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fit season for physic, it was thought fit to let me alone this
winter, and try the skill of another physician on me in the
spring.”
It appears that at this time a quack named Valentine Greatrackes,
was reputed to have effected most astonishing cures in Ireland
merely by the stroke of his hands, without the application of any
medicine whatever. Flamsteed’s father, despairing of any remedy
for his son from the legitimate branch of the profession,
despatched him to Ireland on August 26th, 1665, he being then, as
recorded with astronomical accuracy, “nineteen years, six days,
and eleven hours old.” The young astronomer, accompanied by a
friend, arrived on a Tuesday at Liverpool but the wind not being
favourable, they remained there till the following Friday, when a
shift of the wind to the east took place. They embarked
accordingly on a vessel called the SUPPLY at noon, and on Saturday
night came in sight of Dublin. Ere they could land, however, they
were nearly being wrecked on Lambay Island. This peril safely
passed, there was a long delay for quarantine before they were at
last allowed on shore. On Thursday, September 6th, they set out
from Dublin, where they had been sojourning at the “Ship” Hotel,
in Dame Street, towards Assaune, where Greatrackes received his
patients.
[PLATE: FLAMSTEED’S HOUSE.]
Flamsteed gives an interesting account of his travels in Ireland.
They dined at Naas on the first day, and on September 8th they
reached Carlow, a town which is described as one of the fairest
they saw on their journey. By Sunday morning, September 10th,
having lost their way several times, they reached Castleton,
called commonly Four Mile Waters. Flamsteed inquired of the
host in the inn where they might find a church, but was told that
the minister lived twelve miles away, and that they had no sermon
except when he came to receive his tithes once a year, and a woman
added that “they had plenty enough of everything necessary except
the word of God.” The travellers accordingly went on to
Cappoquin, which lies up the river Blackwater, on the road to
Lismore, eight miles from Youghal. Thence they immediately
started on foot to Assaune. About a mile from Cappoquin, and
entering into the house of Mr. Greatrackes, they saw him touch
several patients, “whereof some were nearly cured, others were on
the mending hand, and some on whom his strokes had no effect.”
Flamsteed was touched by the famous quack on the afternoon of
September 11th, but we are hardly surprised to hear his remark
that “he found not his disease to stir.” Next morning the
astronomer came again to see Mr. Greatrackes, who had “a kind of
majestical yet affable presence, and a composed carriage.” Even
after the third touching had been submitted to, no benefit seems
to have been derived. We must, however record, to the credit of
Mr. Greatrackes, that he refused to accept any payment from
Flamsteed, because he was a stranger.
Finding it useless to protract his stay any longer, Flamsteed and
his friend set out on their return to Dublin. In the course of
his journey he seems to have been much impressed with Clonmel,
which he describes as an “exceedingly pleasantly seated town.”
But in those days a journey to Ireland was so serious an
enterprise that when Flamsteed did arrive safely back at Derby
after an absence of a month, he adds, “For God’s providence in
this journey, His name be praised, Amen.”
As to the expected benefits to his health from the expedition we
may quote his own words: “In the winter following I was
indifferent hearty, and my disease was not so violent as it used
to be at that time formerly. But whether through God’s mercy I
received this through Mr. Greatrackes’ touch, or my journey and
vomiting at sea, I am uncertain; but, by some circumstances, I
guess that I received a benefit from both.”
It is evident that by this time Flamsteed’s interest in all
astronomical matters had greatly increased. He studied the
construction of sun-dials, he formed a catalogue of seventy of
the fixed stars, with their places on the heavens, and he computed
the circumstances of the solar eclipse which was to happen on June
22nd, 1666. It is interesting to note that even in those days the
doctrines of the astrologers still found a considerable degree of
credence, and Flamsteed spent a good deal of his time in
astrological studies and computations. He investigated the
methods of casting a nativity, but a suspicion, or, indeed, rather
more than a suspicion, seems to have crossed his mind as to the
value of these astrological predictions, for he says in fine, “I
found astrology to give generally strong conjectural hints, not
perfect declarations.”
All this time, however, the future Astronomer Royal was steadily
advancing in astronomical inquiries of a recondite nature. He had
investigated the obliquity of the ecliptic with extreme care, so
far as the circumstances of astronomical observation would at that
time permit. He had also sought to discover the sun’s distance
from the earth in so far as it could be obtained by determining
when the moon was exactly half illuminated, and he had measured,
with much accuracy, the length of the tropical year. It will thus
be seen that, even at the age of twenty, Flamsteed had made marked
progress, considering how much his time had been interfered with
by ill-health.
Other branches of astronomy began also to claim his attention.
We learn that in 1669 and 1670 he compared the planets Jupiter
and Mars with certain fixed stars near which they passed. His
instrumental means, though very imperfect, were still sufficient
to enable him to measure the intervals on the celestial sphere
between the planets and the stars. As the places of the stars
were known, Flamsteed was thus able to obtain the places of the
planets. This is substantially the way in which astronomers of
the present day still proceed when they desire to determine the
places of the planets, inasmuch as, directly or indirectly those
places are always obtained relatively to the fixed stars. By his
observations at this early period, Flamsteed was, it is true, not
able to obtain any great degree of accuracy; he succeeded,
however, in proving that the tables by which the places of the
planets were ordinarily given were not to be relied upon.
[PLATE: FLAMSTEED.]
Flamsteed’s labours in astronomy and in the allied branches of
science were now becoming generally known, and he gradually came
to correspond with many distinguished men of learning. One of the
first occasions which brought the talents of the young astronomer
into fame was the publication of some calculations concerning
certain astronomical phenomena which were to happen in the year
1670. In the monthly revolution of the moon its disc passes over
those stars which lie along its track. The disappearance of a
star by the interposition of the moon is called an “occultation.”
Owing to the fact that our satellite is comparatively near us, the
position which the moon appears to occupy on the heavens varies
from different parts of the earth, it consequently happens
that a star which would be occulted to an observer in one
locality, would often not be occulted to an observer who was
situated elsewhere. Even when an occultation is visible from
both places, the times at which the star disappears from view
will, generally speaking, be different. Much calculation is
therefore necessary to decide the circumstances under which the
occultations of stars may be visible from any particular station.
Having a taste for such computations, Flamsteed calculated the
occultations which were to happen in the year 1670, it being the
case that several remarkable stars would be passed over by the
moon during this year. Of course at the present time, we find
such information duly set forth in the NAUTICAL ALMANAC, but a
couple of centuries ago there was no such source of astronomical
knowledge as is now to be found in that invaluable publication,
which astronomers and navigators know so well. Flamsteed
accordingly sent the results of his work to the President of the
Royal Society. The paper which contained them was received very
favourably, and at once brought Flamsteed into notice among the
most eminent members of that illustrious body, one of whom,
Mr. Collins, became through life his faithful friend and constant
correspondent. Flamsteed’s father was naturally gratified with
the remarkable notice which his son was receiving from the great
and learned; accordingly he desired him to go to London, that he
might make the personal acquaintance of those scientific friends
whom he had only known by correspondence previously. Flamsteed
was indeed glad to avail himself of this opportunity. Thus he
became acquainted with Dr. Barrow, and especially with Newton, who
was then Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. It seems
to have been in consequence of this visit to London that Flamsteed
entered himself as a member of Jesus College, Cambridge. We have
but little information as to his University career, but at all
events he took his degree of M.A. on June 5th, 1674.
Up to this time it would seem that Flamsteed had been engaged, to
a certain extent, in the business carried on by his father. It is
true that he does not give any explicit details, yet there are
frequent references to journeys which he had to take on business
matters. But the time now approached when Flamsteed was to start
on an independent career, and it appears that he took his degree
in Cambridge with the object of entering into holy orders, so that
he might settle in a small living near Derby, which was in the
gift of a friend of his father, and would be at the disposal of
the young astronomer. This scheme was, however, not carried out,
but Flamsteed does not tell us why it failed, his only remark
being, that “the good providence of God that had designed me for
another station ordered it otherwise.”
Sir Jonas Moore, one of the influential friends whom Flamsteed’s
talents had attracted, seems to have procured for him the position
of king’s astronomer, with a salary of 100 pounds per annum. A
larger
salary appears to have been designed at first for this office,
which was now being newly created, but as Flamsteed was resolved
on taking holy orders, a lesser salary was in his case deemed
sufficient. The building of the observatory, in which the first
Astronomer Royal was to be installed, seems to have been brought
about, or, at all events, its progress was accelerated, in a
somewhat curious manner.
A Frenchman, named Le Sieur de S. Pierre, came over to London to
promulgate a scheme for discovering longitudes, then a question of
much importance. He brought with him introductions to
distinguished people, and his mission attracted a great deal of
attention. The proposals which he made came under Flamsteed’s
notice, who pointed out that the Frenchman’s projects were quite
inapplicable in the present state of astronomical science,
inasmuch as the places of the stars were not known with the degree
of accuracy which would be necessary if such methods were to be
rendered available. Flamsteed then goes on to say:—“I heard no
more of the Frenchman after this; but was told that my letters had
been shown King Charles. He was startled at the assertion of the
fixed stars’ places being false in the catalogue, and said, with
some vehemence, he must have them anew observed, examined,
and corrected, for the use of his seamen.”
The first question to be settled was the site for the new
observatory. Hyde Park and Chelsea College were both mentioned as
suitable localities, but, at Sir Christopher Wren’s suggestion,
Greenwich Hill was finally resolved
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