot know whether it was the very simplicity of the mechanism that made landgrave reluctant to buy the invention for himself.


As far as question of awe and wonder is concerned, Bessler himself was sure and also apprehensive that with the knowledge of simplicity of the mechanism, awe and wonder would get lost upon any disclosure of the secret. We know he had imposed certain conditions of the contract and asked for a huge amount of money as he had apprehension that nobody would be inclined to pay such a huge amount once he knew the fact that secret was extremely simple. He might have remained in an uneasy state of mind thinking that after getting the reward what would be the reaction of the buyer after paying such huge amount for merely a zigzag pattern of levers with weights mounted on them. What if the buyer would curse themselves for striking such a deal? It seems that Bessler had some sense of guilt for demanding such huge amount for the gravity wheel.

Gravity wheel is indeed a great invention until its secret is unknown and mystery is not solved. When it is the question of the mystery, I am tempted to speculate again – what if Bessler were born some years later, and instead of Count Karl, he had acquired patronage of his son Landgrave Karl von Hessen-Kassel (1744-1836) who indulged in alchemical experiments, Masonic and esoteric activity at his alchemist’s tower with a laboratory and a room where Masonic rituals were conducted that led him to become in his time one of the most fascinating and influential figures in the world of Masonry, Rosicrucianism and hermetic studies. If so, the story of Bessler’s gravity wheel would have a different twist and would have generated much more mystery as upon Bessler’s request to have an examination of his gravity wheel in order to silent his enemies, I love to speculate here, Karl von Hessen-Kassel wouldn’t prefer to invite a scientist like s’ Gravesande, instead, he would like to invite his friend of the mysterious, French alchemist, the Comte de St. Germain, whom he harbored during the last years of St. Germain’s life on his estate Louisenlund. In the presence of all three, Karl von Hessen-Kassel, Comte de St. Germain and Bessler, other free masons and alchemists the Gravity wheel would undergo different rites to the surprise of the people, and no wonder, people would create different stories and rumors about the gravity wheel and how it moved, and who knows by the influence of Comte de St. Germain, Bessler himself would prefer to provide a mysterious explanation of the working of the gravity wheel probably, more or less, like Cornelius Drebbel who when asked about the motive agent of the mechanism of his Orrery, explained that his Orrery was moved by a fairy spirit. Certainly, with a similar explanation, then, the Orffyreus Apologia poetica would have been different, and in his MT, we would find exuberance of figures, armies and choirs of archangels, angels, seraphims, cherubiums and fairy spirits. Thus, Orffyreus codes and clues created by him and Bessler’s enthusiast would be different also.

The presence of the Leibniz as a friend and supporter of the Bessler adds beauty and extra dimensions to the whole story of Bessler and his wonderful gravity wheel that invites more speculations from us as we have not everything on the record. In this connection, the first thought that directly comes to my mind is - how miserably Leibniz failed to conceive the mechanism of the Bessler’s gravity wheel. Leibniz wrote letters and requested rulers to help Bessler and support his perpetual motion but he himself never believed in the truth that perpetual motion was possible as he himself was championing the law of the conservation of the Vis viva. Instead, Leibniz suspected that machine derived its motive power from compressed gas inside the machine. If Bessler had really been a friend of Leibniz and enjoyed friendly proximity with Leibniz, why would he let Leibniz to poorly speculate about the working mechanism of his gravity wheel? Why didn’t Bessler have a through discussion with Leibniz that would provide him a better understanding of the mechanism of the gravity wheel or can we speculate that Bessler actually didn’t enjoy such proximity and freedom with Leibniz as reported?

You are most Welcome Morphyreus. Are you talking about Bhaskara first or second? The former has no connection with perpetual motion and calculus. Bhaskara II-Leibniz connection is possible , but from India the idea of perpetual motion had already diffused to Europe around tenth century as European scholars were also well acquainted with astronomical and perpetual motion works of Brahmagupta (598 AD) .

Colonel James Todd has also acknowledged the fact that the knowledge of planetary systems acquired by Indian astronomers excited wonder in Europe, he stated :

"Where can we look for sages like those whose systems of philosophy were prototypes of those of Greece: to whose works Plato, Thales and Pythagorus were disciples? Where do I find astronomers whose knowledge of planetary systems yet excites wonder in Europe as well as the architects and sculptors whose works claim our admiration, and the musicians who could make the mind oscillate from joy to sorrow, from tears to smile with the change of modes and varied intonation?"

So Scientists and philosophers in the Europe were acquainted with splendid works of Indian astronomers in Bessler’s time also. So Morphyreus, it is possible that Gottfried Leibniz might have encountered Bhaskara’s II work, not seventh century Bhaskara who is not associated with calculus and perpetual motion in anyway. When we think of some influence of Indian philosophy on Leibniz, we are not wrong. In a fashion similar to that of medieval Indian mathematicians, Leibniz applied his combinations to examples in law, music, and philosophy. [5, V, p. 8] Mathematically, the work Monadology was somewhat undeveloped, but its significance lies in its various philosophical applications. As is often the case with such great philosophers, Leibniz's first work unveils his hidden talents. Despite its mathematical primacy, the mathematical genius of Leibniz is apparent in his Dissertation De Arte Combinatoria that represents a major first step in Leibniz's mathematical development, long before his arrival in Paris and the succeeding development of his calculus. However, we know that Leibniz had to fight a long battle with Newton over the priority of the calculus.

Indian philosophy is largely idealistic with its big emphasis on the subjective reality. So we cannot claim that Indian philosophy served as the main spring head for Leibniz's philosophy. Leibniz as a realist held that his monads existed, at least independently of the mind of the observer. Leibniz-Clarke correspondence is much popular for the great debate between Newton and Leibniz over defining notions of space and time as real objects themselves (absolute), or whether they are merely orderings upon actual objects (relational). The debate went to perpetual motion as Leibniz believed that god was a perfect perpetual motionist and God would definitely employ His majestic art of his perpetual motion in the creation and maintenance of the world in such a manner that our world would not require any rewinding by god. But Newton believed that world required periodical supervision by the god and rewinding of the world clock by Him. Leibniz was also strong supporter of the principle of sufficient reason that holds that for every fact there is a reason that is sufficient to explicate what and why it is the way it is and not otherwise. His principle of the identity of indiscernibles states that if there is no way of telling two entities apart then they are one and the same thing.

Another thought that has constantly haunted my mind is the question how all circumstances influenced Bessler’s ‘psyche’ towards the end of his life? I have little information; I don’t know, what were the main events that took place between the period of his death and destruction of his Weissenstein wheel except erection of a horizontal windmill and some inventions to his credit that I know? I am inclined to think that during this period, Bessler must have acknowledged the fact that the ambitions are the real cause of the frustration. He must have realized the insignificance of the worldly life and material desires, and as a consequence of all that he would have gone some ‘spiritual transformation’, as we find no much desire and haste in him later, to have more certificates or to strike deals to get the money.

I also don’t know whether Bessler’s brother was better in skills than a carpenter boy so that he could rebuild the Bessler gravity wheel after Bessler’s death. I don’t know whether any Bessler’s oath prevented such an opportunity. Still I think that somehow if Bessler’s brother, Gottfried modified Bessler wheel, world could have gravity wheel three hundred years ago in spite of Bessler untimely death.


Dear James, the Great Way of perpetual motion is simple but people take delight in complexity. Here on this forum, while we discuss and argue certain matters, especially, about the working mechanism of gravity wheel, sometimes we don’t know whether we are helping each other or we are confusing each other, though we are sincere in our intentions as we want to share the information. Thanks for your inputs about the lazy tongue, I won’t argue with you that you are wrong or I am right as I am not too much insistent on my own views about working of the gravity wheel as I am aware that one, who is too insistent on his own views, finds few to agree with him and eventually can lose a good friend. Sometimes, I think that the best way to learn about the secret of the perpetual motion is to remain ignorant about it until we rediscover the secret. In such ignorance, along tinkering with gravity wheel, I have now found that Bessler’s Weissenstein Wheel consists of Eight plus eight weights, lazy tongues with minimal levers, and springs. I also don’t know what I would find tomorrow and James you may be right about the lazy tongue. Yet, I believe that the entire mechanism is so simple that I would not say that even a carpenter boy could build it. I have a very close carpenter friend here, he has two sons, yes, so, I have carpenter boys here who have made exquisite furniture by their great skills. They have many albums containing pictures of the furniture. I don’t want to belittle abilities of such carpenter boys as I believe that mechanism of the gravity wheel is so simple that even five –six years old kids can create small working model once they know the secret. I have many plans. I have an old car in my junkyard. My servant boy is yet unable to understand why I am still not selling and sending it to junk market. He doesn’t know that if I succeed to invent the gravity wheel, I would make this car a fuel less gravity car as shown in the picture. I will cut the rear of the car and join it with tractors wheel. The space between the large wheels will be obviously for the gravity wheel in the shape of a cylinder of diameter one and half meter. The car will have provisions of special “Orffyrean fog lamps� to drive it in a dark weather and also to prevent the dazzle from the car of the other perpetual motionist in the front.

And James, I don’t mind if you would laugh over all this fancy, I know that I have little information about the working mechanism of the gravity wheel and rest of Bessler’s story that may cause anybody to laugh over me for my shortcomings. However, I believe that little information has its own advantage as it creates more speculations. When I know little, I have little. When I have little, I strive to get more. In this manner, then, I tend to create more and more out of the little or out of nothing. I don’t want saturation in the process, in the form of more information, as any fulfillment, I believe, will definitely impede my own perpetual motion to create more. The little knowledge, whatever, I have often increase the impulse of my curiosity and creativity, like the heartbeat that augments under any conditions of stress and strain, in order to supply more oxygen to the body and brain, to avert any failure of the system.

So I assume, our own perpetual motion along with all desires and attachment called as “Maya� in Sanskrit is essential to the creation of the art, music and literature and the creation of our own world – that we call “Jagat� in Sanskrit that literally means one that perpetually moves.

English jurist and poet Sir John Davies (1569-1626) also said:

“Behold the world, how it is whirled round,
And for it is so whirl'd is named so.�

Wow! Everything I find in perpetual motion. Rising and setting of the Sun, the phases of the moon, orbiting planets, the sky studded with twinkling stars all are beautifully set in perpetual motion that give a magnificent picture of the nature. The incomparable design, order and harmony unfolded in the sky have always attracted the attention of man overwhelming him. A good number of poems and prose work describe the charming sensations that the nature produces in our heart.

It reminds me of Wordsworth who beautifully said:

“To every form of being is assigned
An active principle:—howe'er removed
From sense and observation, it subsists
In all things, in all natures: in the stars
Of azure Heaven, the unenduring clouds,
In flower and tree, in every pebbly stone
That paves the brooks, the stationary rocks,
The moving waters and the invisible air.
Whate'er exists hath properties that spread
Beyond itself, communicating good,
A simple blessing, or with evil mixed:
Spirit that knows no insulated spot,
No chasm, no solitude; from link to link
It circulates, the soul of all the worlds.�

I want to remain in perpetual motion as I want to create more and more out of the little and the little . And in the very process of the creation, when we keep on excelling in our art, and develop an ability, absolutely, to ‘create something out of nothing’, we arrive at the perfection of the art and with such powers, we are closer to God and always in harmony with nature. Further, if we could meditate upon the mystery of ‘nothingness’ the unfathomable, infinite and absolute, we tend to become one with it , the result, in the end, is cessation of all ego, thoughts and duality- a state of ‘Nirvana’.

So James above speculations based on my little information about Bessler and the mega Gera event dated 9th October, 1712October, well reminded by you are just by products of my ignorance on certain matters that have caused me to strive to extract more and more out of the little and little. Everyone among us has this striving as we are the creatures made in the image of the God. If we extrapolate such process of creation to the infinity, we directly arrive at the conclusion that at the beginning, god created this universe out of nothing- ex nihilo.


Best regards,

Sincerely yours,

P-M

[daxwc]

Perpetual Motionist:

I know that I have little information about the working mechanism of the gravity wheel and rest of Bessler’s story that may cause anybody to laugh over me for my shortcomings. However, I believe that little information has its own advantage as it creates more speculations.

There seems maybe to be an Eastern link to the wheel, can I ask where you got the information from or is it your own speculation? Do you think it is a reliable source if it is an old tale?

[daxwc]

Perpetual Motionist:

then it is the question of the mystery, I am tempted to speculate again – what if Bessler were born some years later, and instead of Count Karl, he had acquired patronage of his son Landgrave Karl von Hessen-Kassel (1744-1836) who indulged in alchemical experiments, Masonic and esoteric activity at his alchemist’s tower with a laboratory and a room where Masonic rituals were conducted that led him to become in his time one of the most fascinating and influential figures in the world of Masonry, Rosicrucianism and hermetic studies.

You don’t have to change Bessler birth date as it is highly likely Karl was a Rosicrucian, Mason or some small affiliated society. Karl was known for his scientific curiosity, so he would have been in the know around the alchemists and hermetic studies as well as other cutting edge knowledge and technology. You have to remember Secret societies are family affairs so his son would have been inducted by Karl.

[John Collins]

PM I think I should correct one or two details in your very lengthy post.

You said "Bessler didn’t choose to earn some scientific reward from any scientific institutions for many reasons. Bessler liked to enjoy recognition of his talents more by Royal circles than by scientific circles."

As a matter of fact he chose Royalty because they were the only one who could afford to pay his price.

You said, "I don’t know whether by doing any personal harm to them, Bessler had any personal enmity with Gartner and gang that would constantly incite them to take revenge from Bessler... think vicious campaign was being sponsored by the alchemist, (1642-1727), and it is possible that he funded them for spreading all kinds of rumors against Bessler, may be, he gave ten thalers for each rumor. "

Again it is recorded that Andreas Gärtner was the mastermind behind Bessler's enemies, not Jehovah Sanctus Unus, otherwise known as Sir Isaac Newton.

You said, "Bessler heard stories of Karl’s romance with Maria". Karl was forced to marry Maria. This from my Bessler biography:-

"Karl was the second son of Landgrave Wilhelm VI, and was born on the 3rd August, 1654 in Kassel. The early death of his older brother in 1670 in Paris should have enabled Karl to become Landgrave, but due to his being only sixteen, his mother continued to run the small state, even after his eighteenth birthday. She was a powerful and determined woman and when, in 1673, she ordered Karl, still only nineteen, to marry his dead older brother's widow, Marie Amalie, he obliged. Eventually she abdicated in his favour in 1677 and at a grand ceremony he assumed control of the government of his country."

It was a political decision, not a romantic one, to marry Marie (not Maria). Also in y biography, I report from records that he had had relationships with two women at his court."

You also say,"It is strange to see that after Karl’s death, Bessler couldn’t influence any member from the Karl’s big family to take interest in his gravity wheel." From my Bessler biography, in 1723 "P.S. Carlshafen on Weser, in the greatest haste 11pm, May 21st, as His Serene Highness was leaving my home. He has today, paid a visit for the second time, to our
town.' There is also evidence that one of Karl's sons regularly visited Bessler long after his father's death. He even had visits from one of the grandsons.

I could go on but there are too many errors or unsubstantiated assumptions which add to the growing number of false facts associated with Bessler. Frank Edwards started it in his book, "Strangest of All," in which he introduces the completely fabricated news that Karl wrote a description of the interior of the wheel.

JC

[Perpetual Motionist]

Hi JC Sir,

Thanks for your inputs. First of all, unlike you, I am a newbie here and I am not an authority on Bessler life, however, if you read carefully my post again, you will see that I didn’t make any error in my largely speculative post that should have led you to unnecessarily compare it with Frank Edward errors. In my post, I haven't fabricated any fact as fabricated by Edward frank that Karl wrote a description of the interior of the wheel. Let me try to defend that I didn't make any fabrication in my post.

Since you are biographer of the Bessler, you are only interested in showing ‘Bessler’ that is on record that you have found out, I have chosen to speculate about everything about Bessler that is not on record or that I don’t know. A record is not something a permanent or eternal kind of the thing, something written on the granite that cannot be erased easily. You will agree that like any laws of science, record also breaks, existing evidence has to go whenever new evidence arrives. Moreover, everything cannot be on the record, we have missing links, we have missing information, we have bias, we do not have enough data, there may be errors and persistent errors in the records already existing. To find out those missing links is one of the main objectives of the historical research that requires building of the hypothesis, comparison and analysis of data, and I believe that “speculation� is an essential ingredient that provides direction to whole process of historical research or any research. My speculations have a different angle and a different slant on Bessler and his works. I want to find out facts about Bessler’s work and life which others didn’t find. Each of us thinks differently. What someone finds, may be, I cannot find, and what I can find, other may not find.

Collins sir, please, look my post, almost at the beginning of every paragraph in my post, anyone would find that I am aware that no facts about the Bessler should get distorted by me, so I have always begun the paragraph with writing that I love to speculate this or that… and If anyone, learned member or forum officials here want that long posts speculations should not be allowed /not desirable, or they are in the category of the fabrication as you think, then, I would restrain happily to concede to their desires. Even if you order me to stop speculating, I will happily do that. But Sir, a direct allegation of fabrication you should not have imposed on me. you see I am a newbie, please don’t compare my writings with Frank Edward. As a biographer of Bessler, you know all about Bessler, whereas I know only the main points of the story and I am always happy when I try to understand the mystery better through my speculations.

Let me give some clarification. The main thrust of my argument through this speculative post is to show that in spite of all patronage, support, negotiations and hope, Orffyreus failed to complete his mission; therefore, it raises doubts on the integrity and sincerity of all kinds of support. And if we could speculate over those reasons, we can find something useful, so that we may remain careful whenever we present our invention to the world, whenever it gets invented by any of us.

I see Bessler as a great inventor who along with his gravity wheel got entangled in the swamp of the hypocrisy of his time and that’s the only reason his perpetual motion ceased to work in spite of his sincere efforts. If Karl who spent lavishly on Amelia’s projects, or any of his relative sincerely wanted, they could have bought his wheel and also if Royal society sincerely wanted. This post should be looked as one of my humble attempts to expose the hypocrisy of his time that led to the failure of his mission and not as a fabrication. I am sure that I haven’t distorted any truth through my speculative reasoning.

Dear Collins Sir, if you read my post carefully without any bias in your mind, you will notice that my next emphasis is upon describing the nature of the creativity, little information and speculations, and their interrelationship that I have attempted to explore through main points of the Bessler’s story. I have tried to convey that sometimes, little information, if it is vital, it may inspire anyone to carry out a meaningful research as our basic nature is to strive to get more and more out of nothing. It is not merely a matter of our psychology, it is also the fundamental principle of nature by which nature works. Many great philosophers and physicists have studied this principle and they have raised many laws of physics and corollaries of this principle in their name that conflicts with law of conservation of energy.

In the end, I have applied my reasoning to the creation of the world. I have extrapolated my argument to conclude that at the beginning of the world, God also started with the minimum or nothing of material and energy, but by employing the art of perpetual motion God created the world out of nothing. To strengthen my speculative argument, I presented some gist of Clark -Leibniz correspondence on perpetual motion. So, I am quite confident that whatever I have humbly tried to elucidate here through my speculations, it has no relevance with Frank Edward type of errors. I made no error.


Now let me present my clarification about the points that you have specially noted as errors and unnecessarily taken them like those of Frank Edwards.

I said

"Bessler didn’t choose to earn some scientific reward from any scientific institutions for many reasons. Bessler liked to enjoy recognition of his talents more by Royal circles than by scientific circles."

I have given reasons why did Bessler prefer to do so. Yet you saw error in my point.

You said:

“As a matter of fact he chose Royalty because they were the only one who could afford to pay his price.�

Dear Collins, by “scientific reward� I do not mean and I didn’t mean those thalers and Royalty that Orffyreus demanded that you have in mind. I mean, every Scientific society recognizes talents of the scientists and has many awards for their “scientific works�. They also existed in Bessler’s time. Bessler didn’t proceed to get acknowledged him and his works by them. I have given reasons that he himself was not formerly educated and trained so he didn’t like to approach to the scientist for some help and also didn’t expect a “scientific reward� I do not mean financial reward here. I meant Bessler didn’t choose to contribute his works of gravity wheel to ‘Philosophical Transactions’ of the Royal Society for any suitable “scientific reward�. If one has some vital scientific idea and also help extended by the experts, the writing of a scientific article, four five pages does not take more than three- four hours. If professor gravesande and his Boss Newton and rest of professors were so sincere, they could have encouraged Bessler to at least contribute any article to Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society or they could have helped him to do so. They could have invited Bessler to demonstrate his gravity wheel in any meeting of the Royal Society. His gravity wheel attracted attention of many philosophers and scholars, yet we do not see any vital step to support the Bessler. He lacked support that should have gone in the form of scientific deliberations over the different aspects of his invention, in the scientific departments and journals, meetings, proceedings, and also in charitable organizations for the service of science. It is unfortunate that his gravity wheel, in spite of involvement of influential persons, didn’t stir any meaningful discussion in the proceeding of the Royal society whose president was Newton. Any support heartily extended by Newton to promote Bessler and his cause would have averted failure of Bessler's mission. If he or anyone wanted sincerely talents of the Bessler get recognized, where was the problem? Bessler had already produced his books, then, extracting four five page information and commenting scientifically on them in an article was not a big problem, things like this were not adequately done sincerely by any of the professor acquainted with Bessler. I want to say Bessller’s case didn’t receive academic momentum in the Royal society or any other society. So when I talk about “scientific reward� “scientific support� to Bessler, any thought of thalers and Royalty is not in mind, but a heartily support one like that extended by Humphrey Davy who discovered Faraday, and we all know how he supported him that he became a leading scientist. Later, Royal Society instituted award in Faraday’s name. Similarly, without Lord Kelvin’s timely support, Joule’s paper might have gone unheard. Suffice to say, Neither Bessler got required “scientific support� and “scientific reward� for his works nor he made efforts for that, instead he referred royal support .


I said:

"I don’t know whether by doing any personal harm to them, Bessler had any personal enmity with Gartner and gang that would constantly incite them to take revenge from Bessler... think vicious campaign was being sponsored by the alchemist, (1642-1727), and it is possible that he funded them for spreading all kinds of rumors against Bessler, may be, he gave ten thalers for each rumor. "

You said:

“Again it is recorded that Andreas Gärtner was the mastermind behind Bessler's enemies, not Jehovah Sanctus Unus, otherwise known as Sir Isaac Newton.�

First of all, regardless of the fact that who was mastermind, I first want to know what the main reasons behind the enmity were. Were they personal that any mastermind would go to that extent and so long to defame Bessler continuously? As a mastermind, had Andreas Gärtner any personal enmity with Bessler? You know that Gartnner was not a mere critique, he was mastermind. Anyone can see that the very words “mastermind� “vicious campaign� “conspiracy� used by you and others historians proves the intensity of the matter as well as of our desire to know the real motive and cause behind personal enmity if that really existed.

Suppose Gartner had a bad eye upon Bessler’s wife, and during a fighting Bessler caused Gartner crippled, then, if this happened I would have no problem in understanding the motive, reasons for the conspiracy. I want to know actually if any personal reason like this existed. If nothing is on record, and we are unable to prove any sound reason, proper motive/ cause behind the conspiracy, it would definitely leave room for other speculations. Since I do not know that Bessler and Gartner had any personal enmity like the one I exemplified by my supposition, I would like to find the next most suspect , most wanted character that I have I have speculated to be Newton because evidence presented in the following part led me to have many doubts on the Newton.

The following information extracted from following sources raised my suspicion more to speculate that Newton may be the the mastermind though it is not on record. Please check whether the information about market crash, Newton and Bessler wheel presented in the Simon Schaffer’s article matches with record or not.


[url]http:// orffyre.tripod. com [/url]

Simon Schaffer: a Research Article: “The Show That Never Ends: Perpetual Motion In The Early Eighteenth Century�, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge,

Newton’s Silence

After one month, though Gravesande’s letter was also published in Holland, it failed to elicit any response from Newton. It is unknown whether Newton ever replied to his letter.

Probably, perpetual motion posed him, both a problem and a threat. At that time, Newton was a big authority in mechanics. He already had bitter experience of quarreling with Robert Hook on laws of Gravitation and with Leibniz on Calculus. He did not want any controversy to arise further. Newton, the career diplomat learnt it well that to keep himself in power, it was not wrong to ignore any thing that would jeopardize his reputation. He was aware that perpetual motion could not be fitted into his laws of motion. If Orffyreus’ machine was true then his first law of motion was not perfect because a gravity perpetual motion machine continue to move forever not only in presence of friction but also has capability to perform useful work, therefore, perpetual Motion seemed to threat his laws of motion, on which whole edifice of his mechanics rested. He didn't give any reply to Gravesande thus Orffyreus was deliberately ignored under the usual conspiracy of silence, which is inevitable to any new invention or new thought which puts a challenge to established theory. Newton also fought with Leibniz on the priority of calculus. Since Leibniz supported Orffyreus machine, Newton did not take any interest in the device.

Deva Ramananda remarks:

“In his entire work on mechanics, Newton offered no theoretical speculations about the invention. Like rest of the scientist, he also failed to conceive that perpetual motion is possible though he had fancied perpetual motion when he was young. When he learnt about Orffyreus machine, he had more difficulty in integrating the perpetual motion into an agreeable conceptual system of his laws of motion. He feared that if he gave recognition to Orffyreus’ work on perpetual motion machine, it would jeopardize his reputation. Without recourse to perpetual motion, Newton propounded celestial laws of mechanics, if Newton had gone a few steps further, he would have discovered that the same principle and force, which holds our earth in space and also cause to rotate and revolve all other planets in time and space also govern and form basis of perpetual motion machine. It is true that Newton worked very little in his old age, despite, if he wanted, he had enough time to help Orffyreus as he lived on for six more years, so the only reason why he could not do anything to promote this matter was his diplomacy. It was a terrible mistake that the machine did not arouse Newton’s interest for the service of science, otherwise things would have worked out very differently.�

Deva Ramananda said that Newton took no interest in Orffyreus’ Machine and did not reply to s Gravesande letter however, there is another side to the whole story. South Sea stock market crashed in his time and it appears that his monetary loss might have moved Newton to take interest in Orffyreus machine. It is reported that Newton lost 20000 pounds in stock market crash, the same amount Orffyreus demanded to sell his machine? It was a huge amount equivalent to about £3 million in present day terms.

Wikipaedia states:

“Due to his income from the Mint Newton became very wealthy, although he lost a substantial sum in the collapse of the South Sea Bubble. Newton's niece Catherine Conduitt reported that he "lost twenty thousand pounds. Of this, however, he never much liked to hear…"[19] This was a fortune at the time (equivalent to about £3 million in present day terms[20]), but it is not clear whether it was a monetary loss or an opportunity cost loss.�

Further, we have information that indicates that Newton was far from being an altruist who would sincerely devout himself to promote cause of science. It appears that “Spy Mission� to rob the secret, and his entire involvement in the case of Orffyreus was due to his vested interest only. In his article Simon Schaffer has also revealed that Isaac Newton was a major investor in South Sea stock market that crashed around 1721 i.e. known as South Sea Bubble. Everyone knows how the loss of money in stock market causes conflict, stress, fear, anxiety, confusion and so on. When Newton learned about Orffyreus machine, may be, he hoped that if some how he could con Orffyreus and know the secret, perpetual motion would bring automatic profits to recover his losses in South Sea Bubble.

Simon Schaffer writes:

“During high summer 1721, while rioters and bankrupts gathered outside Parliament, Robert Walpole's new ministry forced through a bill to clear up the wreckage left by the stock-market crash, the South Sea Bubble, and the visionary projects swept away when it burst. In early August the President of the Royal Society Isaac Newton, a major investor in South Sea stock, and the Society's projectors, learned of a new commercial scheme promising apparently automatic profits, a project for a perpetual motion. Their informants were a young Viennese courtier Joseph Emmanuel Fischer von Erlach, a contact of Desaguliers recently engaged in industrial espionage in northern England, and the Leiden physics professor Willem 'sGravesande, who had visited London five years earlier. They reported that they had been summoned to a remarkable series of demonstrations in the castle of Weissenstein, the seat of the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. In a carefully guarded room of the castle there was set up a hollow wooden wheel covered in oilcloth, about 12 feet in diameter and 18 inches thick on an axle 6 feet in length. Its designer, a Saxon engineer and clockmaker Johann Bessler, who traveled Germany under the name Orffyreus, had been in Kassel for four years, published schemes for perpetual motion and been appointed commercial councillor. The Landgrave, well-known as a patron of advanced engineering schemes, commissioned him to build a new machine and put it on show before expert witnesses.�

Above facts raise reasonable doubt about integrity of Newton along with his appointed informers and allies, who under pretext of examination or negotiation to sell the machine wanted to grab the secret of machine by hook or crook. Probably, in time, Orffyreus became alert and well aware of the intentions of Newton including his sycophant Gravesande and rest of the gang. During the examination of his wheel at the castle of Weissenstein, may be, Orffyreus smelled that s’ Gravesande was as an agent of Newton under a dangerous mission to steal his secret, he stopped answering anything vital about the working mechanism of his machine that could have divulged the secret completely. So we can see that there is much more to the sad story as to why Orffyreus destroyed his Weissenstein wheel. I think it was not only the ‘impertinent curiosity of s’ Gravesande’ as popularly reported by historians but may be, a timely smell of a conspiracy hatched by Newton that offended Orffyreus, eventually, these circumstances caused Orffyreus to destroy his wheel at Weissenstein Castle on 16th August 1721.

Newton’s niece Catherine Conduitt probably never understood completely the reasons why uncle Newton was very reluctant to talk about his losses. Besides share market losses, many things were also involved as already stated above. Uncle Newton neither told her niece about his real intentions and how he failed to cheat Orffyreus, nor did his niece Catherine Conduitt ever had any opportunity to learn from anyone else the rest of the story how “Mission s’ Gravesande� secretly appointed by Newton also failed, consequently, with ruins of Orffyreus’ wheel. So everything is not on the record but reasons are pretty clear why Newton never liked to discus and hear about his losses with anyone, not even with his niece. So, the reasons for Newton’s silence over the losses is obvious, we can understand now, what else and what more his niece could have told to anyone except telling that his uncle Newton “lost twenty thousand pounds. Of this, however, he (Newton) never much liked to hear…" Newton’s silence reminds us the principle of psychology formulated by the psychologist E. L. Thorndike (1874-1949) that actions that lead immediately to pleasure are remembered and repeated, eventually fossilizing into habits, whereas actions leading to pain or failure are suppressed or avoided, so it is human nature that no one would like to hear about his failures…and so Newton too “never much liked to hear (as his auntie remarked)……..about his losses and failures that included share market loss as well as the failure of his plan to recover the loss by grabbing the secret of perpetual motion machine.

About Karl and Marie Amalie and their Romance

Collins Sir, my post has no connection with marriage of Karl and Marie Amalie and with the fact that Karl got married to Amalie by force as shown by you. Because of that reason, do you mean Karl was delighted upon the death of Amelia and do you think that all those lavish expenditures that were made in name of Amelia were due to a different reason other than love and memory? Well, I have speculated about Karl’s love and romance that might have developed between them later as evident by the fact that Karl gave free hand to Amalie to spend money lavishly on her projects. It is on record. It is also on the record that Landgrave was much grieved upon her death and he spent lavishly in her memory by raising many monuments. Alas! he couldn’t buy Bessler’s wheel- this, I wanted to say. So, yet I don’t know which error you want to correct and what facts I have fabricated.

I hope you will be satisfied with my clarification.

you stated:

I could go on but there are too many errors or unsubstantiated assumptions which add to the growing number of false facts associated with Bessler.

You should point out specifically what false facts I have presented here and added through my speculations or assumptions. I believe that I have tried to establish the fact that Bessler didn't receive the require support that Newton may be the master mind and the last but not the least that perpetual motion violates the law of conservation of energy so God created the universe out of nothing. Sorry sir, I find no fabrication in my post. Sir, it is unfortunate they you failed to see what I wanted to communicate.

Collins Sir, in my all previous posts, if you read them you must have found that through my speculations, I have heavily criticized the law of conservation of energy, and some of the most able members of the forum have appreciated me, thanks to them. In my life, one of my main desires is to see that the false principle of conservation of energy hurtle to the ground by death blow of perpetual motion, and I would constantly strive for that.

With best regards,

Sincerely yours,

P-M

[primemignonite]

I must say that this thread is evolving into quite a work-in-progress indeed!

First and most paramount of all . . .

Perpetual Motionist - I don't know where to begin so I'll not even try, other than to express thanks aplenty for your interweaving of facts and speculations, as so nicely done. Fascinating - I found them all to be. This kind of thing can only serve to spur-on the blooming of good and useful thought.

It is so that, necessarily and eventually, conspiracy would have to factor into the Orffyeran picture. (Honestly now, how could it not?)

The Besslerian/Karolian era was certainly prefatory action to all the colorful goings-on to come, in the Hessian Landgraviate, soon after to become a principality.

Adding most merrily to all such-like, as you have so far outlined P-M, would be that great Masonic congress eventually to be held at Wilhemsbade; the wicked though ever colorful Baron Knigge; the monumentally important entrance of the then flowering Great Rothschild Money Power of Fankfurt-am-Maine and, of course, the marvelously infamous Bavarian Illuminati!

What MORE could possibly be included so as to perfect any suspicion that 'all was not right' in the Landgraviate?

(Well hell, let me think: . . . did maitre Caglistro ever make it to there? All the others seem to have, so why not him?)

Yes! The more one looks; the more one sees!

(Hideous IS as hideous DOES!

Given that truism, then is it any wonder that most choose to not see any dots for the connecting, and thus do aid and abet that which might better be exposed to the light for proper and right treatment, for prevention of further festering?

In case it may have escaped our notice severally or individually, "our" respective governments are descending into states of Satanic paranoid savagery utterly, step-by-step-by-step! Oh yes, DO let us pay it no heed and SEE what happens in the final cut! For long we'll not have to wait, chappies!)

It is so.

The possibilities of this, that or the other thing having transpired conspiratorially, actually, so as to have made this that or the other like occurrence occur, is too painfully obvious to the not already prejudicially blinded (i.e. the purposefully mind-deadened; that gros ignobilité' - the belly-crawling, clueless majority of us.)

Although doubtless it is true that very many would likely prefer to dismiss such grayer aspects of The Bessler Wheel Story, I suspect that it was part-and-parcel of it, and most intensely so.

Also for possible factoring into the fun, P-M, might not those rascally Jesuits be likely candidates as well?

Once, I read somewhere that, from the very outset, they were most interested in the possibility of the advent of perpetual motion and, did follow rumors of such as they manifested. Did you ever?

The history you have related as to the development of the Orangerie and the landscaping and temple assortment, is yet more that's fascinating.

Every single bit of the like does serve to bring to life once again, for better or worse, Bessler's world of lightness and dark.

There is much that I've not addressed here but should have. For this omission I apologize. As remedy, more shall sprinkle from my conucopia later.

And to close . . .

Having mentioned elsewhere that necessary task assumed both by Ovyyus and Fletcher at working hard to keep us all honest, to them I would add the name John Collins' as well, making it - YES! - a Trio! (Let us key it a C-sharp minor!)

Regarding translations of myriads of things-written and ostensibly too mysterious still, that would be scholar Stewart's province, giving us thus a Quartet In Honesty! (And this one a G-sharp, sounding a nice 'onward and upward'!)

As-ever, to you all . . .

CHEERS & All the Best(s)!

James

[John Collins]

I mean no disrespect and I can't say this in any other way so no offence intended but...PM, I, too, have speculated many times and been criticised for not defining sufficiently what was speculation and what was fact. It's a fair criticism and I try to separate the two.

My speculation has been restricted to interpreting what I regard as Bessler's clues - those items of both a graphic and textual nature which I think Bessler deliberately left to enable us to reconstruct his wheel.

I can't see the point of your inordinately long, rambling posts about what you believe people emoted which appear to derive from your own imagination and upon which you speculate with no basis of fact.

I also believe your posts would be much more reader-friendly if you cut their length by at least half and preferably by more.

JC

[jim_mich]

I agree with John Collins.

Long posting are very difficult to read. I would suggest that only one or at most just a few subjecs be discussed in any one post.

P-M, it is not clear in your post as to what is speculation and what is fact. You jumble them all together. I find most of your speculation unfounded in fact. Such as:

Suppose Gartner had a bad eye upon Bessler’s wife, and during a fighting Bessler caused Gartner crippled, then, if this happened I would have no problem in understanding the motive, reasons for the conspiracy. I want to know actually if any personal reason like this existed. If nothing is on record, and we are unable to prove any sound reason, proper motive/ cause behind the conspiracy, it would definitely leave room for other speculations. Since I do not know that Bessler and Gartner had any personal enmity like the one I exemplified by my supposition, I would like to find the next most suspect , most wanted character that I have I have speculated to be Newton because evidence presented in the following part led me to have many doubts on the Newton.

If you read JC's book, you would know why Gartner and his friend were so against Bessler. It is the same today as back then. Perpetual motion is considered to be impossible by intelligent people. Along comes Bessler claiming a perpetual motion machine. He initially thought people with money would pay a hefty sum for such an amazing invention. Note that Bessler never claimed it to be a gravity wheel, but everyone, including Gartner and Wagner assumed it to be a gravity wheel. Bessler admitted that his wheel had 'weights' that provided the rotational force. And like most forum members, Bessler's enemies assumed that because it gained its power from weights, that it was must be a gravity wheel. Bessler's enemies were well educated. They were outraged that this peasant by the name of Bessler would claim to have invented a perpetual motion wheel, in their words, a gravity wheel, for it was well known even back then by scholars that gravity is conservative. What goes down must be lifted back up in an enclosed wheel, and this fact renders gravity wheels impossible. So Bessler's enemies jumped to the conclusion that Bessler's wheel must be a hoax and Bessler must be a fraud. Bessler claimed he had discovered true perpetual motion. He never claimed it was a gravity wheel. (Most people fail to understand this fact.) Wagner explained in great detail why gravity could not be used to power Bessler's wheel. And Bessler's reply was that Wagner was right, and that he (Bessler) was also right. The reason for this is very simple. Wagner and company kept claiming that Bessler's gravity wheel was impossible because of how gravity acts, while Bessler kept his secret and only claimed that his wheel was a true perpetual motion machine.

This is the reason for the conflict between Bessler and his enemies. Each believed the other to be dishonest. Wagner and company knew for a fact that gravity wheels where impossible, so they assumed Bessler to be a fraud. Bessler, it seems, knew for a fact that his wheels were perpetual motion, and could turn forcefully until they wore themselves out. But until Bessler got paid for his invention, he was left at a disadvantage since he would not reveal his wheel until he was paid. Count Karl helped Bessler by giving him some protection from his enemies while Bessler sought a buyer.

So there is no need to speculate about Bessler's enemies messing with Bessler's wife. The reasons for the hatred was well known.

[Perpetual Motionist]

Hi daxwc

You stated:

You don’t have to change Bessler birth date as it is highly likely Karl was a Rosicrucian, Mason or some small affiliated society…..

I had only faint idea that Karl himself was a Rosicrucian, Mason. Thanks daxwc, your gave correct information, it will definitely excite new speculations in my crazy mind.

You stated:

There seems maybe to be an Eastern link to the wheel, can I ask where you got the information from or is it your own speculation? Do you think it is a reliable source if it is an old tale?

Many articles and websites mention that Idea of perpetual motion went to Europe from India. I don’t think they are the reliable sources. I also do not find any direct evidence, but there is highly suggestive evidence that shows an eastern link to the wheel, that Hg wheel and clepsydra might have diffused to Europe along with other technology. Many historians of repute mention this fact. In his article ‘Islamic and Christian Spain in the Early Middle Ages- part two- Movement of Ideas and Techniques’, Author Thomas F. Glick remarks:

“In general, the movement of technological diffusion in the high Middle Ages followed a trajectory from China and India to the West, through the mediation of Persia, which was also a hearth of technological innovation.�

Are you referring to the working mechanism of the gravity wheel related to Indian astronomers? As far as I know, they offered no explanation of the Hg gravity wheel in order to keep knowledge secret. They emphatically mention about that.


Looking to the fact that Indian astronomers were the first discoverers of perpetual motion with a sound foundations of astronomy, mathematics and philosophy, and that they have had an age old pedigree of perpetual motion begining from Vedic times, I agree with rest of authors who claim idea of perpetual motion as heritage of India. However, historian George Sartan view may be equally true. As regards to diffusion of knowledge from one society to other, anthropologists hold different opinions. George Sartan is of the view that simultaneity of triumphs is accounted for by the simultaneity of the needs. Our ancestors were trying to solve the same problems everywhere and they drew inspiration and information from the same sources. Various instances from history of science also tell the same story. The absence of the any direct or hard evidence leaves room for speculation that idea of perpetual motion may have been independently originated in Europe. There are competing theories as to how knowledge diffused from one civilization to other. Various ideas were common in different civilizations that make it difficult to decide which civilization originally produced them.

Best regards,

Sincerely yours,

P-M