Volume 1

The posthumous works of Robert Hooke ... containing his Cutlerian lectures, and other discourses, read at the meetings of the illustrious Royal Society ... Illustrated with sculptures. To these discourses is prefixt the author's life, giving an account of his studies and employments, with an enumeration of the many experiments, instruments, contrivances and inventions, by him made and produc'd as Curator of Experiments to the Royal Society / publish'd by Richard Waller.

Hooke, Robert, 1635-1703.

Date:: 1705

Credit: The posthumous works of Robert Hooke ... containing his Cutlerian lectures, and other discourses, read at the meetings of the illustrious Royal Society ... Illustrated with sculptures. To these discourses is prefixt the author's life, giving an account of his studies and employments, with an enumeration of the many experiments, instruments, contrivances and inventions, by him made and produc'd as Curator of Experiments to the Royal Society / publish'd by Richard Waller. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$RoyalSociety, it was performed with the leaft EmbarrafT- ment clearly and evidently, to explain the prefent Subjecl, which was a fufficient proof of his true knowledge of the Mechanical Powers, and of a method of applying them to the Explication of Nature. How he fpent the next fix or feven Years of his Life I have not been particularly informed ; but I underhand he was for fome time with Sir Peter Lely, how long I am not certain: Ifuppofebuta fhort time; for I havejheard that the fmell of the Oil Colours did not agree with his Conftitution, increafing his Head-ach, to which he was ever too much fubjeft. It was after this that he lived with Dr. Busby, the late famous Maher of Weftminfter-School, as a Scholar in his own Houfe, where with more diligence he apply’d himfslf to Latin and Greek, in which he made a fuhicient proficiency for the time, and had a competent Knowledge, and at the fame time got fome infight into the Hebrew and fome other Oriental Languages. While he liv’d with Dr. Buf- by, he fell feriouhy upon the hudy of the Mathematicks, the Dr. encouraging him therein, and allowing him particular times for that purpofe. In this he took the* molt regular Method, and firfi: made himfelf Maher of Euclide's Elements, and thence proceeded orderly from that fure Bafisto the other parts of the Mathematicks, and after to the application thereof to Mechanicks, his firfi: and laft Miftrefs. From Wefiminfter-School he went to the Univerfity of Oxford, in 1653. but as’tis often the Fate of Perfons great in Learning to boimall in other Circumftances, his wTere but mean. I find that he was a Student of Chrijl-Church, tho’ not of the Foundation, but was, as I have heard, a Servitor to one Mr. Goodman, and took his Degree of Mafter of Jrtstiveral Years after, about 1662,01*166^. About the Year 1655, he began to fhew himfelf to the World, and that he had not fpent his Juvenile Years in vain ; for there be¬ ing a Concourfe at that time of extraordinary Perfons at Oxford, each of which afterwards were particularly diftinguifh’d for the great Light they gave the Learned World by their juftly admired Labours ; he was loon taken notice of, and for his. Facility in Me- chanick Inventions much priz’d by them. For the proof of his being at this time brought into the acquain¬ tance of thefe great Men, I fhall tranferibe fome Palfages which I met with among his Manufcripts; and firfi: fpeaking of their Phi- lolophical Meetings at Oxford, he fays, 4 At thefe Meetings, which were about the Year 1655 (before « which time I knew little of them) divets Experiments were fug- 4 gefied, difeours’d and try’d with various fucceffes, tho’ no other 4 account was taken of them but what particular Perfons perhaps 4 did for the help of their own Memories; fo that many excellent 4 things have been loft, fome few only by the kindnefs of the Au- 6 thors have been fince made publick; among thefe may be reckon’d 4 the Honourable Mr. Boyle's Pneumatick Engine and Experiments, 4 firfi Printed in the Year 1660. for in 1658, or 9, I contriv’d and 4 perfected the Air-pump for Mr Boyle, having firfi feen a Contri- 4 vance for that purpofe made for the fame honourable Perfon by 4 Mr. Gratorix, which was too grofs to perform any great matter. The 111 \ ( \ 1$

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