A Budget of Paradoxes Volume II Part 51

[324] See Vol. II, page 109, note 205.

[325] See Vol. II, page 66, note 143.

[326] See Vol. II, page 151, note 268.

[327] George Barrett (1752-1821) worked from 1786 to 1811 on a set of life insurance and annuity tables. He invented a plan known as the "columnar method" for the construction of such tables, and as De Morgan states, this was published by Francis Baily, appearing in the appendix to his work on annuities, in the edition of 1813. Some of his tables were used in Babbage's _Comparative View of the various Inst.i.tutions for the a.s.surance of Lives_ (1826).

[328] See Vol. I, page 309, note 2 {670}.

[329] This was his _Practical short and direct Method of Calculating the Logarithm of any given Number, and the Number corresponding to any given Logarithm_ (1849).

[330] This is William Neile (1637-1670), grandson of Richard Neile (not Neal), Archbishop of York. At the age of 19, in 1657, he gave the first rectification of the semicubical parabola. Although he communicated it to Brouncker, Wren, and others, it was not published until 1639, when it appeared in John Wallis's _De Cycloide_.

[331] I myself "was a considerable part."

[332] He also wrote _A Glance at the Universe_ ("2d thousand" in 1862), and _The Resurrection Body_ (1869).

[333] See Vol. I, page 63, note 1 {74}.

[334] As Swift gave it in his _Poetry. A Rhapsody_, it is as follows:

"So, naturalists observe, a flea Has smaller fleas that on him prey; And these have smaller still to bite 'em.

And so proceed _ad infinitum_."

[335] Perhaps 1,600,000,000 years, if Boltwood's recent computations based on radium disintegration stand the test. This would mean, according to MacCurdy's estimate, 60,000,000 years since life first appeared on the earth.

[336] De Morgan wrote better than he knew, for this work, the _Allgemeine Encyclopadie der Wissenschaften und Kunste_, begun at Leipsic in 1818, is still (1913) unfinished. Section I, A-G, consists of 99 parts in 56 volumes; Section II, H-N, consists of 43 volumes and is not yet completed; and Section III, O-Z, consists of 25 volumes thus far, with most of the work still to be done. Johann Samuel Ersch (1766-1828), the founder, was head librarian at Halle. Johann Gottfried Gruber (1774-1851), his a.s.sociate, was professor of philosophy at the same university.

[337] William Howitt (1792-1879) was a poet, a spiritualist, and a miscellaneous writer. He and his wife became spiritualists about 1850. He wrote numerous popular works on travel, nature and history.

[338] See Vol. II, page 55, note 108.

[339] As will be inferred from the text, C. D. was Mrs. De Morgan, and A. B. was De Morgan.

[340] Jean Meslier (1678-1733), cure of Estrepigny, in Champagne, was a skeptic, but preached only strict orthodoxy to his people. It was only in his ma.n.u.script, _Mon Testament_, that was published after his death, and that caused a great sensation in France, that his antagonism to Christianity became known.

[341] Baron Zach relates that a friend of his, in a writing intended for publication, said _Un esprit doit se frotter contre un autre_. The censors struck it out. The Austrian police have a keen eye for consequences.--A. De M.

"One mind must rub against another." On Baron Zach, see Vol. II, page 45, note 4.

[342] Referring to the first Lord Eldon (1751-1838), who was Lord Chancellor from 1799 to 1827, with the exception of one year.

[343] "Sleeping power."

[344] "Causes sleep."

[345] Richard Hooker (c. 1554-1600), a theologian, "the ablest living advocate of the Church of England as by law established."

[346] See Vol. I, page 76, note 3 {112}.

[347] "Other I,"--other self.

[348] This "utter rejection" has been repeated (1872) by the same writer.--S. E. De M.

[349] Edward Jenner (1749-1823) was a physician and biologist. His first experiments in vaccination were made in 1796, and his discovery was published in 1798.

[350] See Vol. II, page 38, note 80.

[351] "You will go most safely in the middle (way)."

[352] Pierre Joseph Arson was known early in the 19th century for his controversy with Hoene Wronski the mathematician, whom he attacked in his _Doc.u.ment pour l'histoire des grands fourbes qui ont figure sur la terre_ (1817-1818).

[353] "We enter the course by night and are consumed by fire."

[354] See Vol. I, page 51, note 3 {51}.

[355] See Vol. I, page 336, note 8 {713}.

[356] See Vol. I, page 137, note 8 {286}.

[357] See Vol. I, page 229, note 2 {515}.

[358] Richard Cobden (1804-1865), the cotton manufacturer and statesman who was prominent in his advocacy of the repeal of the Corn Laws.

[359] James Smith (1775-1839), solicitor to the Board of Ordnance. With his brother Horatio he wrote numerous satires. His _Horace in London_ (1813) imitated the Roman poet. His works were collected and published in 1840.

[360] Samuel Butler (1612-1680), the poet and satirist, author of _Hudibras_ (1663-1678).

[361] "Is it not fine to be sure of one's action when entering in a combat with another? There, push me a little in order to see. NICOLE. Well! what's the matter? M. JOURDAIN. Slowly. Ho there! Ho! gently. Deuce take the rascal! NICOLE. You told me to push. M. JOURDAIN. Yes, but you pushed me _en tierce_, before you pushed _en quarte_, and you did not give me time to parry."

[362] John Abernethy (1764-1831), the famous physician and surgeon.

[363] See Vol. I, page 102, note 5 {175}.

[364] "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

[365] Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260-340), leader of the moderate party at the Council of Nicaea, and author of a _History of the Christian Church_ in ten books (c. 324 A. D.).

[366] Nathaniel Lardner (1684-1768), a non-conformist minister and one of the first to advocate the scientific study of early Christian literature.

[367] Henry Alford (1810-1871) Dean of Canterbury (1857-1871) and editor of the Greek Testament (1849-1861).

[368] The work was _The Number and Names of the Apocalyptic Beasts: with an explanation and application. Part I._ London, 1848, as mentioned below.

Thom also wrote _The a.s.surance of Faith, or Calvinism identified with Universalism_ (London, 1833), and various other religious works.

[369] See Vol. I, page 222, note 14 {490}.

[370] John Hamilton Thom (1808-1894) was converted to Unitarianism and was long a minister in that church, preaching in the Renshaw Street Chapel from 1831 to 1866. De Morgan refers to the Liverpool Unitarian controversy conducted by James Martineau and Henry Giles in response to a challenge by thirteen Anglican Clergy. In 1839 Thom contributed four lectures and a letter to this controversy. Among his religious works were a _Life of Blanco White_ (1845) and _Hymns, Chants, and Anthems_ (1854).