Mem. Latter end of Aug. 1680, he wrote verses, called "Divine Love," at the instance and request of the Lady Viscountesse Ranelagh. He missed the Provostship of Eaton colledge, 1680.

He lies buried in the church-yard (South East of the church), where his grandfather and father were buried. This burying-place is railed about like a pound, and about that bignesse. There is a walnut tree planted, that is, perhaps, 50 yeares old. (The walnut tree is their crest.) There are nine graves or cippi, no grave-stone or inscription. They lye thus:

Edmund Waller, Esq.† was borne in the parish of Agmundesham, in Buckinghamshire, at a place called Winchmore-hill, which was sold by his father, and which he had a very great desire to have bought again, not long before his death, but the owner would not sell it; part of the house has been new-built; but the roome wherein he was borne is yet standing; said he, to his cosen Hamden, A stagge, when he is hunted,

* Edmund Waller, Poeta.

1690.

From Capt. Edmund Hamden, his cousin-german,

and neer spent, always returns home. He dyed at 83, and his witt was as florid then as at any time of his life. He derived his poetick witt from the Hamdens; severall of them have been poets. Whereas Rutt, that kept the Crowne Inne (I thinke), at Beconsfield, told me, many yeares since, that he had been distempered; Capt. Hamden affirmes it is false; but his brother was a foole, as to discourse or businesse, but was very learned.

And whereas Dr. Birch told me, that he had a prodigious memorie; his sonnes affirme, that he had no good memorie, and was never good to learne a thing by heart, but some things that pleased him he did strongly retaine.

Capt. Hamden told me, that the soldiers came to Beconsfield to search for money; his mother told them, if they would goe along with her, she would shew them where she had buried five thousand pounds, and had them to the house of office.

JOHN WALLIS, D.D.

Was borne at Ashford, in the county of Kent, A: Dai.... His father was minister there, he went to schoole there. At....

yeares old he was admitted at Emanuel colledge, in Cambridge; ubi fuit alumnus, deinde collegii Reginalis ibi

dem socius. A.... A.B. A.... M.A. He was a good student, but fell not to the study of mathematiques till he was above twenty. A remarkable passage of his life, was, that he was a witnesse of W. Laud's, A. B. Cant. tryall, for his introducing popish innovations into the University of Cambridge. See "Canterbury's Doome," printed, 1646. pag. 73, and elsewhere. The first remarqueable passage of his life was, his decyphering the letters of King Charles I. taken at the battle at Nasby, which booke is called the "King's Cabinet Opened," printed at London. A.... was scolar to Mr. W. Oughtred. A 164.. after the visitation by the Parliament, he came to Oxon, and was made Savillian Professor of Geometrie. Great contests between him and Mr. Thomas Hobbes, of Malmesbury. A: D 1657, he gott himselfe to be chosen (by unjust means) to be Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxon, at which time Dr. Zouch had the majority of voices, but because Dr. Zouch was a malignant, (as Dr. Wallis openly protested, and that he had talked against Oliver), he was putt aside. Now, for the Savillian Professor to hold another place besides, is so downeright against S: Hen, Savile's statutes, that nothing can be imagined more; and if he does, he is downright perjured. Yet the Dr. is allowed to keepe the other place still. A.... he tooke his degree of Doctor at the Act, at Oxon, and went out grand-compounder (ws costes £200),

only that he might take place of Dr. Seth Ward, who was about a yeare his senior. his senior. In 166. Dr. Ward was made Deane of Exon, and the next yeare Bishop of the same place; and so the Dr. Wallis's £200 was meerly cast away. The B protested he was troubled for ye losse of his brother Wallis's two hundred pounds. He hath writt severall treatises, and well; and to give him his due prayse, hath exceedingly well deserved of the comonwealth of learning, perhaps no mathematicall writer so much. "Tis certaine yt he is a person of reall worth, and may stand with much glory on his own basis, and need not be beholding to any man for fame, of which he is so extremely greedy, that he steales feathers from others to adorne his owne cap,-e. g. he lies at watch, at Sir Christopher Wren's discourse, Mr. Rob. Hooker, Dr. William Holder, &c. putts downe their notions in his note booke, and then prints it, without owneing the authors. This frequently, of which they complaine. But though he does an injury to the inventors, he does good to learning, in publishing such curious notions, wch the author (especially S Christopher Wren) might never have the leisure to write of himselfe,— When Mr. Oughtred's "Clavis Mathematica" was printed at Oxford (editio tertia, with additions), the author, in his preface, gives worthy characters of severall young mathematicians that he informed, and, amongst others, of Jo. Wallis, who would be so kind to Mr. Oughtred, as

to take the paines to correct the prese, which the old gentleman doth with respect there thus acknowledge, after he hath enumerated his titles and preferments; viri ingenii, pii, industrii, in omni reconditiore literatura versatissimi, in rebus Mathematicis admodum perspicacis, et in enodatione, explicationeque Scriptorum intricatissimis Zipherarum involucris occultatorum (quod ingenii subtilissimi argumentum est) ad miraculum felicis. This last of the cyphers was added by Dr. Wallis himselfe; which when, the booke being printed, the old gentleman sawe, he was much vexed at it; and sayd, that he had thought he had given him sufficient prayse, with which he might have been contented. He maried and hath a good temporall estate in Kent he has only two daughters, handsome young gentlewomen; one maried to Mr. Blencowe,

of Middleton-Cheyney, in .

He lives at a well-built house, near New colledge, in Oxon, is a Justice of the Peace there, and has been 167.. 1679, 1680.

SETH WARD,

(Ld Bishop of Sarum,)

Was borne at Buntingford, in Hertfordshire, (a small market-towne,) Anno D 1618, Decem