14 Life of the Rev. John Plamsteed, 



not been prevented by one of his physicians, who was influ- 

 enced and governed by Sir Isaac Newton. 



Being now not disturbed with him any more at present, 

 I set myself to carry on such observations as I wanted, and 

 made good advances in it ; adding many stars to some 

 constellations that I had gone through before. But when 

 I least expected it I was afresh disturbed by another piece of 

 Sir Isaac Newton's ingenuity. After the Prince's death the 

 old ministry was changed ; a new one introduced : his 

 patron was well with the chief of them ; the Queen's phy- 

 sician was in his interest and the new Secretary of State's. 

 It was not enough that Sir Isaac Newton had got my obser- 

 vations (made with the mural arc) into his hands by sur- 

 prize, together with above half the catalogue, whatever my 

 expenses had been, or pains in making it, so long as I would 

 not leave myself and pains wholly at his disposal ; and, 

 therefore, he procures, by the means of the physician, 

 minister, and Secretary St. John, an order constituting the 

 President (Sir Isaac Newton) of the Royal Society, the 

 Vice-President, and whom else they should think fit of the 

 Society visitors of the Observatory. Tis dated December 

 12th, 1710, and was sent me by the office-messenger, on 

 the 14th, with the Queen's letter intimating it. 



The next morning after I received this, I waited on Mr. 

 Secretary St. John, and told him that I was injured, and 

 should be hindered by this new constitution of Visitors ; 

 that I wanted no new instruments ; and that if I did, the 

 Visitors were not skilful enough to contrive them ; that for 

 my repairs of the Observatory, the Office of Ordnance had 

 hitherto taken care of them, and would now as soon as the 

 weather should be fit ; that the instruments and clocks in 

 the house were all my own, and that I had hitherto re- 

 paired them all at my own charge ; that I had expended 

 above £2000 more than my appointments, in instruments 

 and assistants ; and that it would be very unjust to go about 

 to deprive me both of the honour and benefit of my own 

 labour and expenses, and confer them on those, who had 

 done nothing but obstruct and hinder me in all they could, 

 and wanted to boast of their merit in preserving my la- 

 bours, because they had nothing of their own worth the 

 public view. Mr. Secretary St. John seemed not to regard 



