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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44131	Supplement to the philosophical transactions of July, 1670 With some reflexions on Dr. John Wallis, his letter there inserted.; Philosophical transactions. Supplement.	Holder, William, 1616-1698.	1678 (1678)	Wing H2388A; ESTC R215280	10,096	17

and the Reader may seem obliged to relye upon their credit But it is not true that either of them knew or writ any thing of those matters but what was put into their hands by Dr. Wallis It was no unlikely or incredible thing to consider of the natural and moral possibility of making a Dumb person speak But it was not true that Dr. Wallis under those circumstances did or could deliberate about that possibility It was like truth but it was not true what he says in the Transactions that he did the like for another c. Except by doing the like he means making another speak who could have spoke before But in the Nat. Hist of Oxford-shire he tells a more demure truth that he taught Dumb persons so he did for two were his Schollars But did either Mr. Popham or Mr. Whalely ow● their first speaking to him Rather one to his Nurse the other to Dr. Holder But Dr. Wallis desires and designs the world would be so kind as to be cajoled into such a belief concerning Mr. Popham and the rather since he has drawn in Mr. Oldenburgh and Dr. Plot till they were better informed to believe it and prevailed with them to say as from themselves what he imposed upon them The later of these survives and 't is not doubted hath so much integrity as no longer to Father those passages which Dr. Wallis has crowded into his Book but will do right to the Reader and himself and Dr. Holder on all occasions THe Reader need not be troubled with Dr. Wallis's whole Letter to Mr. Boyle in those Philosophical Transactions of July 18. 1670. p. 1087. N. 61. But is here presented with a touch of such passages as concern this affair And first Pray Reader or Passenger whatever you are about leave it and listen The Contents A Letter of Dr. John Wallis's to Robert Boyle Esq concerning the said Doctor 's Essay of teaching a person Dumb and Deaf to speak and to understand a Language together with the success thereof made apparent to His Majesty the Royal Society and the Vniversity of Oxford c. Title of the Letter in the same Page A Letter of Dr. John Wallis's to Robert Boyle Esq concerning the said Doctors-Essay of teaching a Dumb and Deaf person to speak and to understand a Language together with the success thereof VVhich Letter though written many years since was but lately obtained to be inserted here it being esteemed very well worth to be preserved and communicated for publick use THe Reader may possibly reflect upon the Doctors vanity in penning this out-cry but it was but part vanity and part design For now who can believe that ever any one thought of this before Dr. VVallis made this Essay upon Mr. VVhalely and so confidently shewed and boasted it it must be presumed that this was the first Essay Especially considering what follows in the Letter Page 1088 I thought my self obliged to give you this brief account of that whole affair that you may at once perceive as well upon what considerations I was induced to attempt that work and what I did propose to my self as feasible therein as what success hath hitherto attended that Essay Ibid. Now though I did not apprehend either of these impossible viz. to speak and to understand a language P. 1090. These difficulties of which I was well aware did not so far discourage me from that undertaking but that I did still conceive it possible that both parts of this task might be effected P. 1092. To these fundamental grounds of possibility in nature I am next to add a Consideration which made me think it morally possible that is not impossible to succeed in practice P. 1093. My next inducement to undertake it was the consideration of the person represented to me as ingenious and apprehensive could have spoke till five years of age P. 1094. Having thus acquainted you with those Considerations which induced me to attempt it Ibid. Though I did believe that much more is to be effected than is commonly thought feasible and that it was possible for him to speak so as to be understood Postsc p. 1098. Oxford March 14. 1661 2. The said Doctor was by the same Assembly Royal Society encouraged to pursue what he had so ingeniously and successfully begun Modestly said of himself Ibid. Nor is this the only person on whom the said Doctor hath shewed the effect of his skill but he hath since done the like for another a young Gentleman of a very good Family and a fair estate who did from his Birth want his Hearing meaning Mr. Popham By what hath been said before the Reader is able to judg of the honesty of this last passage Mr. Popham did indeed from his Birth want his Hearing but he did not from his Birth to the time that Dr. VVallis began to teach him want his Speech but this is contrived to make the Reader think he did P. 1099. He commends his small Treatise De Loquelâ On considence of which he durst undertake that difficult task Ibid. Whether any since him that is whether Bishop VVilkins or Dr. Holder as he explains himself in Dr. Plots Nat. Hist Oxford-shire p. 282. have with more judgment and accurateness performed the same I will not take upon me at all to determine very moderately exprest but your meaning may be easily guessed WIth some sort of men simulation and dissimulation are no sins These Considerations induced him and his Treatise De Loquelâ gave him confidence to dare to undertake that difficult task but not a word of any inducement or incouragement or thought of the possibility of it from his having seen it effected but two years before within five Miles of him his Reader must not know of that and possibly Mr. Oldenburgh did not nor Dr. Plot but the Doctor knew it full well when he sent that subtle Letter and Postscript to Mr. Oldenburgh and plaid the same game over again with Dr. Plot. And in the Preface before the fourth Edition of his English-Grammar tells the Reader that it was from hence from his more attentive perpension of his Treatise of the Formation of sounds postquam attentius perpenderam hinc c. that he taught two Dumb persons plane mutos to speak NOw after all to compound this matter though Dr. Holder is not willing to allow Dr. VVallis to be any more than an Interloper in this experiment and refers to the Reader to judg whether the said Doctor did deal bonâ Fide in those ●…mnous accounts published on this affair yet because Dr. ●●…is hath shewn so much dexterity and fine contrivance in attempting to be sole Author of this effect Dr. Holder is content if others be so that Dr. Wallis may in lieu of it possess enjoy that glorious Title of our ENGLISH ARCHIMEDES Nat. Hist Oxf. p. 287. And further If Dr. Wallis shall think fit to publish such-like grave Considerations about the Natural and Moral possibility of contriving glasses to help the eye to see at a distance and to discern small bodies at hand or of setting in a frame Characters so disposed and ordered under a Press that by them a thousand Books may be wrought off in the time that two or three can be written with many other advantages or of making a Powder which being fired shall have great force and perform strange things And if upon those Considerations got to be published in the Transactions with Postscripts and subtle Comments and to be avouched in other Authors dissembling his own knowledg of any such matters before but encouraged thereto on confidence of his Book of Mechanicks If with these and other like Artifices he can attain t● be thought the first inventor of Telescopes Microscopes Printing Guns and Squibs which he may better hope to effect since the Authors of those Inventions are dead and will certainly be silent and quiet Dr. Holder promiseth not to concern himself to undeceive the world or strip the Doctor of any part of that Glory provided he deal more fairly hereafter about the Deaf and Dumb.

so to encourage himself to undertake it And all this after he had seen it performed two years before and therefore to his certain knowledg it was both naturally possible and morally feasible And it was a mockery in him to pretend to deliberate about it and that Honourable Gentleman was little obliged to him for being so treated But the Doctor had a further design in publishing it For to this Letter he added by way of Comment in the Publishers name but of his own penning a more particular account and boast about Mr. Whalely and in three or four subtle lines which was his chief design hedged in what concerned Mr. Popham describing but wisely not naming him And concluded with magnifying a small Treatise of his De Loquelâ on confidence of which he durst undertake that difficult task And if Dr. Holden or any other since that have writ upon the like subject they are like to gain nothing upon him for he resolves Whether any since him have with more judgment and accurateness performed the same he will not take upon him at all to determine For all which the Reader is referred to the said Transactions of July 1670. As to the last Challenge Whether any since him c. Dr. Holder submits it so far as concerns him to the intelligent impartial Reader But as to the considering Letter and unseasonable boast of his success with Mr Whalely and principally his assuming Mr. Popham's speaking solely to himself to which the other were only subservient and were to make a noise while this slipt in Dr. Holder declared then his dissatisfaction both to the Publisher and to Dr. Wallis himself as being all circumstances considered injuriously and disingenuously dealt withal And now after several years expectation of some ingenuous satisfaction from Dr. Wallis for that his want of Candour in publishing at that time and with that manner of contrivance the fore-mentioned account in his Letter to Mr. Boyle with the Comment upon it at last he addresseth himself to the Publisher thinking it just and requisite that this Memorial be also inserted in the Transactions both to disabuse the Reader and to do some right unto himself THis foregoing Paper or near the same the Title or Preface of which was of Mr. Oldenburghs own penning was put into Mr. Oldenburghs hand and he thought it reasonable and just to publish it in the Transactions both to give Dr. Holder some satisfaction and to vindicate himself from seeming partial having been thought to be so but in good measure excused himself in this particular by being so imposed upon by Dr. Wallis But he met with difficulty in the Licensing of it They thinking it just and necessary that Dr. Holder should be righted but willing to have some passages softned before which was done Mr. Oldenburgh deceased and so Dr. Holder remains without any possibility of being repaired by the same hand which unwittingly injured him Now whilst this affair lay before the Royal Society and Dr. Wallis knew so much he could not forbear to act the same part over again For the Ingenious and Learned Dr. Robert Plot L. L. D. designing a natural History of Oxfordshire Dr. VVallis thrust himself in and contrived to be abundantly praised in that work making a great part of it a History of Dr. VVallis He imposes upon that worthy honest well meaning person who suspected no sinister design to magnifie again that small Treatise De Loquelâ to renew the challenge and seem to prefer it before what Bishop VVilkins or Dr. Holder have since writ even by the advantage of what Dr. VVallis did before When-as the truth is Dr. Plot had never seen either Dr. VVallis or Dr. Holder's Treatises and could not pretend to pass any Judgment upon them but innocently suffered Dr. VVallis to pass it into his Book And if we may guess at the rest by those three Paragraphs p. 281 282. n. 179. 180 181. which were certainly or the greatest and material part of them of Dr. VVallis's own penning and all of his supervising it may be justly thought all the rest were so too And here Dr. VVallis is secure to gain this point that in a Book which will come into the hands of all curious persons Dr. VVallis's fame is spread forth to all and but few will ever happen to know that he imposed upon the good Doctor and penned it himself as he had done before to the Publisher of the Transactions but it was the greater abute to Dr. Plot to be referred to those Transactions which Dr. VVallis knew to lye at that time under correction before the Royal Society THere is no man will blame any ingenious person for making himself fairly known to the world by publishing the products of his Parts and Learning And for those many things which Dr. VVallis has performed and gained reputation Dr. Holder wisheth him much joy and is as ready as any to give him his due praise He thinks Dr. VVallis had enough to commend him to the world and might have kept within the bounds of Fairness and Candor and not have wanted due estimation And in this particular he esteems it very considerable what Dr. Wallis performed upon those two Deaf Gentlemen and worthy to be known and valued and has not been wanting to do him that right on all occasions and would say more of it if he should not seem to commend himself But he thinks withal that the Doctors manner of publishing it so often and so many ways and with so much boast and contrivance was not fair in many respects and that he had manifestly a design by all possible noise and prepossession to drown and suppress the Claim of any who should with more modesty own a primier Title to this experiment Nor could the Doctor conceal his particular emulation when he compassed to have his Treatise De Loquelâ or Of the formation of Sounds to be commended Where though the Doctor could not abstain from that subject nor could find in his heart to determine against himself yet 't is odds but the impartial Reader will soon determine VVhether the same hath not since been performed with more accuracy and judgment He thinks further that Dr. VVallis merited and had a fair repute and needed not to be so hasty and greedy as to use such indirect and sinister ways of anticipating and enlarging his own fame but might have been sufficed without rifling his Neighbours and adorning himself with their spoyls But it seems he could not help what was either in his nature or else habitual to him and hopes to bear it out with subtlety of contrivauce speaking like truth so artificially that his Reader is to believe more than is true and it serves him to impose upon them whose names and credit he borrows to commend him and for a reserve to himself if he be called to account It is true that Mr. Oldenburgh and Dr. Plot have put upon Record some great performances of Dr. Wallis