Brief Lives, Vol. 2

John Wallis (1616-1703).

[1166]John Wallis, D.D.—I find at Lid in Kent that his father was Mr. John Wallis, minister of Ashford, in Kent.

[1167]John Wallis[CK], D.D., was borne at Ashford, in the county of Kent, Anno Domini <1616>. 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 ibidem socius' (Mr. Oughtred's preface to his Clavis). Anno <1636/7> A.B.; anno <1640> M.A. He was a good student, but fell not to the study of the mathematiques till he was above twenty.

A[CL] remarkable passage of his life, was, that he was a witnesse of W. Laud's (archbishop of Canterbury) tryall, for his introducing popish innovations into the University of Cambridge: see Canterbury's Doome, printed 1646, pag. 73, and elswhere. 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, ... Anno ... was scolar to Mr. W. Oughtred.

Anno 164<9> after the Visitation by the Parliament, he came to Oxon, and was made Savillian Professor of Geometrie. ..., <elected> Fellow of the Royall Societie. Great[1168] contests between him and Mr. Thomas Hobbes, of Malmesbury: sure their Mercuries are in □[1169] or opposition. Anno Domini 1657, he gott himselfe to be chosen by unjust meanes[XCV.] to be Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxon, at which time Dr. <Richard> Zouch had the majority of voyces, 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 Sir Henry Savile's statutes, that nothing can be imagined more; and if he does, he is downeright perjured. Yet the Dr. is allowed to keepe the other place still.

Anno <1654> he tooke his degree of Doctor, at the Act, at Oxon, and went out grand-compounder (which costes 200 li.), only that he might take place[1170] of Dr. Seth Ward, who was about a yeare his senior. In 1661 Dr. Ward was made deane of Exon, and the next yeare bishop of the same place; and so Dr. Wallis's 200 li. was meerly cast away. The bishop protested he was troubled for the 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 commonwealth of learning, perhaps no mathematicall writer so much.

'Tis certaine that he is a person of reall worth, and may stand[CM] with much glory upon his owne basis, needing not <to> be beholding to any man for fame, of which he is so extremely greedy, that he steales flowers from others to adorne his owne cap,—e.g. he lies at watch, at Sir Christopher[1171] Wren's discourse, Mr. Robert Hooke's, Dr. William Holder[1172], &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, which the author (especially Sir 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), Mr. W. O.,[1173] in his preface, gives worthy characters of severall young mathematicians that he enformed, and, amongst others, of John Wallis, who would be so kind to Mr. Oughtred, as to take the paines to correct the presse, which the old gentleman doth with respect there thus acknowledge, after he hath enumerated his titles and preferments; viri ingenui, 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 foelicis. 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 rested[1174] contented.

He maried ... and haz a good temporall estate in Kent.... He has only two daughters, handsome young gentle-woemen; 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.

Catalogus librorum ab illo scriptorum.

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Notes.