I had been acquainted with Mr. I.N. ever since yethe year 1674. had given him the diameters of yethe planets observed by me at Derby in yethe years 1671. 72 & 73 at Derby as also yethe greatest elongations of Jupiter's satellites of both which he made use in his Principia & since I came to London, yethe line of the great Comet of yethe year 1680 & 81. affirming that the Comet which was seen in November before was the same wthwith ytthat I observed the following December which he would not then grant, but contended earnestly that they were two different ones, as appears by a couple of very long letters of his to me, dated ffeb. 28, 1680-1, & Aprill 16, 1681 in which opinion he persisted till Sept 1685 when in a letter dated yethe 19thway orbit of a Comet, but am now geoinggoing about it & takeing that of 1680 into fresh consideration it seems very probable ytthat those of November & December were yethe same comet.' this is what he before contended against wthwith some virulency but he had no mind to remember it, & at that time I took no great notice of it, till I found when his PrincipaPrincipia were published in yryear 1687. & therein a draught of the comet's orbit, he was pleased to acknowledge ytthat I had contended disputed that the Comets seen in November & December were one & the same & that I had given him yethe line of its Way not much different from his parabolicall one theirthere described, whereas himself had disputed against their being one, & consequently against that one describing any ꝑparabolical line as he now asserted & will appear by his owne forementioned letters to me. ffrom this time till yethe yeare 1695, we corresponded civilly. especially about yethe yeares 1694 & 95 when on his repeated requests I imparted to him about 150 places of the Moon deduced from observations made with yethe Murall Arch & compared with my own tables fitted to Mr Horrocks his Theory but covenanted at the same time that he should not impart them to any body without my leave for I told him & he knew it very well ytthat I had made use of an old Catalogue of the fixed stars, made to the begining of the year 1686, from Observations taken with yethe Sextant that I was busy now with a better & more convenient InstrumtInstrument; & that as soon as I had got yethe New Catalogue I intended ꝑperfected all those places of yethe moon should be calculated over again & imparted to him but the hopes he had of makeing that Theory his own, & the Glory of restoring yethe Moones Motions, would not suffer him to stay so long for.
It was not a full year after but I was told that he had ꝑperfected yethe Lunar Theory. & Dr. Gregory gave out that there was no need of further Observations; for his Numbers would answer all my Observations within two or three minutes, or lesse. I had covenanted with him to have his emendations first imparted to me, because I imparted to him the observations from which they were derived. but his promise was overlookt or forgot, at last it came to my hands I found yethe Solar Numbers were the same I had freely given him. & the Lunar but little altered savedsave that he had added a parcell of very small æquations which whether yethe heavens would bear or not was onely to be found by compareing of his Numbers with good Observations I therefore made New lunar Tables exactly agreeable to his sentiment but when I compared the Moones places calculated from them, with her places deduced from yethe Observations, I found that those Numbers which were sdsaid to agree with yethe Observations within two two 3 minutes would very seldome come so neare, but often differed 8. 9. or 10 minutes which I did not admire it then at all being very sensible that the ꝑpersons which who so loudly on all occasions cried up his ꝑperformances in amending yethe Lunar Theory & Tables did it to oblige his friendship, who had then a great Interest in a Great Courtier, and considering also that they were ꝑpersons of very ordinary skill in that ꝑparte of Mathematicks which is concerned wthwith the heavens & lunar Theorys.
But Mr. Newton was not displeased with their flatterys nor ever ytthat I could hear of endeavoured to correct them. We conversed civilly as oft as we met accidentally but and he failed not (as if he were a great Master of my methods), allwayes to aske how the Catalogue went on to which I alwayes gave him sincersincere answers telling him how far I had proceeded & that I wanted more hands both to carry on yethe Observations & calculations ytthat were necessary but this I could not get him to take notice of. In the mean time some freind of mine (ytthat was frequently in company with me & saw how yethe work went on with such assistance as I hired & payd my selfe & was though informed what the charge would be of printing the Observations of 30 yeares & engraveing yethe Maps of the Constellations I had prepared) acquainted Prince George of Denmarke with my ꝑperformances Mr Newton lived near yethe Court I, allwayes at a distance. he was then Pr.President of yethe R.S.Royal Society & had a Great Courtier for his friend & one who was frequently at his Office required at Court & attending on the Prince so that he could not but hear of the Princes Inclinations to make me easier in my work nor could Mr. N.Newton fayle to be informed of it so on yethe 11th of Aprill 1704 he came down to Greenwich, visited me on my request stayd & dined with me, at his first comeing he desired to see what I had ready for yethe presse I shewed him the books of Observations togeather with so much of the Catalogue as was then finished. which was about one halfe & a fayre copy of it. And with it yethe Maps of yethe Constellations drawn both by My Amanuensis & Van Somer, which haveing lookt over carefully he desired me to let him have the recommending of them to yethe prince, I was surprised at this proposition I had formerly tried his temper and allways found him insidious, ambitious & excessively covetous of praise & impatient of contradiction. I had taken notice of some faults in yethe 4th book of his principia which instead of thanking me for, he resented ill yet was presumtuous of his Interest that he sometimes dared to ask why I did not hold my tongue. I considered that if I granted what he desired I should put my selfe wholly into his power & be at his Mercy who might spoyle all that came into his hands or put me to unnecessary trouble & vexation about my owne labors & all the while pretend that he did it to amend faults. where none were but what were unavoydable, or easily to be corrected & therefore excusable. I had further irritated him by not concealeing some Truths that are since published in print & notoriously knowne: & therefore civilly refused what hee desired but still he told me he would recommend them to yethe Prince, & parted with me in yethe evening with a short expression of very good advice, 'Do all yethe good ytthat lies in your power' which it would have been very happy for him if he had followed himself t'has been yethe Rule of my life from my Infancy tho I doe not know ytthat it ever has been of his.
But I heard no more of his Recommendations. on the contrary. his flatterers & such small MathematienMathematicians about London as hoped to get themselves esteemed very skillfull men by Crying up his book began to Inquire ask why I did not print as if I were obliged to publish my workes just when they pleased tho they understood no more of my workes than they did of his book which they so much cryed up. whilst they understood very little of it To obviate this Clamor I examined all my books of Observations & took an account what Number of folio pages they might fill when printed & found it Much greater ynthan I expected; whereupon I drew my Estimate into a short paper wherein I both shewed what the Number of pages were but also in what order yethe press was to worke them off & Cheifly urged ytthat yethe Mapps of the Constellation shoud be first of all set upon that being carried on apart they might be finisht by that time the Observations were printed off: Van Somer, an excellent designer who had drawn about a dozen figures for me was then alive & ready to goe on with the rest. my Amanuensis r Hodgsons help might also have been purchased Some of my acquaintance falln into a suspition that my labors answered not what might reasonably be expected from me, That I might cure them of their Mis-prehensions which had been impressed upon by the false & malitious suggestions of some few busy arrogant & self designingMarch 7 1716/7 designing people, I gave a copy or two of this Estimat to an acquaintance of myne desiring him to shew it to those of my freinds who had been possest with these unjust suspitions. At one of the Meetings of yethe R.S., some of them were present he got my paper handed to one of them who sate at a distance (for then their meetings were throngd with company however thin they are at present) who opening yethe paper & finding yethe contents, delivered it to the SecreatarySecretary who read it, at yethe Board. this convinc't yethe Members present that I had been unjustly aspersed & it was moved that yethe printeing of the Whole should be recommended to Prince George by yethe Society:
Accordingly a Committy was appointed, who with Mr. Newton waited on yethe Prince. But, who they were when they wated on him & how they made their recommendation, I was never Informed nor did they vouchsafe to consult me about it or take me along with them. all that I can tell of is ytthat yethe Estimate was wrote in November in NovembrNovember 1704 yethe Prince chosen into yethe Society No:November 30, a letter from yethe Prince's Secretary, Mr. George Clarke directing Mr. Roberts, SrSir C. Wren, Dr. Gregory & Dr. Arbuthnot, with Mr. N. to inspect my papers dated Dec. 11, 1704, which they did & somtime after gave in their report of yethe charge of prepareing & printing yethe observations & Catalogues mentioned in yethe Estimate, about 863ld. viz.
| ld | s | d |
| 283 Rheme of paper for 400 copies at 20sh. per Rhem | 283 | 0 | 0 |
| Composition & press-Worke for 300 sheets at 20sh. ꝑper sheet | 300 | 0 | 0 |
Charges of an Amanuensis for copying comparing correcting and exammining yethe papers | 100 | 0 | 0 |
to compute yethe Planets' places, for 2 Calculators | 180 | 0 | 0 |
| ---- | ---- | ----- |
| in all | 863ld | 0 | 0 |
But yethe last ꝑparticular of yethe charge (180ld for yethe two calculators) was not mentioned in it but added in a note under it for what reason those know best who drew it up.
Nor the charge of designeing & engraveing yethe about 50 plates of yethe Constellations: tho this was likely to be the heaviest ꝑparte of yethe Charge, & the Observations could not be understood without them. I had further proposed ymthem to be yethe first taken care of & begun. I had them all drawn; & 12 of them anew designed by a skillfull workeman by me. These were yethe most sumptuous ptpart of yethe worke and had it not been for them I had had no or little need to crave the Prince's help to print, why they were neglected, S.I.N.Sir Isaac Newton best knows. betwixt March 22 1704-5 & aprill 21, 1705 M NMr Newton was knighted by yethe QQueen at Cambridge.
Hereby I was plainly convinced that SrSir I.N. was no freind to my worke. & every step hee tooke afterwards proved planely that whatever he pretended his designe was either to gaine the honor of all my paines to himselfe, to make me come under him as Dr Arbuthnot some time after expresst it, or to spoyle or sinke it, which it was my chiefe concern & businesse, if possible to prevent. I therefore printed my Estimat & gave it to my friends ytthat they might see what my workes were & how I thought it best to proceed in printing them.
To skreen himselfe from yethe just imputions & blame that would probably follow such disingenuous & ungratefull practises he made use of these gentlemen to whom he had got the Inspection of my books of Observations ordered by the Prince, & called them them the Prince's Referees. Of these, SrSir Ch: Wren was then about 70 yeares of Age & tho he was a skillful ꝑperson, yet being full of other business he was sure to have him who lived in his neighbourhood, to consent to all his orders, & subscribe ymthem. Mr Roberts was an easy, good natured man but knew little of the businesse. Mr Aston had been fellow of yethe same Trinity colledge in Cambridge at yethe same time with him. knew nothing of the businesse, lived in yethe Court, had been my freind & Guest at yethe Observatory, was too much a Courtier to withstand any one ytthat had a Noble patrone in yethe Ministry, and therefore was tooke into yethe Number of the Referrees sometimes for speciall purposes, Dr Gregory tho he published a peice of Astronomy knew but very little of ytthat part of it that was cultivated here. nor was Dr Arbuthnot skilld in it but being one of the Princes physitians, he was taken in to serve S.I.N.Sir Isaac Newton's purposes. he saw what was designed & testified to me by some expressions, that he approved not S.I.N. such procedings. promised once to assist me in a ꝑparticular affaire. and, tho he met with obstructions, ꝑperformed it handsomly:
With these ꝑpersons S.I.N.Sir Isaac Newton began to act his pteparte, & carry on his designes. I dealt honestly & openly wthwith him as will appear by yethe Copys of some letters I wrote to him upon severall occasions; haveing no other designe but to have my works handsomely printed & as soone as possible for yethe Prince was very infirm but I soon ꝑperceived ytthat he designed onely to hinder yethe work by delays or spoyle or sinke it. or force me to comply with his humour & flatter him & Cry him up as Dr. G.Gregory & Dr. H.Halley did. I was forced therefore to act wthwith more Caution then I had done hitherto that I might give him no cause of pretensions to stop yethe progresse of yethe Work
To forward which I used my best diligence & honest endeavours. I hired worke severall ptespartes of yethe Work: 1°. the observations of yethe fixed stars made with yethe sextant with yethe M: 2°. of yethe Moone made withmade with yethe same Instrument: 3o. of observations made wthwith yethe Murall Arch: 4o. of yethe New Catalogue which I sent him with a list ytthat gave an account of them, dated Jan. 5, 170; but could not get them printed of till March 22 following. In yethe mean time, SrSir IN appointed a meeting of his referrees, March 5 following. Mr Churchill was not there but SrSir Isack with Dr Arbuthnot, Dr Gregory & Mr Aston dined at Churchills & a forthnight after Mr Aston told me of it (for I dined not with them) & that all things he thought were then agreed but paper. Now I understood ytthat Mr Churchill was to be the undertaker. he had beene recommended for yethe purpose by one ytthat I tooke to be my freind without my knowledge for I did not conceive wee had any need of one, & so did some of yethe Gentlemen of yethe RRoyal Society: but S.I.N.Sir Isaac Newton was resolved to make friendfriends at my Cost for, as he ordered yethe matter the Undertaker was here to reap yethe sole Advantage of all my Labors & great expenses & he was so confident of it, that when I intimated it to him he answered boldly The Prince would reward me for them.
However there was no recedeing: for then SrSir I.Ns cryers-up would have clamored that I hindered yethe Printing of my owne Works my selfe: to avoyd that Imputation I was silent. tho I complained ofoft to some freinds in private but never did any thing whereby it might appear I allowed him
At this meeting on yethe 5th of March yethe Specimens of the Undertakers printing were produced but found to be ill done I got others done very well & pdpaid yethe Printers myselfe.
June yethe 11 following Dr Gregory & my selfe wthwith Mr Churchill, dined at S.I.NSir Isaac Newtons where they agreed to give Mr. Churchill 1lb 14s. ꝑper sheet. They signed yethe AgreemtAgreement but I did would not, tho they urged me much. I desired to be excused: for it was now plane to me ytthat he designed not the good of the Impression or my Advantage but to make him a freind of a great Name: by obliging a person I never had any Acquaintance with & enriching him at my Cost. The point being over I was in hopes that yethe presse should have been set to work Immediately: but SrSir I. thought that either I was not humble enough: there was for I had about 50 Sheets of Observations made with yethe Sextant, redy copied, & yethe rest of that sort would easily be finished before these could be printed off. but I found my selfe deceived: we were as far of from printing as if no such bargain had been made.
At Midsummer folloingfollowing I payd my Amanuensis & Calculators a quarters pay my selfe; & SrSir Is. to encourage me to doe it, talked often of drawing yethe Princes money, but, when I waited on him July yethe 4th following & told him ytthat I must goe into Surry to reap my harvest (as I usually did every year about this time), he put me of again, before I could say any thing to him of it, by telling me ytthat Dr Arbuthnots daughter was ill & ytthat the Dr could doe nothing till her recovery, that it was not fit we should begin to print till we had receaved his R.H.Royal Highness's monys & that it would be soon enough at my return. I had put 12 sheets, ready for yethe presse, into his hands a week before, He thought to work me to his ends by putting me to extraordinary charges in mainteingmaintaining & paying an Amanuensis & calculators myself at my own charges. But, I resolved to bear this expense patiently, & defeat his designes.
After this I caused my Amanuensis & Calculators to goe on diligently with their worke & carried on yethe Observations for compleating the Catalogue & others according as I had opportunitys but Nn became dayly more perverse & sought by severall vexatious pretences to discourage me & weary me if possible. I paid My Calculators & Amanuensis 3 quarters without any present prospect of being any wayes reimbursed but yet I had hopes, if once the press began to work they would not find any new tricks or pretences to delay repayeing me but herein too I found my self mistaken those that have begun to do ill things never blush to do worse & worse to secure themselves. SrSir N had still more to doe, & was ready at coyning new excuses & pretexts to cover his disingenuous & malitious practices I had none but very honest & honorable designes in my mind I met his cunning forecasts with sincere & honest answers & thereby frustrated not a few of his malitious designs.
finding ytthat I ꝑpersisted unwearied in my purposes he demanded to have my first Night Notes put into his hands that hee might compare them with my Copy. These were wrote in 4to Volumes & from them were commonly transcribed correctly into large folios next morning from which the Copies were taken. I knew that he would be mistaken & that they would not serve his designe about XmasChristmas 1705 about yethe winter of feb. 170 they were put into his hands: ffeb 23 1705-6. Mr. Hodgson acquainted me that SrSir Is: had showed him 3 or 4 pages of errata ytthat were committed in transcribeing as he supposed & a Table made by Dr Gregory for turning yethe Revolves of yethe Screw into degrees, ′ & ″ wherein he wisely had supposed yethe revolve everywhere equall & equable: I smiled at this & promised to send them my own Tables for that purpose & shewed them their mistakes & that there were no materiall errors committed: this was some small mortification to them: but they had learnt not to be ashamed.
Tho I had refused to handle any of the Princes money but what was to repay my proper disbursmtsdisbursements, & SrSir IN had granted ytthat ynthen it was not necessary I should sign any agreemtsagreements wthwith yethe ReferresReferees yet now he became very positive for Articles he had sayd to some of his Confidants that he would hamper me with Articles: it had come to my ears & therefore on his Urging me I drew up some for the Undertaker to signe. as that he should print onely 400 Copies. that he should have no interest in the Originall, &c. but these were not to his his purpose. I would not Court him; to bring about his low low designes he makes Articles himselfe in which some things of mine were inserted & in them he covenants yethe Undertaker should print 5 sheets a week & for reprinting of faulty sheets. & that I should have 125lb paid me when ten sheets were printed of. these were read to me once. & I was required to signe them immediately else the worke was at a stand. no time would be allowed to consider of them. or mend any thing I thought amisse in them I was then near 140lb out of pocket all my Copy was ready for yethe presse, or soon would be. If I refused the worke would be broke of imediately. & yethe fault would be thrown upon mee. for SrSir I.N. lived in yethe Neighbourhood of the Court I at 6 miles distance. he had his close freind yethe Lord HHalifax to support him ther with yethe Princes Physitian I had nothing but my sincerity & Gods blessing to depend upon. Trusting on these alone I signed them not doubting but now yethe press would begin. The Articles are dated Nov: 10. in yethe 4th of yethe Q AQueen Anne or 1705
But herein I soone found my self deceaved This would not satisfie: I would not yet cry up SrSir Is. as others did to bring me to that basenesse now he has gotten my books of night notes he wants a Copy of so much of the Catalogue as I had gone througthrough with to be trusted into his hands he therfore demanded it I answered that it was not then ꝑperfected that believedI believed it would conteine a good Number more ynthan I had yet observed and rectified. ytthat yethe stars allready in it were about 1500 but probably I should make ymthem 2500. that these were yethe result of all my labors in which haveing spent above 2000lb of my owne money above my Allowances it would neither be prudent nor safe to trust a Copy of them out of my owne keeping he answered that I might then put them into his hands sealed up. whereby I understood ytthat they were to be so kept by him till I had finished yethe whole. & was ready to print it. but I considered also ytthat this half of my Catalogue would be of no advantage to him & consented; I therefore deliverd yethe copy of so much of the Catalogue as was finished into Mr. Hodgsons hands, with orders to seal it up in Sir C Wrens presence & deliver it to S.I.N.Sir Isaac Newton when 10 sheets were printed, & 125lb (which would then be payable by yethe Articles) should be paid me; this was April 8th, 1706: seven days: but this direction I waived afterwards: & it was put into his hands yethe week afterwards without receaving a farthing for yethe board or pay of my Amanuensis, or Calculators. for honest SrSir Is: N. would (to use his owne words) have all things in his own power, to spoyle or sink them. ytthat he might force me to second his designes, & applaud him which no honest man would not nor could doe. &, God be thanked. I lay under no necessity of doeing.
This business being over a week after meeting me in London he told me heme he would now draw 800lb of yethe Princes money: but sayd nothing of payeing me what I had disburst however we must now put yethe Worke into yethe press for after such unreasonable concessions on my part his pretences for further delay were all taken away & he had no excuse for further delayes.
April 4, being in London, I was told that all yethe errors which he by mistake thought he had found in my Copy were quitted & ytthat yethe first sheets would goe to the presse this week
April yethe 19. I waited upon him again he told me gravely that yethe Prince having subscribed a great summe to yethe Emperors loan yethe mony could not be receaved, but that that he had taken up monys for Mr Churchill, this was to provoke me but he failed of his designe. whatever I had hitherto expended I was content to adventure a little more. Mr Churchill was put upon me had never been at any expense, must have monys put into his hands beforehand to buy paper & pay yethe printer. Whereby he was sure to have him at his command & tho it was covenanted that hee should print but 400 Copyes might take as many as pleasedhe pleased: for I never heard nor found that he had given any bond or security for his faire dealeing however it was highly reasonable he should
But this was not all the printer being to be paid by the Undertaker and not by me, was likely to be careless of his worke. which I urged but to no purpose
It was May 16 ere yethe first Sheet was printed of; & June yethe 3rd ere we got a second; & yethe 3d on yethe 7 of June so here was a whole moneth since yethe first was wrought of & not two sheets yet printed in yethe roome of 20 that by the Articles ought to have been printed in a moneths time. I complained boldly of yethe dilatorinesse but in vain all yethe Answer I got was from SrSir Is:s own mouth, ytthat wee must proceed slowly at first, & make more dispatch after.
This was one of the fruites of orour haveing an Undertaker & leaveing the printer to be paid by him who neglected yethe Historia Cœlestis if they had but a sorry pampletpamphlet to print
Wee had got two Alphabets ytthat is about 46 sheets out of the presse by Christmas 1706. & the whole (5 E) or 97, befbefore Dec 21. 1707: ytthat is 97 sheets. in about 89 weeks in which had they printed 5 sheets per week, according to their Articles, all the observations made with the murall Arch as well as made with yethe sextant from 1689 to 1706 might easily have been printed. all the observations made with the Murall Arch from 1689 to 1706 might have been easily printed, as well as those made with Sextant
In yethe mean time SrSir Is. N. sometimes stopt the presse without assigneing a reason for it or any occasion given by me but upon my complaint at the first & afterward without any sollicitation of mine at all, let it goe on again I hapned once to visit yethe press when he was there & took yethe opportunity to show him how ill the Compositor had placed yethe types of yethe figsfigures & how much awry to the lines to which they belonged. Sh Kkk, pag 224 he put his head a little nearer to the paper, but near enough to yethe fault (for he is very short sighted) but not near enough to see yethe fault for he is very short sighted & Makeing a sleighting motion with his hand said Methinks they are well enough; this encouraged the Printer in his carelessnesse, the sheet was printed of & the fault not mended; & caused me to be more watchfull over yethe printer for now it was plane to me ytthat yethe Referee as he called himselfe was not displeasd with yethe faults he committed & yethe Undertaker never concerned himselfe about them he was sure of certein gaines by yethe paper & presse work & somethinge More probably than we were aware of
The printeing was of yethe sextant observations being finished I expected yethe presse should have gone on after Christmas with the Volume of Observations made with the Murall Arch which were double yethe Number of the Other. but, SrSir I.N. had put a full stop to yethe presse tho hee knew very well that the Copy was ready fayre transcribed on 175 sheets of: what excuse he made for it I know not; for none of his confidents would acquaint me [but upon complaineing of his behaviour I had an Order subscribed by himselfe & four more of his Referrees sent me whereby he endeavored to throw yethe fault of himself on me. twas dated July 13. 1708. on yethe 18th of the same month I wrote a letter to SrSir Ch: Wren concerneing it which after the order I shall here inserted whereby it will appear ytthat he hin onely hindred yethe worke whilest I forwarded it all I could & had got the 2d Volume ready to follow it to yethe Press … I never receaved any answer to this letter In yethe meane time I had complayned to one of the Referees, who was often at Court & waited frequently on the Prince, of my ill usage that care was taken of yethe Undertaker & printer but that none was taken to reimburse me what it had cost me in yethe enterteinmtentertainment & pay of three calculators & in transcribeing of yethe Copy for yethe presse which came to more than 173ld. tho I accounted nothing for my own & servants attendant on the press. he was ashamed of it promised it should be redressed & I am apt to thinke procured a meeting to be appointed on the 20th of March following which was Notified to me. & I was then desired to bring with me what I had more by me ready for yethe presse.
The presse had now stood three moneth by SrSir I.N. onely procurement for to keep all things wholly in his own power he had brought in an Undertaker who was useless to the businesse & served onely to spoyle yethe Worke or worse, & a printer whom I beleive he paid. I am sure he never consulted me about yethe payment of either tho there was sufficient cause all the Articles that related to them haveing been broken, but by this management hee had them wholly at his devotion, On the day appointed March the 20. 1707-8 I tooke up with me to London all the Observations here made betwixt SeptembrSeptember 1689 & December 1705, fairely copyed in 175 sheets of large paper: Six sheets were of yethe planets' places calculated from yethe Observations made with the Sextant, which ought to have been printed next after yethe said Observations as also a faire copy of the places of the stars in the Eclipticall & as many of yethe Southerne constellations as I had then rectified. The referees viewd them & SrSir Is. N. after some time withdrew & calleing Dr Arbuthnot out to him produced the following paper which the other referrees as I remember signed. he would not deliver it to mee but gratiously permitted me to take a copy of it, which I have here inserted.