PETTY (Sir William)
, a singular instance of a universal genius, was the elder son of Anthony Petty, a clothier at Rumsey in Hampshire, where he was born May the 16th, 1623. While a boy he took great delight in spending his time among the artificers there, whose trades he could work at when but 12 years of age. He then went to the grammar-school in that place, where at 15 he became master of the Latin, Greek, and French languages, with arithmetic and those parts of practical geometry and astronomy useful in navigation. Soon after, he went to the university of Caen in Normandy; and after some stay there he returned to England, where he was preferred in the king's navy. In 1643, when the civil war grew hot, and the times troublesome, he went into the Netherlands and France for three years; and having vigorously prosecuted his studies, especially in physic, at Utrecht, Leyden, Amsterdam, and Paris, he returned home to Rumsey. In 1647 he obtained a patent to teach the art of double writing for 17 years. In 1648 he published at London, “Advice to Mr. Samuel Hartlib, for the advancement of some particular parts of learning.” At this time he adhered to the prevailing party of the nation; and went to Oxford, where he taught anatomy and chemistry, and was created a doctor of physic, and grew into such repute that the philosophical meetings, which preceded and laid the foundation of the Royal Society, were first held at his house. In 1650 he was made professor of anatomy there; and soon after a member of the college of physicians in London, as also professor of music at Gresham college London. In 1652 he was appointed physician to the army in Ireland; as also to three lord lieutenants successively, Lambert, Fle<*>twood, and Henry Cromwell. In Ireland he acquired a great fortune, but not without suspicions and charges of unfair practices in his offices. After the rebellion was over in Ireland, he was appointed one of the commissioners for dividing the sorfeited lands to the army who suppressed it. When Henry Cromwell became lieutenant of that kingdom, in 1655, he appointed Dr. Petty his secretary, and clerk of the council: he likewise procured him to be elected a burgess for Westloo in Cornwall, in Richard Cromwell's parliament, which met in January 1658. But, in March following, Sir Hierom Sankey, member for Woodstock in Oxfordshire, impeached him of high crimes and misdemeanors in the execution of his office.| This gave the doctor a great deal of trouble, as he was summoned before the House of Commons; and notwithstanding the strenuous endeavours of his friends, in their recommendations of him to secretary Thurloe, and the defence he made before the house, his enemies procured his dismission from his public employments, in 1659. He then retired to Ireland, till the restoration of king Charles the Second; soon after which he came into England, where he was very graciously received by the king, resigned his professorship at Gresham college, and was appointed one of the commissioners of the Court of Claims. Likewise, April the 11th, 1661, he received the honour of knighthood, and the grant of a new patent, constituting him surveyor-general of Ireland, and was chosen a member of parliament there.
Upon the incorporating of the Royal Society, he was one of the first members, and of its first council. And though he had left off the practice of physic, his name was continued as an honorary member of the college of physicians in 1663.
About this time he invented his double bottomed ship, to sail against wind and tide, and afterwards presented a model of this ship to the Royal Society; to whom also, in 1665, he communicated “A Discourse about the Building of Ships,” containing some curious secrets in that art. But, upon trial, finding his ship failed in some respects, he at length gave up that project.
In 1666 Sir William drew up a treatise, called Verbum Sapienti, containing an account of the wealth and expences of England, and the method of raising taxes in the most equal manner.—The same year, 1666, he suffered a considerable loss by the fire of London.— The year following he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Hardresse Waller; and afterwards set up iron works and pilchard fishing, opened lead mines and a timber trade in Kerry, which turned to very good account. But all these concerns did not hinder him from the pursuit of both political and philosophical speculations, which he thought of public utility, publishing them either separately or by communication to the Royal Society, particularly on finances, taxes, political arithmetic, land carriage, guns, pumps, &c.
Upon the first meeting of the Philosophical Society at Dublin, upon the plan of that at London, every thing was submitted to his direction; and when it was formed into a regular society, he was chosen president in Nov. 1684. Upon this occasion he drew up a “Catalogue of mean, vulgar, cheap, and simple Experiments,” proper for the infant state of the society, and presented it to them; as he did also his Supellex Philosophica, consisting of 45 instruments requisite to carry on the design of their institution. In 1685 he made his will; in which he declares, that being then about 60, his views were fixed upon improving his lands in Ireland, and to promote the trade of iron, lead, marble, sish, and timber, which his estate was capable of. And as for studies and experiments, “I think now, says he, to confine the same to the anatomy of the people, and political arithmetic; as also the improvement of ships, land-carriages, guns, and pumps, as of most use to mankind, not blaming the study of other men.” But a few years after, all his pursuits were determined by the effects of a gangrene in his foot, occasioned by the swelling of the gout, which put a period to his life, at his house in Piccadilly, Westminster, Dec. 16, 1687, in the 65th year of his age. His corpse was carried to Rumsey, and there interred, near those of his parents.
Sir William Petty died possessed of a very large fortune, as appears by his will; where he makes his real estate about 6,500l. per annum, his personal estate about 45,000l. his bad and desperate debts 30,000l. and the demonstrable improvements of his Irish estate, 4000l. per annum; in all, at 6 per cent. interest, 15,000l. per annum. This estate came to his family, which consisted of his widow and three children, Charles, Henry, and Anne: of whom Charles was created baron of Shelbourne, in the county of Waterford in Ireland, by king William the Third; but dying without issue, was succeeded by his younger brother Henry, who was created viscount Dunkeron, in the county of Kerry, and earl of Shelbourne Feb. 11, 1718. He married the lady Arabella Boyle, sister of Charles earl of Cork, who brought him several children. He was member of parliament for Great Marlow in Buckinghamshire, and a fellow of the Royal Society: he died April 17, 1751. Anne was married to Thomas Fitzmorris, baron of Kerry and Lixnaw, and died in Ireland in the year 1737.
The variety of pursuits, in which Sir William Petty was engaged, shews him to have had a genius capable of any thing to which he chose to apply it: and it is very extraordinary, that a man of so active and busy a spirit could find time to write so many things, as it appears he did, by the following catalogue.
1. Advice to Mr. S. Hartlib &c; 1648, 4to.—2. A Brief of Proceedings between Sir Hierom Sankey and the author &c; 1659, folio.—3. Reflections upon some persons and things in Ireland, &c; 1660, 8vo.—4. A Treatise of Taxes and Contribution, &c; 1662, 1667, 1685, 4to, all without the author's name. This last was re-published in 1690, with two other anonymous pieces, “The Privileges and Practice of Parliaments,” and “The Politician Discovered;” with a new titlepage, where it is said they were all written by Sir William, which, as to the first, is a mistake.—5. Apparatus to the History of the Common Practice of Dyeing;” printed in Sprat's History of the Royal Society, 1667, 4to.—6. A Discourse concerning the Use of Duplicate Proportion, together with a New Hypothesis of Springing or Elastic Motions; 1674, 12mo.—7. Colloquium Davidis cum Anima sua, &c; 1679, folio.— 8. The Politician Discovered, &c; 1681, 4to.— 9. An Essay in Political Arithmetic; 1682, 8vo.— 10. Observations upon the Dublin Bills of Mortality in 1681, &c; 1683, 8vo.—11. An Account of some Experiments relating to Land-carriage, Philos. Trans. numb. 161.—12. Some Queries for examining Mineral Waters, ibid. numb. 166.—13. A Catalogue of Mean, Vulgar, Cheap, and Simple Experiments, &c; ibid. numb. 167.—14. Maps of Ireland, being an Actual Survey of the whole Kingdom, &c; 1685, folio.— 15. An Essay concerning the Multiplicat<*>on of Mankind; 1686, 8vo.—16. A further Assertion concerning the magnitude of London, vindicating it, &c; Philos. Trans. numb. 185.—17. Two Essays in Politi-| cal Arithmetic; 1687, 8vo.—18. Five Essays in Political Arithmetic; 1687, 8vo.—19. Observations upon London and Rome; 1687, 8vo.
His posthumous pieces are, (1), Political Arithmetic; 1690, 8vo, and 1755, with his life prefixed.— (2), The Political Anatomy of Ireland, with Verbum Sapienti, 1691, 1719 —(3), A Treatise of Naval Philosophy; 1691, 12mo.—(4), What a complete Treatise of Navigation should contain; Philos. Trans. numb. 198.—(5), A Discourse of making Cloth with Sheep's Wool; in Birch's Hist. of the Roy. Soc.— (6), Supellex Philosophica; ibid.
PHÆNOMENON. See Phenomenon.
