Certain errors in navigation detected and corrected by Edward Wright,
with many additions that were not in the former edition as appeareth in
the next pages, London, 1610.
It is dedicated to the high and mighty Henry, prince of Wales, etc. In
the Epistle dedicatory he makes mention of a goodlye and royall ship
that his highnesse lately built, and that since his highnesse comeing
into England that the 'art of navigation hath been much advanced here
as well in searching the North-east and North-west passages as also
in discovering the sea-coastes and inland of Virginea, Newfoundland,
Groenland, and of the North New-land as far as Hackluyt's headland,
within 9 degrees of the pole, also of Guiana and divers parts and
ilands of the East Indies, yea, and some parts also of the south
continent discovered by Sir Richard Hawkins.'
He read mathematicks to Prince Henry; and Sir Jonas Moore had the
wooden sphaere in the Tower, which was contrived by Mr. Wright for the
more easy information of the prince.
Amongst Mr. Laurence Rooke's papers (left with Seth <Ward>, lord bishop
of Sarum) I found:--
Hypothesis stellarum fixarum
a Edm.[1290] Wright,
three sheetes, of his owne hand-writing, in folio. I deposited it in
the Royal Society, but Mr. R. Hooke saieth that it is printed in a
booke by it selfe, which see.
In his preface to the reader he sayes that 'the errors I have in the
following treatise laboured to reforme to the utmost (yea, rather
beyond the utmost) of my poor abilitie, neglecting in the meane time
other studies and courses that might have been more beneficial to me:
which may argue my good will to have proceeded further to the amendment
of such other faults and imperfections as yet remain besides those
alreadie specified.'
It appeares by his preface that his worth was attended by a great deal
of envie.
_Ibid._--He was in the voyage of the right honourable the earle of
Cumberland in the yeare 1589. He 'devised the seaman's rings for the
present finding out both of the variation of the needle and time of
the day at one instant without any farther trouble of using any other
instrument, and hath farther shewed how by the sun's point of the
compasse (or magnetical azimuth) and altitude given by observation the
variation may be found either mechanically with ruler and compasse
or mathematically by the doctrine of triangles and arithmeticall
calculation.'
John Collins <says that> he happened upon the logarithmes and did not
know it, as maybe seen in his _Errors_: and Mr. Robert Norwood sayes
to the reader in his Trigonometrie 'neither is Mr. Edward Wright to be
forgotten though his endeavours were soonest prevented,' speaking of
the logarithmes.
He published a booke of dialling in 4to, anno....
[1291]Mr. Edward Wright, ex _Catalogo Bibl. Bodleianae_.
Description of the sphere in three parts, London 1613----W. 1. 7.
Treatise of dialling, London 1614, 4to----H. 30. Art.
Correction of errors in navigation, 4to----W. 16. Art., et London 1599,
4to----W. 2. Art. BS.