"with a certain gentleman a Pa66 piit, and on the other part being "attentive to the fermons of that "worthy man of God, Maifter "Chriftopher Goodman, teaching "upon the Apocalyps, I was moved "in admiration against the blind"nefs of Papifts that could not moft " evidentlie see their feven hilled "Citie of Rome, painted out there "fo lively by Saint John, as the "Mother of all Spiritual Whore"dome: that not onlie bursted I "oute in continuall reasoning against "my faid familiar, but alfo from "thenceforth I determined with "myself by the affiftance of God's "fpirit to employ my study and di"ligence to fearch out the remanent myfteries of that holy booke, "(as to this houre praised be the "Lord I have bin doing at all fuch "times as convenientlie I might "have occasion)" &c.

The time of Napier's matriculation does not appear from the Regifter of the University of St Andrews, as the books afcend no higher than the beginning of the last century; but as the old Whore of Babylon, affumed in the eyes of the people of Scotland, her deepest tinge of scarlet about the year 1566, and as that time correfponds to the literary bairn-age of John Napier, I fuppofe, he then imbibed the holy fears and commentaries of Maifter Chriftopher Goodman, and as other great Mathematicians have ended, fo he began his career with that mysterious book.

I have not been able to trace Merchifton from the University, till the publication of his Plain Difcovery, at Edinburgh, in year 1593; though Mackenzie, in his Lives and Characters of the most eminent Writers of the Scotifh nation, informs us (without quotation, however, of any authority) that he pafsed fome years abroad, in the low countries, France and Italy, and

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that he applied himself there to the study of Mathematics.

Among Mr Briggs's papers, preferved in the British Museum, I looked for letters from Napier, but found only what Mr Briggs calls, his Imitatio Nepeirea, five applicatio omnium fere regularum, fuis Logarithmis pertinentium, ad Logarithmos; which feems to have been written in the year 1614, foon after the pub lication of the Canon.

That Napier had begun, about the year 1593, that train of inquiry, which led him to his great atchievement in Arithmetic, appears from a letter to Crugerus from Kepler, in the year 1624; wherein, mentioning the Canon Mirificus, he writes thus, Nihil autem fupra Neperianam rationem effe puto: etfi Scotus quidam literis ad Tychonem, anno 1594, Scriptis jam fpem fecit Canonis illius mirifici, which allufion agrees with the idle ftory mentioned by Wood in his Athenæ Oxon, and explains it in a way perfectly confonant to the rights of Napier as the inventor.

When Napier had communicated to Mr Henry Briggs, Mathematical Profeffor in Grelham College, his wonderful Canon for the Logarithms, that learned Profeffor fet himself to apply the rules in his Imitatio Nepeirea; and in a letter to Archbishop Ufher, in the year 1615, he writes thus, "Napier, Lord of "Merchiston, hath fet my head and "hands at work with his new and "admirable Logarithms. I hope to "fee him this Summer, if it please “God, for I never faw a book which "pleafed me better, and made me "more wonder.”

It may feem extraordinary to quote Lilly the aftrologer, with refpect to fo great a man as Napier; yet as the paffage I propofe to tranfcribe from Lilly's Life, gives a picturefque view of the meeting betwixt Briggs and the Inventor of the Logarithms, at Merchifton rear

Edinburgh,

Edinburgh, I fhall fet it down in the original words of that mountebank knave:

"I will acquaint you with one memorable ftory, related unto me by John Marr, an excellent mathematician and geometrician, whom I conceive you remember. He was fervant to King James the First and Charles the First. When Merchi fton first published his Logarithms, Mr Briggs, then reader of the Aftronomy Lectures at Grefham College in London, was fo furprised with admiration of them, that he could have no quietnefs in himself, until he had feen that noble perfon whofe only invention they were He acquaints John Marr therewith, who went into Scotland before Mr Briggs, purposely to be there when thefe two fo learned perfons fhould meet; Mr Briggs appoints a certain day when to meet at Edinburgh; but failing thereof, Merchifton was fearful he would not come. It happened one day as John Marr and the Lord Napier were speaking of Mr Briggs; "Ah John, faith Merchifton, Mr Briggs will not now come:" at the very inftant one knocks at the gate; John Marr haft ed down, and it be proved to be Mr Briggs to his great contentment. He brings Mr Briggs up into My Lord's chamber, where almoft one quarter of an hour was spent, each beholding other with admiration before one word was spoken: at laft Mr Briggs began. "My Lord, "I have undertaken this long jour66 ney purposely to fee your perfon, "and to know by what engine of "wit or ingenuity you came firft "to think of this moft excellent "help unto Aftronomy, viz. the Lo"garithms; but My Lord, being by "you found out, I wonder nobody "elfe found it out before, when now being known it appears fo eafy." He was nobly entertained by the Lord Napier, and every Summer

after that, during the Laird's being alive, this venerable man Mr Briggs went purpofely to Scotland to vilit him."

Kepler dedicated his Ephemerides to Napier, which were pub lifhed in the year 1617; and it ap pears from many paffages in his letter, about this time, that he held Napier to be the greatest man of his age, in the particular department to which he applied his abi lities and indeed if we confider, that Napier's difcovery was not, like thofe of Kepler or of Newton, connected with any analogies or coincidences, which might have led him to it, but the fruit of unaffisted reafon and science, we fhall be vindicated in placing him in one of the highest niches in the Temple of Fame.

The last literary exertion of this eminent perfon, was the publicationof his Rabdology and Promptuary, in the year 1617, which he dedicated to the Chancellor Seton, and foon after died at Merchifton, on the 3d of April, O. S. of the fame year, in the 68th year of his age, and, as I fuppose, in the 23d of his happy invention.

In his perfon, the portraits I have feen reprefent him of a grave and fweet countenance, not unlike his eminent contemporary Monfieur de Peiresc.

In his family, he seems to have been uncommonly fortunate, for his eldest fon became learned and emis nent even in his father's lifetime his third, a pupil of his own in Mathematics, to whom he left the care of publishing his Pofthumous works; and lofing none of his children by death, he loft all his daughters by honourable or refpectable marriages.

He was twice married. By his first wife, Margaret, the daughter of Sir James Stirling of Kier, defcended of one of the oldeft and moft refpectable gentlemen's fami

priests of that nation had upon the people, and perpending how hard (if not impoffible) it was for a Prince to gain all their affections, or retain them when once gained, refolved to chufe fome few to govern the reit, by whom he might govern the others at his pleafure; and to whom he might intimate his thoughts without trouble or fear of difcovery; and by whom he might antidote the factions, which he forefaw either their own pride, or the factious nobility might hatch amongst them; as alfo, that thereby the fons of noblemen, and poffibly his own friends might have fome void charges and offices, whereto they might pretend; and wherein being once intalled, they might evidence more loyalty to him, than ftrangers would do: As alfo, that the nobility might be counterpoifed and might not fhare alone in all the offices of ftate, in whofe hands they were more dangerous than in the hands of ecclefiaftics, whofe revenues were not great, nor whofe vaffals and kinfmen were not numerous. These the other ecclefiaftics grudged in finitely, not fo much becaufe they thought their promotion illegal, as angry because they were not promoted themselves; ambition perfwading the fobereft amongst them, that the higher they were, they would be the nearer to heaven. Many judged likewife, that he was moft ill-fatisfied with the English Parliament, which was compofed ordinarily of the wittieft and turbulenteft perfons in the nation, and intended often to have each city choose, as their reprefentative, fome refidenter, who might understand best the neceflities of his town, and would nible leffe at the royal prerogative, whereas lawyers, and others, being often commiffionated by them, dipped too much in what belonged to the King, and too little in what concerned the place repre

fented by them; and in Scotland when it was tabled, whether each county and town fhould be licentiate to chufe any they looked upon as fitteft, it was concluded by the nobles there that this choaked their intereft; for, if they fhould be permitted to chufe the lawyers or wits of the nation, the nobles fhould be topped by them in all debates and upon all occafions.

He likewife was most unfatisfied, with the dependences of the tribes of that nation upon their own families, and upon the princes thereof; to whom the King in their affection was but fecond; for he esteemed thefe, the ftorehouses of faction and nurseries of oppreffion; none daring either follow the Royall standard, except under their conduct; nor daring to countenance a ftranger if not in bloud or affinity with them and as that wife Prince often faid, thefe could not be properly thought his fubjects, who were fo much in fubjection to others, nor could not imploy both their hands in upholding the throne, the one whereof was bufied in paling up the Prince of their own family; and fo by dividing their hearts betwixt their Prince and him, they made them unferviceable for either.

These feemed but dwarf difcontentments, when placed beside that gyant prejudice, which was conceived against him, because of his ir regular and monster-like affection to the Duke of Buckingham his Minion; who enhanced all the Royal favour, as due to none but to himself; whofe mean extraction, when collationed with his top-high preferment, feemed infufferable to thofe of higher birth and lower fortunes; but these adverted not, who feeing no familiarity nor intimacy can be betwixt those amongst whom there is no equality, that, therefore, princes must advance fome

fore,