[479]Henry Briggs was borne at ... (vide Anthony Wood'sOxon. Antiquit.: quaere his nephew who is beadle to Stationers' Hall; quaereVaticinium Carolinum, an English poem).
He was first of St. John's College in Cambridge. Sir Henry Savill sent for him and made him his geometrie professor. He lived at Merton College in Oxon, where he made the dialls at the buttresses of the east end of the chapell with a bullet for the axis.
He travelled into Scotland to comune with the honourable ... lord Nepier[BE]of Marcheston about making the logarithmicall tables.
☞ Looking one time on the mappe of England he observed that the[480]two rivers, the Thames and that Avon which runnes to Bathe and so to Bristowe, were not far distant, scilicet, about 3 miles—vide the mappe. He sees 'twas but about 25 miles from Oxford; getts a horse and viewes it and found it to be a levell ground and[481]easie to be digged. Then he considered the chardge of cutting between them and the convenience of making a mariage between those rivers which would be of great consequence for cheape and safe carrying of goods between London and Bristow, and though the boates[482]goe slowly and with meanders, yet considering they goe day and night they would be at their journey's end almost as soon as the waggons, which often are overthrowne and liquours spilt and other goods broken. Not long after this he dyed andthe civill warres brake-out. It happened by good luck that one Mr. Matthewes of Dorset had some acquaintance with this Mr.[483]Briggs and had heard him discourse of it. He was an honest simple man, and had runne out of his estate and this project did much run in his head. He would revive it (or els it had been lost and forgott) and went into the country to make an ill survey of it (which he printed) about anno ..., but with no great encouragement of the countrey or others. Upon the restauration of King Charles II he renewed his designe and applyed himselfe to the king and counsell. His majestie espoused it more (he told me) then any one els. In short, for want of management and his non-ability, it came to nothing, and he is now dead of old age. But Sir Jonas Moore ( ☞ an expert mathematician and a practicall man), being sent to survey the mannor of Dantesey in Wilts (which was forfeited to the crowne by Sir John Danvers his foolery), went to see these streames and distances. He told me the streames were too small unlesse in winter; but if some prince or the Parliament would rayse money to cutt through the hill by Wotton-Basset which is not very high, then there would be water enough and streames big enough. He computed the chardge, which I have forgott, but I thinke it was about 200,000li.
Insert his letter to Dr. John Pellde logarithmiswritten anno Dni 1628.
Mr. William Oughtred calls him the English Archimedes in....
An epitaph on H. Briggs among H. Burched's poems[BF].
[484]Mr. Briggs—vide and quaere Dr. Whitchcot, behind St. Lawrence Church; he knew him.——Respondet quod non.
[485]Mr. Norwood to the reader, before his Trigonometrie:—'of the construction and divers applications of Logarithmes Mr. Brigs hath written a booke calledArithmetica Logarithmica, and since again began anotherexcellent worke of like nature entituledTrigonometria Britannica. I have onely seen (in the hands of a friend of his) a printed copie of so much as he had done, namely the tables: but whilest he was in hand with the rest, he departed this life. It was writ in Latin.'
Notes.[BE]John Napier, of Merchiston, born 1550, died 1617. His son Alexander was created baron Napier in 1627.[BF]MS. Aubr. 6, fol. 48 is two leaves, pp. 49-52, sign. I, of a printed book, a miscellany of Greek and Latin verses. The first piece on p.49is six Greek lines 'Epitaphium D. Henrici Briggi ob mathesin et pietatem famigerati, denati 1631. Januar. ult.' The second piece is 32 Latin verses 'in bibliothecam Oxoniensem tertio amplificatam MDCXXXVI.'
[BE]John Napier, of Merchiston, born 1550, died 1617. His son Alexander was created baron Napier in 1627.
[BE]John Napier, of Merchiston, born 1550, died 1617. His son Alexander was created baron Napier in 1627.
[BF]MS. Aubr. 6, fol. 48 is two leaves, pp. 49-52, sign. I, of a printed book, a miscellany of Greek and Latin verses. The first piece on p.49is six Greek lines 'Epitaphium D. Henrici Briggi ob mathesin et pietatem famigerati, denati 1631. Januar. ult.' The second piece is 32 Latin verses 'in bibliothecam Oxoniensem tertio amplificatam MDCXXXVI.'
[BF]MS. Aubr. 6, fol. 48 is two leaves, pp. 49-52, sign. I, of a printed book, a miscellany of Greek and Latin verses. The first piece on p.49is six Greek lines 'Epitaphium D. Henrici Briggi ob mathesin et pietatem famigerati, denati 1631. Januar. ult.' The second piece is 32 Latin verses 'in bibliothecam Oxoniensem tertio amplificatam MDCXXXVI.'