[_DR. HOLDER AND DR. WALLIS._] In the meantime a sharp controversy was going on within the Royal Society between Dr. Wallis and Sir Christopher's brother-in-law, Dr. Holder. Dr. Holder had a living in Hertfordshire and had received from Bishop Henchman a canonry in S. Paul's. In 1678 he brought out a book called 'The Elements of Speech' with an appendix concerning 'Persons deaf and dumb.' In this book he described the cure he had himself performed when at Bletchingdon of a young gentleman, Mr. Alexander Popham, the son of a certain Edward Popham, admiral in the service of the Long Parliament, whom, though born dumb, he had gradually taught to speak. The youth, taken away before the cure was quite finished, lost the lately acquired power of speech, but on being sent to Dr. Wallis recovered it; thereupon Dr. Wallis claimed the entire credit. In his book Dr. Holder took occasion to speak of the Royal Society as originating in meetings held at Oxford. Upon this Dr. Wallis wrote a pamphlet entitled 'A Defence of the Royal Society in reply to some cavils of Dr. W. Holder.' The quarrel appears to have been a hot one, turning chiefly on the credit of curing Alexander Popham. Wood, the antiquary,[168] speaks of Dr. Wallis 'as one that can make black white, and white black, for his own ends, and hath a ready knack of sophistical evasion (as the writer of these matters doth know full well),' and gives the credit to Dr. Holder. Wallis was little loved by any royalist because of his conduct in decyphering King Charles I.'s papers at Naseby.[169] In the 'Parentalia' are two finger alphabets, with two hands drawn in Indian ink, the fingers of which have different letters assigned to the different joints; one is an ordinary and simple way, the other, more elaborate, is entitled 'An arte to make the Dumbe to speake, the Deafe to heare. To speake amongst others unseen and unhearde. Learned in an howre.' Minute directions are given, but the system is so elaborate that it is very sanguine to think it could have been 'learned' under several hours. The writing is not like Christopher Wren's, and I think it must belong to Dr. Holder's scheme.