THE TOWN OF PELHAM. 5 1 



lie lectures upon Diophantus were much applauded, as is testified by his 

 learned colleague, Gerrard John Yossius, who styles him, in his De 

 ScientUs Mathematics, 'a person cf various erudition, and a very acute 

 mathematician;' though, as Dr. Pell tells Sir Henry Cavendish, in a let- 

 ter, still preserved in the British museum, ' stupidus, stolidus, cani simi/is, 

 temerarius, petulans jttvenis* and the like titles, hath Longomontanus 

 bestowed upon your honor's most humble servant, John Pell."* " This 

 letter is dated from Amsterdam, in February, 1644-5. ^ n 1646, in com- 

 pliance with the wishes of the Prince of Orange, Mr. Pell removed to the 

 Professorship of Philosophy and Mathematics in Schola Illusiris which 

 his Highness founded that year at Breda. In the same year appeared 

 his ' Controversia cum Christiano Longomontana de vera circuli mensu- 

 ra.' While at Breda he had Lord Brereton 3 under his tuition. In 1651, 

 was published his ' Idea Mathematus' which is the best of his works. 

 In 1652, he returned to England, and two years subsequently was sent 

 by the Protector Oliver Cromwell as his obligatus, or agent, to the Pro- 

 testant Cantons of Switzerland, but subsequently he received orders to 

 continue there as resident minister. He chiefly resided at Zurich." 1 -' 



The Pell MSS. d in the Landsdowne Collections, in the British Museum, 

 are written in an excellent style and afford interesting illustrations of 

 Dr. Pell's domestic and literary character. They contain letters to and 

 from Dr. Pell. Amongst his correspondents are Mr. Secretary Thurloe, 

 Boswell, Monk, Moland, Drury and Hirtzell. To which is appended 

 Dr. Pell's diary during his residence at Zurich. The latter commences 



thus : — 



1654. 



March 1, I was forty-three years old. 



March 2, My Lord Protector sent for me, and first proposed that journey to 

 me. 

 March 3, The Low-Dutch ambassador came. 

 March 21, Marcus first waited upon me. 

 March 24, I received at Whitehall, £200 sterling advance. 



a Harleian MSS. 6796, 72 c. 



b The son of the second Lord Brereton, of Leaghlia, in Ireland, to whose title he succeed- 

 ed, and was member for Cuesfcire in the reign of Charle3ll. He died in 1679. Vaughan's 

 Protectorate of Cromwell, vol. ii, 3S3. 



c nistory of Sussex, by Thomaa Walker, vol. ii, 218. Besides the works already mentioned. 

 Dr. Pell published— 1. Modus Supputandi Ephemerides Astronomicus, 1630: 2. clef de la Ste- 

 ganographic <ie Jean Tretheim, 1631 ; 3. Letter to Edward Wingate upon Logarithms, 1631 ; 4, 

 Astronomical Account of Celestial Appearances. &c.,1634 ; 5. The Art of Calculating Eclipses, 

 1634; 6. Easter not Mis-timed, 1664 ; 7. Table of 10,000 Square Numbers, &c, 1672; 7. Inaugu- 

 ral Oration at Breda. His Demonstration of the 2 and 10 b'ksof Euclid, his alterations and 

 additions to Rhomm's Algebra, with many others on miscellaneous subjects, letters, <kc, are 

 some of them preserved in MSS. in the library of Lord Brereton, in Cheshire. 



d In th? Lanesdowne MSS. are 11 vols, of Dr. Pells. The first vol. is composed of a vast 

 fund of iuteresting information respecting the presecution of the Piedmontose. 



