the impairing of my credit amongst you was the cause of the differring of it so long, contrary to, I will not say, your promise, but my expectation. Wherein I accounted myself not a little wronged, yet not by you, but by some other, by whose means I had been so much discredited amongst you of that excellent society; whose good opinion of me I have ever yet esteemed, and so shall esteem ever while I live, as one of my greatest worldly comforts. Now for your reasons why you fear your transcripts will not answer mine expectation: first because it appears plainly to be only a mere translation which I supposed to be a paraphrase: I termed it so by reason of the clauses here and there inserted more than the text, and for illustration of the text, which is the property of a paraphrase; and I thought I might the boldlier so term it because Scaliger had likewise termed it before me, namely, in his Tract. de Emend. Temp., pag. 370, calling both the author Paraphrasten Arabem, and the translation itself, Paraphrasin. As for the words you transcribed out of the end of the preface of All Souls’ MS., to satisfy my demand concerning the author and antiquity of it: the antiquity of the Arabique was no part of my demand or doubt: as having seen the same long since, not only in the forealleged place of Scaliger, but before in Christman’s Appendix to Alfrugan, pag. 471, out of a MS. of the Palatine Library: neither yet the antiquity of the first Latin translation out of the Arabique: which, out of the same place, and also otherwise, is sufficiently known to have been procured by the Emperor Frederick the Second, sirnamed Siculus: but my demand was concerning the antiquity of your own particular copy of that translation. Nevertheless you have done well that you have transcribed those words touching the Arabic, and thank you for it. Concerning the second cause of your fear, namely the clause that Mr. Dr. Bainbridge gave you to understand I did especially aim at: neither did I ever tell him so much, nor any man else, neither is it true: neither doth that paraphrastical insertion, being either wholly or partly omitted in other MSS. or printed copies, make much either for or against the goodness of your own. But the clause which I did indeed especially aim at, and in regard whereof chiefly I did and do term your old Latin translation of the Almagest a paraphrase, is that immediately following those words cited by me in the top of the 32nd page of my Astronomy epistle, à circulo ad circulum, [antequam demonstraret], have both your transcripts: but as I have read it heretofore, because I could make no sense of the other, and thereupon made an annotation, which some of my learned friends have seen almost two years agone : ad stem, or jurta quem, or quod dirigent considerationes positas. Touching your two transcripts, I understand the fairer of them to be Mr. Warden’s own handwriting: for which I request you to return him from me many dutiful thanks; withal signifying unto him that I had not so little wit or manners either, as to wish himself to be at such pains: but used his name in my letter only because I supposed he knew best whom to employ about it. Concerning the point in controversy about the confounding or dividing of two of Hipparchus his vernal observations, I pray you return my commendations to your mathematic reader, whose I understand the other transcript to be, with many thanks likewise for his pains. And whereas in the marginal notes of your manuscript there is one against the vernal observations, which either I had not before marked, or else have since forgotten, namely, pro prima est secunda vel o: I desire him to send me word whether that appear to be of the same hand and antiquity with the other. Again, whereas in his transcript against those words, et post annum, transcribed in the text, but afterward blotted out again, there is moreover adjoined this marginal note, et post annum deleantur, whether that be the ancient censure of either of All Souls’ copies, the manuscript or the printed, or his own censure: because all those three words are quite left out of them both without any marginal note or censure at all. In a word, because the uncertainty which of the three copies he took for the ground of his transcript breeds some confusion to mine understanding of his diverse readings in the margin: I request him to be at so much the more pains as to transcribe all that concerns the same one or two vernal observations, being not half a score lines, from et post hoc, to fere per 5 horas, word for word, distinctly and severally out of all three copies, with such marginal notes as each of them have: and thereto to add the fourth, which I understand to be in Sir Henry Saville's Mathematic Library, and which, I doubt not, he may easily obtain in regard of his acquaintance with Mr. Briggs. . And to him I desire you both to have me heartily commended, thanking him for Vieta his Gregorian Calendar, which I received from him a se’nnight since: touching which I purpose, God willing (if my building hinder me not over much), to write unto him ere long. Meanwhile it is not the least cause of my writing unto you at this time, to signify unto him that I have received it, and good content with and by it. And thereupon I request you all three, namely Mr. Briggs, together with Mr. Miller (for that I have been given to un

derstand your mathematic lecturer's name is) and yourself, to have me commended to Mr. Bainbridge, with whom it seems you are familiarly acquainted; and tell him, whereas toward the end of his Vespers’ lecture, the last act, wherein he discoursed of the reformation of the year and calendar, he very sharply and bitterly inveighed against certain absurd periods, whereby some went about to restore the same: I desire to know (which I would further have asked himself, if I could have had any more speech with him, or with Mr. Briggs at that time) whether he meant mine or no? And if mine (because I know none other that hath insisted in the same course), what it is that mislikes him in them? whether they are not framed according to the right definition of a Period or Annus Magnus? or whether they be not sufficiently demonstrated, because without a diagramme, to whit, linear, and properly so termed? which then it will be his part to overthrow by instance, propounding some other briefer or better, of another manner and structure, than of Enneadecaeterides and Hendecaeterides: not Vieta's (consisting of 3400 Julian years), as great a mathematician as he was, and as well skilled in diagramms: which (if upon such a sudden, amidst the cluttering noise of my labourers about mine ears pulling down my house, and the hammering of my masons to build a new, I rightly conceive) to make a truly defined period, he must correct it by my rules, making it shorter by one whole month of 29 days than Vieta himself propounded: and so equalling it to eleven halfs of my great period together with my duodenarie period. Or whether he thinks not any period at all profitable or needful for the restoring of the year and calendar? But, and if my form of calendar displease him; it may please him to understand, that the calendar is not of the essence, but an accident to the period: as whereunto any form of either lunar or solar calendar may be accommodated; even the Julian itself: as I have well-nigh two years since declared in the preface of my three Diatribae, as some of my learned and worshipful friends can bear me witness: there being the same reason of the more ancient solar calendar of Dionysius Alexandrinus, and of the Augustan Alexandrinian, with twelve tricenary months, and five or six days appendices; more commodiously to be placed immediately before either equinox, or the aestine solstice. Hereof I desire an answer with as much convenient speed as you can procure it: and so I commit you to God’s gracious protection. Yours, Thom As LYDYAT.

To the right worshipful his ever honoured tutor, Sir Henry Martine, Judge of the Court of Admiralty, &c., in our Lord and Saviour Christ, health and prosperity of soul, body and whole estate.

Sir, My request unto you is to move Sir John Wolstenham (and whomsoever else you know likely, after so many defeates and discouragements, to give yet another essay towards the finding of the Northern passage to the west of America and the East Indies, so long sought for by our English nation,) to give entertainment to a scholar, the son of a citizen of London, being sorted with a good and discreet captain or master, a skilful pilot and well experienced in the northern icy seas, and some thirty or fourty other, honest, sober and industrious men, to give his best advice, and do his true and best endeavour, for the discovery of the coasts under the North pole, and within ten degrees round about, especially beyond it: and from those parts so discovered, with the trending of the land, and the channels and currents of the sea diligently observed, and the stopping and clearing thereof with and from the ice duly noted and marked, to find out the passages, and fittest passage to the aforementioned places. For which his endeavour and enterprize of discovery of those polar regions undertaken upon hope of good success through Almighty God’s gracious guidance, assistance and blessing, he demands the loan of thirteen hundred pounds to be presently (within this fourtnight) laid down for the payment of his debts, upon good security of lands and goods pawned to the value therof, for four years. Within which time, if the same Polar regions be discovered, then all those lands and goods to be clearly released and resigned to him and his assigns for his recompense, without repay of any money: or in case he die in the voyage, yet if by the occasion and means thereof the aforesaid discovery be made, the same recompense to be made in like manner to his lawful heirs according to his last will. But, and if it please God of His infinite mercy, that by the same means the Northern passage be found out as far as to New Albion discovered from the south by Sir Francis Drake on the west part of America, or Japan on the east of Asia; then, upon the ascertaining of such discovery, there shall be added to the former sum seven hundred pounds more, to be paid to him or his assigns by his will.

And in whatsoever plantations or colonies of the British nation hereafter propagated and established upon occasion of this discovery, that is to say, in those places, and by such passage; there shall be duly and truely paid the tenth in kind of all manner commodities whatsoever accrueing by sea or land, to the maintenance of an able ministry of God’s word, and schools of all manner of good learning, in the same. Lastly, upon the acceptance of this offer, there shall be given to the maker thereof, in way and manner of earns, a pair of the largest, newest and best globes, and twenty nobles in money, to the furnishing him with books of like argument, for the better performance thereof. So desireth (the 17th of October, 1626.) Your distressed old pupil, Thom As LYDYAT.

Concerning the motion that was made to me the other day by Sir D. D. about going to Constantinople with the new ambassador that is shortly to go thither; I do not desire it otherwise, than there to get a pass to travel to some of the principal cities in Greece, Natolia and Syria, and to Alexandria and Cairo; and thence by means of the patriarch of Alexandria and the Abasen pilgrims, that travel yearly that way to and from Jerusalem, to go in company with them into Ethiopia, unto mount Amara, to know the truth of what hath been reported touching the library there; and thereabouts to study in divinity, history, and astronomy. If this may be effected, I shall think myself much beholden to them, by whose means it is effected. But in the meantime I want fourty marks to print mine almanacks: and (I should have said first) to buy me a suit of apparel to defend me from the cold.

November 30th, 1626.

Thom As LY DYAT.

HENRY BRIGGS TO JOHN PELL.

[MS. Birch. 4395, Orig.] Merton College, October 25th, 1628. Good Mr. Pell,—I must acknowledge that I receyved your former letter, but my many occasions at that instant and my suddaine longe journey into the northe, not knowinge ether