Oeuvres complètes. Tome IV. Correspondance 1662-1663

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N^o 1136.
R. Hooke à R. Boyle.
[20 juillet 1663].

La lettre a été publiée dans ‘Boyle's Works, Vol. V.’

Friday 10 in the morning, from Pall-Mall.

Honoured Sir,

J have not received any of your commands since J took my leave of you for London. J know not, whether there has any thing miscarried, nor have J written any thing fince this day fev' night, there having happened little or nothing considerable in that time; only J should have sooner given you an account of an interview J had of Mister Hobbes, which was at Mister Reeve's¹⁾, he coming along with my lord De.²⁾ to be assistant in the choosing a glass. J was, J confess, a little surprised at first to see an old man so view me and survey me every way, without saying any thing to me; but J quickly shaked off that surprizal, when J heard my lord call him Mr. Hobbes supposing he had been informed, to whom J belonged. J soon found by staying that little while he was there, that the character J had formerly received of him was very significant. J found him to lard and seal every asseveration with a round oath, to undervalue all other men's opinions and judgments, to defend to the utmost what he asserted though never so absurd, to have a high conceit of his own abilities and performances, though never so absurd and pitiful, &c. He would not be persuaded, but that a common spectacle-glass was as good an eye-glass for a thirty six foot glass as the best in the world, and pretended to see better than all the rest, by holding his spectacle in his hand, which shook as fast one way as his head did the other; which J confess made me bite my tongue. But indeed Mr. Pell's³⁾ description of his deportment, when discoursed with about mathematicall demonstrations which he gave the last Wednesday surpasses all the rest.

There was very little done this week⁴⁾ at Gresham college, the whole stay

1) Sur Reeves, voir la Lettre N^o. 732, note 4.

2) Probablement il s'agit ici de
George Booth, premier Lord Delamer of Delamere, second fils de William Booth et de Vere Egerton, né en août 1622 et mort à Dunham le 8 août 1684. Il épousa Catherine Clinton et Elisabeth Grey.

3) Sur John Pell, voir la Lettre N^o. 9, note 2.

4) Dans la séance du 8 juillet 1663 (V. st.).

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being not much above an hour. My lord B⁵⁾ Sir R.M.⁶⁾ and Monsieur Zul.⁷⁾ were very inquisitive when you would return. There was an account read of Monsieur Le Fevre's⁸⁾ trial to volatilize salt of tartar with burnt alum, which you have long since heard. Monsieur Zulichem tried his own experiment, but it succeeded not, though he confessed the engine was very tight, and it will be tried again the next day according to his ordering. The accounts which J acquainted you with the last week, were not brought in as was expected. Sir R.M. gave in the measure⁹⁾ of an infant of sixteen weeks old, which was sent him out of Scotland, a pattern whereof J have here enclosed. There is a meeting of the council upon Monday¹⁰⁾ where your presence is much expected and longed for. There is very little in Doctor Power's¹¹⁾ microscopicall observations but what you have since observed; only there is a pretty experiment he tried with the leeches in vinegar, that survived the freezing of the vineger they lived in; and another pretty experiment he has in his philosophicall reflections¹²⁾ upon his observations, which is of making a certain kind of coals kindle into a fire and flame, by throwing water on them, when newly dug out of the mine. J am sorry to see, that he intends to publish several experiments about colours, which J am consident might be originally yours. He will likewise publish the experiment of freezing an eye, to find the shape of it, whose invention he ascribes to another. There is not much more besides, that is very considerable in it, and therefore J shall refer the further account of it till your return, till when J shall keep the book by me.

J have made a microscope object glass so small, that J was fain to use a magnifying glass to look upon it, but it did not succeed so well as J hoped; but J suppose it might be, because this being the first J had made, the tool was not very true, nor my hand well habituated to such an employment. And therefore J de-

5) Brouncker.

6) Robert Moray.

7) Christiaan Huygens.

8) Nicolas Lefevre (Le Fevre, Le Febure), naquit en France, et mourut à Londres en 1674. Il était chimiste renommé et devint démonstrateur de chimie au Jardin du Roi à Paris; de là il fut nommé directeur du laboratoire chimique dans le palais St. James à Londres: il devint membre de la Société Royale.

9) Les Proceedings de la Société Royale (voir Birch, History of the Royal Society), séance du 1^er juillet 1663 (V. st.), contiennent ces mesures.

10) Le 13 juillet (V. st.) Boyle n'assista pas à la séance du conseil de la Société Royale.

11) Henry Power, docteur en médecine, mourut en 1673. Il se voua surtout aux observations microscopiques et devint membre de la Société Royale, le 1^er juillet 1663 (V. st.).

12) Henry Power, Experimental Philosophy in three books, containing new Experiments, microscopical, mercurial, and magnetical London. 1664. in-4^o.

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spair not of better success in my next attempt. Mr. Lower¹³⁾ was to have waited on you, and was sorry to miss you here in town. He had Dr. Willis's¹⁴⁾ service to have presented to you, whose book¹⁵⁾ he tells me is within a little while to come forth, and he added, that Dr. Wren had drawn the pictures very curiously for it; and J am glad to hear it will afford such considerable discoveries, which J doubt not but you know. J question not, but that Mr. Oldenburg has acquainted you with the news, that is extant in this enclosed, and therefore J shall not trouble you with that particular. Nor has there occurred any thing else since my coming worth your knowledge; otherwise it should have been sent you by,

Honoured Sir, your most affectionate most faithful, and most humble servant

Rob. Hooke.

J suppose Mister Murray¹⁶⁾ has told you, that Mister Nicolls desires to speak with you.

J just now received a letter from Mister Whit. to send down the horse; but it is so lame, that it is altogether unable to perform a journey.

13) Richard Lower naquit en 1631 à Fremere (Cornwallis) et mourut en 1691 à Londres. Reçu docteur en médecine en 1665, il assista Thomas Willis dans ses dissections. Il entra, en 1667, dans la Société Royale et devint membre de la Medical Society; il pratiqua la transfusion du sang.

14) Sur Thomas Willis, voir la Lettre N^o. 858, note 4.

15) Thomas Willis, Cerebri Anatome Nervorumque descriptio & usus, cum Tractatu de ratione Motus Musculorum. Londini. 1664. in-4^o.

16) Hooke désigne ici Sir Robert Moray.