Elementary arithmetic, with brief notices of its history... by Robert Potts.

LOGARITHMS.

3

It is remarked by his chief biographer, when Napier and the
delegates were ushered into the royal presence: " It must have been a
scene worthy of historical painting-this interview between the grotesque King of Scotland and the recluse philosopher. We may
imagine the monarch, as portrayed in that ancient description of him
which seems to have been drawn by an actual observer. ' Of a middle
stature, more corpulent through his clothes, than in his body, yet fatt
enouch, his clothes ever being made large and easie, the doublets
quilted for steletto proofe, his breeches in grate pleits, and full
stuffed; of a timorous disposition, which was the greatest reasone of
his quilted doublets; his eyes large, ever roulling after aney stranger
cam in his presence; in so much as maney, for shame, have left the
roome as being out of countenance: his beard werey thin; his toung
too large for his mouth, &c.,'-confronted with John Napier, with his
serene presence, thoughtful eye, and ample beard, rarely seen within
the royal circle."
On the 29th January, 1593, John Napier wrote an epistle1 to King
James against his collusively favouring the Papists, and urged reforms
both in Church and State. This epistle he also prefixed as the dedication to that monarch of " The Plain Discovery," which was published
the same year. It is described by one of his biographers as containing
"remonstrance without sedition, rebuke without disloyalty, and admonition without impertinence." " The Plain Discovery " was translated
into French, and three editions were published at Rochelle, the first
in 1602.
After the detection of the Spanish plot, Napier was engaged in the
invention of some plans and machines for the defence of the island,
which were communicated by King James's ambassadors to the
English Government. A description of them is preserved in his
handwriting, and bearing his signature. The paper is prefaced by the
words: "Anno Domini 1596, the 7 June, Secrett Inventionis,
profitabill and necessary in theis dayes for defence of this Iland,
and withstanding of strangers, enemies of God's truth and religion."
How John Napier was led to the invention of logarithms appears
from his own account of the matter. He had made several improvements in trigonometry: two of the most important have since been connected with his name-" Napier's Rules," and "Napier's Analogies."
He became desirous of finding out some method by which he could
abridge the labour of numerical computations connected with this subject. In the year 1614, when he was above sixty years of age, he
1 The following is a short extract from the epistle:-" Praying your Majesty to
attend yourself unto these enormities, and (without casting over the credite
thereof to wrong wresters of justice), your Majesty's self to wit, certainly that
justice be done to these your true and godly lieges, against the enemies of God's
church, and their most cruel oppressors. Assuming your Majesty be concordance
of al Scriptures, that if your Majesty ministrate justice to them, God the supreme
judge shall ministrate justice to you against al your enemies, and contrarily, if
otherwise. Therefore, sir, let it be your Majesty's continual study (as called and
charged thereunto by God) to reform the universall enormities of your country,
and to begin at your Majesty's owne house, family, and court, and purge the same
of all suspicion of Papists and Atheists, or Newtrals, whereof this Revelation
foretelleth that the number shall greatly increase in these latter daies. For shall
any prince be able to be one of the destroyers of that great secte, and a purger of
the world from Antichristianisme, who purgeth not his owne country? shall he
purge his whole country who purgeth not his own house? or shall he purge his
house, who is not purged himselfe? "