Gilbert Sheldon being made archbishop of Canterbury, 16—[530], John Pell[XLVI.] was made one of his Cambridge[XLVII.] chapleines; and complaining one day to his Grace at Lambith of the unhealthinesse of his benefice as abovesayd, sayd my Lord, 'I doe not intend that you shall live there.' 'No,' sayd [Doctor] Pell, ('but[531] your grace does intend that) I shall die there.'
[XLVI.] Quaere, when Doctor[532].
[XLVII.] He haz 2 Oxford chaplaines and 2 Cambridge.
Now by this time (1680), you doubt not but this great, learned man, famous both at home and abroad, haz obtained some considerable dignity in[533] the church. You ought not in modestie to ghesse at lesse then a deanery.—Why, truly, he is stak't to this poor preferment still! For though the parishes are large, yet (curates, etc., discharged) he cleares not above 3-score pound per annum (hardly fourscore), and lives in an obscure[XLVIII.] lodging, three stories high, in Jermyn Street, next to the signe of the Ship, wanting not only bookes but his proper MSS. which are many, as by and by will appeare. Many of them are at Brereton at my lord Brereton's in Cheshire.
[XLVIII.] Ut saepe magna ingenia in occulto latent.—Plautus, Captivi.
Memorandum:—... lord Brereton[534] was sent to Breda to recieve the instruction of this worthy person, by his grandfather (George Goring, the earle of Norwich) anno 1647, where he stayed ...[535], where he became a good proficient, especially in algebra to which his genius most inclined him and which he used to his dyeing day, which was 17 March, 1679/80: lies[536] buried in ...[537] St. Martin's church in-the-fields. I cannot but mention this noble lord but with a great deale of passion, for a more vertuous person (besides his great learning) I never knew. I have had the honour of his acquaintance since his comeing from Breda into England. Never was there greater love between master and scholar then between Dr. Pell and this scholar of his[538], whose death March 17, 1679/80[539] hath deprived this worthy doctor of an ingeniose companion and a usefull friend.
Scripsit[540].
His[541] table of squares, printed at London, 1672; 8 sheetes fol.
Rhonius's Algebra, in High-Dutch, was (indeed) Dr. Pell's; is translated into English, halfe.—Rhonius was Dr. Pell's scholar at Zurich and came to him every Friday night after he (J. Pell) had writt his post-lettres.
Controversia de vera circuli mensura inter Longomontanum et Pellium, Amstel. (?) Blaeu, 1651/2.