Edward Wright (15—- 1615).
[1287]Mr. Edward[1288] Wright: he was of Caius College in Cambridge (from Sir Charles Scarborough, who was of that house).
He published his book, 4to, intituled[1289]:—
Certain errors in navigation detected and corrected by Edward Wright, with many additions that were not in the former edition as appeareth in the next pages, London, 1610.
It is dedicated to the high and mighty Henry, prince of Wales, etc. In the Epistle dedicatory he makes mention of a goodlye and royall ship that his highnesse lately built, and that since his highnesse comeing into England that the 'art of navigation hath been much advanced here as well in searching the North-east and North-west passages as also in discovering the sea-coastes and inland of Virginea, Newfoundland, Groenland, and of the North New-land as far as Hackluyt's headland, within 9 degrees of the pole, also of Guiana and divers parts and ilands of the East Indies, yea, and some parts also of the south continent discovered by Sir Richard Hawkins.'
He read mathematicks to Prince Henry; and Sir Jonas Moore had the wooden sphaere in the Tower, which was contrived by Mr. Wright for the more easy information of the prince.
Amongst Mr. Laurence Rooke's papers (left with Seth <Ward>, lord bishop of Sarum) I found:—
Hypothesis stellarum fixarum
a Edm.[1290] Wright,
three sheetes, of his owne hand-writing, in folio. I deposited it in the Royal Society, but Mr. R. Hooke saieth that it is printed in a booke by it selfe, which see.
In his preface to the reader he sayes that 'the errors I have in the following treatise laboured to reforme to the utmost (yea, rather beyond the utmost) of my poor abilitie, neglecting in the meane time other studies and courses that might have been more beneficial to me: which may argue my good will to have proceeded further to the amendment of such other faults and imperfections as yet remain besides those alreadie specified.'
It appeares by his preface that his worth was attended by a great deal of envie.
Ibid.—He was in the voyage of the right honourable the earle of Cumberland in the yeare 1589. He 'devised the seaman's rings for the present finding out both of the variation of the needle and time of the day at one instant without any farther trouble of using any other instrument, and hath farther shewed how by the sun's point of the compasse (or magnetical azimuth) and altitude given by observation the variation may be found either mechanically with ruler and compasse or mathematically by the doctrine of triangles and arithmeticall calculation.'
John Collins <says that> he happened upon the logarithmes and did not know it, as maybe seen in his Errors: and Mr. Robert Norwood sayes to the reader in his Trigonometrie 'neither is Mr. Edward Wright to be forgotten though his endeavours were soonest prevented,' speaking of the logarithmes.
He published a booke of dialling in 4to, anno....
[1291]Mr. Edward Wright, ex Catalogo Bibl. Bodleianae.
Description of the sphere in three parts, London 1613——W. 1. 7.
Treatise of dialling, London 1614, 4to——H. 30. Art.
Correction of errors in navigation, 4to——W. 16. Art., et London 1599, 4to——W. 2. Art. BS.
The earle of Cumberland's voyage to the Azores, ibid.
Peruse the prefaces.—'The description of the sphaere' hath no preface, and I believe they were his notes for Prince Henry.
[1292]Mr. Edmund[1293] Wright was of Caius Colledge, in Cambridge. He was one of the best mathematicians of his time; and the then new way of sayling, which yet goes by the name of 'sayling by Mr. Mercator's chart,' was purely his invention, as plainely doeth and may appeare in his learned booke called 'Wright's Errors in Navigation,' in 4to. printed A.D.... Mr. Mercator brought this invention in fashion beyond seas.
He did read mathematiques to Prince Henry, and caused to be made, for his Highnesse more easie understanding of astronomie, a sphaere of wood, about three quarters of a yard diameter, which lay neglected and out of order in the Tower, at London, and Sir Jonas Moor begd it of his present majestie, who showed it to me.
He wrote 'Hypothesis Stellarum Fixarum et Planetarum,' a MS. of three sheetes of paper, which I found among bishop Ward's papers, which I gave to the Museum[1294] at Oxford.
He made a table of Logarithmes (scil. in his Tangents) before Logarithmes were invented and printed, but did not know he had donne it.—from John Collins.