On the History of Gunter's Scale and the Slide Rule During the Seventeenth CenturyCajori, Florian
History
On the History of Gunter's Scale and the Slide Rule During the Seventeenth Century
Cajori, Florian
Slide-rule
All parts of Delamain’s Grammelogia IV, except pages 1-22 and 53-68
considered above, were published after the Circles of Proportion, for they
contain references to the ill treatment that Delamain felt or made believe
that he felt, that he had received in the book published by Oughtred and
Forster. Oughtred’s reference to teachers whose scholars are “doers of
tricks,” “Iuglers,” and Forster’s allusion to “another to whom the Author
in a loving confidence” explained the instrument and who “went about to
preocupate” it, are repeatedly mentioned. Delamain says, (page (89)) that
at first he did not intend to express himself in print, “but sought peace
and my right by a private and friendly way.” Oughtred’s account of
Delamain’s course is that of an “ill-natured man” with a “virulent tongue,”
“sardonical laughter” and “malapert sawsiness.” Contrasting Forster and
Delamain, he says that, of the former he “had the very first moulding” and
made him feel that “the way of Art” is “by demonstration.” But Delamain was
“already corrupted with doing upon Instruments, and quite lost from ever
being made an Artist.” (Epistle page (27)). Repeatedly does Oughtred assert
Delamain’s ignorance of mathematics. The two men were evidently of wholly
different intellectual predilections. That Delamain loved instruments is
quite evident, and we proceed to describe his efforts to improve the
circular slide rule.
The Grammelogia IV is dedicated to King Charles I. Delamain says:
. . . Everything hath his beginning, and curious Arts seldome come to the
height at the first; It was my promise then to enlarge the invention by a
way of decuplating the Circles, which I now present unto your sacred
Majestie as the quintessence and excellencie there of . . .
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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