John Wells.
[1221]John Wells[CR], esq.:—he was borne at ..., educated at.... He was a Roman Catholique. He published an excellent treatise of dialling, entituled[1222]:—
Sciographia, or the art of shadowes, plainely demonstrating out of the sphaere how to project both great and small circles upon any plane whatsoever, with a new conceit of the reflecting of the sunne beames upon a diall contrived upon a plane which the direct beame can never shine upon, together with the manner of cutting the five regular Platonical bodies and two other the one of 12, the other of 30 rhombes never discovered heretofore, also the finding of their declinations and reclinations and adorning them with variety of dialls, all performed by the doctrine of triangles, and for ease and delight sake by helpe of the late invented and worthily admired numbers called by the first inventor logorithmes; by John Wells, esquire; London, printed by Thomas Harper and are to be sold in Paul's churchyard at the signe of the Bell, 1635.
Mr. Henry Gellibrand, professor of <Astronomy> at Gresham College, hath put a learned preface to it, wherein it is mencioned that Mr. Henry Brigges and Mr. Edmund Gunter did earnestly sollicite Mr. Wells to publish it.
[1223]<In> Deptford <church at the> east end <of the> south aisle <on a> white marble:—
Hic sita est Catherina Welles, generosa,
summae pietatis et virtutis, filia Thomae
Wailinger armigeri et Benedictae Gonson
primogenita, uxor charissima Johannis
Welles armigeri pro regia classe pridem
diribitoris ejusque navalium armamentorum
per triginta plus annos totius Angliae generalis
custodis, cui septem filios sexque filias
feliciter enixa est, quarum duo nati
tres natae hîc unâ cum illa contumulantur.
Animam coelo pie reddidit 5 Julii 1634
aetatis 47 felicem in Christo resurrectionem
indubitanter expectans.
Ad maritum superstitem.
Pignora conjugii remanent tibi plurima nostri,
Pluraque praemisit mors mihi dira rogo:
Parte fruor tumulo, reliqua tibi prole relicta;
Festina charos lentus ad hos cineres.
Note.
[CR] In MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 80v, Aubrey drew the coat:—'argent, a chevron vert powdered with ermine spots of the first between 3 martletts sable,' but crossed it out with the note 'false.' On fol. 81 he gives a coat, as carved on the monument there described:—'or, a lion rampart within a bordure engrailed sable, a crescent for difference; impaling, gules, a fess verry between 3 (pheasants, I thinke) or'; and adds 'the lord Wells tempore <Henr. VII> gave this coate.'