He was about 1650 (quaere) elected Professor of Musique at Gresham Colledge, by, and by the interest of, his friend captaine John Graunt (who wrote the Observations on the Bills of Mortality), and at that time was worth but fourtie pounds in all the world.
Shortly after (scil. anno Domini 1652 in August, he had the patent for Ireland) he was recommended to the Parliament[LIV.] to be one of the surveyors of Ireland, to which employment capt. John Graunt's interest did also helpe to give him a lift, and Edmund Wyld, esq., also, then a member of Parliament, and a great fautor of ingeniose and good men, for meer meritt sake[LV.] (not being formerly acquainted with him) did him great service, which perhaps he knowes not of.
[LIV.] Quaere annum.—E. W. esq. respondet 'circiter 1651.'
[LV.] Severall made offers to the Parliament to survey it (when the Parliament ordered to have it surveyed) for 4000 li., 5000 li., 6000 li.; but Sir William (then Dr.) went lower then them all and gott it. Sir Jonas More contemnd it as dangerous, loving to sleepe in a whole skin: he was afrayd of the Tories.—From Edmund Wyld, esq. Vide pag.[633] 2.—MS. Aubr. 6, fol. 13v.
To be short, he is a person of so great worth and learning, and haz such a prodigious working witt, that he is both fitt for, and an honour to, the highest preferment.
By this surveying employment he gott an estate in Ireland (before the restauration of King Charles II) of 18000 li. per annum, the greatest part wherof he was forced afterwards to refund[634], the former owners being then declared innocents. He hath yet there 7 or 8000 li. per annum and can, from the Mount Mangorton in the com. of Kerry, behold 50000 acres of his owne land. He hath an estate in every province of Ireland.
The kingdome of Ireland he hath surveyed, and that with that exactnesse (quaere Sir J. H. de modo), that there is no estate the<re> to the value of threscore pounds per annum but he can shew, to the value, and those that he employed for the geometricall part were ordinary fellowes, some (perhaps) foot-soldiers, that circumambulated with their box and needles, not knowing what they did, which Sir William knew right well how to make use of.
Anno Domini 1667 (vide his Scheme[635]), he maried on Trinity Sunday ... the relict of Sir <Maurice> Fenton, of Ireland, knight, daughter of Sir Hasdras Waller of Ireland by ..., a very beautifull and ingeniose lady, browne, with glorious eies, by whom he hath ... sonnes, and ... daughters, very lovely children, but all like the mother. He has a naturall daughter that much resembles him, no legitimate child so much, that acts at the Duke's play-house, who hath had a child by ... about 1679. She is (1680) about 21.
[636]I remember about 1660 there was a great difference between him and Sir ... ..., one of Oliver's knights, about.... They printed one against the other: this knight was wont to preach at Dublin. The knight had been a soldier, and challenged Sir William to fight with him. Sir William is extremely short sighted, and being the challengee it belonged to him to nominate[637] place and weapon. He nominates, for the place, a darke cellar, and the weapon to be a great carpenter's axe. This turned the knight's challenge into ridicule, and so it came to nought.