Grudges and Grievances

Under the shade of the trees.

Looking at Little Ox and Hooke, who seemed ready to throw down, Xu Yun quickly recalled the history he knew.

He wasn't sure if it was due to Little Ox's interference, but Hooke's specific career details weren't well-documented in later generations, with most accounts glossing over them.

Most of the time, Hooke was only mentioned alongside Yue Lun, much like how Faker was only brought up to praise or belittle the old Ox.

Therefore, Xu Yun couldn't immediately recall a time when Little Ox and Hooke had met and had to search for clues himself.

"1665. Hooke was a professor at Gresham College. His hometown, the Isle of Wight, is in the south of England, completely in the opposite direction of Lincolnshire. Also, he published Micrographia in the latter half of the year."

Xu Yun pulled up Hooke's more public career information one by one, comparing them in his mind. As he thought, his eyes suddenly lit up:

"Wait, publishing Micrographia?"

In 17th-century England, the definition of science was firmly held by the Royal Society, a standard academic monopoly.

Anyone who wanted to publish academic books first had to get approval from the Society, and then have it printed by the Society's publishing house.

At this very moment, there was only one publishing house affiliated with the Royal Society of London, and it happened to be located in Lincolnshire!

With this thought, Xu Yun's gaze gradually shifted between the two men:

"Meaning Hooke should be heading to Lincolnshire now to discuss publishing matters. There's no reason for him to clash with Little Ox at this time.

Uh, could it be because of the rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford Universities?"

Students who have studied abroad at Cambridge University should know this.

Cambridge and Oxford, as two of England's most famous institutions, their grievances and entanglements could be traced back even before their founding.

Oxford is a major city in the Thames River valley. Legend has it that it was named Oxford (Ox-ford) after a place where cattle crossed the river in ancient times.

As everyone knows.

Before the 12th century, England actually had no universities; people would go to France and other continental European countries to study.

In 1167, some scholars returned from Paris and gathered in Oxford. With the support of the King and the Church, they formed what is now Oxford University.

Then, in 1209, an Oxford University student accidentally killed a woman while practicing archery and fled, escalating the conflict with the citizens of Oxford.

Subsequently, two scholars and several students living with that student were hanged by the citizens of Oxford without consulting the Church (which often prioritized pardoning scholars).

This further intensified the conflict, leading to violent clashes between the university and the citizens.

During the conflict, some teachers and students fled north to the town of Cambridge. With the support of the local church, they began to dedicate themselves to cultural and academic research there.

Thus, what is now Cambridge University was formed.

Therefore, the two schools had a significant feud from the very beginning. Even their school emblems are opposing:

Both Cambridge University and Oxford University's emblems feature a book, but Cambridge's book is closed, while Oxford's is open.

During the English Civil War, Oxford was the headquarters for Charles I and the Royalists, while Cambridge was a base for the Parliamentarian army, making them political adversaries as well.

So, if Hooke, out of school rivalry, saw Little Ox's university uniform on his journey...

That would be quite a dramatic turn of events.

Just as Xu Yun was pondering, Hooke beside him spoke again:

"Kid, how has Barrow been lately?"

Hearing Hooke mention his teacher's name for the second time, Little Ox vaguely understood something:

"My teacher is doing well, Mr. Hooke. Do you know each other?"

Hooke's lips curled into a cold smile upon hearing this. Combined with his hunched posture, he looked rather like Quasimodo:

"Know each other? More than that. I didn't get my bachelor's degree back then. Never mind, it's meaningless to discuss this with a current student like you.

How about this, you help me deliver something."

Saying that, Hooke took out a piece of paper from his person, covered in several lines of dense writing:

"I don't have Barrow's address. If you know where he is, send him this problem and have him look at it carefully.

If he can't solve it, according to our bet back then, he has to resign from the position of the Lucasian Professor.

Of course, if you can't find him or he pretends to be dead, it doesn't matter. I'll visit him personally after the Black Death is over.

In short, he can't escape. Scrambling away in disgrace would be the best outcome for him."

Hearing Hooke's villainous words, Little Ox's expression immediately turned grim.

Lucasian Professor.

This was not a person's name, but an honorary position at Cambridge University.

It was awarded to researchers in mathematics and related fields, with only one recipient at a time. The holder of this professorship was called the "Lucasian Professor."

In a sense, it was somewhat similar to the 'Shadow' in the 'Legend of the Eyes' from the Five Villages' Melee:

There might be four or five Shadow-level combatants in a village, but there would only ever be one person truly called a Shadow to represent supreme honor.

Little Ox's mentor, Isaac Barrow, was the Lucasian Professor in this area, the "Shadow" – yes, Little Ox's math teacher was also named Isaac.

After all, unlike in the homeland, Westerners typically have few given names but many surnames, so it's quite normal to have people with the same name.

Little Ox and Barrow were very close. According to the deciphered manuscripts after his death, Barrow had at this point already obtained the theorems for the product, quotient, and differentiation of two functions.

But in the end, he still passed this knowledge on to his beloved disciple, making a huge contribution to the establishment of Calculus.

According to the course of history, Barrow would voluntarily resign from the position of Lucasian Professor in 1669 and recommend Little Ox to succeed him.

If William was undeniably Little Ox's top 1, then Barrow, Stoke, the current Lisa, and the future Halley could be considered tied for top 2.

Therefore, upon suddenly hearing Hooke's insolent words, Little Ox's anger immediately surged.

He simply glanced at the letter Hooke handed him, quickly scanning a few lines, a flicker of surprise and uncertainty flashing in his eyes.

Then he suddenly looked up and shouted at Hooke, who had already turned to leave:

"Mr. Hooke, please wait a moment!"

Hooke stopped upon hearing this, adjusted his robe, which was already dragging on the ground, and turned to look at Little Ox:

"Is there anything else?"

Little Ox first glanced at Xu Yun beside him, took a deep breath, and said:

"Mr. Hooke, your problem doesn't need to be passed on to the teacher. Just give me five days, and I can solve the answer!"

Note:

The matter between Barrow and Hooke is actually very strange. Not to mention its connection to Newton, it also involves Hooke's graduation and Barrow's resignation, yet almost no one in China mentions it.

It's a bit baffling, but the events are definitely real. scratches head