Motus spontanei relatio

Motus spontanei, quem perpetuum vocant, decennio vestigati tandemque Dei ope evestigati historica relatio cum subjuncta fundamentorum hujus demonstratione mathematica et de construenda ex illis machina automata consultatione mechanica authore Johanne Nicomeo

A descriptive report on spontaneous motion, termed perpetual, investigated for ten years and with God’s help finally discovered, to which are appended a mathematical demonstration of the basis of the discovery and a mechanical guide to the construction of such a machine, by Johannes Nicomeus

Origin of the work:
  1642 England

Contents:

Comenius’ report on the state of work on so-called “perpetual motion”, which he completed during his visit to England in 1642. Thus far, four treatises written by Comenius on the subject of the perpetuum mobile are known, of which this one is lost, and two others from the Amsterdam period of 1656-1670 are unaccounted for – one written under the cipher MP (i.e. Motus perpetuus = perpetual motion) with over 500 pages and the other the Historia MP (History of MP), with over 600 pages. Only the De arte spontanei motus relatio (On the art of spontaneous motion) has survived, which Comenius wrote at Leszno in 1639 (see the entry for the De arte).

For further study see also:

J. A. Comenii Opera omnia, vol. 12. Prague 1978, pp358-367

J. V. Novák & J. Hendrich, Jan Amos Komenský, jeho život a spisy. Prague 1932, pp312-314

Jan Kumpera, J. A. Komenský, poutník na rozhraní věků. Prague & Ostrava 1992, pp219-221