SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN PELL. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4278, fol. 168. Orig.] Worthie Sir, It is so longe since I hearde from you that I doute my letters which I last writ to you, came not to your handes. I sent you inclosed in one of them the answeare which I receaved from Auspurge concerning Reyeta’s glass, and allso my desire that you would be pleased to enquire of Reyeta, who I heare is at Antwerp, of what conditions one of his glasses may be had. I suppose some merchant of your acquaintance will doe so much for your sake. I have latelie had some discourse with Doctor Jungius and Mr. Tassius; douteless they are both verie learned men. I was at Doctor Jungius his house, where he shewed me manie treatises of his owne in manuscript, videlicet, De Locis Planis, De Motu Locali, staticks, hydrostaticks, and some observations of insects. I have as greate an opinion of his abilities as of anie mans. I finde he is not yet minded to print anie thinge, but I hope hereafter he will, and I despaire not in the meane time but he will imparte somewhat to me. I asked Mr. Tassius (as you desired me) his opinion of your refutation of the Dane, who aproves of it, and that you doe it without helpe of the Table of Tangents. I writ in some of my last letters to knowe if Cavalieros worckes and Sethus Calvisius of musick were to be had. Sir, I have no more at this time, but wisshing you all happiness remaine Your assured friend to serve you, SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN PELL. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4278, fol. 175. Orig.] Worthie Sir, I give you manie thankes for your letter of the #8 of this month. I am glad to heare you meane not to trouble your self with Longomon. more than as an appendix to some of your intended worckes, which I jo longe much to see, whatsoever it be, especiallie if it be of analytycks. I give you also manie thankes for your inquirie of Reieta, and hope shortelie to heare from you whether there be anie hopes to procure one of his best glasses. I am glad he will print somewhat howe to make them. Who that is that makes those excellent glasses in England, I know not. I should have guessed him to have bin Hammilton, who was generall of the artillerie to Leslei, but you write him Haman, whom I have not heard of, but I hope heereafter wee may procure one of-them. I am sorie Calvusius cannot be had, I shall not yet trouble you for the other, but returne you manie thankes for your inquirie of them. I am now growne into some aquaintance with Doctor Jungius, who is pleased to visit me commonlie twice a weeke, and to imparte to me some of his conceptions de motu locali; wee are yet but in the definitions, which are verie well expressed ; he hath allso imparted to me divers theorems on the same subject, but not demonstrated them, but I doute not but he can and will, after he hath laied foundation enough in definitions and axiomes to builde upon. I am sorie l lost so much time before I was aquainted with him, but I shall-endevoure to redeeme it during my staie heere. And so hoping to heare shortelie from you, and wisshing you all happiness, I rest Your assured friend to serve you, CHARLEs CAve NDYsshe. SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN DELL. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4278, fol. 177, Orig.] Antwerp, March 26, olde style. Worthie Sir, Not to trouble you with more particulares of oure journei than that at Rotterdam Sir William Boswell came to us, whom I found to be that which I supposed him formerlie to be, a discreete, civill gentleman. I perceive he thinkes Monsieur de Cartes his last booke to be full of fancie, though he esteemes much of him. Heere I mett with Sir Kenelm Digbie's booke, but had no time to reade it all; but it apeares to me to have some things in it extraordinarie. Wee met heere with the famous Cappuchin Rieta, his booke is nowe in the press heere allmost finished. , Hee solves the aparences of the planetes by excentricks, without aequants or epicicles, and yet not according to Copernicus system of the worlde. He teaches allso in this booke the making of his newe tellescope; his tube for his best glass was spoiled so that wee could not see it, but wee sawe another made by his directions, but had not the oportunitie of looking at a convenient object far distant, but as I guess it is not better than myne, it represents objects even. I had not discourse enough with him alone to aske him manie quaeres, but douteless he is an excellent man and verie courteous, and I found him free and open in his discourse to me. He saies he can easilie and infalliblie finde the longitude, but he discovers not that in this booke. He saies the satellites of Jupiter are little sunns, and divers other novelties he hath observed, manie of which he will not discover in this booke. I have no more nowe to trouble you with, but to desire that you will thinke of publishing some of your rarities, especiallie in the analitickes. And so wisshing you all happiness, I remaine Your assured friend and servant, CHARLEs CAvex DYssh E. Wee are nowe going towardes Bruxells. SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN PELL. Worthie Sir, I give you manie thankes for your letter, which I received yesterdaie, and since things goe not so well in England, I am glad you are so well placed for the present, for I suppose it a place of good means as well as of honor; yet I hope by the grace of God wee shall one daie meet in England, and live more happilie there than ever wee did. I thinke wee shall remaine a whyle in this towne, and so be deprived of the happiness of your conversation but by letter, which I desire you will be pleased sometimes to afford me at your best leasure. I desire you will doe me the favoure to send me one of De Cartes his new bookes, De Principiis Philosophiae, without anie addition of his olde worckes, except he hath either added or altered something in the matter; I desire you will let me knowe the price of it, and howe I maye with most convenience returne monie to you, for I am likelie to trouble you for more bookes. I praye you let me knowe whether Mr. Warner's Analogicks be printed. I hope you proceed in your intended worcke of Amaliticks, which if you doe not, I beseech you doe, and finish it with all convenient speed; for I confess I expect not anie absolute worcke in that kinde, but from yourself. I praye let me knowe what new inventions are extant in the mathematicks latelie, if anie. And so wisshing you all happiness, I rest Your assured freind to serve you, SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN PELL. Worthie Sir, Douting that my letter of last week came not to your handes, makes me nowe trouble you with this. I give you manie thankes for your letter, and am most glad that you are well and in so good a condition; I doute not but you have hearde the occasion of oure comming over, I take no pleasure to write it, nor I suppose you to reade it; Gods will be done, and to that I humblie submit. I desire you will be pleased to send me De Cartes De Principiis Philosophiae, and none of his olde bookes, except there be some addition or alteration. I desire your opinion of the late discoverie of newe stars; I see Gassendus doutes of it. I desire to knowe if Mr. Warner’s Analogicks be printed, and if there be any newe bookes of Analiticks, but I expect no greate advancement of Analitickes but by yourself, therefore I beseech you proceede in your intended worcke. I am likelie sometimes to trouble you for bookes, therefore I desire you will let me knowe howe I maye returne monie to you. I longe to see you. In the meantime I hope to converse by letters. I remaine Your assured freind to serve you, JOHN PELL TO SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4280, fol. 101.] Amsterdam, August 7, 1644. Right Honourable, Nine days agoe was your answere to mine left at my lodging by a man that would have nothing for postage. Had I seene him, perhaps I might have learned some conveniency of sending backe to you againe, so that my letters might be lesse chargeable than if they come thus single to you by the ordinary poste. I had sent you Des Cartes his new booke forthwith, if your letter had given me direction how to convey it to you; which, seeing you have not done, I resolve to send it to Hamburg by the next ship, to be left for you either at Berthold Offermans, a booksellers; or else, at some other friends house which I shall signify by letter. Though the title-page of the other part tell us that it is ab auctore perlecta variisque in locis emendata, yet I have given orders to leave it out, and to binde his Principia Philosophiae apart for you; whereby halfe the price is abated. I suppose I shall have it to-morrowe, and then I shall soone finde some ship to send it by : for such opportunittes betweene this towne and Hamburg are very frequent. Des Cartes himself is gone into France. Monsieur Hardy tells us, in a letter lately written, that Des Cartes met him in Paris, and blamed him for offering so much mony to our Arabicke professor at Utrecht, for his Arabicke manuscript of Apollonius. Which Mr. Hardy interprets as a signe of envy in Des Cartes, as being unwilling that we should esteeme the ancients, or admire any man but himselfe for the doctrine of lignes courbes. But I think France alone will afford me argument for a large letter, and therefore I leave it till the next time. Come we therefore to England. And first for Mr. Warner's Analogickes, of which you desire to know whether they be printed. You remember that his papers were given to his kinsman, a merchant in London, who sent his partner to bury the old man: himselfe being hindred by a politicke gout, which made him keepe out of their sight that urged him to contribute to the parliament's assistance, from which he was exceedingly averse. So he was looked upon as one that absented himselfe out of malignancy, and his partner managed the whole trade. Since my comming over, the English merchants heere tell me that both he and his partner are broken, and now they both keepe out of sight, not as malignants, but as bankrupts. But this you may better inquire among our Hamburg merchants. In the meane time I am not a little afraid that all Mr. Warner's papers, and no small share of my labours therein, are seazed upon, and most unmathematically divided between the sequestrators and creditors, who (being not able to ballance the account where there appeare so many numbers, and much troubled at the sight of so many crosses and circles in the superstitious Algebra and that blacke art of Geometry) will, no doubt, determine once in their lives to become figure-casters, and so vote them all to be throwen into the fire, if some good body doe not reprieve them for pye-bottoms, for which purposes you know analogicall numbers are incomparably apt, if they be accurately calculated. I cannot tell you much better news of my analyticall speculations, of the finishing of which you desire to heare. I came over hither in December last, not bringing any of my |