FLAMININCS, TITUS QUINTIDS. 



FLAMSTKED, JOHN. 



814 



by small hill* called Cynoecepbaho, or Dog*' Head*. The Macedonians 

 had at fint some advantage, especially ou the light wing where the 

 king commanded in person, and where ha had formed hi* phalanx ou 

 a h.Il, but Klamininoi observing the left wing moving in column with 

 a narrow front to their assigned pott, attacked it with hi* elephant* 

 and threw them into confusion Wore they had time to form. In the 

 punuit of thi* body a tribune of the victorious legion being led beyond 

 the flank of the right wing, ventured to attack it on the rear, and ha 

 lueceeded in spreading disorder into tha ranks of the close and cumber- 

 some phalanx. Panic perraded the Macedonian*; many threw down 

 their arm* and fled, and Philip himself, aeeing the rout becoming 

 general, left the field, and rode off toward* Tempe. The Macedonians 

 lost 8000 lulled and 6000 prisoners on that day. Soon afterward* the 

 fcing asked for a truce, which was granted by Flatuiuinui, in order that 

 meanngen might be lent to Rome to treat of peace. The senate 

 appointed ten legatee, who, in concert with Flamininu*, drew up the 

 condition*, which were that Philip should evacuate every Grecian 

 town and fortress beyond the limits of hi* paternal kingdom, that he 

 sboulil give up all hi* ship* of war, reduce his military establishment, 

 and pay 1000 talenU for the expense* of the war. Flamininus was 

 then continued in hi* command for another year, B.C. 196, to sea these 

 condition* executed. In that year, at the meeting of the Isthmian 

 games, where multitude* had assembled from every part of Greece, 

 Flamininu* caused a crier to proclaim " that the senate and people 

 of Rome and their commander Titus Quintius, having subdued Philip 

 and the Macedonian*, restored the Corinthians, Phocacans, Locrian., 

 Butxeana, Theasalians, Phthiota), Magneto, Perrhtebi, and Achsoans to 

 their freedom and independence, and to the enjoyment of their own 

 laws." Bunt* of acclamation followed thi* proclamation, and the 

 crowd pressed forward to express their gratitude to- Flamininus, whose 

 conduct throughout those memorable transactions was marked with a 

 wisdom, moderation, and liberality seldom found united in a victorious 

 Roman general. He checked by his firmness the turbulence of his 

 JStolian allies, who vociferated for the entire destruction of Philip, 

 while he satisfied all just claim* of the rest ; and although hi* Mace- 

 donian expedition led ultimately to the entire subjugation of both 

 Macedonia and Greece, yet ha was at the tune the mean* of restoring 

 peace to both countries, and of protracting the independence of the 

 Greek sUtee for half a century longer. 



In the following year, B.C. 195, Flamininus was entrusted with the 

 war against Nabis, tyrant of Locedicmon, who had treacherously seized 

 the city of Ar^os. Flamiuinu* advanced into Laconia and laid siege 

 to Sparta, but he met with a brave resistance, and at last agreed to 

 grant peace to Kabi* on condition that he should give up Argos and 

 all the other place* which he had usurped, and restore the descend- 

 ant* of the Measenian* to their land*, ilis motive* for granting peace 

 to Nabis were, he said, partly to prevent the destruction of one of the 

 most illustrious of the Greek cities, and partly because of the great 

 preparation* which Antioohua, king of Syria, was then making on the 

 coast of Alia. Livy inggests, as another probable reason, that Flami- 

 ninu* wuhed to terminate the war himself, and not to give time to a 

 new consul to supersede him in hi* command and reap the honour* of 

 the victory. The senate confirmed the peace with Nabis, and in the 

 following year, B.C. 194, Flamininu* having settled the affairs of Greece 

 prepared to return to Italy. Having repaired to Corinth, where depu- 

 tation* from all the Grecian citie* had assembled, he took a friendly 

 leave of them, signifying to them that he waa going to withdraw all 

 hi* army and garrisons, and leave them to themselves ; advising them 

 at the same time to make a temperate use of that liberty which the 

 Roman* had been the mean* of restoring to them, and above all to 

 preserve concord in their councils, as civil factions would certainly 

 lead to the loci of their independence ; for those who find themselves 

 the weaker at home are apt to apply to strangers for support He 

 accordingly delivered the citadel of Corinth to the Achieans, withdrew 

 hi* garrison* from Uemetria*, Chaleis, and the other town* of Kuboaa, 

 and having broken up hi* camp at Elatea in PhocU, he sent the soldiers 

 to embark on the coast of Kpirus, whilst he repaired to Theaialy to 

 settle the internal aflain of that country, which were in a state of 

 great confusion. He organised the various town*, choosing the magis- 

 trate* and senate from among the wealthier class. Ho then repaired 

 to Uricum, on the coast of Epirus, where he embarked for Brundisium. 

 In Italy both he and hi* aoldien were received with great demonstra- 

 tion* of joy, and the senate decreed him a triumph of three days. 

 On the fint day were displayed the arm* and the statues of bras* and 

 marble taken from the enemy ; ou the second the silver and gold, 

 whether coined or in vases, shield*, and various ornament* ; and on 

 the third the golden crown*, the gift of the liberated citiea. Before 

 the car of Flamininu* appeared the captive* aud hostage*, and among 

 the Utter Demetriu*, ion of Philip, and Armenos, ion of Nabia, and 

 in the rear followed the Roman prisoner* who had been sold as slaves 

 to the Greeks by Hannibal during the second Punic war, and whose 

 liberation Flamininu* had obtained from the gratitude of the Greek 

 state*. The Achran* alone are laid to have liberated 1200, for whom 

 they paid 100 talent* a* compensation money to their master*. Alto- 

 lather there never wa* perhaps a Roman triumph *o satisfactory as 

 this to all parties, and so little oflen.ive to the faeling* of humanity. 

 In the year B.C. 183, FUmininu* wa* sent t . Pnuiaa, king of Bithyuia, 

 upon the dishonourable mission of demanding the person of Hannibal, 



then, in his old age, a refugee at the court of Prusias. Hannibal how- 

 ever, by taking poison, avoided being given up. In u.c. 166 Flamininu* 

 wa* made augur in the room of C. Claudius deceased (Livy, xlv. 4 4), 

 after which he is no longer mentioned in history. 



FLAMSTKED, JOHN'. The life of the first astronomer royal waa 

 known to the world chiefly by the result* of hi* labours, until the 

 year 1832, since which time hi* private affairs have been brought t 

 ii-lit in an unexpected manner, and have excited great interest, not 

 without creating some party feeling among thoee who cultivate the 

 science* connected with astronomy. In 1832 Mr. Francis Baily dis- 

 covered that a considerable collection of Flamiteed'i letters waa ia 

 the hand* of a private individual ; which, on being examined, wa* 

 found to contain much that was not generally known. On search- 

 ing the observatory at Greenwich, Mr. Baily found a vast mass of 

 manuscript observations, letters, and other documents, in the hand- 

 writing of Flamsteed and his friends, containing the curious history of 

 which wo shall give a brief abstract. The result of thi* discovery was 

 a representation to the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory, 

 who recommended the republication of the ' British Catalogue,' with 

 extracts from the papers of Fhunsteed. The Lord* of the Admiralty 

 having decided to print this at the public expense, Mr. Baily under- 

 took the preparation of the work, which appeared in 1835, under the 

 title of ' An Account of the Rev. John Flamsteed, &o. tc., to which is 

 added hi* British Catalogue of Stars, corrected and enlarged.' From 

 this work, which is certainly the most remarkable scientific biography 

 of the present century, we have given Flamsteed * view of his own 

 case. The original account is in part drawn by Mr. Baily from a 

 manuscript by Flamsteed, headed ' Self Inspections, by J. F.,' which U 

 a very interesting autobiography. 



John Flamsteed was born at Denby, near Derby, August 19, 1646. 

 His father was in some business, it has been said that of a maltster ; 

 he lost bis mother when very young. At the age of fourteen he caught 

 cold while bathing, which produced a weakness in the joints, from 

 which he never recovered. He began his mathematical aud astrono- 

 mical studies at a very early age, and showed talent* for constructing 

 astronomical instruments. In 1665 he visited Ireland for the purpose 

 of consulting a Mr. Ureatrakes, who professed to cure disorders by the 

 touch, and of whose experiment* in London a curious account exists. 

 [BOTLE, ROBERT.] No effect being produced on him by this treat- 

 ment, he returned to Derby, where his father lived, and where he 

 had received his education. Here he continued his studies til! 

 and with great success. In or before 1667 he discovered the real 

 causes of the equation of time, and wrote a tract on the subject, 

 which was afterwards appended by Dr. Wallis to his edition of the 

 works of Horrox, published in 1673. In 1669 he made an astrono- 

 mical communication to the Royal Society through Oldenburg, their 

 secretary, concealing his name under the anagram 



J. Mathesm a Sole fundes, 

 which, being transposed, gives 



Johannes Flamsteeditu : 



this same anagram appears in the title-page of the tables appended to the 

 doctrine of the sphere iu Sir Jonas Moore's system of mathematics, in 

 the preparation of which Flamsteed had a share. An answer from 

 Oldenburg, addressed to himself, showed him that he was discovered, 

 and from that time, or rather from the date of a visit which he very 

 shortly afterwards paid to London, he was in correspondence with 

 many scientific men, but particularly with Sir Jonas Moore, who, iu 

 1674, proposed to establish Flamsteed in a private observatory, which 

 he intended to build at Chelsea. In the meantime however the fact of 

 the very large errors to which astronomical tables were subject came 

 to the notice of Charles II., on the occasion of a proposal made by a 

 French gentleman for finding the longitude, aud that king deter 

 to establish an observatory. Flamsteed was appointed astronomer 

 royal, or, a* the warrant ran, " astronomical ob*ervator," and carried 

 on his observations at the queen's house, in Greenwich Park, until th-i 

 observatory was ready, which was in July 1676. From this time Mr. 

 Baily date* the commencement of modern astronomy ; nor can such 

 chronology be disputed if we consider that we now return to 

 steed's observation* a* the earliest with which it is desirable to com- 

 pare those of our day, and also that Flamsteed'i catalogue is the first 

 which attained a precision comparable to that of later times. Flam- 

 steed wag in fact Tycho BrahiS with a telescope : there was the same 

 capability of adapting instrumental means, the same sense of the 

 inadequacy of existing tables, the same long-continued perseverance 

 in actual observation. But Tycho Brahe, a rich noble, found hi* 

 exchequer in a king'* purse; while Flamsteed, a poor clergyman, 

 defrayed the expenses of his instruments himself, upon on ill-paid 

 lary of 1001. a year. Up to the year 1684 ho had imposed on him 

 the task of instructing two boys from Christ's Hospital, as one of the 

 duties of hi* post; and, besides this, he waa obliged to have recourse 

 to private teaching, to meet the charges of carrying on his observa- 

 tions. At the very same time, that part of the public which cared 

 about the matter wore beginning to require that he should print his 

 observations. 



Almost at the outlet of his labours he was so well known that 

 Dr. Bernard invited him to become a candidate for the Suviliau pro- 



