114 APPENDIX. 



for the technical terms which were derived for the most part 

 from Arabic, for defawte of terms convenyent in our 

 moder langage. In the Pepysian library at Cambridge 

 there is one printed by Wynkin de Worde, in octo-decimo, 

 which, in its original form, folds up from a small folio sheet 

 of vellum ; it bears the date of 1523.* 



The standard almanacs emanated from Oxford,* the seat 

 of British science throughout the middle ages: in fact, 

 before Newton's time, Cambridge was a blank, and the 

 only scientific names that cheer the pages of the history of 

 its early literature are Holbroke of St. Peter's College, 

 Buckley of King's, and Dee of St. John's : the first known 

 by his astronomical tables, the second by a plagiarism of 

 a method of extracting the roots of fractions from Robert 

 Record, and the third a memorable instance of one of the 

 greatest men of his time uniting the pure truths of science 

 with the grossest absurdities. All three were astrologers,! 

 owing, perhaps, more to the place of their education than 

 to the individuals themselves. 



There has been some dispute relative to the authenticity 

 of Roger Bacon's calendar, of which there is a MS. in the 

 British Museum : the following is an exact transcript of 

 the commencement : — 



" Kalendarium sequens extractum est a tabulis tholetanis . 

 anno domini . 1292 . factus ad meridiem civitatis tholeti 

 que in Hispania scita est cujus meridianus non multum 

 distat a meridiano medii puncti Hibernie in quo . 3 . con- 

 tinents." f. 2. 



If we retain factus, it cannot be translated, but, for- 

 tunately, the other MS. at Oxford has factum, and this 

 must evidently be the true reading. Professor Peacock 



* Hartshorne's ' Book Rarities of Cambridge.' 



f Holbroke is admitted by all to bave been an astrologer. Buckley wrote 

 a treatise which involves the principles (MS. Bib. Reg. 12 A. xxv.) ; and 

 with respect to Dr. Dee, no doubt can arise. 



