Gresham Presentation | 12/28 8pm- Xmas 1677

[Hope]

Newton & Kingstone

"And mischief more than studiousness." Newton quipped in return. (He was not usually snappy with a sally, and was quite pleased as he pulled it off!)

 

But then Lord Kingston revealed that in his adulthood he had discovered an interest in higher learning when revealed in a particular way. "There is something of different natures of man I believe, that some thrive best amidst oratory, and others upon the written word." Newton expressed, both men’s attention now being drawn to the chap at the lectern.

 

"So it would seem" he lowered his voice, and moved a little to the left for better view.

 

Halman, Beverly and Arthur

"Well met my lords." Halman gave an inflection with greeting.

 

"Yes the greater number of us here tonight are of Cambridge, though it is not a prerequisite of Gresham by any means. Call it a coincidence even, if you will." like at court and in business, these things did grow through connections, so it was a natural enough occurrence that an apparent 'favouritism ' seemed to be evident even if not deliberate.

 

Arthur reached to touch, his body shifting so that Beverley’s view of the instrument was obscured.

 

"My topic the arts." Halman revealed, if one could really call that a revelation, such a broad subject.

 

And even as Beverly watched, there was a soft ping noise, and a clatter.

 

All:

"Ahem" he coughed a little, and took a sip of water. "It is my pleasure to welcome you all here tonight, I hope that you have all found yourself a drink, and have made yourselves comfortable, for what I hope shall be an invigorating evening. There are further seats available for anyone who desires one, and young Master Waller shall further fetch any other necessity you might require."

 

"Ah... may I welcome to the stand Professor Henry Jenkes."

 

Jenkes stepped up to the lectern, his eyes looked out around the room, making note of each man.

 

"His Father, Reverend Hooke, did not think his son would survive beyond his first few years of life, but survive he has, thrive even. Intended to follow after his fathers footsteps, young Master Hooke succumbed to a most unfortunate series of headaches when studying theology." Jenkes paused to raise eyebrow at that convenience, and then with a smile continued, "and so his father released him from those studies, to pursue his own devices. These begun with a clock being dismantled, and a wooden replica, being made. Thus his father, and indeed the world, soon discovered the particular genius of tonight’s speaker: mechanics. His role in the history of science is inextricably bound to his skill in mechanics and his allied perception of nature as a great machine...

 

"I first met Profesor Hooke back in 64, when he commenced his cutlerian lectures..." and he revealed a few humorous anectotes of those days.

 

"...And now here we are, just two or three years later." he gave a chuckle as men of age do when jesting of spent youth, "intent to learn of his latest discovery of the workings of the greatest sort possible; the heavens themselves. Please put your hands together for Professor Robert Hooke."

[Francis Kirke]

"I am sure that is true as well, although I had never thought much of men learning differently, myself," Francis agreed, not realizing he had been misunderstood. Instead, he thought Newton was making a grander observation. Francis had simply meant there were more novelty and excitement over hearing a discovery first hand from the discoverer. He was no better at learning by listening than by reading so long as it was equally compelling information. Some lectures at a university were rather boring on content alone! Or material so old it was difficult to find excitement in it.

 

They both quieted as it seemed things were ready to begin.

 

Francis chuckled in the appropriate places and clapped politely.

[Hope]

With the appropriate feints of abashed modesty of the applause, Hooke then took the podium.

 

If he was aware of young Lord Arthurs little trouble with the telescope he made no show of it, but launched into his lecture upon his recent published articles, of Proving the motion of the earth from observations, postulations mutual attractions between the Sun and planets, in a way that increased with nearness to the attracting body.

 

He further spoke of how these several degrees of gravitational attraction, compounded the celestial motions of the planets of a direct motion by the tangent and an attractive motion towards the central body, which was a fresh theory to the audience and sent up a murmur amongst the gathered. Further he supposed that a body dropped from a height would not shift its decent revealing the earths motion, but rather would continue directly towards the core of the planet."

 

Some remained hush. But Newton was not such one, he bent towards Francis and whispered, "He is quick to snatch to the new Parisian theory to assist his refute of me. But note he has revealed none of his math!" Newton was plainly perturbed at this point.

 

Meanwhile Lord Arthur was covertly doing something, something he finally completed and turning back to Beverly he smiled. A relieved smile. The telescope was reconstructed.

 

The lecture ran on...

 

OOC: as time is tramping on, I am going to fudge that we've gone through a couple of other speakers on popular scientific concepts of the times, before brining the evenings talks to a close. we can rp some mingling afterwards.

 

....and as the applause died down.

 

Robert Hook pressed past a few fellows trying to speak to him, and approached Beverly and his young friend, and made an inspection of the reconstructed device. "You have constructed such a device before?" he asked the young man.

[Robert Saint-Leger]

Beverley heard a noise behind him but did not turn right away. He did not wish them both to appear rude to the other gentleman. He had no idea Arthur had broken something. When he did turn, his brother-in-law seemed to be fiddling with something, someone's instruments.

 

The lecture began, so he could hardly say something. After a short while Arthur joined him and smiled, though wearing a strange sort of look. Perhaps he was hungry.

 

Beverley stood and listened, though some of it went right over his head. Two years at university had not predisposed him to be a fellow of the Royal Society. He would leave that to Lord Herbert. Perhaps even Arthur one day too.

 

There were more speakers than he had supposed, so there were several rounds of clapping before the presentations wrapped up.

 

He was a bit surprised, and a bit cautious, of Hooke approaching them. He took in a breath through his nose.

 

Instead of addressing Beverley, he addressed Arthur, and Beverley turned to the boy and raised an eyebrow, just as interested in hearing the answer.

 

(OOC - I totally lost this somehow! Sorry)

[Francis Kirke]

The only reason Francis followed the lecture as well as he did was because he had spent much of his few years at Cambridge showing the most interest in Maths and Astronomy, useful things for ship movements.

 

"Indeed, one can say a great many things that the math may not back up as well as is presented," Francis said, diplomatically.

 

"You think that he is wrong then?"

[Hope]

N&K

"Precisely." Newton replied, taking Francis reply as endorsement. "He makes is impossible to judge the right or wrongness of it, none of us might, until the figures are before us to validate."

 

He was perturbed. "Just quietly, I noticed his lack of math in his article published, and had wished to mention the mater with him previously. But then there was this evening planned, and I thought to wait to see if the issue would be resolved."

 

Here the man sighed. There were further speakers, but if the tension to Isaac’s shoulders said anything, it was that he'd not moved on. Till finally at the end, he gave applause. His applause did not include Hooke however, enough said!

 

 

B&A

 

Arthur had not wanted this to happen – he was keenly aware as Hooke strode towards – unconsciously he inched back a little.

 

“No Sir.” He gave reply, with a withered expression falling over him as the owner of aforementioned instrument gave it a close inspection.

 

After far too long, Robert Hooke returned his attention to the young men. “What is your name young master?” he asked Arthur with a look to Beverly his elder (barely!), “you have a head for engineering on your shoulders, well done.” Apparently, Arthur had put the telescope back together correctly.

[Robert Saint-Leger]

Beverley was not completely aware that he was holding his breath as Hooke examined his instrument that Arthur had been fiddling with. He could only hope that this did not turn into another disagreeable moment between him and the

esteemed Hooke. He gave his brother-in-law a wide-eyed look while the other man's back was turned.

 

When Hooke asked for his brother's name, Beverley replied, "This is Lord Arthur Somerset, my brother-in-law, the Marquess of Worcester's son." He smiled and breathed again since Hooke paid Arthur a compliment.

 

"He is obviously carried away by his admiration of your things, sir, that he touches without permission," Beverley added, giving Arthur a sly look that said you're bloody lucky. Hooke had not been quite as understanding of Beverley back when.

 

Somehow, though, it was far less of a mishap than designing fireworks that had nearly turned Brighton into a periwig-burning pseudo-terrorist attack.

[Francis Kirke]

"That is most curious," Francis replied, listening to the rest of the presentations. Having known Newton for longer, he was already predisposed to take his side over Hooke's. Not to mention Newton had helped Francis with some of his own calculations, so the blond was also predisposed to think Newton's math sounder.

 

Whether or not he remembered that the Duke of Cumberland had said that he would also have Master Hooke check the drawings for the ships in that moment would have been hard to say. If he did, he did not think of it in that moment.

 

"He seems to be on a purpose now. Do you think it shall end well if that boy was playing with his instruments?" Francis asked, quietly, nodding toward the other group with a chuckle.

 

Sighing, his brain abuzz with the presentations, he asked Newton, "And what of your projects?"

[Hope]

Francis & Newton

Nodding, the topic need be let go of for now. Time would come, and a letter most definately.

 

"Well I am still very occupied with chymistry." Isaac expresed very quietly to Francis, the subject was controversial, currently illegal to try to quash the sheisters out there. "I'm working through some of Nicolas Flamel theories back at my lab..." he met Francis eyes. "But have run into one or two hiccups with supplies."

 

 

 

 

* 17th c term aka alchemy

[Hope]

Hooke, Bevs & Arthur

 

"Ah, of course." The youngster’s uncanny mechanical ability fell into place as Beverly revealed Arthur’s family. His grandfather was one of those legendary figures, while his elder brother was making a great impression currently at Oxford.

 

If Arthur possessed this latent ability also then Hooke was keen to take him under wing.

 

"Well met Lord Arthur." Hook held out his hand to shake the lads hand, "If you would like... I would be pleased to invite you both to view through the much larger version of telescope some time." he smiled inclusively to Beverly. "These are the things that are the making of England future; instruments like these are the ships of the future, and knowledge is the shipping lanes to success."

[Robert Saint-Leger]

Such specifics of science were not Beverley's forte. For all he knew it was all very integral for naval affairs in the future. His master was always interested in new inventions that could be used to England's advantage.

 

Better telescopes could only lead to better discoveries.

 

Plus, with a nod, he was sure Arthur would like it. "One even larger? I would surely wish to see such a feat," Beverley agreed, looking to Arthur to say his part. He was not his father, so he would hardly speak for the boy. It would seem in his interests, though.

 

"How do you see such things playing into the future?" he asked, for he truly didn't know.

[Francis Kirke]

"Truly?" Francis asked, raising an eyebrow of interest. He assumed Newton would have a license for such practice, being of some renown, so the legality never struck him.

 

"I was ironically just reading a set of books I recently acquired. Agrippa."

 

He enjoyed the more philosophical components of alchemy, not having the particular ability in experimentation. His mind enjoyed the internal voyage of deep thinking, but his body did not wish the patience for the practice day in and day out.

 

"What supplies?" he asked. With his business in shipping, he could sometimes procure things. Beyond that, he had just been discussing similar things to alchemy with Buckingham, so there were certainly other sources with other masons.

[Hope]

As man only just being allowed incremental advances on his freedom, Arthur’s breath was held as he awaited the elder man (Beverlies) decision. "That would be wonderful!" he then felt at liberty to express, his face broad with a smile.

 

Arthurs pleasure, Beverlies too, made Robert feel rather good (he had to admit)

 

Further, it made him feel indulgent of Beverly's extremely naieve question.

 

"Well, time of course is universally recognised as our greatest challenge, to determine longitude. If we can erase the need of dead reckoning, which has claimed many lives and ships. There are some, such as Newton, who claim that such a mechanical device cannot be made. He wrestles with his math, measuring from the moon, trying to devise a method of Luna distances that shall be a compressive mathematical tool. He says, and there is truth to it currently, that 'when longitude at sea is lost, it cannot be found again by any watch."

 

"However I still believe that making a marine clock that is not suspect able to humidity, heat, salt, etc, is possible if we systematically work through all the obstacles."

[Hope]

Newton & Francis

 

"Aha..." Newton's expression shifted, he glanced over his shoulder and leaned in and uttered. "This is not the best place for this discussion, though a topic near my heart, I am loathe to desist it."

 

"How did you get her tonight, shall we share a carriage on return. Really, I think there is little here left of interest to us." yet the terribly good fellow was not pushy even as he said this much, but gave a soft sort of smile to Francis. "Unless you had someone else you wanted to catch up with before?" before we leave.

 

He refrained from providing any details until he knew privacy could be assured.

[Robert Saint-Leger]

Beverley, Arthur, & Hooke

 

"I did not think such men ever thought of impossibilities," Beverley commented of Newton. Most men of innovation seemed to think the wildest things quite possible.

 

"Does he anticipate sailors will be doing complex mathematics?" he asked, looked to Arthur and then back to Hooke. Sometimes even the officers were less than proficient in anything so sophisticated. Perhaps he had misunderstood.

[Francis Kirke]

"No, there was none I particular wished to catch up with," Francis affirmed.

 

In fact, there were a few he rather wished to avoid!

 

"My ward and cousin came with me, though, and I can hardly leave him." Tom was well-aware of Francis reading materials and affinities. He was talking to some other random young man. Francis waved to him.

[Hope]

Beverley, Arthur, & Hooke

 

"I dare say he shall retract his words, why even now he may wish he'd not spake them." Which in all likely hood was true. Yet the history books would forever record Newtons statement.

 

"Their navigators I expect." Hooke replied to Beverly's further speculation, but I agree with your viewpoint of it. A highly functioning machine is the finest remedy, wherein there is no risk of transposing numbers or some other miscalculation..."

 

Rather than being lost at sea, Beverly was getting along with Hooke swimmingly.

 

"I wonder if the advances upon glass vacuums might help at all?" Arthur piped in then, he having recently read an article upon the topical subject. "If a clock was thus enclosed, it might be impervious to climate changes."

 

Hookes smiled of the thought. "Ah, but I see a flaw with the proposal." he looked to Beverly, seeing if he figured it also.

 

 

OOC: if you'd like to get in a final post before we wrap up the thread

[Hope]

"Or, perhaps." Newton gave pause, with a glance about the room where his peers were enmasse assemblage. "... you visit me at my rooms, a night or two hence."

 

A quieter sort of man, he was not in the habit of inviting courtiers to his quarters, but this was different. "I am staying at the Red Lion." he advised. Fellow of Trinity, the academic had no house in London but stayed in an Inn when visiting, "perhaps Friday or Saturday?"

 

 

OOC: setting up for a future thread we can play through completely, if you'd like to lock in a date for us as we wrap up.

[Francis Kirke]

Francis nodded.

 

"It is likely I shall have court or family obligations at night, but perhaps Friday morning?"

 

Mornings were generally easier times for him to get personal business done as long as he was not supposed to attend the King that day. Buckingham was not an early riser.

 

( thanks for the thread!)

[Robert Saint-Leger]

Beverley was not even entirely sure he knew what a glass vacuum was, but he did know one thing which generally did not fare well at sea...and that was glass. While it might seem entirely mundane, or even silly, to a man of maths or science, it was the only thing Beverley had to say.

 

"I do not know the subject well enough, but I do know but glass is a difficult thing to rely upon at sea as well. Storms are violent and things frequently break or are even struck by cannon," he said.

 

Then he added, "Can glass fog in a vacuum?" Because he knew glass did that also.

 

(OOC - ROFL, oh Bevsey, he's so simple in comparison Let's wrap up.)

[Hope]

Francis & Newton

"Yes Friday then, come to my place." and he pressed his card to Francis hand*. He did not invite people to his own home as a rule, but this sort of conversation need be held discreetly.

 

 

Beverley & Co.

 

Different minds worked differently, and Hooke gave a puff of pleased amusement as Beverly considered problems that had not been immediate to his own mind. "Quite so, such a globe would need more care than is plausible for a voyage at sea." he nodded to Beverly. "Not to mention the impossibility of winding a clock so enclosed."

 

Did Arthur look crestfallen?

 

"But I like how you are thinking." Hooke encouraged, "These are one and all the questions of bold and scientific minds."

 

"I would like to suggest, Lord Beverly, that you conduct some experimentation yourself to learn the answer to your question of condensation within a vacuume. It is likely enough a question that has not been studied in any detail, the ramifications of which, positive or negative, are yet to be examined or written about. Your findings might be added to the library of knowledge here at Gresham. This is the wonder of our age gentlemen, the marvels of creation awaiting our discovery." he was pleased to say, "and our application into innovation and inventions.”

 

 

~ Fin!

And thankyou for yoru patience!

 

---

= you may assume topical conversations continued

 

* I hunted and hunted, but could not find where Newton was living in 1677, suspect he was living at university. We could use the 50yr fudge and use the house at Leicester Fields