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cause_n	good_a	great_a	think_v	4,338	5	3.9369	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15724	A discouerie of sundrie errours and faults daily committed by lande-meaters, ignorant of arithmetike and geometrie, to the damage, and preiudice of many her Maiesties subiects with manifest proofe that none ought to be admitted to that function, but the learned practisioners of those sciences: written dialoguewise, according to a certaine communication had of that matter. By Edward Worsop, Londoner. Euery one that measureth land by laying head to head, or can take a plat by some geometricall instrument, is not to be accounted therfore a sufficient landmeater, except he can also prooue his instruments, and measurings, by true geometricall demonstrations.	Worsop, Edward.	1582 (1582)	STC 25997; ESTC S120271	43,934	78

The Ephemeris is an almanacke or register in which is shewed among other things what aspects the Sunne Moone Planets and constellations euerie day in the yere haue eache to others as the vulgar Almanakes shewe where the signe is and the age of the Moone He that can tel when the Moone changeth or where the signe is by looking in the common Almanakes may as well be called an Astronomer for that small cunning as they for telling the aspects of Planets and constellations onely by looking in the tables of Ephemeridis They haue also certaine Chaldean Arabian Assyrian and Egyptian authors as Haly Abenragell Mizaldus Hermes Trismegistus Albumazar Erra Pater Abraham Avenezra Abables filius Zaed and such others These authors presuming onely vpon their obseruations for they can not proue their iudgements by naturall reason nor by Mathematicall demonstration take vppon them to foretell by the constitution of the heauens otherwise saide by the aspects of Planets constellatious aswel what shal euery yere generally befal in humane causes as to euery mā particularly The strange names of these Heathen authours cause the more credit to bee giuen to their blasphemous doctrines and fables according to these verses If one affirme he learnd it of a Iewe The sillie people thinke it must be true It is not long since certaine rogues pretending to be Iewes or Egyptians tooke vpon them to tell all sortes of people their fortunes by looking in their handes The people were too simple to let some rogues holde them by the hands whiles others of their company cut their purses and pickt their pockets Those roges tolde fortunes as truely as such Genethliakes can The forenamed authors and others their auncient sectuaries giue such differing and contrarious Astrologicall iudgements vpon euery particular constitution of the heauens that our Astrologians knowe not which of them to beleeue or folowe The chiefest cause why our prognostications are so contrarious is for that some of our prognosticators write after the opinions of some one of those ancient writers and some of an other And they writing different or contrarie the one to the other of necessitie some must hit right Their iudgements are as the blinde man casteth his staffe peraduenture hit but most commonly misse Seeing vnlawfull Diuinatorie and Iudiciall Astrologie are so direct against the worde of God such seducers of the people from stedfast trust and full depending in and vpon the deitie such sclander discredite to the pure and single mathematical sciences to the great hurt of our common weale because such excellent and most needefull actions as Mathematicians if they were duely esteemed would perfourme to the behouse of the same are neglected and left vndone it is to be wished and we ought daily to pray that it would please God to stirre the Queenes Maiesties heart and the heartes of her honourable Counsell to appoint the learned Diuines and Mathematicians of her Realme to cull and separate these ill doctrines from the good and lawfull mathematicall sciences The last Parlement a worthie statute was enacted which forbiddeth all diuinations erecting of figures and such like practises tending to her Maiesties most royall person It were greatly to the honour of God and benefite of the Realme if they were cut off altogether The Mathematicals being greatly applied to sundry vaine and vngodly practises and litle thought on or regarded to bee applyed to such weightie causes in the common weale as most requisitely they ought may be compared to a swéet healthsom plentiful fountain standing néere a Citie greatly distressed through the want of such a spring and yet the Citizens rather let it run into soule ditches and marshes in which it doth no good then they wil conueie it into their Citie to their great pleasure and health We greatly esteeme artificiall strangers for their deuises and workemanshippes but wee respect not the causes why their doings be more excellent then ours The instructions that such artificers or Mechanitians receiue from Mathematicians is the chiefest cause why they exceede vs. He is called a Mechanitian that can make certaine Geometricall figures and doe certaine Mathematicall conclusions by practise and imitation according to instruction from his master or some learned man but regardeth not the demonstration thereof which is the speculation of the art Some Frenchemen write themselues the Kings Mathematicians because they haue office and stipend from the King to maintaine their charge and studies Others write them selues publike professor of the Mathematicals of such an Vniuersitie Also euery Citie in Fraunce Germanie and Italie hath one Geometer at the least who hath office in the same and stipend from the chamber thereof Some great Cities haue three or foure such Geometers at the least Masons Carpenters Ioyners Paynters clockmakers In ginors and such others vnto whose faculties most needefully appertaine the knowledges of making squares roundes triangles and many other figures with their transformations according to any proportion assigned resort vnto these professors and Geometers to learne certaine grounds chiefe mechanicall rules Such of them as enter so farre into speculation as that they vnderstand Euclids elements proue most excelent men Few or none such come into this countrie Mechanitians wil serue our turne yea we think them most singular men we are so grosse vnskilfull in arts As a man hauing but one dimme eye is of blinde men thought to bee wel sighted so most of vs thinke Mechanitians greate cunning men Ignorance as I saide and the abuses and contemptes of the Mathematicals are the chiefe causes why insufficient landmeasers hee suffered to carie awaye the doinges by showes and brags Watkins Diuinatorie and Iudiciall Astrologie and euery part of them as I gather by your talke should be abrogated as vnlawfull VVorsop You gather ouer largely of my talke I spake not against lawful Astrologie but against such as attribute vnto Astrologie Astronomie sundry actions contrary to the word of God Astrologie not contrary to the worde of God is a commendable knowledge Philosophie prooueth sundrie influences proceeding from the celestiall bodies to the terrestriall first obserued by Astrologers against which I will not rashely speake But referre you rather to learned Melanchton that famous Deuine who calleth them Epicureos Theologos that impugne the lawfull science of Astrologie These matters are so farre aboue common vnderstanding that wee will cease to talke any further of them referring reformation where occasion serueth to magistrates and tho godly learned Master Iohn d ee in his mathematicall preface learnedly sheweth what Astrologie is In that preface you shall finde howe some ouer reache that is vnlawfully attribute more vnto that science then duely appertaineth thereunto Iohnson You founde faulte with mee of late for saying mine head was so grosse that I should neuer haue deuised such a proofe as you made when you prooued that a close entrenched within a round ditch of viii score perches was greater then a close entrenched within ditches of the

Wor. You may perceiue that to be erronious by the circle and pricked square a. b. c. d. which giueth you 8. score perches in square also viii score perches in rounde You shall finde by the scale ten that euery side of the square is iiii inches that is to say xl perches therefore al the iiii sides are xvi inches which make viii score perches Also if you measure the circle with a fine thred of xvi inches long from the streike in the toppe rounde about you shall finde the same also to bee iust xvi inches about euen as the circuite of the square a. b. c. d. is Your eye giueth you that there is much more paper included within the circle then within the square and yet no more perches are in the circuite of the one then in the circuite of the other Peter I wil not ride any further til I haue tried this for I haue a silk thred in my bag First I wil measure the iiii sides of the square cut of the thred at that length Now I wil measure round about the circle frō the strike in the top I do assure ye they agree to an heires breadth It is very euident to the eye that much more paper is conteined within the circle then within the square therefore common sense giueth that if grounds be inclosed with hedges of like lengths and fashions that more ground must be conteined within the round hedge then within the square Iohnson I neuer in all the daies of my life could haue deuised such a proofe as this my head is so grosse I maruaile much how you can lay viii score perches in a rounde without more or lesse I take it to be a great piece of cunning Can you doe the like vpon land as you haue done vpon paper Worsop I can lay out grounds in any fashion as wel vpon land as vpon paper but more time must be had to the doing of the one then to the doing of the other Howe to transforme figures according to their sides or contents to any other fashion or kinde of figure ought of necessitie to be knowen vnto landmeaters I finde ii sorts of people of great contrarietie in their opinions concerning the attaining vnto the knowledge of land measure The one thinketh it but a sleight and learned by and by the other dispaireth of his vnderstanding thinking his senses ouer dull and grosse to attaine the knowledge thereof Both these sortes of people are in wrōg conceits He that thinketh it but a sleight is of such courage that he will according to the common saying leape ouer the style before he come néere it For saith he If I might be but one weeke in the company of a cunning measurer and haue but a litle instruction from him I could learne all his cunning in that space So sclender a knowledge is land measure in his silly conceit If this iolly fellowe knowe howe to take a plat by any one instrument and cast vp the same by Multiplication and Diuision in whole numbers taught in the vulgar Arithmetike he thinketh himselfe to haue cunning sufficient He will neuer trouble his head with the vulgar fractions appertaining to those numbers for they serue but vnto the parts of perches Such a measurer may bee likened to one that will take vpon him to be a keeper of accountes though his knowledge serue not further then to cast such summes onely as bee in poundes if there be shillings and pence he will neuer trouble him selfe with them nor beate his braines to learne howe to cast them Such measurers know how to make their plat ioyne although neither last angle nor last length be correspondent to their scale and instrument If the ii last lengthes ioyne eyther by in ward or outward angle they thinke their worke very good I haue knowen some when a plat hath beene well taken so erroniously cast vp the same through false rules in casting the triangles and ignoraunce of the fall of the perpendicular that the measurer which worketh only by the perche laying head to head would haue giuen vp a truer content then they The ignorance of the time is such that to talke by roate of measure with making show of some instrumêts procureth great credit to such measurers Whoso cannot prooue his instrument his plat and the casting vp ther of by Geometrical demonstration is not otherwise to be accounted of for a good land meater then he for a good Latinist who can onely recite certaine sentences being vnable to perse one worde or he for a good Orator that is ignorant of the parts of an Oration and the Rhetoricall figures As one that neuer read in the Bible and yet wil take vpon him to be a Preacher or one that neuer read Litleton will notwithstanding take vpon him to be a Counseller in the laws ought to be accounted insufficient for those functions euen so ought he to be accounted insufficient for a land measurer the hath not red Euclides Elements but is ignorant of his definitions and propositions especially such as concerne liniarie superficial measures As Euclide is a greek author so is the name of his Elements greeke to a great number of such land meaters as holde their credit by the signe of the instrument Other tenure they can not pleade then the signe of the instrument and a grosse and vnlearned order of platting which they attained vnto by an imitation and exercise and not by learning and vnderstanding why it is so done As in Diuinitie Lawe and Physike none are admitted to be practisioners before they be so studied in the best authors entreaters of those knowledges that they are able to proue their doings by good doctrine so should not any be admitted to land measure except he be so studied in Euclide his Elementes and other good writers of Arithmetike and Geometrie whereof great plenty are extant in diuers languages that he is able to proue and demonstrate his doings by their definitions propositions Watkins What is the cause why insufficient landemeaters bee suffered and that order is vntaken that none shall be permitted to measure lande but such as can sufficiently doe the same beeing thereunto admitted by the learned in Arithmetike and Geometrie appointed by authoritie for that purpose It seemeth vnto me as I gather by your speaches that the ignorant winne vnto themselues greate good opinions and by showes and brags cary away the doings from the learned Worsop The abusing and contemning of the Mathematicalles is the chiefest cause In the time of Poperie moste singular knowledges were shut vp A Ciceronian was accounted an heretike They could not abide the opening of learned knowledges They made darkenes and ignorance two of their pillers They fedde the people with scumme and drosse as well in humane sciences as in diuine For as in stead of diuinitie they brought in superstition and idolatrie so in stead of the pure Mathematicall knowledges they vsed coniurations sorceries inuocations of spirits

him for setting forth three bookes of Geometrie in which hee learnedly teacheth Geometricall measurings For the part mathematicall all good surueiors owe vnto him great reuerence because he is a lanthorne vnto them aswel in the speculation as the practise He and M. Leonard Digges his father haue bin the first and chiefest that haue giuen light and tast of this necessarie part of surueie in our vulgar tongue M. Thomas Owen one of the Counsellours of the Citie of London of any learned man towardes the Lawe best vnderstandeth al the parts of surueie as I haue heard from them that be skilful and for ought that euer I could perceiue otherwise He wel vnderstandeth diuers tongues and is so wel furnished of the best authors in diuers languages that hee hath gotten much and rare knowledge from them M. Iohn Hils an Auditor of any man whose learning and practise I knowe in my iudgement is the perfectest and readiest man in all the parts thereof He vnderstandeth Arithmetike Geometrie and perspectiue both speculatiuely and practically singularly wel His knowledge and daily exercise of Auditorie mixt with the studie of the common Lawes his great search and practise of the part Iudiciall haue brought him to a profound iudgement and knowledge M. Fardenando Malyn and M. Iohn Malyn his brother can surueie singularly wel They vnderstād the Mathematical parts perfectly and are of good studie and great practise in the other M. Fardenando is the readiest man in the field that euer I saw M. Deuhurst M. Grent M. Godfrey can surueie verie well M. Godfrey hath verie good knowledge in Perspectiue I assure my selfe that many others are verie skilful and can do verie wel in al the parts thereof but I can not report the skil of any vpon mine owne knowledge sauing of these Peter Me thinks many should giue themselues to be skilful professors of surueie and to vnderstand the knowledge and practise of al the parts thereof What be the causes why there are so fewe surueyors that can sufficiently surueie Worsop Such sufficient skil as a surueyor should haue before he ought to execute that office can not bee attained but by a longer studie and a greater practise then is commonly thought to bee had thereto It is also one of the chargeablest studies that one can enter into There are fewe that wil take the paines to giue perfect instructions to young beginners to set them in the right course of study and practise which is a great cause of much vaine expences The Mathematical part séemeth so drie and hard at the first entraunce that some as wearied giue ouer before they haue passed halfe way Also measurers ignorant of Geometrie make quicker dispatch then the learned and skilful can which so pleaseth the ignorant because it diminisheth present charge that they therefore litle regard him that maketh true measure which in troth is penie wisedome and pound foolishnes Also through lack of good order in this weightie matter braggers that by showe of their instrument win credit are sooner reteyned by the ignorant then a sufficient man Some thinke that to be a great peece of cunning which in deede is eyther an error or but a trifle The benefite also to the skilful is so small and the charge to be in such readinesse as they ought so great that they giue ouer as wearied leauing the matter to ignorant dispatchers who sticke not at any thing If the learned and skilful did vse conferences deuise waies how these inconueniences might be redressed true knowledge aduanced and ignorance depressed as the learned in other professions do great vtilitie would ensue vnto our commō weale therby It is a lamentable thing that so great a mischiefe as the ignorance of true landmeasuring bringeth hath so long bin spied and that no remedie is therefore prouided Euerie man knoweth that lande is our riches in the hyest nature and yet true surueying and valuing thereof is shoufled vp as though it were a matter of small importance If a receiuer should in stead of an hundreth pounds vsually receiue either too much or too litle though it were vnder fourtie shillings and the ouersight but in monie his Lord if he knewe it would thinke him verie vnskilful and negligent in his office and quickly haue an euill opinion of him therefore But if ignorant measurers misse x. acres in an hunderth whose value is commonly aboue fortie poundes they are not euill thought of therefore though it bee to the losse of so much inheritance Ignoraunce beareth such sway that for lack of good order these chances daily happen Peter How may a man when he lacketh a good surueyor knowe him that is sufficient from him that is insufficient Worsop Rules can hardly be giuen vnto the ignorant of suruey how to choose one that is sufficient If surueyors were in such order as by good reason they should the weightines of their charge considered then as the learned in other professions are knowen from the vnlearned so might they Not any student of the Law can be admitted to the bar except by the benchers he be thought sufficient None can be admitted in the Vniuersities to any degrees of learning but by the allowance of ancient graduates of the same profession If the skilful in the parts Mathematicall Legal and Iudicial would frindly and singly ioyne together to reforme and instruct each others and to reduce surueie to a perfect order without doubt many which now vnderstand but parts and peeces rightly but moe things erroniously or lamely would in short space proue sufficient men Also excellent good waies for the best instruction of young students thereof would soon be had They that enter themselues into the studie of this science and would perseuere therein are driuen to go so blindely and confusedly to work because they know not where to haue right instructions that they fall into many errors and receiue great discourages Iohnson Me thinks the number of surueyors in these daies is too great Gentlemen know wel ynough how to let their lands to the vttermost They haue cunning ynough for that matter they néed no more help from skilfull men Worsop Though some landlords deale ouer hardly with their tenants the fault thereof is not to be attributed to surueyors Good skilfull surueyors will refourme those enormities and not augment them The common people for the most part are in great feare when surueie is made of their land If the surueie be skilfully made it reformeth ouer small measures and excesses of rents None can so wel tel what is indifferent betwéene Lord and tenant as the skilful sureueyor Some part of his charge consisteth vpon iudgement therfore séeing he is in some respects a Iudge if he be godly iustly minded he will not exact vpon the tenant although the Lord please him for the surueie taking but wil measure and value according to equitie and indifferencie aswell for the discharge of his conscience as the preseruation of his credit We are now come to the Townes end we wil talke more of these matters an other time FINIS

cause why learned writers in the best languages vse the Greeke termes in all their workes is because readers of their bookes should compare them with Greeke and Latine authours in whom they shall finde the selfe same termes whereby the knowledge of these sciences is much easier attained vnto For if a man finde one thing in sundry languages and diuers waies defined demonstrated and applied he is very hard of capacitie if he shal not be able to vnderstand some of them Ihonson I thought verily before you tolde these causes that you and your friend for whom you haue written this booke had deuised termes much like the deuise of Pedlers Frenche because you would not haue your cunnings in land measuring knowen to any but to your selues Steuen And I would haue thought them words of coniuration because being once in a place and halfe a dossen others beside my selfe where lay a booke that had many crosses in it a great number of like figures and circles and as one of our company did reade such strange wordes one other saide my friend you were not best to reade too farre in that booke least you fetche one vp that will aske what he shall doe and if you can appoint him nothing neither know howe to laye him downe againe he will doe much hurt And because it was in a Priests his house I may say to you it so feared some fooles of vs that we were glad when we were out of dores I neuer heard that the Priest was suspected for coniuring he coulde doe many pretie feates for he made dials vpon walles and in gardens he could measure land and tel howe wheeles and other gins for milnes should be made He hath told how things should be made and mended concerning water workes and milnes that if the countrie had lacked his helpe a great deale of money would haue beene spent in vaine by most mens sayings I heard him say vnto landemeasurers that they must néedes make wrong measure if they procéeded by such way as they had cast their worke and determined to procéed One time as I waited on my master when he went to the measuring of a meadowe that laye ii miles from his house there was great talke and arguing by the way whether it were possible to tel how far one place in view is distāt from an other how much one place is higher then an other except it were first measured Master Morgan answered that it was possible very easie to be done Then Master Allen asked him if he could doe it by any of those instruments we carried with vs. He answered that he could Wherevpon M. Allen suddenly staying sayd I pray you tel me how farre it is from the place where I stand to yonder oke I wil sayd he and immediatly he piched one of his instrumentes and looked thorowe a fine knacke or Iig and measured a good pretie way from him not towards the marke but sidewise and at the corner where his measuring ended he looked againe through his Iig and casting a little with his pen he tolde iustly almost how many perches it was from his foote to the oke for he missed not a perch in a length that was aboue fiue furlonges When we came to the oke whose height from a certaine knot in a bowgh downe to the ground was almost thrée and fiftie foote he tolde within two inches the iust height by looking through an other Iig One did clime the trée and laide one ende of a wier line to the knot and there helde it and let the other end fall downe by which meanes we made trial We that sawe how néere he had tolde the length and height before they were measured sayd it was pretely done M. Allen asked if any good seruice or commoditie to the common weale might ensue by these fine sleightes Yea sayde M. Morgan very much For except a man can take lengthes and distances he is insufficient to measure lande because in lande measuring the measurer many times through the impedimentes of thickets waters myers such like must be driuen to take lengths distances Neither hils nor dales for the most part can truely be measured except their heightes and depthes be taken Also he that can exactly take them can giue a very néere gesse when he cometh on any ground whether it will cōtaine his generals army or not He also can tell what quantitie of grounde the enemies campe ouerspreadeth and giue a néere gesse if he sée the enemies in battaile raye what number is of them Also to know how to take lengthes heightes be chiefe pointes in vndermining namely if the vndermining begin far from the place that should be blowen vp The height of towers stéeples and wales are knowen hereby so that scaling ladders may be made fit and it may be knowen howe much is betwéene story and story in any house without measuring them Also how many foote high any trée dothbeare timber and most requisite to batteries bowgeings and to knowe how farre any péece beareth point blank The degrees of longitude and latitude the eleuation of the poles and the height of the sunne thinges in nauigation of greate necessitie namely in long and farre viages when they would knowe vnto what coastes and countries they are néerest are knowen and founde out by geometricall instrumentes prepared for the taking of heightes lengthes and distances The chieffest péece of arte in the description of countries is the taking of heightes lengthes and distances The knowledge of them are incident to many other necessarie matters Peter Call you these pretie feates and fine sleightes and such instrumentes knackes and Iigges Mee thinketh hee that can doe these thinges performeth matters of great weight in the common weale and ought as much to be accounted of and aduanced for these knowledges as learned men in other faculties for their knowledges Steuen When the lande was parted betwéene my Maistres and her thrée sisters M. Morgane was a whole moneth with my maister and measured for him There were then certaine lawyeres surueyors and countrye measurers and for thrée or foure dayes great controuersie was among them and such a stur as I neuer sawe amongst wise men Some would haue the lande measured one way some another some brought long poles some lines that had a knot at the ende of euerie perche some lines that were sodden in rosen and waxe M. Morgane had a line of wyers They measured the poles and lines with two foote rulers yardes wherof some differed from other halfe an inche which made great variance for euery man iustified his owne ruler If I durst to haue aduentured at the first I could I haue gayned twentie nobles by laying on master Morgane his doings There was such lustie bargaining on all sides that crownes and angelles were but tryfling layes Maister Morgane layed little or nothing but alwayes as he sayde so it was agreed vpon he could alwayes giue such reasons and so well proue