necessary permission for this was granted in 1548 to Sir Thomas Wyatt, ‘a Knight of the English Court,’ Sir---- Cotton, Sir John Arundel, Christopher Mayne, Henry Williams, and John Schyer (?). It is amusing to find that the French students in Padua excelled in fencing, riding, dancing, and music, but apparently not in subjects more generally considered academic. I cannot close this chapter without saying a few words about Galileo Galilei, who was for some time in the employ of the Republic. I quote from his life, written by his pupil Viviani, but not published till 1826. After lecturing in Pisa for three years Galileo was appointed by the Venetian government to be professor of mathematics in Padua for a term of six years, during which he invented several [Sidenote: _1592._] machines for the service of the Republic. Copies of his writings and lectures of this time were scattered by his pupils throughout Italy, Germany, France, and England, often without his name, for he thought them of such little importance that he did not even protest when impostors claimed to be the authors of them. During this period, says Viviani, he invented ‘the thermometers (_sic_) ... which wonderful invention was perfected in modern times by the sublime genius of our great Ferdinand II., our most serene reigning sovereign ...,’ the Cardinal Grand Duke who poisoned his brother and Bianca Cappello. At the end of his term Galileo was re-appointed for six years more, and during this time he observed a comet in the Dragon, and made experiments [Sidenote: _1599._] with the magnet. He was re-appointed again and again with an increase of salary. In April or May, in 1609, when he was in Venice, it was reported that a certain Dutchman had presented Maurice of Nassau with a sort of eyeglass which made distant objects seem near. This was all that was known of the invention, but Galileo was so much interested by the story that he returned to Padua at once, and in the course of a single night succeeded in constructing his first telescope, in spite of the poor quality of the lenses he had, and on the following day he returned to Venice and showed the instrument to his astonished friends. After perfecting it he resolved to present it to the reigning Doge, Leonardo Donà, and to the whole Venetian Senate. I translate literally the letter he wrote to the Doge to accompany the gift.