Almost at the outset of his labours he was so well known that Dr, Bernard invited him to become a candidate for the Savilian pro fessorship of geometry at Oxford, which he declined to do. He bad at this time nothing but a sextant and clocks of Sir Jonas Moore's, and some instruments of his own. He borrowed some from the Royal Society, and after repeatedly urging the government to provide him with an instrument fixed in the meridian, he caused a mural arc to be constructed at his own expense, which was erected in the year 1683, but proved a failure.
In the meantime he had taken orders, in 1675, having in the pre vious year obtained the degree of Master of Arts from Cambridge. It is not certainly known that be had been a student in that university, though it is certain that he was for some months at Cambridge in 1674. Perhaps he obtained his degree by the celebrity of his name, on condition of a short residence.
In 1684 his father died, and he was presented to a small living by the Lord-Keeper North. Both circumstances increasing his means, he resolved to be at the expense of a new mural arc, upon an assurance from the government (which was never fulfilled) that the outlay should be repaid. This instrument was first used in September 1689, and from that moment " everything which Flamsteed did, every observation which he made, assumed a tangible and permanent form, and was available to some useful purpose." When he died, the government of the day attempted to claim these instruments as public property.
The public career of Flamsteed, from this time to the end of his life, is described when we say that he collected that enormous mass of observations which furnished the first trustworthy catalogue of the fixed stars ; that be made those lunar observations on which Newton depended for the illustration and verification of his lunar theory; and that be originated and practised methods 'of observing which may be said to form the basis of those employed at the present time. Were it not for the celebrated quarrel between him on the one side, and Newton and Halley on the other, there would hardly be a life of so much utility as that of Flamsteed, which would afford so little mate Halt' for a popular account. It is to be remembered that the follow ing is an ex parte statement ; but on the other hand, it is not one formally drawn up for the public, but partly contained in the manu script autobiography which never was published by Flamsteed, and partly derived from his correspondence with his friends. Newton
had been on terms of cordial intimacy with Flamsteed, but a coolness Lad beguu to exist in 1696, for which Mr. Bally is unable to account. Sir D. Brewster, in his 'Life of Sir Isaac Newton,' having had access to a number of letters between Flamsteed and Newton, explains this. While Newton was engaged on his Lunar theory, he required observa tions of the moon's places. For this object he visited Flamsteed at the Greenwich Observatory on September 1, 1694, who gave him 150 places, and promised him more, on condition that he should show them to no one else, and should communicate the results, in the first instance, to Flamsteed only. Letters passed—Flamsteed communicating observations, and Newton returning a table of refractions, tables of horizontal parallaxes, and equations for the apogee, and eccentricity, but with little outbreaks of temper on both sides; Newton evidently considering that Flamsteed was not sufficiently prompt in furnishing new observations; Flamsteed deeming his materials of the utmost importance, and that he "had done more for the restitution of astro nomy than had been done in some ages before ;" till at length Newton "saw so little prospect of obtaining what he wanted," as to make him give up the Lunar theory "as a thing impracticable." In January 1696, Flamsteed offered more observations, but Newton, preparing for his new duties at the Mint, does not appear to have answered the letter.
In 1698, Newton having resumed his investigations into tho Lunar irregularities, again visited Flamsteed at Greenwich, who supplied him with corrections of former computations, but complains of New ton's reserve. Soon afterwards Dr. Wallis applied for Flamsteed's observations on the parallax of the earth's annual orbit, which he furnished, and at the same time mentioned that he had supplied Newton with materials "for the improvement of the Horroxian theory of the moon." This offended Newton, who said, in a letter to Flam stced, "I do not love to be printed on every occasion, much less to be dunned and teased by foreigners about mathematical things ; or to be thought by our own people to be trifling away my time about them when I should be about the king's business." Before this time he had furnished Newton with all the lunar observations which he had made.