Miscellaneous Works of Mr. John Greaves; Professor of Astronomy in the University of Oxford, ... . in Two Volumes Volume 1

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1737 edition. Excerpt: ... However, it appears from Mr. Greaves's Letter from Constantinople dated August 2, 1638, that he believ'd there was a treasure of Greek and Latin authors in the Seraglio; for having observ'd, that amongst other manuscripts he had procur'd Ptolemy's Almagest, the fairest book he had ever seen, stolen by a Spahy from thence, he writes thus: "Whereby you fee there is a possibility of "having also those Greek and Latin authors, "which I mentioned in my former Letters to be buried in the Seraglio, if the "were handsomely followed by an am bassador." Mr. Greaves had a design to have gone to Mount At bos, which is about four days journey by sea from Constantinople, whither he should have been recommended by the patriarch, and have had liberty of entering into all libraries in that place, in order to collect a catalogue of such books as either were not printed, or else by the help of some there might have been more correctly publistYd. These the patriarch propos'd (bydispensing with the anathema's, whicl his predecessors had laid upon all Greek libraries, so, secure the books from the Latins) to have presented to archbishop Laud, for the better prosecution of his Grace's designs in the edi The word here is qiue efiae'd in the original Letter. tion of Greek authors. But the patriarch's death prevented Mr. Greaves from this journey sr). In his Letter from Constantinople dated Aug. 2. he observes, that he was in that month to depart for Egyptbut Dr. Smith tells us (x), that he embark'd for that country in the beginning of September; but being oblig'd to put in at Rhodes, he went ashore, ana taking with him a brass astrolabe of Gemma Fristus, because he durst not make use of any larger instrument, for fear of giving suspicion to the 'Turks, he...