Volume 1

A collection of letters illustrative of the progress of science in England from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to that of Charles the Second / Edited by James Orchard Halliwell.

Date:
1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A collection of letters illustrative of the progress of science in England from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to that of Charles the Second / Edited by James Orchard Halliwell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    37/162 (page 13)
    DR. JOHN DEE TO LORD BURGHLEY*. [MS. Lansd. No. 19. Art. 38. Orig. ] Right honorable and my singuler good Lord,—Whereas of late your honor very favorably used me, considering your mervailous skantnes of leysor from very waighty matters and publick: I am now, therefore, most humbly to render thanks to your honor. Sins which tyme I have som whole dayes attended at London, hoping for your lordship comming thither. And on fryday last, perceyving your honor to be almost in a redines to ride toward the court, ere I could get to London (after I hard of your lordship certayn being there) I than thowght the season to be very unfeete for my purpose. Therfore finding your Lordship, at all tymes of usuall access for suters, so fraught with matters of more importance than any of myne can justly be deemed, I thowght good (with your lordships leave and favor) thus by writing to enjoye one howre of your lordships leisour (best known to your Lord- ship onely, whan that is) to vew the pattern of som part of my symple sute: which hertofore I wold gladly have opened unto your honor by word of mowth; and that is this. So much of my intent and studious doings is well known unto your honor, and the most part of all universities in Christen- dome (and farder); that for this xx. yeres last past, and longer, it may be very truely avowched that I have had a mervailous zeale, taken very greate care, endured great tra- vayle and toyle, both of mynde and body, and spent very many hundred powndes, onely for the attayning some good and certayn knowledg in the best and rarest matters mathe- maticall and philosophicall. How little or much therin the eternall God hath imparted to me (for my talent) He onely best knoweth. But certaynly by due conference with all that ever I yet met with in Europe, the pore English Bryttains (Il favorito, di vostra Excellentia) hath carried the bell away. God Almighty have the glory! The same zeale remayneth (yea, rather, greater is grown). But the hability, for chargis, is far lesser ; and that somwhat occasioned the sooner, throwgh my frank dealing for procuring and purchasing speady meanes of good knowledg. Which also I did uppon no small hope * This letter has been partly printed by Strype, in his Annals of the Reformation, vol.ii. App. xlv. The conclusion of it is a striking example of the little attention that was paid to the preservation of ancient records ; it is known, from Dr. Dee’s well- known memorial addressed to Elizabeth on the subject, that a MS. of Cicero ‘“ De Republica” was even as late as the sixteenth century preserved in the library of Can- terbury cathedral.