sir CHRISTOPHER WREN, knt.

brated Virtuosi, and Mathematicians of their Time, Dr. John Wilkins,Warden of Wadbeun, (afterwards Bishop of Chester) and Dr. Setb Ward,SaviUan Professor of Astronomy , (afterwards Bishop of Sarum ;) which con-tinued with Intimacy and Affection during their Lives.--By the Means of

Dr. Wilkim , who was Chaplain to his Royal Highness Charles EleSlor Pa~latine, while resident in England, he had the Honour to be introduced totile Acquaintance and Favour of that Prince , a great Lover and Encourages°f Mathematicks, and useful Experiments. <

There is extant an Epistle to his Royal Highness, introductive of a PresentHim on those SubjeBs, which is here inserted from the sirss roughDraught.

his Most Illustrious Highness Charles, Prince EleSlorPalatine of the Rhine, &c.

Mo]} Illustrious Prince ,

It THEN of old a Votivc-Table was hung up to some Deity or Hero,W a few small Characters, modestly obscuring themselves in somejbady Corner of the Piece (as yet the modern Custom is) were never pro-hibited from revealing the poor Artist, and rendering him somewhat asharer in the Devotion : Indeed I. was almost prompted to such a Presump-tion, out ot my own Zeal to a Prince, so much mercarialium cujlos viro-Yll m, but the learned Votary who consecrates these Tables to your Highness S «PP(being one who suffers me to be a most addicted Client of his) civilly ob-^' -^ e tricated my Affection to your Highness, by adding his Commands to me|° tender this Oblation : And had not my too indulgent Patron by undescrved-T thinking them not unfit for his own presenting, (tho’ exceedingly beneathyour Highness’s Acceptance) robb’d me of my Humility, and taken awayle extreme low Thoughts I should otherwise have had of them, I must^eds have called the first Device, but a rustick Thing concerning Agri-culture only*-, and therefore an illiberal Art, tending only to the saving oforn, improper in that glorious prodigal Soil of yours, where every Shower ofJlail must necessarily press from the Hills even Torrents of Wine. The other“°Uceipt I must have deplor d as a tardy Invention, impertinently now coming•uto the World, after the Divine German Art of Printing. Os the third Pa-P Cr I cannot fay any Thing too little, ’tis Extenuation enough to fay that theyf two Mites, two living Nothings, nay, but painted Nothings, the Shadow^ Nothing; and this Shadow ratified too, even to forty thousand Times its°nner Extension j if it presents you with any Thing in Nature, ’tis butll h a p a j r of Atoms. Now if it be possible for your Highness to forcey° Ur self to accept such extreme Littlenesses as these, you will therein imitatele Divinity, which shews itself maxime in minimis, and preserve that De-°tion towards your Highness, which I conceived while yet a Child, whenfs Was pleased to honour my Father’s House by your Presence, for someec hs-j~, who therefore must eternally retain a Sense of being

Tour Highness most humble and

most devoted Servant,

Christopher Wre

x.

hr A ?!->

M and

anJ*.,'"Ung-Instrumcnt, which being drawn by a Horse over a Land ready plow’ds Tl t 1 P* ant Lorn equally without Want and without Waste.

^t-nf ,,E Deanry-House at IVindJlr , which his Highness occasionally made use of for Rctire-’ an d Beneht of the Air.

Os