He dyed at Godalmyng, comeing from Portsmouth to London ..., and was buried Septemb. 2d 1679, at the Tower Chapell, with sixtie peices of ordinance (equal to the number of his yeares). He was tall and very fat, thin skin, faire, cleare grey eie.
He alwayes intended to have left his library of mathematicall bookes to the Royall Societie, of which he was a member; but he happened to dye without making a will, wherby the Royal Societie have a great losse.
His only sonne, Jonas, had the honour of knighthood conferred upon him, August 9, 1680, at Windsor; 'his majestie being pleased to give him this marke of his favour as well in consideration of his owne abilities, as of the faithfull service of his father deceased' (London Gazette, no. 1537)—but young Sir Jonas, when he is old, will never be old Sir Jonas, for all the Gazette's elogie.
Memorandum:—speake to Sir Christopher Wren to gett the wooden sphaere that was made for Prince Henry by Mr. <Edward> Wright, out of young Sir Jonas Moore's handes, into the king's again.
I remember Sir Jonas told us that a Jesuite (I think 'twas Grenbergerus, of the Roman College) found out a way of flying, and that he made a youth[341] performe it. Mr. Gascoigne taught an Irish boy the way, and he flew over a river in Lancashire (or therabout), but when he was up in the ayre, the people gave a shoute, wherat the boy being frighted, he fell downe on the other side of the river, and broke his legges, and when he came to himselfe, he sayd that he thought the people had seen some strange apparition, which fancy amazed him. This was anno 1635, and he spake it in the Royall Societie, upon the account of the flyeing at Paris, two yeares since. Vide the Transactions.
I remember I have heard Sir Jonas say that when he began mathematiques, he wonderfully profited by reading Billingesley's Euclid, and that 'twas his excellent, cleare, and plaine exposition of the 4th proposition of the first booke of the Elements, did first open and cleare his understanding: quod N.B.
Notes.
[AB] i.e. William Gascoigne: vol. i. p. 260. Ralph Sheldon of Beoly was a Catholic; and at his house Anthony Wood received much information about Catholic writers: Clark's Wood's Life and Times, iii. 98.
[AC] Aubrey gives in trick the coat: 'azure, a swan within a bordure engrailed argent.'