No. 626] 



HOOKE'S MICROGEAPHIA 



257 



Mr. Hooke was pitch'd upon, and appointed City-Surveyor for that 

 difficult Work, which being very great, took up a large proportion of 

 his Time, to the no small hindrance of his Philosophical Disquisitions. 



In this Employment he got the most part of that Estate he died pos- 

 sessed of, as was evident by a large Iron Chest of Money found after his 

 Death, which had been lock'd down with the Key in it, with a date of the 

 Time, by which it appear'd to have been so shut up for above thirty 

 Years: In this was contained the greatest part of what he left behind 



That he might by this place justly acquire considerable Estate, I think 



Mr. Oldenhurgli, the then Secretaiy, dying in the tune of the Swieties 

 Recess, 1677. Mr. Hooke was desir'd to take his place, and take the 

 Minutes of what considerable Matters past, which he did on the twenty 

 fifth of October 1677. and the same day produc'd his Waterpoise and 

 shew'd the nicety thereof. 



From that time he officiated in that Place, as well as his Curatorship, 

 shewing several Experiments and Instruments in order to explain the 

 Gravitation and Alterations in the Air by Vapours, etc. Contriving an 



thin ball of Glass counter-poised. 



From this time he made Microscopical Obsen-ations on Animalcules 

 in Peper-water, and other Seeds steeped in Water, confirming Monsieur 

 Leuenhook's Assertions, and proposed some Improvements of Micro- 



Apr. 25. 1678. he shew'd an Experiment farther to explain the action 

 of a Muscle, " wiiich was by a Chain of small Bladders fastened together, 

 so as by blowing into one Pipe, the whole might be successively fill'd, 

 and by that means contracted, supposing the Fibres of the Muscles 

 which seem'd like a Necklace of Pearl in the Microscope, might be 

 fill'd with a very agiU Matter, which he thought most likely to be Air, 

 which being included in so thin Skins, was easily wrought upon by 

 Heat, Cold, or the acting Properties of the Liquors that pass between 

 them, and so perform the lengthening and contracting of the Muscles. 



Aug. 1678. he read several Discourses, and shew'd Experiments in 

 order to confirm his Theory of Springs and springv' Bodies. . . . 



