Notes of Me: The Autobiography of Roger North PDF
Preview Notes of Me: The Autobiography of Roger North
NOTES OF ME The Autobiography of Roger North The Hon. Roger North, a portrait by Sir Peter Lely. Reproduced by kind permission of Dr Thomas North. NOTES OF ME The Autobiography of Roger North Edited by Peter Millard UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS Toronto Buffalo London www.utppublishing.com University of Toronto Press Incorporated 2OOO Toronto Buffalo London Printed in Canada ISBN 0-8020-4471-9 Printed on acid-free paper Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data North, Roger, 1653-1734 Notes of me : the autobiography of Roger North Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8020-4471-9 l. North, Roger, 1653-1734. 2. Lawyers - England - Biography. 3. Scholars — England — Biography. 4. Great Britain - Politics and government - 1660-1714. I. Title. DA437.N87A3 2000 94i.o6'og2 099-932557-4 University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support for its publishing activities of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP). CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii PLATES ix ABBREVIATIONS xi NORTH STUDIES XV INTRODUCTION 3 Notes of Me Conduct in Childhood 79 To the University 91 A Few Transient Observations of My Self 94 Practicall Diversions 99 The Burning of the Temple 110 Architecture, Perspective, Mathematics, and Light 129 As to Musick 142 Entrance to Law 160 Steward to the See of Canterbury 175 Maturity in the Profession of Law 186 Corporall Afflictions and Paines 201 ThePlott 211 High upon the Rising Ground 218 Member for Dunwich 230 Executership of Sir Peter Lely 237 NOTES TO THE EDITION 255 BIBLIOGRAPHY 327 INDEX 343 This page intentionally left blank ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am most grateful to the following individuals for answering inquiries and for help of various other kinds: M. Barber, D. Brown, M. Chan, P. Day, D. Dethloff, J. Friesen, P.R. Gla/ebrook, J. Henderson, F. Maddi- son, E. McNeill, T. North, }. Roche, D. Seymour, L. Stewart, P. Turner. A.E. Shapiro's clarification of several scientific questions was of special value, and the criticisms of two anonymous readers for the University of Toronto Press were most helpful. The late Andrew Mitchell gave sub- stantial help in transcribing and typing the manuscript of Noles of Me, and I would like to think of this book as, in part, a memorial to him. The staffs of the Bodleian and British Libraries were, as always, unfail- ingly helpful and patient, and I am indebted to the Trustees of the Brit- ish Library for permission to reproduce the manuscript of Notes of Me. The usual formulae for acknowledging help seem quite inadequate in the case of someone like Jamie C. Kassler. Throughout this edition of Notes of Me I acknowledge my debt to her at many specific points, partic- ularly in matters relating to music and science; many useful comments, however, that she made on the Introduction have been incorporated without direct acknowledgment. Here, I thank her for that help as well as for her all-pervading influence in my North studies. Dr Kassler and others have saved me from many errors, but even with such expert help the edition is, no doubt, far from perfect. For all such imperfections I alone, of course, am responsible. Finally, I am most grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for generous grants towards the cost of research. This page intentionally left blank PLATES FRONTISPIECE The Hon. Roger North, a portrait by Sir Peter Lely. 1 Chart of the Thames estuary from Captain Greenville Collins, Great Britain's Coasting Pilot... (1693) 104 2 Map of the Temple, London, before the fire, by John Ogilby and William Morgan (1677) 109 3 Roger North's mathematical instruments at Jesus College, Cambridge 130-1 4 An illustration from North's essay on perspective, 'Speculum Opticum' (fig. 22), BL Add. MS 32,539, f. iO7v 137 5 A page from the manuscript of Notes of Me (f. 76v), showing North's diagrammatic illustration of the trill 150
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