The draining of the English Fens was one of the largest and most expensive agricultural improvement projects undertaken in early-modern England. Though the principal motivation was to make money from the improved land, many advocates of fen drainage emphasized the moral, utopian dimension of such projects, part of a much broader program for improvement and reform of all kinds to benefit the English Commonwealth. To those interested in pursuing good husbandry and agricultural improvement for their own sake, the Fens represented an unparalleled opportunity, a region of great potential yet unrealized. This article examines several texts advocating fen drainage written between 1580 and 1660, especially those published by Samuel Hartlib and his extensive network of correspondents, with particular attention to the non-financial reasons they gave for undertaking such projects.

中文翻译：

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开垦新世界：17 世纪英格兰的排水、改良和投影仪


英国沼泽地的排水是近代早期英格兰进行的最大和最昂贵的农业改良项目之一。尽管主要动机是从改良后的土地中赚钱，但许多沼泽排水的倡导者强调了此类项目的道德和乌托邦维度，这是一项更广泛的各种改善和改革计划的一部分，以造福英联邦。对于那些为了自己的利益而追求良好的畜牧业和农业改良的人来说，沼泽地代表了一个无与伦比的机会，一个潜力巨大但尚未实现的地区。本文考察了 1580 年至 1660 年间撰写的几篇提倡分流排水的文章，尤其是由塞缪尔·哈特利卜 (Samuel Hartlib) 及其广泛的通讯员网络出版的文章