Incorporations.
Jim. 30. Constantine Jessop Bach. of Arts of Trinity Coll. near
Dublin.—I shall make farther mention of him elsewhere.
July 7. Thom. Clavering M. of A. (but of what University
'tis not set down) was then incorporated in the same degree.
- 8. Rob. Sparke M. of A. of Aberdene
- Mar. 1. Joh. Ramsey, M. of A. of S. Andrews
One Dr. Rob. Sparke and Joh. Ramsey, were afterwards Publishers
of several Sermons; but whether the same with the two former, I
cannot tell.
This year Thom. Randolphe the most celebrated Poet of Cambr.
was incorporated M. of A. but the day or month when, appears
not.—I have made mention of him at large among the Writers,
under the year 1590.
Joh. Pell also a Graduat of the same University, was incorpora∣ted,
but in what degree, whether in that of Bachelaur, or Master
of Arts, it appears not.—This person, tho I have several times
occasionally mention'd in this Work. yet I shall take liberty to be
more large upon him now. He was the Son of Joh. Pell, and he
of another John, descended from those of his name in Lincolnshire,
where they seem to be of antient extraction. His first breath
was drawn at Southwy••ke in Sussex, (of which place his Father
was Minister) on S. Davids day, an. 1610, and his Grammar
learning received in the Free-school (then newly founded) at
Stenning a Market Town in the said County. At 13 years of age
he was sent to Trin. Coll. in Cambridge, being then as good a Scho∣lar
as some Masters of Arts in that University: and tho he un∣derstood
Lat. Gr. and Hebr. well, yet he never stood at an Ele∣ction
of Scholars and Fellows of that house. He was of a strong
and good habit of body, and therefore using Recreations seldom
or never, he plied his studies while others play'd. About two
years after he had taken the magisterial degree, he married, and
understood then, besides the said three Tongues, Arab. Ital. French,
Spanish. High and Low Dutch. In Dec. 1643 he took a Journey
to Amsterdam, and was there made Professor of the Mathema∣ticks
next after Mart. Ho••tensius, where his learned Collegue
Ger. Jo. Vossius, (as he testifies de scientiis Math. c. 10.) heard
him with admiration read his publick Lectures upon Diophantus;
by whom likewise he is stiled a person of various erudition, and a
most acute Mathematician. And in 1646 the Prince of Orange cal∣led
him to be publick Professor of Philosophy and Mathematicks
in the Schola illustris at Breda, founded that year by his Highness.
While he continued there, William Lord Brereton was sent by his
Grandfather George Earl of Norwych to be his Scholar, and became
a good proficient, especially in Algabra, to which his Genius most
inclin'd him, and carried it on to his dying day; which hapning
on the 17 of March 1679 (he being then a chief Member of the
Royal Society) was buried in the Church of S. Martin in the Fields
within the City of Westminster, leaving then behind him the Cha∣racter
among the Vertuosi of a very good Algebrest, and an excel∣lent
Musitian, having composed several things of that faculty. In
1652 J. Pell return'd into England, and two years after Oliver
Lord Protector sent him Envoy to the Protestant Cantons of
Swit∣zerlandt,
where he chiefly resided at Zurich. He was
sent with
the Title of Ablegatus, but afterwards he had order to continue
there under the Title of Resident: and by that Title he was known
till hi•• Return into England a little before Oliver's death, an. 1658;
at which time it was vulgarly known among the Royalists, that in
the said Employment he had acted nothing to the injury of the
Church of England. After his Majesties Restauration he took holy
Orders from Dr. Sanderson B. of Lincoln, had procured for him by
Dr. Sheldon B. of Land. the Parsonage of Fobbing in Essex an. 1661,
and two years after the Parsonage of Lainden with the Chappel of
Bartelsdon annexed, in the same County. After the said Bishop
was translated to Canterb••••y he became one of his Chaplains, being
then Doct. of Div. and expected soon after to be made a Dean,
but being not a person of activity, as others, who mind not lear∣ning,
are, could never rise higher than a Rector. The truth is,
he was a shiftless man as to worldly affairs, and his Tenants and
Relations dealt so unkindly with him, that they cozen'd him of
the profits of his Parsonages, and kept him so indigent, that he
warned necessaries▪ even Paper and Ink, to his dying day. This
learned and curious person hath written (1) Controversia cum Chri∣stiano
Longemontano de vera circuli mensura. Amst. 1647. qu. (2)
An Idea of Mathematicks Lond. 1651. in tw. written to Sam. Hart∣lib
Es{que} and printed at the end of The reformed School written by
Jo. Dur••e. It was before printed in Engl. and Lat. (3) A Table
of ten thousand squa••e numbers, namely of all the square numbers be∣tween
O▪ and an hundred millions, and of their sides or roots, which
are all the whole numbers between O and ten thousand. With an ap∣pendix
concerning the endings, or last figures of all square numbers.
Lond. 1672, fol. &c. He hath also succinctly and clearly demon∣strated
the second and tenth book of Euclid, which is in MS. in the
〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Lord Brereton in Cheshire, as also Archimedes his 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
and the greatest part of Diophantus his six books of Arithme∣••••k
Which last is done more and better, than was before done
by a certain French man. Both which are in the aforesaid Libra∣ry.
He also published a little Anonymous Exercitation concerning
Easter; and at the instance of Sir Charles Scarborough did demon∣strate
the proportion of the Diameter to the Circumference, and
shews the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 why 〈◊〉〈◊〉 did use those two numbers. The
〈…〉〈…〉 written in High Dutch by Rhonnius some∣times
〈…〉〈…〉 is mostly also his (Dr. Pell's) His 〈…〉〈…〉
is also extant, and a Letter relating to
the 〈…〉〈…〉 Hamburgh by 〈…〉〈…〉 He