Abstract In his youth, John Reynolds showed a talent for arithmetic and was destined for a career as a mathematician at the Tower Mint in London. He became skilled in the algorithms needed to determine the correct relationship between the weight and purity of coins and their values. This was a matter of national importance, and his work came to the attention of King James I, who reigned from 1603 to 1625, and his chief ministers, including Robert Cecil and Francis Bacon. It seemed that John might attain high office himself, but the murky administration of the early Stuart period cast its shadow over his career. Nevertheless, for the next forty years he continued to play a major part in the nation's affairs. He produced books of tables for the valuation of coins in the commercial world, and for the highly technical work of the assayers. Also, he was actively involved in the production of standard measures and instruments used by the excise officers. His life and works illustrate how mathematical ideas were employed by the English government in the period of the early Stuart kings and the Commonwealth.

中文翻译：

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造币厂的约翰雷诺兹：为国王和联邦服务的数学家

摘要 约翰雷诺兹年轻时就表现出算术天赋，并注定要在伦敦塔造币厂从事数学家的职业。他熟练掌握了确定硬币的重量和纯度与其价值之间的正确关系所需的算法。这是一件事关国家重要的事情，他的工作引起了 1603 年至 1625 年在位的詹姆士一世国王和他的首席部长，包括罗伯特·塞西尔和弗朗西斯·培根的注意。看起来约翰本人可能会获得更高的职位，但斯图亚特早期黑暗的政府给他的职业生涯投下了阴影。尽管如此，在接下来的四十年里，他继续在国家事务中发挥重要作用。他为商业世界中的硬币估价以及化验师的高技术工作制作了表格书籍。还，他积极参与制定消费税官员使用的标准措施和工具。他的生平和作品说明了早期斯图亚特国王和英联邦时期英国政府如何运用数学思想。