338 Life of the Rev. John Flamsteed, [Nov. 



from Mr. Greatrackes's touch, or my journey and vomiting 

 at sea, I am uncertain ; but by some circumstances I guess 

 that I received a benefit from both. 



February 12, 1665-6, 1 went to Worcester where Mr. Great- 

 rackes, who was then come to England, was, and was once 

 stroked by him, but with no better effect than formerly, 

 though several then were cured. 



At Lenten assizes, 1666, on the Sabbath after the evening 

 prayers I was visited by Mr. Imanuel Halton, of Wingfield 

 Manor. I had heard of him and he of me, formerly, by my 

 cousin Wilson. We being strangers to each other and not 

 having seen one the other formerly, to our knowledge, 

 talked somewhat reservedly at first, after more openly. 

 Amongst other of my papers I showed him my calculation 

 of the aforesaid solar eclipse which he accounted of more 

 than any other and desired a transcript of it. I likewise 

 showed him a small canon of natural and artificial versed 

 signs which he much commended and of which I afterwards 

 sent him a copy. So we parted at that time with mutual 

 promises of a future acquaintance. Not long after he came 

 to town and we met again ; when he promised me a sight 

 of the Richleian Tables (which soon after he sent me) com- 

 posed by Natalis Durret, a Frenchman, more laborious in 

 my opinion, than ingenious — if at least those tables be his 

 which he exposes in that name ; for I suppose they are 

 rather the Rudolphine reduced and enlarged by him. But 

 the prescript to the tables (which is full of various faults 

 not to be excused by the press) I suppose may be wholly 

 his ; for the ingenious Kepler could hardly be thought 

 guilty of such oversight or rather errors. However, because 

 the introduction was filled with some things I had not seen 

 before I translated it for my own use into English, and it 

 will be found amongst my papers. However, that I might 

 not seem to find a fault and leave it as I found it, I corrected 

 the piece in the margin ; and so returned [it] to its master 

 with thanks for the obliging courtesy. 



Soon after having occasion to write to him again to desire 

 him to observe the solar eclipse I had calculated, I intimated 

 in my letters that I wanted some solar observations — which 

 when he understood he sent me the first tome of Riccioli's 

 new Almagest in Latin ; which I joyfully received because 



