4. Man of the Moment

This chapter concentrates on the period from 1648 to 1658, which was marked by the end of monarchy, the Cromwellian protectorate, and no settled political governance. This was the high-water mark of Hartlib’s career. He retained most of his earlier friendships, but also recruited further associates, as before, many of them young and innovative. The first major section of this chapter is devoted to a reassessment of Hartlib as an educationist, the sphere in which he is most generally known. He certainly started with the expectation that the new regime would be the vehicle for the wholesale application of the educational system of Comenius. But it soon became apparent that nothing like this was possible. Faced with realities of the political and social situation, Hartlib shifted away from Comenius and his work, but retained an interest in all manner of schemes for improvement, mainly with respect to higher and technical education. He was also alert to the idea of breaking the monopoly of Oxford and Cambridge in the university system. Hartlib’s papers constitute a mine of information concerning educational innovators of all types, so confirming that the revolutionary period was outstanding for activity in the field of educational reform. In the sphere of technical innovation Hartlib’s papers are also rich in material regarding pioneering schemes for technical improvement. Many of the innocators were from humble backgrounds. Hartlib is notable for the care with which he recorded their projects. But his papers devote even more attention to the technical activities of key associates team, such as the above-mentioned Boyle, Petty and Worsley. This group particularly focused on chemistry as a vehicle for lucrative advances in the applied sciences. In the technical sphere, Hartlib’s involvement was active but mainly unrecorded in publications. But in the field of husbandry, Hartlib established a prolific publishing record, which has led the1650s to be is described as the Age of Hartlib. Hartlib’s wider record keeping furnishes convincing evidence that this period anticipated most of the improvements associated with the so-called Agricultural Revolution of the eighteenth century. In conclusion, it is clear that that the partnership inspired by Hartlib were not only concerned with piecemeal innovations, but were self-consciously laying the foundations of policy designed to fuel both general economic growth and Britain’s imperial expansion.