Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 14.djvu/280

 assuredly that this land never bred any man, whose account therein can evidently be proved greater than myne;’ and he proceeds to offer that he will discover a mine of gold or silver in the queen's dominions, which is to belong to her on condition of his having a right to all treasure-trove in her dominions. He offers Burghley half the proceeds (Lansd. MS. 19, art. 38;, Letters of Eminent Literary Men, pp. 32–40).

On 10 March 1574–5 the queen, attended by many of her courtiers, visited Mortlake to examine Dee's library, but hearing that his wife had been buried only four hours previously, she would not enter the house, but requested Dee to bring out his famous magic glass and describe its properties, which he accordingly did to her majesty's satisfaction. In 1576 the queen signified to Archbishop Grindal her desire that Dee should have a dispensation to hold for life the two rectories of Upton and Long Leadenham. The archbishop affixed his seal to the document in 1582, but Dee, being at that time busily engaged with his scheme for the reformation of the calendar, neglected to get the great seal attached, and consequently at a later period sustained a pecuniary loss, which he estimated at 1,000l.

In 1577 the courtiers were greatly alarmed by the appearance of a comet, and the queen sent for Dee to Windsor, where she listened for three days to his discourse and speculations on the subject. On one occasion, apparently about this time, his services were hurriedly demanded in order to prevent the mischief to her majesty's person apprehended from a waxen image of her, with a pin stuck in its breast, that had been found in Lincoln's Inn Fields.

In October 1578 he, by the queen's command, held a conference with Dr. Bayly concerning her majesty's grievous pangs and pains caused by toothache and the rheum. In the following month the Earl of Leicester and Secretary Walsingham sent him to Germany to consult the most learned physicians there on the state of the queen's health. He left England on 9 Nov., and arrived at Frankfort-on-the-Oder on 11 Dec. It has been conjectured that on this and other occasions he was entrusted with a secret political mission.

On 17 Sept. 1580 he was honoured with another royal visit. The queen having desired to know her title to countries discovered in different parts of the world, Dee drew up a hydrographical and geographical description of such countries on two large rolls, which he delivered to her majesty at Richmond on 3 Oct. 1580. Burghley seemed at first to doubt the value of the work, but after examining the rolls, at the queen's wish, returned them to Dee a week later, when the queen also called upon him and told him that Burghley highly approved his labour.

In 1584–5 the government made an unsuccessful attempt to adopt the changes introduced into the calendar by Pope Gregory XIII, and promulgated in 1582. Soon after the papal bull had come into operation in Roman catholic countries, Dee was directed to make calculations for the adoption of the new calendar in England. The book which he compiled in consequence was delivered by him to Lord Burghley on 26 Feb. 1582–3 (, Diary, ed. Halliwell, p. 19). The Roman church had amended the calendar on the assumption that all that was done at the council of Nice with regard to chronology was strictly correct. Dee, however, desired to ascertain the actual position of the earth in relation to the sun at the birth of Christ, and to rectify the calendar on that basis. The result would have been the omission of eleven instead of ten days. Dee, however, agreed to compromise for the sake of uniformity, only proposing that the facts should be publicly announced (, Annals, ii. 355, folio ed.). Dee's calculations were submitted to, and approved by, Thomas Digges, Henry (afterwards Sir Henry) Savile, and Mr. Chambers. The government next consulted Archbishop Grindal, and Bishops Aylmer, Piers, and Young. They unanimously recommended the rejection of the scheme, chiefly on the ground that it emanated originally from the see of Rome, and their opposition delayed a great public reform for 170 years (Gent. Mag. new ser. xxxvi. 451; Addit. MS. 14291, ff. 89–92).

Dee now devoted all his attention to alchemical experiments, and to a pretended intercourse with angels or evil spirits. He possessed a crystal globe which he believed had the quality, when intently surveyed, of presenting apparitions and even emitting sounds. The spirits appeared, after due manipulation of the globe, either on its surface or in the room. Only one person, having been named as seer, could see the spirits and hear the voices, concentrating all his faculties on the crystal. Dee assumed the humble part of amanuensis, and solemnly consecrated Barnabas Saul as his seer or ‘skryer.’ The first of their recorded ‘actions with spirits’ took place at Mortlake on 22 Dec. 1581. After due prayers the angel Anael was summoned, soon made his appearance to the ‘skryer,’ and answered various questions. Unluckily Dee soon afterwards became acquainted with Edward Kelly, alias Talbot, a native of Worcestershire and a reputed adept in the occult