From Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. 'he said perhaps I might wonder to see him employed in a Project for improving Speculative Knowledge by Practical and Mechanical Operations[...]Every one knew how laborious the usual method is of attaining to Arts and Sciences; whereas by his contrivance, the most ignorant person at a reasonable charge, and with a little bodily labour, may write Books in Philosophy, Poetry, Politicks, Law, Mathematicks and Theology, without the least assistance from genius or Study'. The machine was operated by students who would rotate the blocks contaning words until ingenious phrases appeared.