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industrial biography-第9节

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apartment。PARKES' Essays; 1841; p。 495。

 。。。'

Long after Andrea de Ferrara's time; the Scotch swords were famous

for their temper; Judge Marshal Fatten; who accompanied the

Protector's expedition into Scotland in 1547; observing that 〃the

Scots came with swords all broad and thin; of exceeding good temper;

and universally so made to slice that I never saw none so good; so I

think it hard to devise a better。〃  The quality of the steel used for

weapons of war was indeed of no less importance for the effectual

defence of a country then than it is now。  The courage of the

attacking and defending forces being equal; the victory would

necessarily rest with the party in possession of the best weapons。



England herself has on more than one occasion been supposed to be in

serious peril because of the decay of her iron manufactures。  Before

the Spanish Armada; the production of iron had been greatly

discouraged because of the destruction of timber in the smelting of

the orethe art of reducing it with pit coal not having yet been

invented; and we were consequently mainly dependent upon foreign

countries for our supplies of the material out of which arms were

made。  The best iron came from Spain itself; then the most powerful

nation in Europe; and as celebrated for the excellence of its weapons

as for the discipline and valour of its troops。  The Spaniards prided

themselves upon the superiority of their iron; and regarded its

scarcity in England as an important element in their calculations of

the conquest of the country by their famous Armada。  〃I have heard;〃

says Harrison; 〃that when one of the greatest peers of Spain espied

our nakedness in this behalf; and did solemnly utter in no obscure

place; that it would be an easy matter in short time to conquer

England because it wanted armour; his words were not so rashly

uttered as politely noted。〃  The vigour of Queen Elizabeth promptly

supplied a remedy by the large importations of iron which she caused

to be made; principally from Sweden; as well as by the increased

activity of the forges in Sussex and the Forest of Dean; 〃whereby;〃

adds Harrison; 〃England obtained rest; that otherwise might have been

sure of sharp and cruel wars。  Thus a Spanish word uttered by one man

at one time; overthrew; or at the leastwise hindered sundry privy

practices of many at another。〃  *

 'footnote。。。

HOLINSHED; History of England。  It was even said to have been one of

the objects of the Spanish Armada to get the oaks of the Forest of

Dean destroyed; in order to prevent further smelting of the iron。

Thus Evelyn; in his Sylva; says; 〃I have heard that in the great

expedition of 1588 it was expressly enjoined the Spanish Armada that

if; when landed; they should not be able to subdue our nation and

make good their conquest; they should yet be sure not to leave a tree

standing in the Forest of Dean。〃NICHOLS; History of the Forest of

Dean; p。 22。

 。。。'

Nor has the subject which occupied the earnest attention of

politicians in Queen Elizabeth's time ceased to be of interest; for;

after the lapse of nearly three hundred years; we find the smith and

the iron manufacturer still uppermost in public discussions。  It has

of late years been felt that our much…prized 〃hearts of oak〃 are no

more able to stand against the prows of mail which were supposed to

threaten them; than the sticks and stones of the ancient tribes were

able to resist the men armed with weapons of bronze or steel。  What

Solon said to Croesus; when the latter was displaying his great

treasures of gold; still holds true:   〃If another comes that hath

better iron than you; he will be master of all that gold。〃  So; when

an alchemist waited upon the Duke of Brunswick during the Seven

Years' War; and offered to communicate the secret of converting iron

into gold; the Duke replied:   〃By no means:  I want all the iron I

can find to resist my enemies:  as for gold; I get it from England。〃

Thus the strength and wealth of nations depend upon coal and iron;

not forgetting Men; far more than upon gold。



Thanks to our Armstrongs and Whitworths; our Browns and our Smiths;

the iron defences of England; manned by our soldiers and our sailors;

furnish the assurance of continued security for our gold and our

wealth; and; what is infinitely more precious; for our industry and

our liberty。





CHAPTER II。



EARLY ENGLISH IRON MANUFACTURE。



〃He that well observes it; and hath known the welds of Sussex; Surry;

and Kent'; the grand nursery especially of oake and beech; shal find

such an alteration; within lesse than 30 yeeres; as may well strike a

feare; lest few yeeres more; as pestilent as the former; will leave

fewe good trees standing in those welds。  Such a heate issueth out of

the many forges and furnaces for the making of iron; and out of the

glasse kilnes; as hath devoured many famous woods within the

welds;〃 JOHN NORDEN; Surveyors' Dialogue (1607)。





Few records exist of the manufacture of iron in England in early

times。  After the Romans left the island; the British; or more

probably the Teutonic tribes settled along the south coast; continued

the smelting and manufacture of the metal after the methods taught

them by the colonists。  In the midst of the insecurity; however;

engendered by civil war and social changes; the pursuits of industry

must necessarily have been considerably interfered with; and the art

of iron…forging became neglected。  No notice of iron being made in

Sussex occurs in Domesday Book; from which it would appear that the

manufacture had in a great measure ceased in that county at the time

of the Conquest; though it was continued in the iron…producing

districts bordering on Wales。  In many of the Anglo…Saxon graves which

have been opened; long iron swords have been found; showing that

weapons of that metal were in common use。  But it is probable that

iron was still scarce; as ploughs and other agricultural implements

continued to be made of wood;one of the Anglo…Saxon laws enacting

that no man should undertake to guide a plough who could not make

one; and that the cords with which it was bound should be of twisted

willows。  The metal was held in esteem principally as the material of

war。  All male adults were required to be provided with weapons; and

honour was awarded to such artificers as excelled in the fabrication

of swords; arms; and defensive armour。*

 'footnote。。。

WILKINS; Leges Sax。 25。

 。。。'



Camden incidentally states that the manufacture of iron was continued

in the western counties during the Saxon era; more particularly in

the Forest of Dean; and that in the time of Edward the Confessor the

tribute paid by the city of Gloucester consisted almost entirely of

iron rods wrought to a size fit for making nails for the king's

ships。  An old religious writer speaks of the ironworkers of that day

as heathenish in their manners; puffed up with pride; and inflated

with worldly prosperity。  On the occasion of St。  Egwin's visit to the

smiths of Alcester; as we are told in the legend; he found then given

up to every kind of luxury; and when he proceeded to preach unto

them; they beat upon their anvils in contempt of his doctrine so as

completely to deafen him; upon which he addressed his prayers to

heaven; and the town was immediately destroyed。*

 'footnote。。。

Life of St。  Egwin; in Capgrave's Nova Legenda Anglioe。  Alcester was;

as its name indicates; an old Roman settlement (situated on the

Icknild Street); where the art of working in iron was practised from

an early period。  It was originally called Alauna; being situated on

the river Alne in Warwickshire。  It is still a seat of the needle

manufacture。

 。。。'



But the first reception given to John Wesley by the miners of the

Forest of Dean; more than a thousand years later; was perhaps

scarcely more gratifying than that given to St。  Egwin。



That working in iron was regarded as an honourable and useful calling

in the Middle Ages; is apparent from the extent to which it was

followed by the monks; some of whom were excellent craftsmen。  Thus

St。  Dunstan; who governed England in the time of Edwy the Fair; was a

skilled blacksmith and metallurgist。  He is said to have had a forge

even in his bedroom; and it was there that his reputed encounter with

Satan occurred; in which of course the saint came off the victor。



There was another monk of St。  Alban's; called Anketil; who flourished

in the twelfth century; so famous for his skill as a worker in iron;

silver; gold; jewelry; and gilding; that he was invited by the king

of Denmark to be his goldsmith and banker。  A pair of gold and silver

candlesticks of his manufacture; presented by the abbot of St。

Alban's to Pope Adrian IV。; were so much esteemed for their exquisite

workmanship that they were consecrated to St。  Peter; and were the

means of obtaining high ecclesiastical distinction for the abbey。



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