my new Invention the making of Iron with Pit-cole, assuring myself in my Invention the loss to me could not be greater than others, nor so great, although my success should prove fruitless. But I found such success at first tryal as animated me, for at my tryal or blast. I made fron to profit with Pit-cole, and found Facere est addere Inventioni.
"After I had made a second blast and tryal, the fesibility of making Iron with Pit-cole and Sea-cole I found by my new invention, the quality to be good and profitable, but the quantity did not exceed 3 Tuns per week. After I had brought my Invention into some perfection, and profitable. I doubted not in the future to have advanced my Invention to make quantity also. Immediately after my second tryal. I wrote unto my Father what I had done, and withall desired him to obtain a Patient for it from King James of Blessed Memory; the Answer to which Letter I shall insert, only to shew the forwardness of King James in this his much animating the Inventor, as he did both Simon Sturtevant, John Rovenson, Doctor Jordaine and others."
* * * "Richard Parkes, à Parks-house, Esq., the Authour's Brother-in-law, about 1 year after the Pattent was granted, did carry for the Author much good merchantable Iron into the Tower, by King James's command to be tryed by all Artists, and they did very well approve of the Iron, and the said Parkshouse had a fowling Gun there made of Pit-cole Iron, with his name gilt upon the Gun, which Gun was taken from him by Colonel Levison, Governour of Dudley Castle, and never restored."
Dud Dudley had to run the gauntlet of bitter jealousies and obstacles on the part of the charcoal men, and shared much of the worst experience of inventors. In addition to these difficulties of contrary dispositions, he encountered a severe disaster the very next year after he obtained his patent, which he thus describes:
"There was so great a Flood that it not only ruinated the Authour's Iron-works, and inventions, but also many other men's
