made use of for deducing the places of the stars and planets; hereupon he recollected himself, and was calm.'

And before they parted, he promised Flamsteed a visit to the Observatory, with Sir Christopher Wren.

In the following month (June, 1700) Flamsteed addresses a letter to Newton, which occupies ten pages, describing a series of his observations on the parallax of the orb and the nutation of the earth's axis, with his correction for the errors of his mural arc, in consequence of the gradual sinking of the wall. Nothing further appears to have occurred between them until April, 1704, when Newton, now President of the Royal Society, paid Flamsteed a visit at the Observatory.

On the 10th of April, 1704, he came down to Greenwich, visited me on my request, staid and dined with me. At his first coming he desired to see what I had ready for the press. I showed him the books of observations, together with so much of the catalogue as was then finished (which was about one half), and a fair copy of it: and with it the maps of the constellations drawn both by my amanuensis and Vansomer. Which having looked over carefully, he desired me to let him have the recommending of them to the Prince.* I was surprised at this proposition. I had formerly tried his temper, and always found him insidious, ambitious, and excessively covetous of praise, and impatient of contradiction. I had taken notice of some faults in the fourth book of his Principia: which, instead of thanking me for, he resented ill. Yet was [so] presumptuous, that he sometimes dared to ask "Why I did not hold my tongue ?" '-p. 73.

Flamsteed adds, he said he would recommend me to the Prince, and parted with me in the evening with a short expression of very good advice, viz., Do all the good in your power: which it would have been very happy for him if he had followed himself, and has been the rule of my life from my infancy; though I do not know it ever has been of his.' On this Mr. Baily remarks,

The character which Flamsteed has here drawn of Newton, and which he insists on throughout the whole of his statements, is so much at variance with that mild and modest behaviour which most of his biographers have attributed to him, that it might seem like the excess of spleen and malice on the part of Flamsteed to dwell so much on these topics, were not his opinions strengthened by that of some of his contemporaries. Whiston, who knew him well, says he was impatient of contradiction, and that he was of the most fearful, cautious, and suspicious temper that he ever knew. See Whiston's Memoirs, page 294. And, in a pamphlet, published in the year 1710, entitled An account of the late proceedings in the Council of the Royal Society, in order to remove from Gresham College into Crane Court, Fleet Street, Sir Isaac Newton is accused of partiality and precipitancy, and of

*Prince George of Denmark.

having acted (at a meeting of the Society, called for the express purpose of considering the propriety of such removal) with a degree of warmth, and to have assumed an air and tone, not very suitable to the candour and impartiality which might have been expected from the President of so distinguished a body. I shall not embark in the odious task of attempting to multiply such instances: indeed, it is with much reluctance that I advert at all to a subject of this kind; but justice to Flamsteed's memory requires that he should be defended even from the suspicion of misrepresentation.'-Life, p. 74.

In the following month, Newton paid Flamsteed another visit. My discourse about the faults of Mr. Newton's Optics, and correction of my lunar numbers, brought the subtle gentleman down hither. I thanked him for his book: he said then he hoped I approved it. I told him truly, no; for he gave all the fixed stars bodies of five or six seconds diameter, whereas four parts in five of them were not one second broad. This point would not bear discussion; he dropt it, and told me he came now to see what forwardness I was in.' Flamsteed having then shown him his books of observations, his catalogue, and charts of the fixed stars, 'he seemed pleased, and offered to recommend them privately to the Prince;' but Flamsteed adds, I told him he must do it publickly, for good reasons, which, not being able to answer, he was silent.'

Matters seem to have continued pretty well between them till the year 1706, when Flamsteed's Observations were to be published. Prince George of Denmark (Lord High Admiral), having been elected a fellow of the Royal Society, was consulted about the publication, and agreed to advance 1200l. for that purpose; and a committee, consisting of Sir Christopher Wren, Newton, and others, was appointed to consider how it might best be brought out. The committee estimated the whole charge to be about 8637.; and they conclude their report thus:

This set of observations we report the fullest and completest that has ever yet been made; and as it tends to the perfection of astronomy and navigation, so, if it should be lost, the loss would be irreparable.'

But, on this occasion, the conduct imputed to Sir Isaac Newton was certainly very strange, and not at all consistent with that character for gentleness and placidity of temper which he has generally obtained. He first fixes on a printer, of whom Flamsteed knew nothing, and whose exhibited specimens were ill-done; yet with this man the committee signed an agreement against Flamsteed's consent. Sir Isaac demanded that Flamsteed's first night's notes should be put into his hand, on the plea that he might compare them with the copy; he next demanded a copy of the Catalogue, which Flamsteed objected to, as being incomplete; add

ing, that the stars in it were only about 1500, which he would probably increase to 2500; that these documents contained the result of all his labours; and that having spent above 20007. of his own money, above his allowances, on these researches, it would be very imprudent to trust a copy out of his own keeping. Newton replied, that he might then put them into his hands sealed up.' Flamsteed consented to this, and they were accordingly sealed up in the presence of Sir Christopher Wren, to be delivered by him to Sir Isaac Newton, as soon as ten sheets of the observations were printed, and 125l. paid to Flamsteed according to the agreement.

It is difficult,' says Mr. Baily, 'to account for the motive which could have influenced Newton to have proposed and insisted upon this cautious step. It showed great suspicion of the person with whom he was dealing; and such conduct would not be tolerated, or even attempted, at the present day, on either side, between individuals of their rank in society.

The printing went on most tardily, Sir Isaac sometimes stopping the press without assigning any reasons for it. Flamsteed one day met him at the press, and pointed out to him how ill the compositor had placed the types of the figures:

• He

put his head' (he says) a little nearer to the paper, but not near enough to see the fault (for he is very near-sighted), and making a slighting motion with his hand, said, "Methinks they are well enough." This' (adds Flamsteed) encouraged the printer in his carelessness; the sheet was printed off, and the fault not mended.'

Indeed, throughout the whole of this business, the conduct of Sir Isaac Newton is quite inexplicable. He stopped the press for three months at a time; and,

to keep all things wholly in his own power (says Flamsteed), he had brought in an undertaker, who was useless to the business, and served only to spoil the work, or worse; and a printer, whom I believe he paid... ... I am sure he never consulted me about the payment of either, though there was sufficient cause, all the articles relating to them having been broken.'

The delay still continued

'I complained,' he says, of this behaviour of Sir Isaac Newton, both paying me short of what I had disbursed, and keeping the 175 sheets of copy for the second volume in his hands. This, I believe, was (as intended) carried to him; whereupon, to throw all the fault upon me, eight months after he had stopped the press, he sent me the following order: "At a meeting," &c., "it was agreed that the press should go on without further delay: and that, if Mr. Flamsteed do not take care that the press be well corrected, and go on with dispatch, another corrector be employed."'-(Signed by the five referees.)*

*This very offensive order, Mr. Baily informs us, in a note, is in Sir Isaac Newton's own handwriting.. We

We are grieved to see this obvious determination of Sir Isaac to harass and annoy Flamsteed, infirm as he now was, to the utmost of his power. He ordered him to insert the magnitudes of the fixed stars into the copy of the Catalogue deposited in his hands, which was done for him, and part of a third more perfect copy was placed in his possession, as a pledge for returning the other. We agree with Mr. Baily, that this continued suspicion is unaccountable, unwarrantable, and extremely revolting.' The delay in the printing continued, and no proof-sheets were sent to Flamsteed. At length, however, to his great surprise, he was privately told, that the imperfect copy of his Catalogue (which he was then at work upon to complete) was actually in the press; and still more was he surprised at a letter he received about the same time from Dr. Arbuthnot, in which he demanded of him the copy of the stars' places of six constellations, which had not been delivered into Sir Isaac Newton's hands, when,' says Flamsteed, 'he got the rest into his possession by tricks and pretences.' Flamsteed waited on Arbuthnot, and desired to know whether the Catalogue was printed or no. The doctor pledged his word 'not a sheet of it was printed.' 'I was sure it was,' says Flamsteed, for within four days after, a friend sent me the constellations of Aries and Taurus fairly printed; and in a day or two after that of Virgo. So that I was now convinced that the press was at work, and that the doctor had told me what he knew was not true.' Shortly after this Flamsteed discovered that Halley had been appointed to take care of the press, and that he was circulating reports of his having found many faults in the Catalogue, and boasting what pains he had been at in correcting them.

On the 11th of October, 1711, Sir Isaac Newton, the President of the Royal Society, appointed a council to be held at their house in Crane Court, whereat Mr. Flamsteed was ordered to attend, the object being to know of him if his instruments be in order, and fit carry on the necessary celestial observations.'

Flamsteed,' says Mr. Baily,' attended; and a scene ensued over which it were desirable that a veil should be thrown for ever. But the recent disclosure, by the discovery of two distinct sets of manuscripts. relative to this subject, and belonging to two different owners, now prevents the possibility of its suppression. Fortunately for the Society as a body, there were not enough members present (five) to form a council, and consequently their pages do not record the humiliating scene.'

It is recorded, however, by Mr. Flamsteed in two places—first, in the History of his own Life,' and secondly, in a Diary of Occurrences, from the latter of which, being the most in detail, we shall extract the extraordinary proceedings of this day.

• October

October 29. Accordingly I went thither with no other company but my servant J. C. [J. Crosthwait?] Dr. Halley met me as I entered, and would have had me drink a dish of coffee with him. I refused: went straight up to the house: my man helped me up stairs, where I found Sir I. Newton, Dr. Sloane, and Dr. Mead. These three were all the committee that I found there: and the two last, I well knew, were the assentors of the first, in all cases, right or wrong.

After a little pause, Sir I. Newton began; and told me that the committee desired to know what repairs I wanted, or what instruments, in the observatory? I answered that my repairs were always made by the Office of the Ordnance: that I had applied myself to them; but the season of the year not being fit, it was thought best to forbear them till February next, when I doubted not they would be taken care of. As for the instruments, they were all my own; being either given to me absolutely by Sir Jonas Moore, or made and paid for out of my own pocket. This he well knows, though he dissembles it. He answered, "As good have no observatory as no instruments." I gave him, hereupon, an account of Sir Jonas Moore's donation, in the presence of Mr. Colwall and Mr. Hanway his son-in-law: how he soon after died, and a controversy about his gift arising betwixt his son Sir Jonas, and myself, we had a hearing before the board of the office; whereat Mr. Colwall and Mr. Hanway both attested what I affirmed, that the instruments, books, goods, &c. were given me by Sir Jonas Moore. Whereupon he seemed much moved, and repeated what he had said before, "As good have no observatory as no instruments;" asked Dr. Mead if it were not so, who assented. I proceeded from this to tell Sir Isaac (who was fired) that I thought it the business of their Society to encourage my labours, and not to make me uneasy for them. He asked Dr. Sloane what I said: who answered, that I said something about encouragement. Whereupon I told him that a frontispiece was engraved for my works, and the prince's picture (without any notice given me of it), to present to the queen: and that hereby I was robbed of the fruits of my labours: that I had expended above 2000l. in instruments and assistance. At this the impetuous man grew outrageous, and said, "We are, then, robbers of your labours?" I answered, I was sorry that they owned themselves to be so. After which, all he said was in a rage: he called me many hard names; puppy was the most innocent of them. I told him only that I had all imaginable deference and respect for her Majesty's order, for the honour of the nation, &c.: but that it was a dishonour to the nation, her Majesty, and that Society (nay, to the President himself), to use me so. At last he charged me, with great violence (and repeated it), not to remove any instruments out of the Observatory: for I had told him before that, if I was turned out of the Observatory, I would carry away the sextant with me. I only desired him to keep his temper, restrain his passion, and thanked him as often as he gave me ill-names: and, looking for the door, told him God had blessed all my endeavours hitherto, and that he would protect me for

the