RECORDS 



GENERAL SCIENCE. 



Article I. 



Memoir of John Napier, Baron of Merchiston. 

 By J. B. Biot * 



C Concluded from p. 94. ) 



Hitherto, we have only seen Napier as a Scotch Baron of 

 the 16th century. Confined to the heart of a barbarous 

 country, in a strong castle, he lived in a solitary manner 

 with his family, without any other change in his thoughts, 

 than that which the administration of his affairs, or his un- 

 avoidable participation in religious and political cpiarrels 

 demanded. A decided and ardent Presbyterian, he com- 

 mented on Scripture after the manner of his times, and 

 under the influence of the same prejudices which inflamed 

 the other fanatics of his sect, he explained, with a confi- 

 dence not less determined than blind, the allusions of Holy 

 Scripture as referring to the circumstances in which the 

 reformed church was then placed. Yet to this period we 

 owe his invention — for it should not be termed discovery ; 

 an invention almost mechanical and material, which 

 .changed all the methods of mathematical calculation, till 

 then, employed in science, gave them a wonderful simplicity 

 and precision, and saved so much labour to laborious men, 

 as well as those of genius, such as Copernicus and Kepler, 

 that it is but proper to show to inquiring minds how Napier 

 produced such an admirable invention. 



The Scotch biographer felt the want of such a view ; but 



* Abridged from flip Journal de Savants, May, 1835. 

 VOL. III. M 



