Anno 164<9> after the Visitation by the Parliament, he came to Oxon, and was made Savillian Professor of Geometrie. ..., <elected> Fellow of the Royall Societie. Great[1168] contests between him and Mr. Thomas Hobbes, of Malmesbury: sure their Mercuries are in □[1169] or opposition. Anno Domini 1657, he gott himselfe to be chosen by unjust meanes[XCV.] to be Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxon, at which time Dr. <Richard> Zouch had the majority of voyces, but because Dr. Zouch was a malignant (as Dr. Wallis openly protested, and that he had talked against Oliver), he was putt aside. Now, for the Savillian Professor to hold another place besides, is so downeright against Sir Henry Savile's statutes, that nothing can be imagined more; and if he does, he is downeright perjured. Yet the Dr. is allowed to keepe the other place still.
[XCV.] Vide Henry Stubbes' (The Savillian Professour's case stated: Lond. 1658) de hoc: who haz told him of it.
Anno <1654> he tooke his degree of Doctor, at the Act, at Oxon, and went out grand-compounder (which costes 200 _li._), only that he might take place[1170] of Dr. Seth Ward, who was about a yeare his senior. In 1661 Dr. Ward was made deane of Exon, and the next yeare bishop of the same place; and so Dr. Wallis's 200 _li._ was meerly cast away. The bishop protested he was troubled for the losse of his brother Wallis's two hundred pounds.
He hath writt severall treatises, and well; and to give him his due prayse, hath exceedingly well deserved of the commonwealth of learning, perhaps no mathematicall writer so much.
'Tis certaine that he is a person of reall worth, and may stand[CM] with much glory upon his owne basis, needing not <to> be beholding to any man for fame, of which he is so extremely greedy, that he steales flowers from others to adorne his owne cap,--e.g. he lies at watch, at Sir Christopher[1171] Wren's discourse, Mr. Robert Hooke's, Dr. William Holder[1172], &c.; putts downe their notions in his note booke, and then prints it, without owneing the authors. This frequently, of which they complaine.
But though he does an injury to the inventors, he does good to learning, in publishing such curious notions, which the author (especially Sir Christopher Wren) might never have the leisure to write of himselfe.