.. Strasburg, 1588, 4to.[53]

People choose the name of this astronomer for themselves: I take _Ursus_,
because he _was_ a bear. This book gave the quadrature of Simon
Duchesne,[54] or a Quercu, which excited Peter Metius,[55] as presently
noticed. It also gave that unintelligible reference to Justus Byrgius which
has been used in the discussion about the invention of logarithms.[56]

The real name of Duchesne is Van der Eycke. I have met with a tract in
Dutch, _Letterkundige Aanteekeningen_, upon Van Eycke, Van Ceulen,[57]
etc., by J. J. Dodt van Flensburg,[58] which I make out to be since 1841 in
date. I should {53} much like a translation of this tract to be printed,
say in the _Phil. Mag._ Dutch would be clear English if it were properly
spelt. For example, _learn-master_ would be seen at once to be _teacher_;
but they will spell it _leermeester_. _Of these_ they write as _van deze_;
_widow_ they make _weduwe_. All this is plain to me, who never saw a Dutch
dictionary in my life; but many of their misspellings are quite
unconquerable.

FALCO'S RARE TRACT.

Jacobus Falco Valentinus, miles Ordinis Montesiani, hanc circuli
quadraturam invenit. Antwerp, 1589, 4to.[59]

The attempt is more than commonly worthless; but as Montucla and others
have referred to the verses at the end, and as the tract is of the rarest,
I will quote them:

_Circulus loquitur._
Vocabar ante circulus
Eramque curvus undique
Ut alta solis orbita
Et arcus ille nubium.
Eram figura nobilis
Carensque sola origine
Carensque sola termino.
Modo indecora prodeo
Novisque foedor angulis.
Nec hoc peregit Archytas[60]
Neque Icari pater neque
Tuus, Iapete, filius.
Quis ergo casus aut Deus
Meam quadravit aream?

_Respondet auctor._
Ad alta Turiae ostia
Lacumque limpidissimum
Sita est beata civitas
{54}
Parum Saguntus abfuit
Abestque Sucro plusculum.
Hic est poeta quispiam
Libenter astra consulens
Sibique semper arrogans
Negata doctioribus,
Senex ubique cogitans
Sui frequenter immemor
Nec explicare circinum
Nec exarare lineas
Sciens ut ipse praedicat.
Hic ergo bellus artifex
Tuam quadravit aream.[61]

Falco's verses are pretty, if the U-mysteries be correct; but of these
things I have forgotten--what I knew. [One mistake has been pointed out to
me: it is Arch[=y]tas].

As a specimen of the way in which history is written, I copy the account
which