16 Life of the Rev. John Flam steed, 



brought to my hands on the 14th. I heard nothing of any 

 letter from them : if they then designed any, I believe, on 

 better thoughts it was laid by. But in March following, I 

 was surprised when I was privately told, that my Catalogue 

 (which I was then working upon to complete it as far as I 

 then could) was in the press : but more with a letter of 

 Dr. Arbuthnot, dated the 14th March, 1710-11, wherein 

 he very confidently required of me the copy of the star's 

 places of six constellations, viz. Draco, Ursa Major, Ursa 

 Minor, Cepheus, Cassiopea, Hercules, that had not been 

 delivered into Sir Isaac Newton's hands, when he got the 

 rest into his possession by tricks and pretences. This, I 

 believe, was one of the boldest things that ever was at- 

 tempted. None that had less dexterity, and boldness, and 

 art, than the Doctor, would have had the confidence to have 

 mentioned such a demand. I had made my instruments, 

 and maintained my assistants at my own charge without 

 complaint of it ; so long as I could be quiet and undisturbed 

 by the small people that cried him up. I had put a copy 

 of that part of my Catalogue which was in order into his 

 hands, to be preserved in case of my mortality, and to pre- 

 vent it from being lost by accidents, and to let him see that 

 I could go on with it as soon as I had determined the right 

 ascensions and distances from the pole, of other stars in 

 other constellations. I gave him also copies of them, never 

 designing or intending that he or any but myself should 

 publish them. Nor, indeed, could any one else, for more 

 observations were still wanting to complete it, and I was 

 adding to it, adding or correcting something in it every 

 day. Some letters passed betwixt me and the Dr. Arbuth- 

 not, wherein he still urged me to give them the copy of the 

 constellations, only wanting, as he thought, to complete my 

 Catalogue: which I always answered civilly, with such just 

 excuses as are above suggested ; desiring still that I might 

 see him, either at the Observatory or in London, where at 

 last he met me, on March 29th, and when I inquired of 

 him, whether the Catalogue was printed or no, he assured 

 me " not a sheet of it was printed." I answered him not, 

 for I was sure it was ; because he then offered (in the hear- 

 ing of Mr. Hodgson, and another gentleman I had taken 

 with mc to be a witness of our conversation and discourse), 



