Nicolai Raymari Ursi Dithmarsi Fundamentum Astronomicum, id est, nova
doctrina sinuum et triangulorum.... Strasburg, 1588, 4to.[53]
People choose the name of this astronomer for themselves: I take _Ursus_,
because he _was_ a bear. This book gave the quadrature of Simon
Duchesne,[54] or a Quercu, which excited Peter Metius,[55] as presently
noticed. It also gave that unintelligible reference to Justus Byrgius which
has been used in the discussion about the invention of logarithms.[56]
The real name of Duchesne is Van der Eycke. I have met with a tract in
Dutch, _Letterkundige Aanteekeningen_, upon Van Eycke, Van Ceulen,[57]
etc., by J. J. Dodt van Flensburg,[58] which I make out to be since 1841 in
date. I should {53} much like a translation of this tract to be printed,
say in the _Phil. Mag._ Dutch would be clear English if it were properly
spelt. For example, _learn-master_ would be seen at once to be _teacher_;
but they will spell it _leermeester_. _Of these_ they write as _van deze_;
_widow_ they make _weduwe_. All this is plain to me, who never saw a Dutch
dictionary in my life; but many of their misspellings are quite
unconquerable.