Works, Book 4 · Letter 72 – Letter 73
EPISTLE LXXII.
Dr. Twisse's Fourteenth Letter to Mr. Mede, touching Mr. Potter's Discourse of the Number of the Beast, viz. 666.
Worthy Sir, and my dear Friend,
YOV have communicated unto me many precious things, which makes me to acknowledge my self more indebted to you than to all the men in the world. And the more glad I am when I light upon any thing that is worth your knowledge. This last week I received a Letter from Mr. Potter, enclosing two other Letters, one of his own to Dr. Turner in answer to another of his; both which I have sent you. Therein you shall see how Mr. Potter's discovery works already like wax before it sees the light of the Press. I had formerly wrote unto him what your judgment was upon the Abstract I sent you, as your self wrote unto me, and as I heard also from Mr. Hall. But lately Mr. Hartlib sent me a Copy of your judgment morefull since you received the compleat Copy, wishing me to send it over unto Mr. Potter; which I did, and he is glad, as he professeth to me, to hear that you esteem so well of his Interpretation: and over and above adds, that if any man think so well of it as to translate it into Latine, he will not be sorry for it. Nay, he is willing to add something to it concerning the First Beast and the Second Beast and the Image of it. He is exceedingly desirous to know—his judgment of it, in such sort that he hath a mind either to write or to go over unto him. I pray let him have a sight of it, and entreat him to set down his judgment concerning it—Now, Sir, concerning the occasion of these Letters, I will shew you what he writes to me.
Mr. Potter had understood from Oxford that Dr. T. (who is one of the Mathematick Professors there) had alledged against his Book, That the Root of 666 was not 25. but this was by those who told him of it accounted so slight and untrue an Objection, that Mr. Potter did not regard it. But after this being with—he told him that Dr. T. told the Vicechancellor that Mr. Potter was out in the Mathematical part of it. Hereupon Mr. Potter wrote unto Dr. T. and receiving no Answer wrote a second time; thereupon Dr. T. answered: which Answer of his I here send you with Mr. Potter's large Answer unto him; wherein you shall find not only the vanity of Dr. T's Exception, but a strange Mystery discovered even to admiration. I have sent you Mr. Potter's own Letter, for fear lest in transcribing I should miss in the calculation of the Numbers. He desires to have the Letters again when we have perused them and transcribed them. I pray return them by Mr. Hartlib —I commend me heartily to the continuance of your love, and rest
Newbury, Aprill 30. 1638. Yours ever in true affection and great obligation… Will. Twisse. I pray remember my due respect to Dr. Bainbrigge the Master of your House.
EPISTLE LXXIII.
Mr. Mede's Answer to Dr. Twisse's Fourteenth Letter, touching Mr. Potter's Notions of the Number of the Beast, with some Observations of his own concerning his Book.
Worthy Sir,
I Thank you heartily for Mr. Potter's Letter. I confess I have an especial esteem of his Discourse; but little looked that what I wrote carelesly to Mr. Hartlib demaning my opinion thereof should have come to his hands.
Concerning this Letter; I am perswaded the Doctor's Exception is fully and sufficiently answered, namely, That the Root of a Number ought to consist of Unities of the same denomination with the Unities of the principal whose Root it is; and that if the Unities be of another denomination, it is not the Root of that Number, but of another.
I see also a fair possibility of a discovery of new Mysteries even in the Fractions: but perhaps it will not be so safe to discover them (until they be well armed) unto those who are not well affected to the main. For it is sufficient with a great many to discredit a Tenet, if they can but find any thing not defensible brought toward the maintenance thereof. Verbum sapienti.
I care not if I acquaint you with what came into mind upon my first cursory reading of the Letter; the one an Observation, the other (as I found afterward) a mistake of Mr. Potter's meaning.
1. First, when I read him applying the Fractions 41/51 to the Latitude of Rome, I called to mind that the old Astronomers and most of our Maps make the*This he corrects in Epist. LXXV. Latitude of Rome to be 41 degrees and about 50 (or 51) minutes. The later Mathematicians promote it some minutes farther Northward: but Rome was big enough, when time was, to bear the difference of a few minutes. And if that which Mr. Gellibrand observed be true, it is possible that the Latitudes of some places may be a little changed since Ptolemy's time, by some motion of the Earth, whatsoever it be. The Mistake was this:
2. As I ruminated upon his application of the Denominator of the Fractions 51 to so many Italian miles, (which I well understood not at my first cursory reading) I fell into this conceit, that his meaning had been, that a Degree in a great Circle had contained but 51 Italian miles, (whereas we suppose 60) and that therefore 41/51 was as much as 41 fifty one Italian miles, that is, 41 Degrees, a Degree being 51 Italian miles. That which led me into this conceit was his mention of Snellius, who in his Eratosthenes Batavus, (which I had sometime look'd upon, but it is many years since) as I remembred, made a Degree to contain some miles less than 60. Whether my memory fails me, I know not; for the Book I never saw but once in the Stationer's shop. But when I read the Letter the second time with more deliberation, I found his meaning to be, That Rome lay under such a Parallel as whereof every Degree contained 51 Italian miles: but this supposes, I think, that a Degree of a great Circle should be above 60 Italian miles; which how near or far off it be from Snellius his experimental definition, I know not. My skill in Mathematicks is but little, only so much as makes me able to understand a Discourse in that kind. In my younger time I studied the Grounds of those Sciences, but ever since neglected them; and therefore if I commit any Soloecisms in talking of such matters, I must be excused. I will add also some of my thoughts concerning his Book.
1. That there is no such Argument to prove the Divinity of the Apocalyps, and consequently to convince an Atheist of the Divinity of the whole Scripture, (whereto this Book gives testimony) as the strange agreement between Ezekiel's Lineal and S. Iohn's Cubical measures of the city Ierusalem for the compass and Area thereof; both the numbers and denomination of Measures being so differing as they are, and those of S. Iohn besides to be derived from 12. How could this be but from Divine inspiration, when S. Iohn, as the rest of the Apostles, was foreign, and far enough from skill in Algebraical subtilties?
2. That the Virgin-Company which follow and carry the mark of the Lamb, and the Synagogue of the Beast which follow him and receive his mark, are evidently foreign even secundùm literam; besides, their meaning not obscure, namely, That the one represents the true Church, the other the Anti-church or Church of Antichrist. If therefore Mr. Potter had fetched the Number of the true Church from this Virgin-Company, perhaps his discovery of the Mystery of the Anti-numerus of the Beast would have appeared more evident and convincing. For though the Number of the Wall of the New Ierusalem import as much as the Number of Christ's Church, yet it doth it but remotely, (many things being first requisite to be granted by way of Postulata) and therefore obscurely in comparison of the Number of the Virgin-Company. I wonder therefore what the reason is he never mentions or alludes to this Number throughout the whole Treatise: nay he affirms twice that the Number 144 is only to be found in the 21. chap. of the Apocalyps: Which is true indeed in Unities, but in Thousands not. Was it the Thousands that would have troubled him in his way? That Solertia which with so much happiness broke through greater difficulties would soon have mastered this. Or is it some interpretation he hath of that Vision which was not compatible therewith? Thus I mused and reasoned with my self.
3. In his answering of what might be objected concerning the Root of 666, and in particular when he gives reasons why the Holy Ghost intending the Root 25, amongst all the Numbers which might have been taken to that purpose between 625 and 676, should pitch upon 666 rather than any of the rest; I saw a door open to save the life of mine own conceit of that Number; That the Holy Ghost would intimate thereby, that the Antichristian State should be an imitation of the Sixth head of the Roman Seven-headed Beast, rather than the off-spring of the Apostles, and therefore made his Number all of Sixes. But the matter is not great whether it be saved or not, if a better come in the room of it.
You would have me send Mr. Potter's Treatise to—'Tis true, he is skilled in Mathematicks, (in which respect it may be the—named him) but so vehemently prejudiced and professed against that Tenet of the Pope being Antichrist, that it would be to small purpose, if he could be gotten to read it; which I believe he would hardly be. I have no confidence in the strongest demonstration against a man that is prejudiced and engaged in the contrary. Nay 'tis strange how unwilling all men are to read any Discourse this way. I carried Mr. Potter's Book to some—opposite otherwise to—and no enemies to that Tenet; I commended it, desired them to peruse it, told them it was that would please them, they delighting in Mathematical Speculations, related to them the summe of the Contents and Grounds thereof, and whatsoever might allure them; I left it with them a competent time: yet when I went to fetch it and know their opinion, they had not read one leaf thereof, nay gave me less hope than that they would then at the first; and instead thereof made Exceptions against something I had told them out of it. What should I hope then of men professedly opposite and passionate or, if you will, impatient besides, and so less tractable? If any man would tell—of it, and that in such a manner as might work in him a desire to see it, I would be most willing to communicate my Copy with him; which I took some care to be so transcribed as might allure a reader, dividing it into certain Sections, and prefixing the Contents of them in the beginning of the Book, with other distinctions; but altered nothing in the context of the Author. I caused the Figures to be drawn according to art; the hand reasonable neat, and promising no trouble to the Reader, well pointed throughout, &c. By this you may see I was willing to have it read.
Thus I have scribled somewhat with an ill pen and an ill hand: If it be such as you can read, and will excuse, it is enough. I send back your Letters with thanks. And so with my best respect and prayers, I rest
Christ's Coll. May 23. 1638. Yours in all friendly affection, Ioseph Mede.