SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN PELL. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4278, fol. 159, Orig.] Worthie Sir, Manye thankes for your letter, wherein you write that you have Apollonius 3 bookes of conicks in Arabick, more than wee had in the Greeck, and 36 authors more. I hope some of those are of the mathemathicks. Howsoever I dout not but they are worthie the press. I like extreamelie both the proposition and demonstration of Apollonius in your letter; and to my aprehension the expression of the same proposition in Mersennus his book is perplexed and no demonstration translated. I wonder Goleas hath not published it all this whyle; yet being nowe in your handes, I am not sorie he did not; for I assure myself wee shall nowe have it with more advantage than the loss of so much time. Though I doute not but your explication of Diophantus will put us in to a more sure waye of analiticks than formerlie, yet I suppose there is so much to be added and explained concerning analiticks that it will require a large volume, and I hope you continue your intention of publishing such a worke, which I beseech you thinke seriouslie of to publish with all convenient speede; for it is a worcke worthie of you. I have sent to inquire at Auspurge of the famouse Reieta, to procure me one of his best sorte of glasses, but I have yet no answeare. If your occasions will permit you, I shall take it as a favoure if you will visite my Lord Widdrington, nowe in his passage towardes France. And so wisshing you all happiness I remaine Your assured friend to serve you, SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN PELL. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4278, fol. 161, Orig.] Worthie Sir, Manie thankes for your letter and Gassendes his booke, which I received by Sir William Carnabye. I am of your opinion that Gassandes and De Cartes are of different dispositions, and I perceive Mr. Hobbes joines with Gassendes in his dislike of De Cartes his writings, for he utterlie mislikes De Cartes his last newe booke of philosophie, which by his leave I highlie esteem of. I am sorie the peevish Dane Severin diverts you from your better studies, for to my aprehension your refutation is full and plaine, and the proposition you builde on so obvious, that I thinke I could demonstrate it in 4 of an hour. I have not yet received answeare from Auspurge concerning Reita's glass, but I perceive Mr. Hobbes esteemes neither of his glass nor beleevs his discoveries, for he isjoined in a greate friendship with Gassendes. I writ to him Gassendes might be deceived as he was about the varieing of the perpendiculars; he excuses him what he can. Mr. Tassius is sick, but I perceive hee is verie courteous. I have not latelie seen Doctor Jungius, but I have a greate opinion of his abilities. I desire to knowe if all Bonaventura Cavallieros worckes be to be had, as allso Sethus Calvisius worckes of musick, for I sawe heere but some fragments which Mr. Tassius lent me. You will excuse me that I requite not your favoures for the present, as I desire I can onelie yet acknowledge them, but shall heereafter by the grace of God endevoure to requite them to my power. And so wisshing you all happiness I remaine Your assured friend to serve you, CHARLEs CAvex DYss H.E. SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN PELL. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4278, fol. 163, Orig.] Worthie Sir, I hope you have received my letter which I sent last weeke by my brother's servant. I have little to adde, but this inclosed concerning Reieta's glass. I desire you will be pleased to inquire if he be at Antwerp, and if he be, to inquire of him if one of those glasses maye be had both sooner and at an easier rate. I desire by your next to knowe if Bonaventura Cavelliero and Sethus Calvisius of musick be to be had. I hope you have done with the waiewarde Dane, that you maye returne to Apollonius and Diophantes, but especiallie to your owne analiticall worcke, which I extreamelie desire to see. Mr. Hobbes puts me in hope of his Y.". which he writes he is nowe putting in order, but feare that will take a longe time. I confess I regret much from him and yourself; Mr. Doctor Jungius and Mr. De Cartes I hope hath not yet done. I expect allso some rarities in analiticks and geometrie from Fermat and Robervall, so that I hope oure age will be famous in that kinde. And so wisshing you all happiness I remaine Your assured friend to serve you, CHARLEs CAvendysshe. SIR CHARLES CAVENDISH TO JOHN PELL. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4278, fol. 170, Orig.] Worthie Sir, I give you manie thankes for your letter of May 3, which I received not longe since. I writ to you a letter from hence a greate whyle since, in which was one inclosed to Doctor Jungius, and a proposition demonstrated by Mr. Hobbes, all which I hope you have received. I have as you desire procured not onelie the approbation but demonstration of your fundamentall proposition by Mr. Hobbes his meanes. Fermat is not in this towne, and Mersennus is on his waye hither, so that I knowe not whither to write to him. But I doute not but more handes with demonstrations might be procured if you desire it; I heare some of them wonder you would not publish a demonstration of it yourself. I tolde Mr. Hobbes I assured myself you coulde demonstrate it, and thought it more obvious than I perceive they thincke it. I am glad you are publishing of Appolonius and Diophantus, though if Goleas meane to publish his Appolonius, I could be content you forbore yours, his being the perfecter copie, and he having bin at some cost about it, though I doute we shall be loosers by it, for I beleeve your notes would abundantlie recompence the defect of your coppie. I have not yet seen Bullialdes Astronomie, but Mr. Hobbes thinckes he hath not much advanced oure knoweledge. Mydorgius hath publisshed nothing of late, nor anie of the rest more that I heare of. I hope you proceed with your analytickes, and that er longe you will publish it, for I expect not so much from anie man in that kinde as from yourself. I suppose you will one daye advance allso the doctrine of conickes and of other difficulties in geometrie. I knowe not when wee remove, nor whither; but when and wheresoever I remaine Your assured friend to serve you, JOHN PELL TO JOHN LEAKE. [MS. Birch, 4280, fol. 94. Original draft.] Mr. Leake, It is a yeare agoe since these inclosed papears were printed, and then upon this occasion. I found a booke of Longomontanus of 9 or 10 sheetes De Mensura Circuli, printed heere at Amsterdam since I came hither, but without my knowledge. I therefore thought good to give notice that it was done without my approbation, as knowing the measure to be false, as also to show a new way of refuting all those that make the circle's area and periphery too great. And such another way have I of refuting all those that make the circle’s area and periphery too little, if there be any such, for I doe not remember one example amongst all the foolish cyclometers that ever I saw. He that printed Longomontanus his booke, printed also my refutation, and that they might allwayes be joined, he added those numbers 73,74; for Longomontanus ends in 72. I caused these my papers to be dispersed among the mathematicians all over Europe. I hoped that of those which I sent so long since to London, one might have come to your hands, but I perceived yesterday by Mr. Sugar that you had not heard of it. I sent also one to Longomontanus, who answered ignorantly and scurvily; and upon occasion of a letter written by me to a friend in Denmarke, he has lately published a second reply not altogether so monstrous as the former. Mr. Sadler hath a coppy of his first reply and of the Paris professor's judgement of my refutation. I have received other mathematicians’ verdicts, onely I have as yet none out of England. My intent is to appeale the judgements of all those that by demonstrating 2 rot ro-fi T d) can shew themselves able to judge of such a controversy. Therefore by your meanes I shall hope to obtaine a line or two subscribed by your Gresham professors, and as many other students as will take the paines to demonstrate the first theoreme. Such I take to be Mr. Gunton, Mr. Fiske, Mr. Leake, Mr. Bond, and some others better knowen to you than to me; which approbation and demonstrations I desire to have as soone as may be, because I would print them with my owne and those which I have allready of other men's, that so those ignorant dames may be so much the more confounded to set a thing demonstrated so severall wayes, which Longomontanus sayd my fundamental theoreme was indemonstrabile. And though now they begin to feare that it may be demonstrated, yet all the mathematicians in the University of Copenhagen cannot doe it, such shallow artists have I to doe withall. If any of our London mathematicians be unwilling or unable to write Latine, let them write English, or the catholicke language [a, b, c, --— &c.], and let me alone with the rest. If you want more coppies of my paper, and Mr. Hartlib of Duke's Place cannot furnish you, I shall send you as many as you desire; or if there be anything else wherein I may serve you, you shall allwayes find me Your assured friend and servant, Joh N PELL. To his much esteemed freend, Mr. John Leake, at his house by the Old Swan in Thames Streete, London, these I pray. SIR WILLIAM PETTY TO JOHN PELL. [MS. Birch, Brit. Mus. 4279, fol. 172, Orig.] Sir, Father Mersen his desire to convey this inclosed to you, serves me for an happie occasion, to expresse my thankfulnes for the good of that acquaintance with Mr. Hobs, which your letters procured me for by his meanes, My Lord of Newcastle and your good friend Sir Charles Candish have beene pleased to take notice of mee; and by his meanes also I became acquainted with Father Mersen, a man who seemes to me not in any meane degree to esteeme you and your works, and who wishes your studies may ever succeede happily, hoping (as others also doe) that the world shall receyve light and benefitt by them. Sir, I desire you not to conceive that any neglect or forgetfulnes hath caused my long silence, for the often speech I have of you either with Sir Charles, Mr. Hobs, & Father Mersen (besides the courtesy I receyved from you) makes me sufficiently to remember you. But, to speake the truth, it was want of buisines worthy to make the subject of a letter of 16P postage, especially since Mr. Hobbs served you in procuring the demonstrations of other french mathematicians. I could wish with Sir Charles that wee could see your way of analyticks abroad, or if a systeme of the whole art were too much to hope for, for my owne part |