“ This serves to show that the τοπος αναλυομενος of the Alexandrian school still held its sway in the minds of foreign mathematicians, notwithstanding the writings of Vieta and Descartes; but we find no traces in this country of its influence over the new analysis before the time of Robert Simson, that is, nearly a century afterwards.
The science of the seventeenth century possessed one feature which is now obsolete, and which probably contributed, in a great measure, to preserve and foster a taste for analytics. ”

“ It is true I have in mine own hands an imperfect astronomical manuscript of six sheets of paper, entitled Hypothesis Francelidinis, said to be a piece of a great work of Vieta's, called by him Harmonicum Celeste, which may, perhaps, be found complete in France, whence mine came. I have been told here that the Englishman that, at the time of Vieta's death, served him as a scribe, under the counterfeit name of John Poltrier, being kindly offered by Vieta's heirs to take what he pleased to keep as a remembrance of him, took not a leaf of any of his writings. ”

“ And it is not unknowen unto your Honour that the Latins receaving bothe the science of philosophie and phisike of the Grekes, do still for the most parte in all ther translacions use the Greke names, insomuche that, for the better understonding of them, one Otto Brumfelsius, a learned man, hathe writen a large booke intiteled, Onomasticon Medicinæ where he hathe these woordes, Res ipsas atque artium vocabula, scite, apposite, designateque efferre, atque ad Polycleti regulam (quod aiunt) exprimere, res est non minus difficilis quam gloriosa. ”

“ Before the publication of a very able and interesting paper on the early English mathematical and astronomical writers in the Companion to the British Almanac for 1837, written by Professor De Morgan, nothing had been attempted towards even a connected sketch of the scientific labours of our countrymen during the latter half of the sixteenth century. "Far from having," says Professor De Morgan, "such a work as those of Montucla or Delambre in our language, we have not even a chronological compendium like that of Weidler, Heilbronner, or Gerard Vossius." ”

“ But if it pleased God to put into your royall harte, bothe for his owne glorie, the glorie of your excellent Majestie, and your valiant nation and subjectes, to erecte some academy, or place of studdy and practice, for ingenious, pollitique and learned men, and apte artificers, as in a corporation or bodie pollitique, maintayned partly by your Majestie and partly by your nobillitie, your clergie, and your comons, for theis moste noble effectes. ”

“ As I knowe the divine sparke of knowleage that is in your honour, partely receaved of hym, will move yow to doo the like, sythe, to a philosophicall and vertuous man, there is nothing so delectable as to beholde the infinite poure and wisdome of God in his creatures, in the which his Deitie is not only visible, but in maner palpable, as sum philosophers have written. And as touching these matters, I have red a marvelous sentence in an olde written booke, where these woordes are written: Qui potest facere mediam naturam, potest creare mundos novos. ”

“ But as for mines of gold and silver, to be in England or Ireland, many have written and reported both of old tyme, and latter: as I think, your honor hath, ere this, hard abundantly discoursed. The value of a myne is a matter for a King's threasor; but a pot of two or three hundred pownds, &c., hid in the grownd, wall, or tree, is but the price of a good boke or instrument for perspective, astronomy, or som feat of importance. ”

“ I know most assuredly that this land never bred any man, whose accownt therin can evidently be proved greater than myne. I trust that this my simple speche, uttered in the record of my conscience, and with a sincere estimate both of myne and my predecessors doings, will not seme to your wisdome arrogantly vaunted; onely God can make the perswasion of the truth hereof to settle into the bottom of your lordships hart. And fearing to offend your honor any way, eyther with rude homelyness, or with superfluitie of wordes, I will cut of all such digressions ”

“ The which instrument doubtlesse, allthowgh it be of a divine invention, yet dothe this Michrocosmos so far surmount it, as nature passeth arte, and as motus animalis passeth motus violentus, for as the other is moved only by waight or wynde inclosed (as is seene in clockes and organs) so is this moved by the same spirite of life, wherby not only the heaven, but also all nature, is moved: whose mover is God hymselfe, as saithe St. ”

“ An arme pike which a weake man maye use or handle very reddily with such force as a man will not thincke, and the same pike will also become a very good shotte at all tymes. But when they come to the very pushe they be most terrible, bothe the shotte and the weapon. ”

“ A cariage in manner of a walle or curteyne to defende men from shotte in approchinge any sconse or other force, and wil be transformed into as many severall shapes of fortification as men will; and also be as tentes or lodginges drye above heade, and from the grounde, and also very offensyve, and of greate fury; whereof I wishe your excellente Majestie were furnished, but as secrette as I could keepe them in myne owne harte for some greate daye of service. ”

“ I must note unto your Lordship the name and argument of one strange boke, ihich, in old tyme, was in this land,—Pandulphus de meatibus terræ: qui cunctas venas, meatus, atque aditus subterraneos, conflexiones, specus, antra et interiora latibula, cavernulasque terrarum, porositates, profunditates, concavitatesque totius sæculi materialis, et ambitus subtus terram enumerat singillatim. ”

“ To make that smalle shotte shall doe greater execution then the shotte that hath hetherto bynne knowne; yet where 1000 are nowe shotte, and not 10 men fall, it will appeare, by good demonstration and experience, that 10 shotte of 1000 shall hardly misse, good orders beinge observed.
A newe invented targett of proofe.
A targett of proofe, with his rest and loope hole, whereby men are notably defended and encouraged to the attemptinge of manye greate matters in service. Tenne of theis targettes are sufficiente to defende an hundred shotte, as if they were behinde a walle. ”

“ A meanes whereby our plowe-horses, carte jades, and hackneys, maye be made to doe greater service in our owne countrey, then the launces, or argulaters, or any horsemen of other nations, can possibly be able to doe in their ordinary services. ”

“ Waters of purest substance from odours, flowers, fruites, and herbes, wholsomest, perfitest, and of greatest vertue, are first distiled by desensory, depured and rectified, clere as christall, with his owne onlie proper vertue; taste, and odor, contynuinge many yeares. One spoonefull is better then a gallon of other for any prynce, or noble person, or any that love their healthe; for medicyne inward or outward where other doe much more hurte then good, beinge unaptly distilled, and invenomed by the evill quallitie of mettalyne stilles, and other defectes. ”

“ Walter, one of your gentlemen, certefienge your honnour that it was founde in the digging of a quarry in the grounde of Mr. Robert Bowes of Aske in the Countie of Richemonde, soe neere unto his house there (upon the which he is nowe bestowinge greate coste in buildinges) that in the digging for the same owre his howse may be undermined. Howbeit there be other places thereaboute wherein the same owre, or the like, in good plentie might be serched and founde ”

“ And truely vulgar, obscure persons, as hosiers and tanners, can (by colour of seking assays of metalls, for the say master) enjoye liberty to content their fantasies to dig after dremish demonstrations of places, &c. ”

“ A firy chariott without horses to runne upon the battaile and disorder it, that no man shal be able to abide or come nighe the same, and wil be directed even as men will to tourne, to staye, or come directly backe upon any presente danger, or elles to followe and chase the enemye in their flighte. ”

“ Right Honorable,—As in your Lordshippes fframe astronomicall, for ornament the ffigures of the most notable constellations in this our visible hemisphere are pourtrayd, adourned with ther due number of hevenly lights; so, in the tables adjoyninge, are impressed sutche numbers as deliver by methode not vulgare the situations and habite which our moovable horizon and meridian, together with ther manifold configurations, with the twoo cheefe lights. Whereupon sundry conclusions, both pleasant for varietye of knowledge and necessary ffor common use, are grounded. ”

“ You may have opportunity allso to sayle over to Japan Iland, where you shall fynde Christen men, Jesuites of many cuntries of Christendom, and perhaps some Englishemen; at whose hands you may have great instruction and advise for our affayres in hand. ”

“ We have already intimated that this problem is attributed to the wrong person [3] , and we have since discovered a note in MS. Birch, 4411, which expressly states that it was "put by Colonel Titus, who had received it from Dr. Pell." The problem in the most general form is as follows:
Collins has given a solution which occupies fourteen closely written folio pages, and the more modern solutions have not been comprised in a much shorter compass. Wallis's solution is in the same manuscript. ”

“ Syth only the respecte of suche vertues as it hathe pleased yow to thinke commendable in me, hath moved your honour not only in maner to seeme carefull for me howe I maye hereafter with quietnesse spende my tyme in studie, as is my most desire ”

“ DR. JOHN DEE TO LORD BURGHLEY [1] .
[MS. Lansd. No. 19. Art. 38. Orig.]
Right honorable and my singuler good Lord,—Whereas of late your honor very favorably used me, considering your mervailous skantnes of leysor from very waighty matters and publick: I am now, therefore, most humbly to render thanks to your honor. Sins which tyme I have som whole dayes attended at London, hoping for your lordship comming thither. ”

“ And towarde my staie of livinge till that office shoulde fall, there was alowed unto me the ffee of the sincker of the stampes, being £20 by yere; and he that nowe exerciseth that place hath not other thing to live on but the half of my ffee. ”

“ Yf we recken from Wardhouse to Colgoyeve Iland 400 myles, for allmost 20 degrees difference, only of longitude, very nere east and west, and abowt the latitude of 702⁄3.
And from Colgoyeve to Vaygatz 200 myles, for 10 degrees difference (only in longitude) at 70 degrees of latitude allso.
And from Vaygatz to the promontory Tabin, being 60 degrees different in longitude; (the whole course or shortest distance betwene which two is allso east and west, in the latitude likewise of 70) are 1200 myles. Then is summa totalis from Wardhouse to Tabin, 600 leages or 1800 myles English. ”