412 Life of the Rev, John Flamsteed, [Dec. 



1°. To have the year and day of the observations : 



2°. The height of two stars, and on vrhich side of the 

 meridian they appeared : 



3°. The height of the moon's two limbs : 



4°. The height of the pole : — All to degrees and minutes. 



It was easy to perceive, from these demands, that the 

 Sieur understood not that the best lunar tables differed from 

 the heavens ; and that therefore his demands were not suf- 

 ficient for determining the longitude of the place, where 

 such observations were, or should be, made, from that to 

 which the lunar tables were fitted : which I represented 

 immediately to the company. But they, considering the 

 interest of his patroness at Court, desired to have him fur- 

 nished according to his demands. I undertook it ; and 

 having gained the moon's true place, by observations made 

 at Derby, Feb. 23, 1672, and Nov. 12, 1673, gave him 

 observations such as he demanded. The half-skilled man 

 did not think they could have been given him ; but cun- 

 ningly answered they were feigned. I delivered them to 

 Dr. Pell, Feb. 19, 1674-5 ; who returning me his answer 

 some time after, I wrote a letter in English to the Com- 

 missioners, and another in Latin to the Sieur, to assure him 

 they were not feigned ; and to show them that, if they had 

 been, yet if we had astronomical tables that would give us 

 the two places of the fixed stars and the moon's true places, 

 both in longitude and latitude, nearer than to half a minute, 

 we might hope to find the longitude of places by lunar 

 observations, but not by such as he demanded. But, that 

 we were so far from having the places of the fixed stars 

 true, that the Tychonic catalogues often erred ten minutes 

 or more : that they were uncertain to three or four minutes, 

 by reason that Tycho assumed a faulty obliquity of the 

 ecliptic, and had employed only plain sights in his observa- 

 tions : and that the best lunar tables differ one-quarter, if 

 not one- third, of a degree from the heavens : and lastly that 

 he might have learnt better methods than he proposed, from 

 his countryman Morinus, whom he had best consult before 

 he made any more demands of this nature. I heard no more 

 of the Frenchman after this ; but was told that, my letters 

 being shown King Charles, he startled at the assertion of 

 the fixed stars' places being false in the catalogue ; said, with 



