1 60 HEROES OF INVENTION AND DISCO VER Y. 



Coelestis Britannicge." This publication contains his famous 

 catalogue of the fixed stars, the first trustworthy one ever made ; 

 the immense mass of celestial observations of which the catal- 

 ogue was the fruit, or rather the first fruit ; and a full account 

 of his methods of observation and his instruments. 



Like most men of superior learning in his day, Flamstead 

 had the reputation among the lower orders of being able to 

 foretell events. In this persuasion, a poor washerwoman of 

 Greenwich, who had been robbed at night of a parcel of 

 linen, came to him, and with great anxiety requested him to 

 use his art, to let her know where the linen was, and who 

 had robbed her. The doctor, who was a humourist, thought 

 he would indulge himself in the joke ; he bade the poor woman 

 stay, and he would see what he could ; perhaps he might let 

 her know where she might find it ; but who the persons were 

 he would not undertake to inform her, for as she could have 

 no positive proof to convict them, it would be useless. He 

 then set about drawing circles, squares, &c., to amuse her; 

 and after some time, told lier if she would go into a particular 

 field, she would find the whole bundled up in a part of the ditch. 

 The woman repaired there immediately, and found it. She 

 came back with great haste and joy to thank the doctor, and 

 offered him half a-crown as a token of her gratitude, that being 

 as much as she could afford. The doctor, more surprised 

 than the woman, told her, " Good woman, I am heartily glad 

 you have found your linen ; but I assure you I knew nothing 

 of it, and intended only to joke with you, and then to have 

 read you a lecture on the folly of applying to any person to 

 know events not in the human power to tell. But I see Satan 

 has a mind I should deal with him : I am determined, how- 

 ever, I will not ; so never come nor send any one to me any 



