Anno ætatis <15> (vide A. Wood's Antiq. Oxon.) he went to Trinity Colledge in Oxon, where his father (who was an Oxfordshire man borne) had been a fellowe. His brother Hannibal was his tutor. Here he was a commoner twenty-seaven yeares, and was senior to all the house but Dr. Kettle and his brother.
His genius lay most of all to the mechanicks; he had an admirable mechanicall invention, but in that darke time wanted encouragement, and when his father dyed (which was about 1637) he succeeded him in the parsonage of Kilmanton, worth, per annum, about 140li. He was from a boy given to draweing and painting. The founder's (Sir Thomas Pope's) picture in Trinity Colledge hall is of his copying. He had excellent notions for the raysing of water; I have heard him say, that he could rayse the water at Worcester with lesse trouble, i.e. fewer ..., then there are; and that he had never seen a water-house engine, but that he could invent[717] a better. Kilmanton is on a high hill, and the parsonage-well is extraordinary deepe. There is the most ingeniose and usefull buckett-well, that ever I sawe. Now, whereas some deepe wells have wheeles for men or doggs to go within them, here is a wheele of ... foot diameter, with steps (like stayres) to walke on as if you were goeing up staires, and an ordinary bodye's[718] weight drawes-up a great bucket, which holdes a barrell, and the two bucketts are contrived so that their ropes alwaies are perpendicular and consequently parallell, and so never interfere with one another. Now, this vast buckett would be to combersome to overturne to power out the water; and therefore, he contrived a board with lifts about the sides, like a trough, to slide under the bucket, when 'tis drawne up; and at the bottom of the buckett is a plug, the weight of the water jogging upon the sliding trough, the water powres out into the trough, and from thence runnes into your paile, or other vessell. 'Tis extremely well worth the seeing. I have[719] taken heretofore a draught of it. I have heard him say that he would have undertaken to have brought up the water from the springs at the bottom of the hill to the towne of Shaftesbury, which is on a waterles hill.
Anno Domini 16<25> (see[720] part ii) goeing into his chamber, the notion of 25, the roote of 666, for the roote of the number of the Beast in the Revelation, came into his head; so he opposed 25 to 12, the roote of 144.
When he tooke his degree of Batchelaur in Divinity, his question was, An Papa sit Anti-Christus? Aff.—In his younger yeares he was very apt to fall into a swoune, and so he did when he was disputing in the Divinity-schoole upon that question.—I remember he told me that one time reading Aristotle de Natura Animalium, where he describes how that the lionesses, when great with young, and neer their time of parturition, doe goe between two trees that growe neer together, and squeeze out their young ones out of their bellies; he had such a strong idea of this, and of the paine that the lionesse was in, that he fell into a swoune.
He was of a very tender constitution, and sickly most of his younger yeares. His manner was, when he was beginning to be sick, to breath strongly a good while together, which he sayed did emitt the noxious vapours.
He was alwayes much contemplative, and had an excellent philosophicall head. He was no great read man; he had a competent knowledge in the Latin, Greeke, and Hebrue tongues, but not a critique. Greeke he learn'd by ... Montanus's Interlineary Testament[721], after he was a man, without a grammar, and then he read Homer. He understood only common Arithmetique, and never went farther in Geometrie then the first six bookes of Euclid; but he had such an inventive head, that with this foundation he was able to doe great matters in the mechaniques, and to solve phaenomena in naturall philosophy. He had but few bookes, which when he dyed were sold for fifty-six shillings, and surely no great bargaine. He published[722] nothing but his Interpretation of the number 666, in 4to, printed at Oxford, 1642, which haz been twice translated into Latin, into French, and other languages[AX]. He made the fine diall with its furniture, on the north wall of the quadrangle at Trinity Colledge, which he did by Samminitiatus's booke of Dialling (it haz been gonne about 1670, and another is there putt). He lived and dyed[723] a batchelour. He was hospitable, vertuous, and temperate; and, as I sayd before, very contemplative. He lookt the most like a monk, or one of the pastours of the old time, that I ever sawe one. He was pretty long visagd and pale cleare skin, gray eie. His discourse was admirable, and all new and unvulgar. His house was as undeckt[724] as a monke's cell; yet he had there so many ingeniose inventions that it was very delightfull. He had a pretty contrived garden there, where are the finest box hedges of his planting that ever I sawe. The garden is a good large square; in the middle is a good high mount, all fortified (as you may say) and adorned with these hedges, which at the interstices of ... foot have a high pillar (square cutt) of box, that shewes very stately and lovely both summer and winter.
On the buttery-dore in his parlour he drew his father's picture at length, with his booke (fore-shortned), and on the spectacles in his hand is the reflection of the Gothique south windowe. I mention this picture the rather, because in processe of time it may be mistaken by tradition for his son Francis's picture, author of the booke aforesayd.
I never have enjoyed so much pleasure, nor ever so much pleased with such philosophicall and heartie entertainment as from him. His booke was in the presse at Oxford, and he there, when I was admitted of the College, but I had not the honour and happinesse to be acquainted with him till 1649 (Epiphanie), since which time I had a conjunct friendship with him to his death, and corresponded frequently with him. I have all his letters by me, which are very good, and I beleeve neer 200, and most of them philosophicall.