Harriot, Thomas, Mss. 6789

List of thumbnails

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831
831 (416r)
832
832 (416v)
833
833 (417r)
834
834 (417v)
835
835 (418r)
836
836 (418v)
837
837 (419r)
838
838 (419v)
839
839 (420r)
840
840 (420v)
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page |< < (425r) of 1074 > >|
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              <s xml:space="preserve">[
                <emph style="bf">Commentary:</emph>
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              <s xml:space="preserve"> This letter from William Lower to Harriot contains Lower's excited reactions to
                <emph style="it">Siderius nuncius</emph>
              (1610). He also refers to Kepler's
                <emph style="it">De stella nova</emph>
              (1606).
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              He repeats requests for help with questions on Kepler and Viète. Such questions were posed in the letter in Add MS 6789, f. 437 to 428v, suggesting that this letter is the immediate successor to that </s>
              <s xml:space="preserve">]</s>
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            <s xml:space="preserve"> I gave your letter a double welcome, both be-
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            cause it came from you and contained newes of
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            that strange malaze; althoug that which I craved,
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            you have deferred till another time. me thinkes
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            my Diligent Galileas hath done more in his three-
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            fold discourse then Magellane in opening the straights
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            to the South sea or the Dutch [???] that weare eaten
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            by beares in nova Zimbla. I am sure with more
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            ease & saftie to him selfe & more pleasure to me.
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            I am so affected with this newes as I wish som-
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            mer were past that I might observe this pheno-
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            menes also. in the moone I had formerlie observed
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            a strange spotednesse al over, but had no conceite
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            that anie parte therof mighte be shadowes; since I
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            had observed those degrees in the darker partes, of which
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            the lighter sorte had some resemblance of shadinesse
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            but that they grow shorter or longer I cannot yet
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            [???]. there are three starres in orion below the
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            three on his girdle so much together as they appeared
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            about, 4. yeares since I was a writing you newes
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            out of Cornwall of a [???] of a strange phenomenon
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            but asking some that had better eyes then myself
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            they told me, they were three starres lying close
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            together in a right line. thes starres with my
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            Cylinder this last winter I often observed, and it
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            was longe er I beleved that I saw them, they
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            appearinge through the Cylinder so farre & dis-
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            tinctlie asunder that without I can not yet dis-
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            sern. the discourse of this made me then observe
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            the, 7. starres also in, 8. which before I always ra-
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            ther beleved to be, 7. then such could nomber
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            them. thorugh my Cylinder I saw thes also plaine
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            lie and farre asunder, and more then, 7. to, but be-
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            cause I was preiudge with that number, I beleved
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            not myne eyes nor was carefull to observe how
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            manie; the next winter now that you have opened
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            mine eyes you shall heare much from me of this </s>
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