Thomas Gataker B.D. his vindication of the annotations by him published upon these words,…

To this I answer; First, as in the Entrance into it I formerly intimated, it was long, being confined and mured up, as I still am, ere I heard ought of Mr. Ls. snarlings at my Notes; some space of time after that, ere the Book came to my hands; and when upon view of it, I found that for Answer to it, I was put off to some Nameless Author, or Authors that were to come out: and yet a longer time, ere by enquiry of friends I could come to be informed of any of them that had appeared in print, much less to gain the sight of their works. Mean while those that know, what the state of my family then was, partly by a grievous and tedious malady, that having long afflicted my deer consort and faithful yokefellow, was then grown to an height with her; and partly through her decease ensuing thereupon, that filled my heart with much grief, and my head with many cares, wherewith in times past, while she enjoyed life with health and strength, and I her, I was altogether unacquainted, will easily guess, how little mind, so affected and distracted, I might have to mind ought of this nature. Besides that, I had other irons in the fire, that I was to look after. I had some Works of better use, I hope, in the Press, both here in the City, and elsewhere, which are now abroad: the one whereof drawing then near to the birth, a new task unexpected, but by others much desired, that it might more completely came forth to the light, and be the more useful, when it came out, I cannot say, interrupted me, in the midst of my work, but enforced me to ⟨p. 93⟩lay it aside, having not as yet made any great progress in it, until that were dispatched. These remoras either keeping off at first, or breaking off afterward, together with mine own weakness, slacking my pace, and the want of a Scribe that might have furthered the dispatch, as also the work it self growing under my hand, while one thing fetches in another have much retarded the finishing of it. And yet may it well come abroad timely enough, in regard of the Subject Matter that this man handles in this Book, wherein he falls foul on me and my Notes; to free mens minds from such frivolous frights and groundless fears, as he seeks to possess them with, from the several Eclipses that have fallen out this year, and that especially of the Sun;

To this I answer; First, as in the Entrance into it I formerly intimated, it was long, being confined and mured up, as I still am, ere I heard ought of Mr. Ls. snarlings at my Notes; some space of time after that, ere the Book came to my hands; and when upon view of it, I found that for Answer to it, I was put off to some Nameles Autor, or Autors that were to come out: and yet a longer time, ere by enqiry of frends I could come to be enformed of any of them that had appeered in print, much lesse to gain the sight of their works. Mean while those that know, what the state of my family then was, partly by a greivous and tedious malady, that having long afflicted my deer consort and faithful yoakfelow, was then grown to an height with her; and partly through her decease ensuing thereupon, that filled my heart with much greif, and my hed with many cares, wherewith in times past, while she enjoyed life with health and strength, and I her, I was altogether unacqainted, wil easily guesse, how litle mind, so affected and distracted, I might have to mind ought of this nature. Besides that, I had other irons in the fire, that I was to look after. I had some Works of better use, I hope, in the Pres, both here in the City, and elswhere, which are now abroad: the one whereof drawing then neer to the birth, a new task unexpected, but by others much desired, that it might more compleatly came forth to the light, and be the more useful, when it came out, I cannot say, interrrupted me, in the midst of my work, but enforced me to