"groped in the dark, misled by many an ignis fatuus, but nature has a weak side, if we can only find it out."

"one of the most ingenious, simple pieces of mechanism I have contrived."

"About 6 or 8 years ago My Ingenious friend Mr John Robinson having [contrived] conceived that a fire engine might be made without a Lever—by Inverting the Cylinder & placing it above the mouth of the …"

"In the mean time do all you can to cure him of Bashfullness which will ruin him in this impudent age; but beware he be not led into the opposite vice of self conceit or arrogance which is 1000 times w…"

"I can think of nothing else than this machine."