BRADLEY, JAMES. 



BUADSHAW, JOHN. 



ths table* of rrfraotion) daw not differ mow than half * Mcond from 

 that deduced by Mr. Pound from 720 observation, with both the muni 



la 1751 the alteration of the style took place, and Bradley appear* 

 to hare had tome char* in drawiug up the nnosesary table*, ai well 

 ai in aiding Lord lUeolecneld, hit early friend and the seconder of 

 the measure in the House of Lord*, and Mr. Pelham, then minuter, 

 with hi* adrice on the subject. But thii procured him aom unpopu 

 larity , for the common people of all rank* imagined that the alteration 

 waa equivalent to robbing them of eleven dyi of their natural live*, 

 and called Bradley'* cubaequent illness and decline a judgment ol 

 heaven. Tbia waa, a* far as we know, the last expiring manifestation 

 of a belief in the wickedness of altering the time of religiou* anniver- 

 aariea, whicli had disturbed the world more or lew, and at different 

 period*, for 1400 year*. In the aame year Bradley obtained a pension 

 of 250t from the crown. From that time he continued his observations, 

 of which we shall presently speak, till the 1st of September 1761, in 

 the obfervatioos of which date bis handwriting occurs for the last time 

 in the Greenwich registers. He then retired among his wife's relations 

 at Cbalfocd in Gloucestershire, where be died July 13, 1762, and waa 

 boned at Minebinhampton. His health had been failing for some 

 yean, though he was originally of a strong constitution, and always 

 of temperate habits. His wife died before him in 1757, and he left 

 one daughter, but his line is now extinct 



Thus far we hare obtained our materials for facts from the life by 

 Professor Rigaud, above cited. This account does not mention the 

 subsequent history of the manuscript observations made at the 

 observatory of Greenwich. The following is Dr. Haakelyne's account 

 (Answer to Mudge's < Narrative,' tc., London, 1792) : " Dr. Bradley's 

 valuable observations were made in the course of twenty years, from 

 174:! to 1762, and consist of thirteen volumes in folio. They were 

 removed from tbe Royal Observatory before I was appointed to the 

 care of it, by the doctor's executors, who thought proper to consider 

 them as private property ; and during a suit instituted on the part of 

 the crown, in the Exchequer, to recover them, they were presented in 

 1776 to Lord North, now Earl of Guildford, chancellor of the Uni- 

 versity of Oxford, and by him presented to the university on condition 

 of their printing and publishing them. The university put them 

 immediately for that purpose into the hands of Dr. Hornsby, Savilian 

 professor, Ac., whose bad state of health has been alleged as the cause 

 of the delay of tbe publication." The account of Dr. Hornsby, in 

 the preface of the publication in question, differs from the preceding 

 in an important particular. The above would allow us to infer that 

 the University of Oxford accepted a donation the right to make which 

 was under litigation, with a strong primd facie case against it. Now, 

 Dr. Hornsby mention* 1, what is very well known, that both the 

 predeceawn of Bradley, Flamstoed, and Halley, were allowed to con- 

 aider their own observation* a* their own property ; that the former 

 printed, and hi* executor* published, his observations as private 

 property, and that the daughter of the latter received compensation 

 for relinquishing her right to her father's paper* ; 2, that a salaried 

 office of only 1002. a year, with the duty of improving as much as 

 possible tbe planetary tables and the method of finding the longitude, 

 by DO means implied an obligation to consider the actual observations 

 mad* a* tbe property of the government; and 3, that the Royal 

 Society having first made and abandoned a claim, the government 

 instituted it* suit in 1767, and abandoned it in 1776, before the 

 observation* were presented, not to Lord North personally, but in 

 trust for tbe university of which he was chancellor. Dr. Maskelyne 

 wrote under feeling* of pique at being refused the sheet* of the 

 observation* a* fast as they were printed ; this, though it would have 

 bean under ordinary circumstance* a churlish proceeding, might 

 perhaps have been advisable in regard to the officer of a government 

 that bad pretended a chum to the property of the work, which, 

 though dormant at the time, the university could not know to have 

 been formally abandoned. And it baa been suggested to us, that 

 there i* no method of abandoning a suit in the Exchequer, as a 

 practical relinquiabment of proceedings is no bar in that court to 

 their revival at any future time. The observations in question were 

 published at Oxford in two volume* : tbe first in 1798, under the 

 superintendence- of Dr. Hornsby ; the second in 180S, under that of 

 Dr. Abraham RoberUon. They go from 1760 to 1762, and are about 

 60,000 in number. 



But these observation* might have remained a useless mats, except 

 for occasional reference, to this day, had it not been for the energy 

 of a dirtily Ml** 1 German astronomer, Frederick William Besrcl 

 [BntKL], who at Lilienthal and Konigsberg successively, and from 

 1807 to 1818, added to other laborious occupations the enormous task 

 of reducing and drawing conclusions from all Bradley'* observation*, 

 published in the latter place and year under the title of ' Fundaments 

 Astronomic pro anno 1765, deducta ex observationibus viri incom- 

 parabilis James Bradley.' H This work ha* alway* been considered one 

 of the moat valuable contribution, to our astronomy. It exhibits the 

 result of all Bradley'* observations of star*, reduced on a uniform 

 system, and is always referred to by succeeding astronomers as the 

 representative of Bradley'* observations." (Profesaor Airy, ' Rep. Brit 

 A**.' vol. L p. 137.) 



It may be said that Bradley changed the face of astronomy. Tbe 



discoveries of aberration and nutation, anil the improvement of tin- 

 table* of refraction, the attention to minute observation, and the tact 

 with which every instrument was applied to the purposes for which it 

 wa* best adapted, were so many great steps both in tbe art and science. 

 Before his time every instrumental improvement waa a new cauie nf 

 confusion, by pointing out irregularities which seemed to baffle all 

 attempt* both at finding laws and cause*. Nevertheless, the name of 

 Bradley hardly appears in popular works, nor will do so until ti 

 state of astronomy is better understood. Let any man sot up fur tin- 

 founder of a sect, and begin by asserting that he has found out tin- 

 cause of attraction, or the structure of the moon; let him exalt 

 himself in the daily papers, and be must be unfortunate indeed if in 

 three years he is not more widely known in this country than ite own 

 Bradley, one of the first astronomers of any. 



BRADSHAW, JOHN, president of the court which tried Charles I., 

 was born in 1586. Bradahaw waa of a good family in Cheshire. HU 

 mother was a daughter and coheiress of Ralf Winnington of Oflerton. 

 He wa* a student of law in Gray's Inn. lie had considerable chamber 

 practice, especially among the partisans of the Parliament, and he i 

 admitted by bis enemies to have been not without ability and legal 

 knowledge. 



In October 1644 Bradahaw waa employed by the Parliament, in 

 conjunction with Prynne and Nudigate, to prosecute lords Maoquiru 

 and Macmahon, the Irish rebels. In October 1646, by a vote of tbe 

 House of Commons, in which the peers were desired to acquiesce, he 

 was appointed one of the three commissioners of the Great Seal for 

 six months ; and in February following, by a vote of both houses, Chief 

 Justice of Chester. In June 1647 he was named by the Parliament 

 one of the counsel to prosecute the royalist Judge Jenkins. Ou 

 October 12, 1648, by order of the Parliament, he received the degree 

 of Serjeant. 



On January 1, 1648-49, it was adjudged by the Commons that by 

 the fundamental laws of the land, if is treason in the King of England 

 for the time being to levy war against the Parliament and kingdom. 

 On the 4th an ordinance was passed for erecting a high court of justice 

 for the trial of the king. The commissioners for the trial of the king 

 elected Serjeant Bradshaw their president Lord Clarendon says that 

 at first he seemed much surprised and very resolute to refuse it Thu 

 offer and the acceptance of it are strong evidence of the staunchness 

 of Bradshaw's republicanism. Of the manner in which he performed 

 the office very different opinions have been expressed. He has been 

 praised for having acted with dignity, firinnc.~., and moderation ; he 

 has been censured for acting with rudeness, insolence, and haughtiness. 

 The truth is, he was a great lawyer, but be was nothing more ; and 

 he acted as a rigid lawyer and a stem republican, impressed with n 

 lofty notion of the dignity of the office he held, might be expected to 

 act on such an occasion. 



The court ordered, " that John Bradshaw, Serjeunt-at-Law, who is 

 appointed president of this court, should be called by the name, and 

 have the title of Lord President, and that as well within as without 

 the said court, during the commission and sitting of the said court." 

 The deanery house in Westminster was given him as a reel' lenco for 

 himself and his posterity ; and the sum of 5000/. allowed him to procure 

 an equipage suitable to the dignity of his office. The parliament 

 further settled 40002. a-year upon him and his heirs, in landed property. 

 He was also made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He had 

 previously been appointed Chief Justice of Wales and of Chester, 

 besides being Lord President of the Council of State. Tbe accumula- 

 tion of so many offices in one man looks something like pluralism in 

 the Commonwealth : and unless very great allowance be made on 

 account of the dignity of the work done, the remuneration must appear 

 somewhat disproportioned to the quantity of it 



When Cromwell seized the government, Bradshaw was one of those 

 who offered all the opposition in their power, and never went over to 

 liira. Bradshaw's conduct, in courage and firmness, almost equalled 

 Ludlow'a. His bold answer to Cromwell, when he came to dissolve 

 the council, is well known. When Cromwell insisted upon every one 

 taking out a commission from himself, if they chose to retain their 

 places under bis government, Bradahaw absolutely refused, alleging 

 that he had received his commission as Chief Justice of Chester, to 

 continue " quamdiu se bcne gesserit," and he should retain it without 

 any other, unless he could be proved to have justly forfeited it by 

 want of integrity. He soon after set out on the circuit, without 

 waiting further orders ; nor did Oliver think it prudent to prevent or 

 recal him, as he had said nothing but force should make him desist 

 Tom his duty. 



It was not to be expected that such conduct would find much favour 

 .n the eyes of Cromwell. He attempted to oppose his election for 

 Cheshire ; and though Bradihaw was returned by the sheriff, as others 

 n the Cromwellian interest returned another, neither sat, it having 

 Men so decided in tbe case of double returns, liradnhaw was engaged 

 n several designs (gainst the power of Cromwell, one of which was 

 connected with the Fifth Monarchy-men, who were to destroy and pull 

 down Babylon, and bind kings in chains and nobles in fetters of iron ; 

 >ut Cromwell, though fully conscious of his enmity, merely continued, 

 with his characteristic policy, to watch and defeat his designs. Brad- 

 ahaw however was deprived of his office of Chief Justice of Chester. 

 On the death of Oliver, and the abdication of his ion Kichard, 



