[1045]Mr. Edmund Hally, astronomer, born October 29, 1656, London—this nativity I had from Mr. Hally himself.
[1046]Mr. Edmund Halley[1047], Artium Magister, the eldest
son of
He was born in Shoreditch parish, at a place called Haggerston, the backside of Hogsdon.
At 9 yeares old, his father's apprentice taught him to write, and arithmetique. He went to Paule's schoole to Dr. Gale: while he was there he was very perfect in the Caelestiall Globes insomuch that I heard Mr. Moxon (the globe-maker) say that if a star were misplaced in the globe, he would presently find it.
At ... he studyed Geometry, and at 16 could make a dyall, and then, he said, thought himselfe a brave fellow.
At <16> went to Queen's Colledge in Oxon, well versed in Latin, Greeke, and Hebrew: where, at the age of nineteen, he solved this useful probleme in astronomie, never donne before, ☞ viz. 'from 3 distances given from the sun, and angles between, to find the orbe' (mentioned in the Philosophicall Transactions, Aug. or Sept. 1676, No. 115), for which his name will be ever famous.
Anno Domini ... tooke his degree of Bacc. Art.; Anno Domini ... tooke his degree of Master of Arts[1048].
Anno ... left Oxon, and lived at London with his father till <1676>; at which time he gott leave, and a viaticum of his father, to goe to the Island ofSanctaHellena, purely upon the account of advancement in Astronomy, to make the globe of the Southerne Hemisphere right, which before was very erroneous, as being donne only after the observations of ignorant seamen. There he stayed ... moneths. There went over with him (amongst others) a woman ... yeares old, and her husband ... old, who had no child in ... yeares; before he came from the island, she was brought to bed of a child. At his returne, he presented his Planisphere, with a short description, to his majesty who was very well pleased with it; but received nothing but prayse.
I have often heard him say that if his majestie would be but only at the chardge of sending out a ship, he would take the longitude and latitude, right ascensions and declinations of ... southern fixed starres.
Anno 1678, he added a spectacle-glasse to the shadowe-vane of the lesser arch of the sea-quadrant (or back-staffe); which is of great use, for that that spott of light will be manifest when you cannot see any shadowe.
He went to Dantzick to visit Hevelius, Anno 167-.
December 1st, 1680, went to Paris.
[1049]Edmund Haley:—cardinall d'Estrée caressed him and sent him to his brother the admirall with a lettre of recommendation.—He hath contracted an acquaintance and friendship with all the eminentst mathematicians of France and Italie, and holds a correspondence with them.
He returned into England, Januarii 24º, 1681/2.
Quaere Mr. Partridge of hisDirectio mortis, scilicet about 35 aetatis.
[1050]
Note.In the earl of Macclesfield's library at Shirburne Castle, Oxon., are several MSS. by Halley; among them a common-place book.
In the earl of Macclesfield's library at Shirburne Castle, Oxon., are several MSS. by Halley; among them a common-place book.