Letter from Newton to John Collins, dated 17 September 1673
Sept 17 – 73.
Sir
I have here inclosed a Testimony of my judgment concerning Mr Dary his fitness for the place which he sues for, & I wish him all successe in it. The day after that I received your letter with one from him inclosed, I received another from him wherein he desires my opinion about the relation of the lines one to another which are drawn from the center of an Ellipsis to the angular points of a polygon inscribed into the same Ellipsis, which consists of 24 equall sides. As it appeares to me, their relation cannot be accurately known without an Equation which is 4 times decompounded of affected cubic equations & twice of quadratick ones, & by consequence would ascend to 324 dimensions: To compute which would be a Herculean labour, & when done, it would be unmanageable. I doubt therefore that to decide the controversy between him & Mr Gunton, recours must be had to some mechanicall examination of their assertions, but I leave it to you & Mr Bond to whome I understand it is referred. I must beg excuse that I have so long deferred to answer your letter wherein another from Mr Gregory was conveyed to me but now I understand that Mr Gregory is at London, & intends to make Cambridg in his way into Scotland, I shall not trouble you any further with discourses about the Perspective but refer it to our meeting, if Mr Gregory will be pleased to favour me with a visit. I thank you for the little but ingenious tract of P. Pardies, & remain
Sir
I. Newton
