402 Life of the Rev. John Flamsteed. [Dec. 



circumstances of their lives whom God has made eminent 

 in their times. 



I was born at Denby [5 miles from Derby] in Derbyshire^ 

 August 19, 1646, at a ^ of an hour past 7 at night : as I find 

 in some old notes of my father's, who was the third and 

 youngest son of Mr. William Flamsteed, of Little Hallam, 

 in Derbyshire. My mother Mary, was the daughter of 

 Mr. John Spateman of Derby. In my infancy, sickly. I 

 was educated [at the free-school] at Derby, where my father 

 lived, [till 16 years old. My father removed his family to 

 Denby, because the sickness was then in Derby.] At 14 

 years of age, when I was nearly arrived to be the head of 

 the free-school, visited with a fit of sickness, that was 

 followed with a consumption, and other distempers ; which 

 yet did not so much hinder me in my learning but that I 

 still kept my station till the form broke up, and some of my 

 fellows went to the Universities : for which, though I was 

 designed, my father thought it not adviseable to send me, 

 by reason of my distemper. [Recovered by God's blessing : 

 went a journey to Ireland in the months of August and 

 September, 1665.] Wrote De cBquatione diemm, and made 

 the tables for it, 1665. 



Languishing then at home, I had Sacrobosco De Sphcera 

 put into my hands, I had read a great deal of history, civil 

 and ecclesiastical, before. This was a new subject to me; 

 and having turned so much as I thought necessary for my 

 use into English, I proceeded to make dials by the direction 

 of ordinary books: and having changed a piece of Astrology 

 I found amongst my father's books, for Street's Caroline 

 Tables, set myself to calculate the planets' places by them, 

 and thus enquire the reasons of them : in which I found 

 small satisfaction ; that author being very concise and 

 short, and leaving the reasons of his processes to be learnt 

 from others. 



Having calculated an eclipse of the Sun, by these tables, 

 that was to happen, June 22, 1666, I imparted it to a 

 relation of mine, who showed it to Mr. Immanuel Halton, 

 of Wingfield Manor ; who, coming soon after to see me, 

 and finding I was not acquainted with the astronomical 

 performances of others, sent me Riccioli's Almagest, and 

 Kepler's Rudolphine Tables, with some other mathematical 



