My edition is the third, 1656; and there hath been one since.
The Seaman's practice, containing a fundamental probleme in navigation
experimentally verified, namely, touching the compasse of the earth
and sea, and the quantity of a degree, in our English measure; also
an exact method or form of keeping a reckoning at sea in any kind or
manner of sayling, with certain tables and other rules usefull in
navigation; as also the plotting and surveying of places, the latitude
of the principal places in England, the finding of the currents at
sea and what allowance is to be given in respect of them, by Richard
Norwood, reader of the Mathematicks, London, 1655, 4to--dedicated to
Robert, earle of Warwick.
He, at his owne chardge, measured with a chaine from Barwick to Christ
Church (he sayes he came up in ten or eleven dayes) in order to the
finding the quantitie of a degree, and so the circumference of the
earth and sea, in our known measures--July 1, 1636.
He also published a treatise of the modern way of fortification, 163-,
in 4to.
By a letter from Nicholas, earle of Thanet, to me, concerning
his purchase in the Bermudas, not dated, but writ about 1674 or
5--thus:--'as to old Mr. Norwood, to whom the Royal Society would send
some quaeres, is lately dead, as his sonne informes me, who lately
went captaine in that ship wherein I sent my gardiner and vines to the
Bermudas. He was aged above 90.'
[411]Trigonometrie, both plain and sphaerical, by Richard Norwood,
reader of the Mathematicks. 'This seaventh edition being diligently
corrected; in divers difficult places explained; new table of the
starres' right ascentions and declinations added; and the whole worke
very much enlarged by the author himselfe.' Printed for William Fisher
at the Postern gate neer the Tower, etc., 1678.
'To the Reader. If any man thinke it should be a hinderance to them
who have been at the chardge to print that which Mr. Briggs hath begun
upon that subject, he may be pleased to take notice that though we
both handle the same thing, yet it is in a different manner, and there
is scarce any one proposition handled by us both; besides his is in
Latine, mine in English. Towerhill, anno 1631, November 1.'
=William Noy= (1577-1634).
[412]From Fabian Philips, esq.:--
Mr. attorney-generall Noy was a great lawyer and a great humorist.
There is a world of merry stories of him.
A countrey-fellow of Cumberland[413]....
He would play at spanne-counter with the taverne-barre-boy.
A countrey clowne asked for a good inne, and he bids him ride into
Lincoln's Inne, and asked if his horse went to hay or to grasse.
He caused the breeches of a bencher of Lincolne's Inne to be taken-in
by a tayler and made him beleeve that he had the dropsie.
One time he mett accidentally with Butler[414], the famous physitian
of Cambridge, at the earle of Suffolke's (Lord Treasurer[415]). They
were strangers to each other, and both walking in the gallerie. Noy was
wearied, and would be gonne. Butler would know his name. Noy had him to
the Peacock Taverne in Thames Street, and fudled all that day.
Another time Noy and Pine of Lincolne's Inne went afoot to Barnet with
clubbes in their hands, like countreyfellowes. They went to the Red
Lyon inne; the people of the house were afrayd to trust them, fearing
they might not pay.
[416]Ex registro Brandford, thus:--'William Noy, the king's attorney,
buried August the 11th day, 1634.' Buried under the communion table,
not alter-waies, in the chancell at New Brentford in the county of
Middlesex, under a stone broken; brasse lost and inscription.
=John Ogilby= (1600-1676).
[417]Mr. John Ogilby[AI] natus[418] November 17, 5ʰ 15´ mane, 1600.
[419]John Ogilby, esq., was borne at ... (quaere Mr. John Gadbury[AJ])
in Scotland, November ..., 1600, Scorpione ascendente. He was of a
gentleman's family, and bred to his grammar.
[420]<He> would not tell where in Scotland he was borne: quaere. He
sayd drollingly that he would have as great contests hereafter for the
place of his birth as of Homer's: but he made this rythme:--
At ... cleare
ther did I well fere
where[421] ... man.
[422]Mr. Gadbury sayes that Mr. Ogilby told him (he was very sure) that
he was borne either in or neer Edinburgh. Sed tamen quaere de hoc of
Mr. Morgan his grandson.
[423]Mr. John Ogilby, borne ... in Scotland, of a gentleman's family;
bred a scholar. In[424] his youth bred to dancing at London: which he
afterwards professed. His father spent his estate and fell to decay;
and J. O. by his owne industry[XXXVIII.] at or about the age of 12 or
13, he relieved his parents.
[XXXVIII.] Spangles, needles.
[425]His father[AK] had spent his estate, and fell to decay, and was a
prisoner in the King's Bench, whom, together with his mother, his son
relieved by his owne industry, being then but about the age of 12 or
13 yeares. By the advantage of his sonne's industry, he raysed a small
summe of money, which he adventured in the lottery for the advancement
of the plantation in Virginia, anno ... and he gott out of prison by
this meanes. His motto (of his lott) was,
'I am a poor prisoner, God wott,
God send me a good lott,
I'le come out of prison, and pay all my debt.'
It so happened that he had a very good lott, that did pay his debts.
[426]John (the son) bound himselfe apprentice to one Mr. Draper[427],
who kept a dancing-schoole in Grayes-Inne-Lane, and in short time
arrived to so great excellency in that art, that he found meanes to
purchase his time of his master and sett up for himselfe.
When the duke of Buckingham's great masque[428] was represented at
court (vide Ben Jonson), anno ... (quaere), he was chosen (among the
rest) to performe some extraordinary part in it, and high-danceing,
i.e. vaulting and cutting capers, being then in fashion, he,
endeavouring to doe something extraordinary, by misfortune of a false
step when he came to the ground, did spraine a veine on the inside of
his leg, of which he was lame ever after, which gave an occasion to say
that 'he was an excellent dancing master, and never a good leg.'
He taught 2 of the lord Hopton's (then Sir Ralph) sisters to dance,
then at Witham in Somersetshire; and Sir Ralph taught[429] him to
handle the pike and musket, scil. all the postures.
[430]Anno[431] ... (the yeare before lord Strafford went
to Ireland[432], Deputie) he kept a dancing school in the
Black-Spread-Eagle Court (then an inne) in Grayes Inne lane. Mr. John
Lacy, the player, from whom I take this information, was his apprentice.
[433]In the yeare ..., he went over into Ireland to Thomas, earle of
Strafford, Lord Liuetenant there, and was there enterteined to teach
in that family. And here it was that first he gave proofs of his
inclination to poetry, by paraphrasing upon some of Æsop's fables. (He
writt a fine hand.) He had[434] a warrant from the Lord Livetenant to
be Master of the Ceremonies for that kingdome; and built a little[435]
theatre in St. Warburgh street, in Dublin. It was a short time before
the rebellion brake out, by which he lost all, and ran thorough many
hazards, and particularly being like to have been blow'n-up at the
castle of Refarnum neer Dublin.
[436]Anno 16--he went into Ireland with the lord Strafford (Deputy)
and rode in his troupe of guards, as one of my lord's gentlemen, which
gave occasion of his writing an excellent copie of verses called _The
description of a trouper_, which gett[437].
Mr. J. O. was[438] in the Lord Lieutenant's troope of guards, and
taught his lady and children to dance; that was his place. And he there
made those excellent verses _of the Troupe_r (quaere). 'Twas there
he....
knees 'gainst knees
(umbonibus umbo).
Upon this Mr. Chantrel[XXXIX.] putt him upon learning the Latin tongue
(in the 40 aetat. +), and taught him himself and tooke a great deale of
paines with him. This was the first time he began his Latin. He stayed
in Ireland a good while after the warres broke-out.
[XXXIX.] Mr. Chantrel[439], chaplaine to Sir George Ratcliffe,
favourite. Sir George Ratcliffe was afterwards the duke of York's
governour in France.
[440]After John Ogilby had built the theatre at Dublin, he was undon
at the Irish rebellion. He was wreckt at sea, and came to London very
poor, and went on foot to Cambridge.
[441]Mr. J. Ogilby wrote at Dublin (being then of the gaurdes of the
earle of Strafford) the character of a trooper, in English verse, which
is very witty: Mr. Morgan hath promised to gett it for me. He built the
theatre at Dublin. He was undon at the Irish rebellion; returning to
England, was wreckt at sea, and came to London very poor and went on
foot to Cambridge.
[442]He wrote a play at Dublin, call'd _The Merchant of Dublin_, never
printed.
[443]He came into England about the yeare 1648 (vide the date of his
Virgil, 8vo). He printed[XL.] Virgill, translated by himselfe into
English verse, 8vo, 164-, dedicated to the right honourable William,
lord marquesse of Hertford, who loved him very well.
[XL.] Virgil, 8vo; Aesop, in 4to, next.--MS. Aubr. 7, fol. 20.
After he had translated Virgil, he learned Greeke[XLI.] of Mr.
Whitfield[444], a Scotch bishop's son, and grew so great a proficient
in it that he fell-to to translate Homer's Iliads, 1660.
[XLI.] Mr. Ogilby learnt Greeke in 1653.--MS. Aubr. 23, fol. 121ᵛ.
Next, as if by a prophetique spirit, foreseeing the restauration of
King Charles IIᵈ, and also the want there might be of Church Bibles,
he[445]printed the fairest impression, and the most correct of English
Bibles, in royall and imperiall paper, that ever was yet donne.
He printed and published his majestie's entertainment at his
coronation, in folio with cutts, 1662.
The same yeare (1662) he went into Ireland again, being then, _by
patent_ (before, but by _warrant_) master of the revells, having
disputed his right with Sir William Davenant, who had gott a graunt,
and built a noble theatre at Dublin, which cost 2000 _li._, the former
being ruined[446] in the troubles.
His Odysses came out in 1665. People did then suspect, or would not
beleeve that 'twas he was the author of the paraphrase upon Æsop,
and to convince them he published a 2ᵈ volume, which he calles his
Æsopiques, which[447] he did during the sicknesse, in his retirement at
Kingston upon Thames, after he had published Homer's Iliads and Odysses.
His History of China, in fol., anno ... (before the fire); then his
History of Japan.
The generall and dreadfull conflagration burn't all that he had, that
he was faine to begin the world again, being then at best worth 5 _li._
He had such an excellent inventive and prudentiall witt, and master
of so good addresse, that when he was undon he could not only shift
handsomely (which is a great mastery[448]), but he would make such
rationall proposalls that would be embraced by rich and great men, that
in a short time he could gaine a good estate again, and never failed in
any thing he ever undertooke but allwayes went through with profits and
honour[449].
Being thus utterly undon again by the fire, he made his proposalls for
the printing of a faire English _Atlas_[450], of which he lived to
finish the Historys of Africa, America, and part of Asia. And then,
being encouraged by the king and the nobility to make[451] an actuall
survey of England and Wales[AL], he proceeded in it so far as to an
actuall survey of the roads both in England and Wales, which composed
his ... volume of his _Britannia_, published....
[452]Mr. John Ogilby died Sept. 4, 1676; and was buried in the vault at
St. Bride's.
[453]Vide his obiit in Almanack[454] 1675: quaere Mr. Lacy.
[455]Anno ... John Ogilby maried ..., the daughter of ... Fox[XLII.],
of Netherhampton, neer Wilton in com. Wilts, who was borne as he was
wont to say 'in the first Olympiad,' scil. when the first race was ran
at Sarum in Henry[456], earle of Pembroke's time. She had only one
daughter by him, maried to ... Morgan, who left a son who now suceeds
his grandfather as his majestie's cosmographer. She dyed in London ...
being aged ... (neer 90[457]).
[XLII.] Servant to the earl of Pembroke, a good liverie.
[458]His wife dyed 3 or 4 dayes before Xtmas 1677, aetatis
circiter[459] 112.
_Notes._