About 9 or 10 years ago, Mr. Hooke writt to Mr. Isaac Newton, of Trinity College, Cambridge, to make[CXXXIII.] a demonstration of this theory, not telling him, at first, the proportion of the gravity to the distance, nor what was the curv'd line that was thereby made. Mr. Newton, in his answer to the letter, did expresse that he had not known[1729] of it; and in his first attempt about it, he calculated the curve by supposing the attraction to be the same at all distances: upon which, Mr. Hooke sent, in his next letter, the whole of his hypothesis, scil. that the gravitation was reciprocall to the square of the distance, ['which[1730] would make the motion in an ellipsis, in one of whose foci the sun being placed, the aphelion and perihelion of the planet would be opposite to each other in the same line, which is the whole coelestiall theory, concerning which Mr. Newton hath a demonstration,'] not at all owning he receiv'd the first intimation of it from Mr. Hooke. Likewise Mr. Newton haz in the same booke printed some other theories and experiments of Mr. Hooke's, as that about the oval figure of the earth and sea: without acknowledgeing from whom he had them, ['though1730[1730] he had not sent it up with the other parts of his booke till near a month after the theory was read to the Society by Mr. Hooke, when it served to help to answer Dr. Wallis his arguments produced in the Royal Society against it.']
[CXXXIII.] To[1731] make a demonstration of it, telling him the proportion of the gravity to the distance and the curv'd line that was thereby made, to witt that it was an ellipsis in one of the foci of which was the sun and that that gravitation would make the aphelion and perihelion opposite to each other in the same diameter which is the whole celestiall theorie of which Mr. Newton haz made a demonstration.
Mr. Wood! This is the greatest discovery in nature that ever was since the world's creation. It never was so much as hinted by any man before. I know you will doe him right. I hope you may read his hand. I wish he had writt plainer, and afforded a little more paper.
Tuus,
J. Aubrey.
Before I leave this towne, I will gett of him a catalogue of what he hath wrote; and as much of his inventions as I can. But they are many hundreds; he believes not fewer than a thousand. 'Tis such a hard matter to get people to doe themselves right.
Notes.
[FZ] Aubrey gives in trick the coat: 'quarterly, argent and sable a cross between 4 escallops all counterchanged [Hooke].'
[GA] Aubrey used Hooke's rooms in Gresham College as the place to which he had his letters addressed. E.g. MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 55, is an envelope addressed:—
'To his much honoured friend John Awbrey, esqre, these present, at Mr. Hooke's lodgeings in Gresham College, London.'
MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 48, is an envelope addressed—