accession the Roman Catholic party founded confident expectations of a restoration to their lost estates and former predominance in Ireland. But before entering on the consideration of the action of Sir William Petty in the crisis immediately preceding the Revolution of 1688, the reader may be invited to peruse the following letters belonging to the period he has already traversed:—
Sir William Petty to J. Aubrey.
'Dublin: 29 May 1678.
'Sr,—I have received your kind letters, for which I thank you. As for the Reprinting the booke of Taxes I will not meddle with it. I never had thanks for any publick good I ever did, nor doe I owne any such booke. As for that of Duplicate proportion, I take Mr Lodewick's Paynes trial to put that discourse into the real character, to be an honour to Bishop Wilkins and myself, but doubt of its acceptance in the world.
'As for the opinion of Dr. Woods and others, that the Emanacions of Visibles, Audibles, &c. should have been in triplicate (not duplicate) proportion, I say that neither is demonstrably true, but that duplicate doth better agree both with reason and Experience. Carpenters and Wheelewrights say that the diameter is to the Circle as 1 to 3. Others say better as 7 to 22, but neither is exact; yet both serve the turne. So what I have done in that discourse was only to keep men from grosse errors, and for bringing them into the way of exacter truth. I hope no man takes what I say'd about the mocion and burthen of horses and the living and dying of men for mathematical demonstracion, yet I say they are better ways of estimating these matters then I had ever heard from others. I hope better are now found out. But there are 2 or 3 real mistakes in that treatise of which more pr next.
'I am,
'Yours and Mr. Hooks, &c.
'Wm. Petty.'[1]
- ↑ Egerton MSS., British Museum, 2231, H. 90-98
