7. A treatise of building shippes, which he presented to the Royall
Societie about 1661; which the lord Brounker was pleased to keepe to
himselfe, and never returned it; a MS.
_Observations on the Bills of Mortality_[652] were really his.
Translation of ... Psalme in Latin hexameter, stitch't, folio, printed,
London, 1677 (quaere[653]).
Since his death I have seen, in his closet, a great many tractatiuncli
in MS.--e.g. Religio Christiana Puerilis; Via brevis ad Medicinam; An
Essay to know or judge the Value of Landes; His owne life in Latin
verse; De Connubiis; Severall Epigrammes and Verses by him; Of Mills;
An Engine very usefull for raysing of water; _cum multis aliis_ that
have slipt out of my memorie. Memorandum: his 2 last printed tracts
were comparisons or paralleling of London and Paris, stitcht, 8vo.
[654]I have heard Sir William say more than once, that he knew not that
he was purblind till his master[LVIII.] (a master of a shippe) bade
him climbe-up the rope ladder, and give notice when he espied such a
steeple (somewhere upon the coast of England or France, I have forgot
where), which was a land-marke for the avoyding of a shelfe; at last
the master sawe it on the deck, and they fathom'd and found they were
but ... foot water, wherupon (as I remember) his master drubb't him
with a cord.
[LVIII.] He was first bound apprentice to a sea-captaine.
Before he went into Ireland, he sollicited, and no doubt he was an
admirable good sollicitor. I have heard him say that in solliciting
(with the same paines) he could dispatch severall businesses, nay,
better than one alone, for by conversing with severall he should gaine
the more knowledge, and the greater interest.
In the time of the warre with the Dutch, they concluded at the
councell-board at London, to have so many sea men out of Irland (I
thinke 1500). Away to Irland came one with a commission, and acquaints
Sir William with it; sayes Sir William, 'you will never rayse this
number here.' 'Oh,' sayd the other, 'I warrant you, I will not abate
you a man.' Now Sir William knew 'twas impossible, for he knew how many
tunne of shipping belongd to Ireland, and the rule is, to ... tunnes so
many men. Of these shipps halfe were abroad, and of those at home so
many men unfit. In fine, the commissioner with all his diligence could
not possibly rayse above 200 seamen there. So we may see how statesmen
may mistake for want of this Politique Arithmetique.
Another time the councell at Dublin were all in a great racket for
the prohibition of coale from England and Wales, considering that all
about Dublin is such a vast quantity of turfe; so they would improve
their rents, sett poor men on worke, and the city should be served
with fuell cheaper. Sir William _prima facie_ knew that this project
could not succeed. Sayd he, 'If you will make an order to hinder the
bringing-in of coales by foreigne vessells, and bring it in vessells
of your owne, I approve of it very well: but for your supposition of
the cheapnesse of the turfe, 'tis true 'tis cheape on the place, but
consider carriage, consider the yards that must contayn such a quantity
for respective houses, these yards must be rented; what will be the
chardge?' The<y> supputated, and found that (every thing considered)
'twas much dearer then to fetch coale from Wales, or etc.
Memorandum:--about 1665 he presented to the Royall Societie a discourse
of his (in manuscript, of about a quire of paper) of building of
shippes, which the lord Brounker (then president) tooke away, and
still keepes, saying, ''Twas too great an arcanum of state to be
commonly perused'; but Sir William told me that Dr. Robert Wood, M.D.,
aforesayd, has a copie of it, which he himselfe haz not: quaere Dr.
Wood for it.
Sir William Petty died at his house in Peccadilly-street (almost
opposite to St. James church[655],) on Fryday, 16th day of December,
1687, of a gangrene in his foot, occasioned by the swelling of the
gowt, and is buried with his father and mother in the church at Rumsey
in Hampshire. ☞ See his will.
My lady Petty was created baronnesse of Shelburn in Ireland, and her
eldest sonne baron of the same, a little before the comeing-in of the
Prince of Orange.
[656]Sir William Petty had a brother ..., like him, who dyed sine
prole: he has his picture.--Quaere if I have mentioned Nan Green[657]
out of the printed narrative?
[658]His picture by Fuller in his Dr. of M<edicine> gowne, a skull in
his hand; then a spare man; <with a> little band; Veslingius' Anatomie
by him. 'Twas he (Sir William) that putt Fuller to drawe the muscles as
at Oxon gallery[659].
[660]Quaere nomen of the knight his antagonist, Sir ... ...?
Resp.--'Twas Sir Hierome Sanchy that was his antagonist: against whom
he wrote the 8vo booke, about 1662. He was one of Oliver's knights, a
commander and preacher and no conjuror. He challenged Sir William to
fight with him. Sir William being the challengee named the place, a
darke cellar, the weapon, carpenter's great axe; so by this expedient
Sir William (who is short-sighted) would be at an equall tourney with
this douty knight.
[661]Sir W. Petty was a Rota man, and troubled Mr. James Harrington
with his arithmeticall proportions, reducing politie to numbers.
[662]Sir W. P. 18 March <1675/6> correpted by the Lord Chancellor when
the patent was to be sealed, which he would not seale. Monday, 20th,
he was affronted by Mr. Vernon; Tuesday, he hectored him.
[663]Sir William Petty scripsit _A Politicall Anatomie of Ireland_. He
assured me by letter from Dublyn, July 12, 1681:--'I am not forward to
print this Politicall Arithmetique but doe wish that what goeth abroad
were compared with the copie in Sir Robert Southwell's hand, which I
corrected in March 1679.' He told me some yeares since, before the
copie was dedicated to the Royal Societie, that 'the doeing of it would
cost 50,000 _li._, but Ireland will be donne.'
<In MS. Aubr. 22 is a printed tract, 26 pages (besides prefatory
matter), 'The advice of W. P. to Mr. Samuel Hartlib for the advancement
of some particular parts of learning,' Lond. 1648: the preface signed
'W. P., London, 8 Jan. 1647/8,' i.e. W. Petty.>
<In MS. Aubr. 26, at p. 24, are 'Directions from Sir William Petty to
me heretofore, scil. 1671,' for collecting national statistics.>
<In MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 62, are 4 folio printed pages containing the
evidence of Sir William Petty, as sole surviving trustee for 900
soldiers commonly called _the three Regiments_, given on 25 July, 1681,
before Henry Hen, Lord Chief Baron of Ireland, about lands in the
baronies of Iveragh, Dunkeron, and Glanoroght in county Kerry.>
[664]Sir William Pety--his eldest sonne is baron of Shelbrooke in
Ireland; and his lady (widow) is baroness by patent from king James the
2ᵈ, anno 1688.
[665]In the _Paris Gazette_ about January, 1687/8, 'Monsieur Coussin
travaille pour faire éloge de Sir W. Petty which will be inserted in
the _Journal de Scavans_'--which see.
[666]Sir William Petty had a boy that whistled incomparably well. He
after wayted on a lady, a widowe, of good fortune. Every night this boy
was to whistle his lady asleepe. At last shee ... marries him.... This
is certeyn true;--from himselfe and Mrs. Grant[667].
=Fabian Philips= (1601-1690).
[668]Fabian Philips[AR]--from himselfe, 1682--borne hard by Prestbury
in Gloucestershire, anno Domini 1601, in September, on Michelmas-Eve.
His mother's name was Bagehott (an heire to a younger brother); his
father was Andrew Philips, of an ancient familie in Herefordshire,
seaven descents, who sold 600 _li._ per annum in Herefordshire, in
Leominster; some of it his sonne Fabian (of whom I write) bought again.
He was of the Middle Temple, London; a filizer of London, Middlesex,
Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire. Of great assiduity, and reading,
and a great lover of antiquities. He haz a great memorie, which holds
still well now in his 80th yeare. He told me St. Austin wrote at 90;
judge Coke at 84; and bishop Hall, of Norwych, at 8-. His house is over
against the middle of Lincoln's Inne garden, in Chancery Lane. Two
dayes before king Charles 1st was beheaded, he wrote a 'protestation
against the intended murther of the king,' and printed it, and caused
it to be putt upon the posts. When all the courts in Westminster-hall
were voted-downe by Barebones Parliament, he wrote a booke to justifie
the right use of them, and Lenthall (the speaker) and the Keepers of
the Libertie did send him thanks for saveing of the courts.
_Scripsit:_
... ...
... ...
[669]M.S. Fabiani Philipps, armigeri, Medii Templi socii, qui
quosdam perfidos et ingratos nimium amando seipsum non (uti
potuit) amavit, curis librisque consenuit, aliorum totus vix
suus, tandem per varios vitae vortices et aerumnarum anfractus
ad amoris et lucis aeternitates coeli sedesque beatissimas
transmigravit ... die ... aerae Christianae millessimo
sexcentessimo ... cum ... soles vixisset.
Qui vero fidus veri Fabianus amator
Decumbens requiem morte Philippus agit.
<_Catalogue of his writings._>
[670]1. King Charles the First no man of blood, but a martyr
for his people.
2. The antient legall fundamentall and necessary rights of
courts of justice in their writs of capias arrests and proces
of outlawry against peremptory summons and citations: printed
1676.
3. The reforming registry, against publick registries; printed
1678.
4. Reasons for the continuance of the writs of capias and
proces of arrest against peremptory summons, etc.: printed 1675.