558 Revieivs of Books are more valuable than a unitary working-over of them might be. Cer- tainly nothing in this little volume is in the least tedious. To one con- demned to pass a large proportion of his time in reading the writings of German scientists who glory in writing awkwardly, and have carried that art to its last pitch of perfection, a style like this is simply delicious. Though Stevens uses the spelling " Hariot " throughout, yet in the last testament appended to this essay, the name at every occurrence appears as Harriotts. An .r very easily gets dropped from the end of the name of a writer, because it so often occurs in the possessive case ; and doubled consonants in names were usually made single in latinization ; as Coper- nicus for Koppernik, and Keplerus for Keppler. In the signature to a letter, printed as "Harriote," a final s may have been inadvertently taken for an if ; j final, in much of the chirography of that period, look- ing a good deal like a modern e. Our acquaintance with the man has hitherto been limited to a skele- ton biography and a few slight notices, together with a treatise upon algebra based upon his papers but drawn up by another person. How is this acquaintance improved by the new publication ? First, we are now presented with a speaking portraiture of his character and life. Next, Harriotts' will had eluded more than one accomplished huntsman for such documents ; but from the moment when our Vermonter entered upon the search the snuggest of catiches could no longer secure it from being drawn to light. So here it is, printed in full ; and it affords us, aside from more general information, certain significant hints regarding the contents of the scientific papers the testator left behind him. Thirdly, the first half of a letter to Harriotts relating to his observations in astronomy has, for a century, figured in the history of that science, having been unearthed, talked about, and ultimately published, by Baron Franz von Zach. The original is presumed to be still at Petworth Castle. But Stevens found the other half of the letter (bearing the signature of a person never sus- pected aS its writer) ; and everybody will pronounce it to be much the more important half. Fourthly, Harriotts, in his will, directed that N. Thorperley should receive his " mathematicall writings . . . to the end that after hee doth understand them hee may make use in penninge such doctrine that belonges unto them for publique uses as it shall be thought convenient by my Executors and him selfe ; " after which the papers were "to be putt into a convenient truncke with a locke and key and to be placed in my Lord of Northumberlandes Library and the key thereof to be delivered into his Lordshipps hands." But Stevens produces facts which go far to indicate that Thorperley was not only utterly indolent in ■ ^ ^ I iVinuance of theduty so imposed upon him, but was a person of the worst judgment in regard to such duty, and furthermore, was by no means as appreciative of what was entrusted to him as it is desirable that a liter- ary executor should be. And to those facts Stevens adds others which prove that von Zach, who next went through the papers, did so quite cursorily, to use no harsher word, while by eliminating seven-eighths of them (which went to the British Museum) he rendered it difficult for
