58 LETTERS ON SCIENTIFIC SUBJECTS. 



THOMAS LYDYAT TO HENRY BRIGGS. 



[MS. Bodl. 313.] 



Bocardo, October 31st, 1628. 



Mr. Briggs, After a full year gone and past, from the 

 time I delivered you the two little notes in August (was 

 twelve months) which you say you lost : I did,, though with 

 much adoe, enforce myself to make them again. The cause 

 of my then committing them unto you, had I not told you, 

 you must easily conceive, was to have your judgment of them, 

 to the end that afterwards I might shew them unto others of 

 my worshipful friends to be motives to stir them to do some- 

 what for me, either to the helping me out of prison, that was 

 and is my most desire and main suit : where, through the ex- 

 ceeding care that I had the last year to discharge my debts 

 as fast as I could, and indeed faster than I well could ; I 

 thank God for all ! I was as near starving for hunger, about 

 the time you were last with me, in February, as I think ever 

 poor prisoner was that scaped it. I had sent you this copy 

 as soon as I had new made it, but that I understood you were 

 from home. In the meantime I sent it to New College, to 

 Mr. Stringer, by him to be delivered to Mr. Warden : who, I 

 thank him, the other day brought it to me again himself. 

 As I wrote to Mr. Stringer, I dare not say it is to shew the 

 probability of so great a refraction, for fear lest all the astro- 

 nomers on this side the hither tropic have me by the ears for 

 it : but only the possibility : leaving the full determining of 

 the business, till I come either under the North pole, accord- 

 ing to the letter I sent you this time twelvemonths, or over 

 the Cape of Good Hope ; whither I say, to the one place or 

 to the other, even to the world's end, I pray God send me 

 safe, so out of prison. I shewed it not long since to Mr. 

 Pesor, at his kind visiting me, which, I thank him, he hath 

 often done ; at what time he told me, to my comfort, he was of 

 my mind, that astronomy would never be perfited until there 

 were some astronomical observations made under the asqui- 

 noctial, and beyond the farther tropic, to be compared with 

 ours. Now I send you the same again, to the same ends 

 that I committed them to you at the first. Good Mr. Briggs, 

 do not lose these too : but unperfite as they be, let me have 

 your judgment of them, within this sennenet or thereafter, as 

 your leisure will permit. So with mine hearty commenda- 

 tions, and thanks for all your kindnesses, I bid you farewell. 



Your's, 



THOMAS LYDYAT. 



