Thepublicationofhisnewdoctrinesonlightsooncalledforth
violentoppositionastotheirsoundness.HookeandHuygens
meneminentforabilityandlearningwerethemostconspicuous
oftheassailants.AndthoughNewtoneffectuallysilencedallhis
adversaries，yethefeltthetriumphoflittlegainincomparison
.viththelosshistranquillityhadsustained.Hesubsequentlyrenarked
inallusiontothiscontroversyandtoonewithwhom
hewasdestinedtohavealongerandabittererconflict“Iwas
sopersecutedwithdiscussionsarisingfromthepublicationofmv
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.23
theoryotlight，thatIblamedmyownimprudenceforparting
withsosubstantialablessingasrnyquiettorunafterashadow.7
InacommunicationtoMr.Oldenburg，SecretaryoftheRoyal
Society，in1672，ourauthorstatedmanyvaluablesuggestionsre
lativetotheconstructionofREFLECTINGMICROSCOPESwhichhe
consideredevenmorecapableofimprovementthantelescopes
Healsocontemplated，aboutthesametime，aneditionofKirickhuysen
sAlgebra，withnotesandadditions;partiallyarranging，
asanintroductiontothework，atreatise，entitled，AMethodof
Fluxions;buthefinallyabandonedthedesign.Thistreatise，
however，heresolved，orratherconsented，atalateperiodofhis
life，toputforthseparately;andtheplanwouldprobablyhave
beencarriedintoexecutionhadriothisdeathintervened.Itwas
translatedintoEnglish，andpublishedin1736byJohnColson，
ProfessorofMathematicsinCambridge
Newton，itisthought，madehisdiscoveriesconcerningthe
INFLECTIONandDIFFRACTIONoflightbefore1674.Thephe
nomenaoftheinflectionoflighthadbeenfirstdiscoveredmore
thantenyearsbeforebyGrimaldi.AndNewtonbeganbyre
peatingoneoftheexperimentsofthelearnedJesuitadmitting
abeamofthesunslightthroughasmallpinholeintoadark
chamber:thelightdivergedfromtheapertureintheformofa，
cone，andtheshadowsofallbodiesplacedinthislightwere
largerthanmighthavebeenexpected，andsurroundedwiththree
colouredfringes，thenearestbeingwidest，andthemostremote
thenarrowest.Newton，advancinguponthisexperiment，took
exactmeasuresofthediameteroftheshadowofahumanhair，
andofthebreadthofthefringes，atdifferentdistancesbehindit，
anddiscoveredthatthesediametersandbreadthswerenotpro
portionaltothedistancesatwhichtheyweremeasured.He
hencesupposedthattherayswhichpassedbytheedgeofthe
hairweredeflectedorturnedasidefromit，asifbyarepulsive
force，thenearestrayssufferingthegreatest，themoreremotea
lessdegreeofdeflection.Inexplanationofthecolouredfringes，
hequeried:whethertherayswhichdifferinrefrangibilitydono
differalsoinflexibility，andwhethertheyaren
ferentinflections，separatedfromoneanother，soasaftersepara
tiontomakethecoloursinthethreefringesabovedescribed?
Also，whethertherays，inpassingbytheedgesandsidesol
bodies，arenotbentseveraltimesbackwardsandforwardswith
aneel-likemotionthethreefringesarisingfromthreesuch
bendings?Hisinquiriesonthissubjectwerehereinterrupted
andfieverrenewed
HisTheoryoftheCOLOURSofNATURALBODIESwascommu
nicatedtotheRoyalSociety，inFebruary，1675.Thisisjustly
regardedasoneoftheprofoundestofhisspeculations.Thefun
damentalprinciplesoftheTheoryinbrief，are:Thatbodies
possessingthegreatestrefractivepowersreflectthegreates
quantityoflight;andthat，attheconfinesofequallyrefracting
media，thereisnoreflection.Thattheminutestparticlesofal
mostallnaturalbodiesareinsomedegreetransparent.Tha
betweentheparticlesofbodiestherearepores，orspaces，either
emptyorfilledwithmediaofalessdensitythantheparticles
themselves.Thattheseparticles，andporesorspaces，havesome
definitesize.HencehededucedtheTransparency，Opacity，and
coloursofnaturalbodies.Transparencyarisesfromtheparticles
andtheirporesbeingtoosmalltocausereflectionattheircom
monsurfacesthelightallpassingthrough;Opacityfromthe
oppositecauseoftheparticlesandtheirporesbeingsufficiently
largetoreflectthelightwhichis“
stoppedorstifled
bythe
multitudeofreflections;andcoloursfromtheparticles，accord
ingtotheirseveralsizes，reflectingraysofonecolourandtrans
mittingthoseofanotherorinotherwords，thecolourtha
meetstheeyeisthecolourreflected，whilealltheotherraysare
transmittedorabsorbed
Analogousinorigintothecoloursofnaturalbodies，hecon
sideredtheCOLOURSOFTHINPLATES.Thissubjectwasinterestngandimportant，andhadattractedconsiderableinvestigation
He，however，wasthefirsttodeterminethelawoftheproduc
tionofthesecolours，arid，duringthesameyearmadeknownthe
resultsofhisresearcheshereintotheRoyalSociety.Hismode
ofprocedureintheseexperimentswassimpleandcurious.He
placedadoubleconvexlensofalargeknownradiusofcurvature，
theflatsurfaceofaplano-convexobjectglass.Thus，from
UFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.25
theirpointofcontactatthecentre，tothecircumferenceofthe
lens，heobtainedplatesofair，orspacesvaryingfromtheextremes
possiblethinness，byslowdegrees，toaconsiderablethick
ness.Lettingthelightfall，everydifferentthicknessofthis
plateofairgavedifferentcoloursthepointofcontactofthe
lensandglassformingthecentreofnumerousconcentriccolored
nags.Nowtheradiusofcurvatureofthelensbeingknown，the
thicknessoftheplateofair，atanygivenpoint，orwhereanypar
ticularcolourappeared，couldbeexactlydetermined.Carefully
noting，therefore，theorderinwhichthedifferentcoloursap
peared，hemeasured，withthenicestaccuracy，thedifferentthick*
nessesatwhichthemostluminouspartsoftheringswerepro
duced，whetherthemediumwereair，water，ormicaallthese
substancesgivingthesamecoloursatdifferentthicknesses;the
ratioofwhichhealsoascertained.Fromthephenomenaobser
vedintheseexperiments，NewtondeducedhisTheoryofFitsof
EASYREFLECTIONANDTRANSMISSIONoflight.Itconsistsinsuppos
ingthateveryparticleoflight，fromitsfirstdischargefromalumi
nousbody，possesses，atequallydistantintervals，dispositionsto
bereflectedfrom，ortransmittedthroughthesurfacesofbodies
uponwhichitmayfall.Forinstance，iftheraysareinaFitof
EasyReflection，theyareonreachingthesurface，repelled，
thrownoff]orreflectedfromi
;if，inaFitofEasyTransmission，
theyareattracted，drawnin，ortransmittedthroughit.Bythis
TheoryofFits，ourauthorlikewiseexplainedthecoloursof
thickplates
Heregardedlightasconsistingofsmallmaterialparticles
emittedfromshiningsubstances.Hethoughtthattheseparti
clescouldbere-combinedintosolidmatter，sothat“
grossbodies
andlight，wereconvertibleintooneanother;“thattheparticlesof
lightandtheparticlesofsolidbodiesactedmutuallyuponeach
other;thoseoflightagitatingandheatingthoseofsolidbodies，
andthelatterattractingandrepellingtheformer.Newtonwas
thefirsttosuggesttheideaofthePOLARIZATIONoflight
InthepaperentitledAnHypothesisExplainingPropertiesof
Light，December，1675，ourauthorfirstintroducedhisopinionsre
spectingEtheropinionswhichheafterwardabandonedandagain
26LIFEOFSIRS.。AC1SEWTON
permanentlyresumed“Amostsubtlespiritwhichpervades“ah
bodies，andisexpandedthroughalltheheavens.Itiselectric，
andalmost，ifnotquiteimmeasurablyelasticandrare.“Bythe
forceandactionofwhichspirittheparticlesofbodiesmutually
attractoneanother，atneardistances，andcohere，ifcontiguous;
andelectricbodiesoperateatgreaterdistances，aswellrepelling
asattractingtheneighbouringcorpuscles;andlightisemitted，
-reflected，refracted，inflectedandheatsbodies;andallsensation
isexcited，andthemembersofanimalbodiesmoveatthecom
mandofthewill，namely，bythevibrationsofthisspirit，mutu
allypropagatedalongthesolidfilamentsofthenerves，fromthe
outwardorgansofsensetothebrain，andfromthebrainintothe
muscles.“This“
spirit“wasnoanimamundi;nothingfurther
fromthethoughtofNewton;butwasitnot，onhispart，apar
tialrecognitionof，orattempttoreachanultimatematerialforce，
orprimaryelement，bymeansofwhich，“intheroaringloomof
time，“thismaterialuniverse，Godsvisiblegarment，maybe
wovenforus?
TheRoyalSocietyweregreatlyinterestedintheresultsof
someexperiments，whichourauthorhad，atthesametime，com
municatedtothemrelativetotheexcitationofelectricityinglass;
andthey，afterseveralattemptsandfurtherdirectionfromhim，
succeededinre-producingthesamephenomena
OneofthemostcuriousofNewtonsminorinquiriesrelatedto
theconnexionbetweentherefractivepowersandchemicalcom
positionofbodies.Hefoundoncomparingtherefractivepowe
andthedensitiesofmanydifferentsubstances，thattheformer
wereverynearlyproportionaltothelatter，inthesamebodies
Unctuousandsulphureousbodieswerenoticedasremarkableexcep
tionsaswellasthediamondtheirrefractivepowersbeingtwo
orthreetimesgreaterinrespectoftheirdensitiesthaninthe
caseofothersubstances，while，asamongthemselves，theonewas
generallyproportionaltotheother.Hehenceinferredastothe
diamondagreatdegreeofcombustibility;
aconjecturewhich
theexperimentsofmodernchemistryhaveshowntobetrue
Thechemicalresearchesofourauthorwereprobablypursued
withmoreorlessdiligencefromthetimeofhiswitnessingsome
LIFEOF.SIRISAACNEWTON.27
?ttheuracticaloperationsinthatscienceattheApothecarysa
Grantham.DENATURAACIDORUMisashortchemicalpaper，on
varioustopics，andpublishedinDr.HorsleysEditionofhis
works.TABULAQUANTITATUMErGRADUUMCOLORISwasin
sertediiithePhilosophicalTransactions;
itcontainsacompara
tivescaleoftemperaturefromthatofmeltingicetothatofa
smallkitchencoal-fire.Heregardedfireasabodyheatedsoho
astoemitlightcopiously;andflameasavapour，fume，orex
halationheatedsohotastoshine.Toelectiveattraction，by
theoperationofwhichthesmallparticlesofbodies，ashecon
ceived，actupononeanother，atdistancessominuteastoescape
observation，heascribedallthevariouschemicalphenomenao
precipitation，combination，solution，andcrystallization，andthe
mechanicalphenomenaofcohesionandcapillaryattraction.New
tonschemicalviewswereillustratedandconfirmed，inpart，a
least，inhisownlife-time.Astothestructureofbodies，hewas
ofopinion
“thatthesmallestparticlesofmattermaycohereby
thestrongestattractions，andcomposebiggerparticlesofweaker
virtue
;andmanyofthesemaycohereandcomposebiggerpar
tideswhosevirtueisstillweaker;andsoonfordiverssucces
sions，untiltheprogressionendinthebiggestparticles，onwhich
theoperationsinchemistryandthecoloursofnaturalbodiesde
pend，andwhichbyadhering，composebodiesofsensiblemagni
tude.“
Thereisgoodreasontosupposethatourauthorwasadiligen
studentofthewritingsofJacobBehmen;andthatinconjunction
witharelative，Dr.Newton，hewasbusilyengaged，forseveral
monthsintheearlierpartoflife，inquestofthephilosophe
tincture.“GreatAlchymist，“however，veryimperfectlyde
scribesthecharacterofBehmen，whoseresearchesintothings
materialandthingsspiritual，thingshumanandthingsdivine，aiford
thestrongestevidenceofagreatandoriginalmind
Moreappropriatelyhere，perhaps，thanelsewhere，maybe
givenNewtonsaccountofsomecuriousexperiments，madeinhis
ownperson，ontheactionoflightupontheretina，Locke，who
wasanintimatefriendofourauthor，wrotetohimforhisopinion
onacertainfactstatedinBoylesBookofColours.Newton，in
2SLIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON
hisreply，datedJune30th，16(
Jl，narratesthefollowingcircum
stances，whichprobablytookplaceinthecourseofhisoptical
researches.Thus:
“TheobservationyoumentioninMr.BoylesBookofColou
Ioncetrieduponmyselfwiththehazardofmyeyes.The
mannerwasthis
Ilookedaverylittlewhileuponthesuninthe
looking-glasswithmyrighteye，andthenturnedmyeyesintoa
darkcornerofmychamber，aridwinked，toobservetheimpres
sionmade，andthecirclesofcolourswhichencompassedit，and
howtheydecayedbydegrees，andatlastvanished.ThisIre
peatedasecondandathirdtime.Atthethirdtime，whenthe
phantasmoflightandcoloursaboutitwerealmostvanished，in
tendingmyfancyuponthemtoseetheirlastappearance，Ifound，
tomyamazement，thattheybegantoreturn，andbylittleand
littletobecomeaslivelyandvividaswhenIhadnewlylooked
uponthesun.ButwhenIceasedtointendmyfancyuponthem，
theyvanishedagain.Afterthis，Ifound，thatasoftenasIwen
intothedark，andintendedmyminduponthem，aswhenaman
looksearnestlytoseeanythingwhichisdifficulttobeseen，I
couldmakethephantasmreturnwithoutlookinganymoreupon
thesun;andtheoftenerImadeitreturn，themoreeasilyIcould
makeitreturnagain.And，atlength，byrepeatingthis，withou
lookinganymoreuponthesun，Imadesuchanimpressiononmy
eye，that，ifIlookedupontheclouds，orabook，oranybrigh
object，Isawuponitaroundbrightspotoflightlikethesun，
and，whichisstillstranger，thoughIlookeduponthesunwith
myrighteyeonly，andnotwithmyleft，yetmyfancybegan*o
makeanimpressionuponmylefteye，aswellusuponmyright
ForifIshutmyrighteye，orlookeduponabook，ortheclouds，
withmylefteye，Icouldseethespectrumofthesunalmostas
plainaswithmyrighteye，ifIdidbutintendmyfancyalittle
whileuponi
foratfirst，ifIshutmyrighteye，andlookedwith
myleft，thespectrumofthesundidnotappeartillIintendedmy
fancyuponi
;butbyrepeating，thisappearedeverytimemore
easily.Andnow，inafewhourstime，Ihadbroughtmyeyes
tosuchapass，thatIcouldlookuponnoblightobjectwitheither
eye，butIsawthesunbeforeme，sothatIdurstneitherwrite
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.29
norread;buttorecovertheuseofmyeyes，shutmyselfupin
mychambermadedark，forthreedaystogether，andusedall
meanstodivertmyimaginationfromthesun.ForifIthough
uponhim，Ipresentlysawhispicture，thoughIwasinthedark
Butbykeepinginthedark，andemployingmymindaboutother
things，Ibeganinthreeorfourdaystohavesomeuseofmyeyes
again;andbyforbearingtolookuponbrightobjects，recovered
themprettywell，thoughnotsowellbutthat，forsomemonths
after，thespectrumofthesunbegantoreturnasoftenasIbegan
tomeditateuponthephenomena，eventhoughIlayinbedatmid
nightwithmycurtainsdrawn.ButnowIhavebeenverywell
formanyyears，thoughIamapttothink，ifIdurstventuremy
eyes，Icouldstillmakethephantasmreturnbythepowerofmy
fancy.ThisstoryItellyou，toletyouunderstand，thaj;inthe
observationrelatedbyMr.Boyle，themansfancyprobablycon
curredwiththeimpressionmadebythesunslighttoproduce
thatphantasmofthesunwhichheconstantlysawinbrightob
jects.Andsoyourquestionaboutthecauseofphantasmin
volvesanotheraboutthepoweroffancy，whichImustconfessis
toohardaknotformetountie.Toplacethiseffectinaconstan
motionishard，becausethesunoughtthentoappearperpetually
Itseemsrathertoconsistinadispositionofthesensoriumto
movetheimaginationstrongly，andtobeeasilymoved，bothby
theimaginationandbythelight，asoftenasbrightobjectsare
lookedupon.“
ThoughNewtonhadcontinuedsilent，yethisthoughtswere
bynomeansinactiveuponthevastsubjectoftheplanetarymo
tions.TheideaofUniversalGravitation，firstcaughtsightof，so
tospeak，inthegardenatWoolsthorpe，yearsago，hadgradually
expandeduponhim.Wefindhim，inalettertoDr.Hooke，
SecretaryoftheRoyalSociety，datedinNovember，1679，pro
posingtoverifythemotionoftheearthbydirectexperiment，
namely，bytheobservationofthepathpursuedbyabodyfalling
fromaconsiderableheight.Hehadconcludedthatthepath
wouldbespiral;butDr.Hookemaintainedthatitwouldbean
eccentricellipseiuvacuo，andanellipti-spiralinaresistingme
dium.Ourauthor，aidedbythiscorrectionofhiserror，andby
30LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON
thediscoverythataprojectilewouldmoveinanellipticalorbil
whenundertheinfluenceofaforcevaryinginverselyasthe
squareofthedistance，wasledtodiscover“thetheorembj
whichheafterwardsexaminedtheellipsis;“andtodemonstrate
thecelebratedpropositionthataplanetacteduponbyanattrac
tiveforcevaryinginverselyasthesquaresofthedistanceswill
describeanellipticalorbit，inoneofwhosefocitheattractive
forceresides
WhenhewasattendingameetingoftheRoyalSociety，in
June1682，theconversationfelluponthesubjectofthemeasure
mentofadegreeofthemeridian，executedbyM.Picard，a
FrenchAstronomer，in1679.Newtontookamemorandumoi
theresul
;andafterward，attheearliestopportunity，computed
fromitthediameteroftheearth:furnishedwiththesenewdata，
heresumedhiscalculationof1666.Asheproceededtherein，
hesawthathisearlyexpectationswerenowlikelytoberealized;
thethickrushing，stupendousresultsoverpoweredhim;hebe
cameunabletocarryontheprocessofcalculation，andintrusted
itscompletiontooneofhisfriends.Thediscovererhad，indeed，
graspedthemaster-fact.Thelawoffallingbodiesattheearths
surfacewasatlengthidentifiedwiththatwhichguidedthemoon
inherorbit.AndsohisGREATTHOUGHT，thathadforsixteen
yearsloomedupindim，giganticoutline，amidthefirstdawnofa
plausiblehypothesis，nowstoodforth，radiantandnotlessgrand，
inthemid-daylightofdemonstratedtruth
Itweredifficult，nayimpossibletoimagine，even，theinfluence
ofaresultlikethisuponamindlikeNewtons.Itwasasifthe
keystonehadbeenfittedtothegloriousarchbywhichhisspiri
shouldascendtotheoutskirtsofinfinitespacespanningtheimmea
surableweighingtheimponderablecomputingtheincalculable
mappingoutthemarchingsoftheplanets，andthefar-wander
ingsofthecomef
s，andcatching，bringbacktoearthsomeclearer
notesofthathighermelodywhich，asasoundingvoice，bea
perpetualwitnesstothedesignandomnipotenceofacreating
Deity
Newton，extendingthelawthusobtained，composedaseries
ofabouttwelvepropositionsonthemotionoftheprimaryplanets
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.31
aboutthesun.TheseweresenttoLondon，andcommunicated
totheRoyalSocietyabouttheendof1683.Atornearthispe
riod，otherphilosophers，asSirChristopherWren，Dr.Halley，
andDr.Hooke，wereengagedininvestigatingthesamesubject;
butwithnodefiniteorsatisfactoryresults.Dr.Halley，having
seen，itispresumed，ourauthorspropositions，wentinAugust，
1684，toCambridgetoconsultwithhimuponthesubject
Newtonassuredhimthathehadbroughtthedemonstrationto
perfection.InNovember，Dr.Halleyreceivedacopyofthe
work;and，inthefollowingmonth^announced.ittotheRoyal
Society，withtheauthorspromisetohaveitenteredupontheir
Register.Newton，subsequentlyremindedbytheSocietyofhis
promise，proceededinthediligentpreparationofthework，and
thoughsufferinganinterruptionofsixweeks，transmittedthe
manuscriptofthefirstbooktoLondonbeforetheendofApril
TheworkwasentitledPHILOSOPHI/ENATURALISPRINCIPIA
MATHEMATICA，dedicatedtotheRoyalSociety，andpresented
theretoonthe28thofApril，1685-6.Thehighestencomiums
werepasseduponi
;andthecouncilresolved，onthe19thof
May，toprintitattheexpenseoftheSociety，andunderthedi
rectionofDr.Halley.Thelatter，afewdaysafterward，com
municatedthesestepstoNewton，who，inareply，datedthe20th
ofJune，holdsthefollowinglanguage:
“Theproofyousentme
Ilikeverywell.Idesignedthewholetoconsistofthreebooks;
thesecondwasfinishedlastsummer，beingshort，andonlywants
transcribing，anddrawingthecutsfairly.Somenewpropositions
Ihavesincethoughton，whichIcanaswellletalone.The
thirdwantsthetheoryofcomets.Inautumnlast，Ispenttwo
monthsincalculationtonopurposeforwantofagoodmethod，
whichmademeafterwardreturntothefirstbook，andenlargei
withdiversepropositions，some*relatingtocomets，otherstoother
thingsfoundouflastwinter.ThethirdInowdesigntosup
press.Philosophyissuchanimpertinentlylitigiouslady，thata
manhadasgoodbeengagedinliw-suitsashavetodowithher
Ifounditsoformerly，andnowIcannosoonercomenearher
again，butshegivesmewarning.Thefirsttwobookswithou
thethirdwillnotsowellbearthetitleofP/iilosophiccNaturalis
32LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON
PrincipiaMathematicia;andthereuponIhadalteredittothis，
DeMotuCorporumLibriduo.ButaftersecondthoughtIre
taintheformertitle.Itwillhelpthesaleofthebook，whichI
oughtnottodiminishnowtis
yours.“
This“
warning“arosefromsomepretensionsputforthbyDr
Hooke.AndthoughNewtongaveaminuteandpositiverefuta
tionsofsuchclaims，yet，toreconcilealldifferences，hegener
ouslyaddedtoProp.IV.Cor.6，BookI，aScholium，inwhich
Wren，HookeandHalleyareacknowledgedtohaveindepen
dentlydeducedthelawofgravityfromthesecondlawof
Kepler
ThesuppressionofthethirdbookDr.Halleycouldnotendure
tosee.“Imustagainbegyou“sayshe，
“nottoletyourre
sentmentsrunsohighastodepriveusofyourthirdbook，where
inyourapplicationsofyourmathematicaldoctrinetothetheory
ofcomets，andseveralcuriousexperiments，which，asIguessby
whatyouwriteoughttocomposeit，willundoubtedlyrenderi
acceptabletothosewhowillcallthemselvesphilosopherswithou
mathematics，whicharemuchthegreaternumber.“Tothese
solicitationsNewtonyielded.Therewereno“resentments，“how
ever，asweconceive，inhis“
designtosuppress.“Hesough
peace;
forhelovedandvalueditaboveallapplause.But，in
spiteofhiseffortsfortranquillityssake，hiscourseofdiscovery
wasallalongmolestedbyignoranceorpresumptuousrivalry
Thepublicationofthegreatworknowwentrapidlyforwards，
ThesecondbookwassenttotheSociety，andpresentedonthe
2dMarch;thethird，onthe6thApril;andthewholewascom
pletedandpublishedinthemonthofMay，1686-7.Inthesec
ondLemmaofthesecondbook，thefundamentalprincipleofhis
fiuxionarycalculuswas，forthefirsttime，giventotheworld;bu
itsalgorithmornotationdidnotappeartillpublishedinthe
secondvolumenfDr.Wallissworks，in1693
AndthuswasusheredintoexistenceThePRINCIPIAawork
towhichpre-eminenceabovealltheproductionsofthehuman
intellecthasbeenawardedaworkthatmustbeesteemedof
pricelessworthsolongasSciencehasavotary，orasinglewor
shipperbelefttokneelatthealtarofTruth
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.33
TheentireworkbearsthegeneraltitleofTHEMATHEMATICAL
PRINCIPLESOFNATURALPHILOSOPHY.Itconsistsofthreebooks:
thefirsttwo，entitled，OFTHEMOTIONOFBODIES，areoccupied
withthelawsandconditionsofmotionsandforces，andareillus
tratedwithmanyscholiatreatingofsomeofthemostgeneral
andbestestablishedpointsinphilosophy，suchasthedensityand
resistanceofbodies，spacesvoidofmatter，andthemotionof
soundandlight.Fromtheseprinciples，thereisdeduced，inthe
thirdbook，drawnupinaspopularastyleaspossibleandentitled，
OFTHESYSTEMOFTHEWORLD，theconstitutionofthesystemof
iheworld.Inregardtothisbook，theauthorsay^
“Ihad，indeed，
composedthethirdBookinapopularmethod，thatitmightberead
bymany;butafterwards，consideringthatsuchashadnotsufficently
enteredintotheprinciplescouldnoteasilydiscoverthe
strengthoftheconsequences，norlayasidetheprejudicestowhich
theyhadbeenmanyyearsaccustomed，therefore，topreventdis
puteswhichmightberaiseduponsuchaccounts，Ichosetoreduce
thesubstanceofthisBookintotheformofPropositions(inthe
mathematicalway)，whichshouldbereadbythoseonlywhohad
firstmadethemselvesmastersoftheprinciplesestablishedinthe
precedingBooks:notthatIwouldadviseanyonetotheprevious
studyofeveryPropositionofthoseBooks.““Itisenoughi
onecarefullyreadstheDefinitions，theLawsofMotion，andthe
threefirstSectionsofthefirstBook.Hemaythenpassonto
thisBook，andconsultsuchoftheremainingPropositionsofthe
firsttwoBooks，asthereferencesinthis，andhisoccasionsshallre
quire.“Sothat“TheSystemoftheWorld“iscomposedboth
“inapopularmethod，“andintheformofmathematicalPropo
sitions
TheprincipleofUniversalGraviition，namely，thatevery
particleofmatterisattractedby，orgravitatesto，everyother
particleofmatter，icithaforceinverselyproportionaltothe
squaresoftheirdistancesisthediscoveryw?ichcharacterizes
ThePRINCIPIA.Thisprincipletheauthordeducedfromthemo
tionofthemoon，andthethreelawsofKeplerlaws，which
Newton，inturn，byhisgreaterlaw，demonstratedtobetrue
FromthefirstlawofKepler，namely，theproportionalityof
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON
theareastot。ietimesoftheirdescription，ourauthorinferred
thattheforcewhichretainedtheplanetinitsorbitwasalways
directedtothesun;andfromthesecond，namely，thatevery
planetmovesinanellipsewiththesuninoneofitsfoci，hedrew
themoregeneralinferencethattheforcebywhichtheplane
movesroundthatfocusvariesinverselyasthesquareofitsdis
tancetherefrom:andhedemonstratedthataplanetactedupon
bysuchaforcecouldnotmoveinanyothercurvethanaconic
section;showingwhenthemovingbodywoulddescribeacircu
lar，anelliptical，aparabolic，orhyperbolicorbit.Hedemon
strated，too，thatthisforce，orattracting，gravitatingpowerre
sidedinevery，theleastparticle;butthat，insphericalmasses，i
operatedasifconfinedtotheircentres;sothat，onesphereor
bodywillactuponanothersphereorbody，withaforcedirectly
proportionaltothequantityofmatter，andinverselyasthesquareofthedistancebetweentheircentres;andthattheirvelocitiesof
mutualapproachwillbeintheinverseratiooftheirquantitieso*
matter.ThushegrandlyoutlinedtheUniversalLaw.Verify
ingitstruthbythemotionsofterrestrialbodies，thenbythoseof
themoonandothersecondaryorbs，hefinallyembraced，inone
mightygeneralization，theentireSolarSystemallthemove
mentsofallitsbodiesplanets，satellitesandcometsexplain
ingandharmonizingthemanydiverseandtheretoforeinexplica
blephenomena
GuidedbythegeniusofNewton，weseesphereboundto
sphere，bodytobody，particletoparticle，atomtomass，themin
utestparttothestupendouswholeeachtoeach，eachtoall，
andalltoeachinthemysteriousbondsofaceaseless，recipro
calinfluence.Aninfluencewhoseworkingsareshowntobe
alikepresentintheglobulardew-drop，oroblate-spheroidalearth;
inthefallingshower，orvastheavingoceantides;intheflying
thistle-down，orfixed，ponderousrock;
intheswingingpendulum，
ortime-measuringsun;
inthevaryingandunequalmoon，or
earthsslowlyretrogradingpoles;
intheuncertainmeteor，or
oiazingcometwheelingswiftlyawayonitsremote，yetdetermined
round.Aninfluence，infine，thatmaylinksystemtosystem
throughallthestar-glowingfirmament;thenfirmamenttoiirma
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.35
merit;aye，firmamenttofirmament，againandagain，till，con
verginghome，itmaybe，tosomeineffablecentre，wheremore
presentlydwellsHewhoinhabitethimmensity，andwhereinfini
tudesmeetandeternitieshavetheircondux，andwherearound
move，insoftest，swiftestmeasure，allthecountlesshoststha
crowdheavensfathomlessdeeps
AndyetNewton，amidthelovelinessandmagnitudeofOm
nipotence，lostnotsightoftheAlmightyOne.Asecondary，
howeveruniversal，wasnottakenfortheFirstCause.Anim
pressedforce，howeverdiffusedandpowerful，assumednotthe
functionsofthecreating，givingEnergy.Materialbeauties，
splendours，andsublimities，howeverrichinglory，andendlessin
extent，concealednottheattributesofanintelligentSupreme
Fromthedepthsofhisownsoul，throughreasonandtheWORD，
hehadrisen，apriori，toGod:fromtheheightsofOmnipotence，
throughthedesignandlawofthebuildeduniverse，heproved
posteriori，aDeity
“Ihad，“sayshe，
“aneyeuponsuchprin
ciplesasmightwork，withconsideringmen，forthebeliefofa
Deity，“
inwritingthePRINCIPIA;attheconclusionwhereof，he
teachesthat“thismostbeautifulsystemofthesun，planetsand
comets，couldonlyproceedfromthecounselanddominionofan
intelligentandpowerfulBeing.Andifthefixedstarsarethe
centresofotherlikesystems，these，beingforme1bythelike
wisecounsels，mustbeallsubjecttothedominionofOne;especially
sincethelightofthefixedstarsisofthesamenaturewiththe
lightofthesun，andfromeverysystemlightpassesintoallother
systems:andlestthesystemsofthefixedstarsshould，bytheir
gravity，falloneachothermutually，hehathplacedthosesystems
atimmensedistancesonefromanother
“ThisBeinggovernsallthings，notasthesouloftheworld，
butasLordoverall
;andonaccountofhisdominionheiswont，
tobecalledLordGodTravrowparwporUniversalRuler;forGod
isarelativeword，andhasarespecttoservants;andDeityis
thedominionofGod，notoverhisownbody，asthoseimagine
whofancyGodtobethesouloftheworld，butoverservants
TheSupremeGodisaBeingeternal，infinite，absolutelyperfect;
butabeing，howeverperfect，withoutdominion，cannotbesaidto
36LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON
beLordGod;forwesay，myGod，yourGod，theGodofIsrael
theGodofGods，andLordofLords;butwedonotsay，my
Eternal，yourEternal，theEternalofIsrael，theEternalofGods:
wedonotsaymyInfinite，ormyPerfect:thesearetitleswhich
havenorespecttoservants.ThewordGodusuallysignifies
Lord;buteveryLordisnotGod.Itisthedominionofaspir
itualBeingwhichconstitutesaGod;
atrue，supreme，orimagi
narydominionmakesatrue，supreme，orimaginaryGod.And
fromhistruedominionitfollowsthatthetrueGodisaliving，
intelligentandpowerfulBeing;andfromhisotherperfections，
thatheissupremeormostperfect.Heiseternalandin
finite，omnipotentandomniscient;thatis，hisdurationreaches
frometernitytoeternity;hispresencefrominfinitytoinfinity;
hegovernsallthingsandknowsallthings，thatareorcanbe
done.Heisnoteternityorinfinity，buteternalandinfinite
heisnotdurationandspace，butheenduresandispresent
Heenduresforeverandiseverywherepresent;andbyexisting
alwaysandeverywhere，heconstitutesdurationandspace.Since
everyparticleofspaceisalways，andeveryindivisiblemomen
ofdurationiseverywhere，certainlytheMakerandLordofthings
cannotbeneverandnowhere.Everysoulthathasperception
is，thoughindifferenttimesanddifferentorgansofsenseandmo
tion，stillthesameindivisibleperson.Therearegivensucces
sivepartsinduration，co-existentpartsinspace，butneitherthe
onenortheotherinthepersonofaman，orhisthinking
principle;andmuchlesscantheybefoundinthethinkingsub
stanceofGod.Everyman.sofarasheisathingthathasj:erceptiori，
isoneandthesamemanduringhiswholelife，inalland
eachofhisorgansofsense.GodisoneandthesameGod，al
waysandeverywhere.Heisomnipresent，notvirtuallyonly，
butalsosubstantially;forvirtuecannotsubsistwithoutsub
stance.Inhimareallthingscontainedandmoved;yetneither
affectstheother;Godsuffersnothingfromthemotionofbodies;
bodiesfindnoresistancefromtheomnipresenceofGod.Itis
allowedbyallthattheSupremeGodexistsnecessarily;andby
thesamenecessityheexistsalwaysandeverywhere.Whence
alsoheisallsimilar，alleye，allear，allbrain，allarm，allpowei
LIFECFSIRISAACNEWTON.37
toperceive，tounderstand，andtoact;butinamannernotatall
human，inamannernotatallcorporeal，inamannerutterlyun
knowntous.Asablindmanhasnoideaofcolours，sohavewe
noideaofthemannerbywhichtheall-wiseGodperceivesand
understandsallthings.Heisutterlyvoidofallbody，andbodily
figure，andcanthereforeneitherbeseen，norheard，nortouched;
noroughthetobeworshippedundertherepresentationofany
corporealthing.Wehaveideasofhisattributes，butwhatthe
realsubstanceofanythingisweknownot.Inbodieswesee
onlytheirfiguresandcolours，wehearonlythesounds，wetouch
onlytheiroutwardsurfaces，wesmellonlythesmells，andtaste
onlythesavours;buttheirinwardsubstancesarenottobeknown，
eitherbyoursenses，orbyanyreflexactofourminds:much
less，then，haveweanyideaofthesubstanceofGod.Weknow
himonlybyhismostwiseandexcellentcontrivancesofthings，
andfinalcauses;weadmirehimforhisperfections;butwerev
erenceandadorehimonaccountofhisdominion;forweadore
himashisservants;andagodwithoutdominion，providence，and
finalcauses，isnothingelsebutFateandNature.Blindmeta
physicalnecessity，whichiscertainlythesamealwaysandevery
where，couldproducenovarietyofthings.Allthatdiversityof
naturalthingswhichwefindsuitedtodifferenttimesandplaces
couldarisefromnothingbuttheideasandwillofaBeingneces
sarilyexisting.“
Thus，thediligentstudentofscience，theearnestseekerof
truth，led，asthroughthecourtsofasacredTemple，wherein，a
eachstep，newwondersmeettheeye，till，asacrowninggrace，
theystandbeforeaHolyofHolies，andlearnthatallscienceand
alltruthareonewhichhathitsbeginninganditsendinthe
knowledgeofHimwhoseglorytheheavensdeclare，andwhose
handiworkthefirmamentshowethforth
TheintroductionofthepureandloftydoctrinesofthePRINCIPIA
wasperseveringlyresisted.Descartes，withhissystemof
vortices，hadsownplausiblytotheimagination，anderrorhad
struckdowndeeply，andshotupluxuriantly，notonlyinthe
popular，butinthescientificmind.Besidestheideainitselfso
simpleandsograndthatthegreatmassesoftheplanetswere
38LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON
suspendedinemptyspace，andretainedintheirorbitsbyanin
visibleinfluenceresidinginthesunwastotheignorantathing
inconceivable，andtothelearnedarevivaloftheoccultqualities
oftheancientphysics.Thisremarkappliesparticularlytothe
continent.Leibnitzmisapprehended;Huygensinpartrejected;
JohnBernouilliopposed;andFontenelleneverreceivedthedoc
trinesofthePRINCIPIA.Sothat，thesayingofVoltaireisprob
ablytrue，thatthoughNewtonsurvivedthepublicationofhis
greatworkmorethanfortyyears，yet，atthetimeofhisdeath，
liehadnotabovetwentyfollowersoutofEngland
ButinEngland，thereceptionofourauthorsphilosophywas
rapidandtriumphant.Hisownlabours，whileLucasianPro
fessor;thoseofhissuccessorsinthatChairWhistonand
Saunderson;thoseofDr.SamuelClarke，Dr.Laughton，Roger
Cotes，andDr.Bentley;theexperimentallecturesofDr.Keill
andDesaguliers;theearlyandpowerfulexertionsofDavid
GregoryatEdinburgh，andofhisbrotherJamesGregoryatSt
Andrews，tendedtodiffusewidelyinEnglandandScotlanda
knowledgeof，andtasteforthetruthsofthePRINCIPIA.Indeed，
itsmathematicaldoctrinesconstituted，fromthefirst，aregular
partofacademicalinstruction;whileitsphysicaltruths，givento
thepublicinpopularlectures，illustratedbyexperiments，had，
beforethelapseoftwenty)(ar.s，becomefamiliarto，andadopted
bythegeneralmind.Pembertonspopular
“ViewofSirIsaac
NewtonsPhilosophy“waspublished，in1728;andtheyearafter
ward，anEnglishtranslationofthePRINCIPIA，andSystemofthe
World，byAndrewMotte.Andsincethatperiod，thelaboursof
LeSeurandJacquier，ofThorpe，ofJebb，ofWrightandothe
havegreatlycontributedtodisplaythemosthiddentreasuresof
thePRINCIPIA
AboutthetimeofthepublicationofthePrincipia，JamesII.，
bentonre-establishingtheRomishFaith，had，amongotherille
galacts，orderedbymandamus，theUniversityofCambridgeto
conferthedegreeofMasterofArtsuponanignorantmonk
Obediencetothismandatewasresolutelyrefused.Newtonwas
oneoftheninedelegateschosentodefendtheindependenceof
theUniversity.TheyappearedbeforetheHighCourt;and
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.39
successfully:thekingabandonedhisdesign.Theprominen
partwhichourauthortookintheseproceedings，andhiseminence
inthescientificworld，inducedhisproposalasoneoftheparlia
mentaryrepresentativesoftheUniversity.Hewaselected，in
1688，andsatintheConventionParliamenttillitsdissolution
Afterthefirstyear，however，heseemstohavegivenlittleorno
attentiontohisparliamentaryduties，beingseldomabsentfrom
theUniversitytillhisappointmentintheMint，in1695
Newtonbeganhistheologicalresearchessometimepreviousto
1691;
intheprimeofhisyears，andinthematuredvigourof
hisintellectualpowers.Fromhisyouth，aswehaveseen，he
haddevotedhimselfwithanactivitythemostunceasing，andan
energyalmostsuperhumantothediscoveryofphysicaltruth
givingtoPhilosophyanewfoundation，andtoScienceanew
temple.Topasson，then，fromtheconsiderationofthematerial，
moredirectlytothatofthespiritual，wasanatural，nay，withso
largeanddevoutasoul，anecessaryadvance.TheBiblewasto
himofinestimableworth.Intheelasticfreedom，whichapure
andunswervingfaithinHimofNazarethgives，hismightyfacul
tiesenjoyedtheonlycompletestscopefordevelopment.His
originalendowment，howevergreat，combinedwithastudious
application，howeverprofound，wouldnever，withoutthislibera
tionfromthedominionofpassionandsense，haveenabledhimto
attaintothatwondrousconcentrationandgraspofintellect，for
whichFamehasasyetassignedhimnoequal.Gratefullyhe
owned，therefore，thesameAuthorintheBookofNatureandthe
BookofRevelation.Theseweretohimasdropsofthesame
unfathomableocean;asoutrayingsofthesameinnersplendour;
astonesofthesameineffablevoice;
assegmentsofthesame
infinitecurve.“Withgreatjoyhehadfoundhimselfenabledto
proclaim，asaninterpreter，fromthehieroglyphsofCreation，the
existenceofaGod:andnow，withgreaterjoy，andinthefulness
ofhisknowledge，andinthefulnessofhisstrength，helaboured
tomakeclear，fromtheutterancesoftheinspiredWord，thefar
mightierconfirmationsofaSupremeGood，inallitsglorious
amplitudeofBeingandofAttribute;andtobringtheinfallible
workingsthereofplainlyhometotheunderstandingsandthe
40LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON
affectionsofhisfellow-men;andfinallytoaddtheweightofhis
owntestimonyinfavourofthatReligion，whosetruthisnow.in
deed，“girdedwiththeironandtherockofaponderousandco
lossaldemonstration.“
Hiswork，entitled，OBSERVATIONSUPONTHEPROPHECIESOF
HOLYWRIT，PARTICULARLYTHEPROPHECIESOFDANIELANDTHE
APOCALYPSEOFST.JOHN，firstpublishedinLondon，in17334to
consistsoftwoparts:theonedevotedtothePropheciesoi
Daniel，andtheothertotheApocalypseofSt.John.Inthefirs
part，hetreatsconcerningthecompilersofthebooksoftheOld
Testament;ofthepropheticlanguage;ofthevisionofthe
fourbeasts;ofthekingdomsrepresentedbythefeetofthe
imagecomposedofironandclay;ofthetenkingdomsrepre
sentedbythetenhornsofthebeast;oftheeleventhhornof
Danielsfourthbeast;ofthepowerwhichshouldchangetimes
andlaws;ofthekingdomsrepresentedinDanielbytheram
andhe-goat;oftheprophecyoftheseventyweeks;ofthe
timesofthebirthandpassionofChrist;oftheprophecyofthe
ScriptureofTruth;ofthekingwhodoethaccordingtohiswill，
andmagnifiedhimselfaboveeverygod，andhonouredMahuzzims，
andregardednotthedesireofwomen;oftheMahuzzim，hon
ouredbythekingwhodoethaccordingtohiswill.Inthesec
ondpart，hetreatsofthetimewhentheApocalypsewaswritten，
ofthesceneofthevision，andtherelationwhichtheApocalypse
hastothebookofthelawofMoses，andtotheworshipofGod
inthetemple;oftherelationwhichtheApocalypsehastothe
propheciesofDaniel，andofthesubjectoftheprophecyitself
Newtonregardsthepropheciesasgiven，notforthegratification
ofmanscuriosity，byenablinghimtoforeknow;butforhiscon
victionthattheworldisgovernedbyProvidence，bywitnessing
theirfulfilment.Enoughofprophecy，hethinks，hasalready
beenfulfilledtoaffordthediligentseekerabundantevidenceof
Godsprovidence.Thewholeworkismarkedbyprofound
erudition，sagacityandargument
Andnotlesslearning，penetrationandmasterlyreasoningare
conspicuousinhisHISTORICALACCOUNTOFTwoNOTABLE
CORRUPTIONSOFSCRIPTURESINALETTERTOAFRIEND.This
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.41
Treatise，firstaccuratelypublishedinDr.Horsleyseditionofhis
works，relatestotwotexts:theone，1EpistleofSt.Johnv.7;
theother，1EpistleofSt.PaultoTimothyiii.16.Asthis
workhadtheeffecttodeprivetheadvocatesofthedoctrineof
theTrinityoftwoleadingtexts，Newtonhasbeenlookedupon
asanArian;butthereisabsolutelynothinginhiswritingsto
warrantsuchaconclusion
HisregainingtheologicalworksconsistoftheLEXICONPROPHETICUM，
whichwasleftincomplete;
aLatinDissertationon
thesacredcubitoftheJews，whichwastranslatedintoEnglish，
andpublished，in1737.amongtheMiscellaneousWorksofJohn
Greaves;andFOURLETTERSaddressedtoDr.Bentlty，contain
ingsomeargumentsinproofofaDeity.TheseLetterswere
datedrespectively:10thDecember，1692;17thJanuary，1693;
25thFebruary，1693;andllthFebruary，1693thefourth
bearinganearlierdatethanthethird.Thebestfacultiesand
theprofoundestacquirementsofourauthorareconvincingly
manifestintheselucidandpowerfulcompositions.Theywere
publishedin1756，andreviewedbyDr.SamuelJohnson
Newtonsreligiouswritingsaredistinguishedbytheirabsolute
freedomfromprejudice.Everywhere，throughoutthem，there
glowsthegenuinenoblenessofsoul.Tohiswholelife，indeed，
wemayherefitlyextendthesameobservation.Hewasmos
richlyimbuedwiththeveryspiritoftheScriptureswhichheso
delightedtostudyandtomeditateupon.Hiswasapiety，so
fervent，sosincereandpractical，thatitroseuplikeaholyincense
fromeverythoughtandact.Hisabenevolencethatnotonly
willed，butendeavouredthebestforall.Hisaphilanthropy
thatheldintheembracingsofitsloveeverybrother-man
Hisatolerationofthelargestandthetruest;condemningper
secutioninevery，evenitsmildestform;andkindlyencouraging
eachstrivingafterexcellence:.1tolerationthatcamenotof
indifferencefortheimmoralandtheimpiousmetwiththeir
quickrebukebutatolerationthatcameofthewisehumbleness
andtheChristiancharity，whichsee，inthenothingnessofself
andthealmightinessofTRUTH，nopraisefortheablest，andno
blameforth^feeblestintheirstrugglingsupwardtolightandlife
42LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON，
Tnthewinterof1691-2，onreturningfromchapel，onemorn
ing，Newtonfoimatnatafavouritelittledog，calledDiamond，
hadoverturnedalightedtaperonhisdesk，andthatseveralpa
perscontainingtheresultsofcertainopticalexperiments，were
nearlyconsumed.Hisonlyexclamation，onperceivinghisloss，
was，“OhDiamond，Diamond，littleknowestthouthemischiel
thouhastdone，“Dr.Brewster，inhislifeofourauthor，givesthe
followingextractfromthemanuscriptDiaryofMr.AbrahamDe
LaPryme.astudentintheUniversityatthetimeofthisoc
currence
“1692.February，3.WhatIheardto-dayImustrelate
ThereisoneMr.Newton(whomIhaveveryoftseen)，Fellow
ofTrinityCollege，thatismightyfamousforhislearning，beinga
mostexcellentmathematician，philosopher，divine，&c.Hehas
beenFellowoftheRoyalSocietythesemanyyears;andamong
otherverylearnedbooksandtracts，he:
swrittenoneuponthemathe
maticalprinciplesofphilosophy，whichhasgivenhimamighty
name，hehavingreceived，especiallyfromScotland，abundanceof
congratulatorylettersforthesame;butofallthebooksheever
wrote，therewasoneofcoloursandlight，establisheduponthou
sandsofexperimentswhichhehadbeentwentyyearsofmaking，
andwhichhadcosthimmanyhundredsofpounds.Thisbook
whichhevaiuedsomuch，andwhichwassomuchtalkedof，had
theilllucktoperish，andbeutterlylostjustwhenthelearned
authorwasalmostatpittingaconclusionatthesame，afterthis
manner:Inawintersmorning，leavingitamonghisotherpape
onhisstudytablewhilehewenttochapel，thecandle，whichhe
hadunfortunatelyleftburningthere，too，catchedholdbysome
meansofotherpapers，andtheyfiredtheaforesaidbook，andu
terlyconsumeditandseveralothervaluablewritings;
aridwhich
ismostwonderfuldidnofurthermischief.ButwhenMr.New
toncamefromchapel，andhadseenwhatwasdone，everyone
thoughthewouldhaverunmad，hewassotroubledthereattha
hewasnothimselfforamonthafter.Alongaccountofthishis
systemofcoloursyoumayfindintheTransactionsoftheRoyal
Society，whichhehadsentuptothemlongbeforethissadmis
chancehappeneduntohim.“
LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON.43
ItwillbeborneinmindthatallofNewtonstheologicalwri
tings，withtheexceptionoftheLetterstoDr.Bentley，were
composedbeforethiseventwhich，wemustconclude，from
Prymeswords，producedaseriousimpressionuponourauthorfor
aboutamonth.ButM.Biot，inhisLifeofNewton，relyingona
memorandumcontainedinasmallmanuscriptJournalofHuygens，
declaresthisoccurrencetohavecausedaderan-gementofNew
tonsintellect.M.Blotsopinionsanddeductions，however，as
wellasthoseofLaPlace，uponthissubject，werebasedupon
erroneousdata，andhavebeenoverthrownbytheclearestproof
Thereisnot，infact，theleastevidencethatNewtonsreasonwas，
forasinglemoment，dethroned;onthecontrary，thetestimony
isconclusivethathewas，atalltimes，perfectlycapableofcarry
ingonhismathematical，metaphysicalandastronomicalinquiries
Lossofsleep，lossofappetite，andirritatednerveswilldisturb
somewhattheequanimityofthemostserene;andanactdone，or
languageemployed，undersuchtemporarydiscomposure，isnota
justcriterionofthegeneraltoneandstrengthofamansmind
Astotheaccidentitself，wemaysuppose，whatevermighthave
beenitsprecisenature，thatitgreatlydistressedhim，and，still
further，thatitsshockmayhaveoriginatedthetrainofnervous
derangements，whichafflictedhim，moreorless，fortwoyea
afterward.Yet，duringthisveryperiodofillhealth，wefindhim
puttingforthhishighestpowers.In1692，hepreparedfor，and
transmittedtoDr.WallisthefirstpropositionoftheTreatiseon
Quadratures，withexamplesofitinfirst，secondandthirdflux
ions.Heinvestigated，inthesameyear，thesubjectofhaloes;
makingandrecordingnumerousandimportantobservationsrela
tivethereto.ThoseprofoundandbeautifulLetterstoDr.Bentley
werewrittenatthecloseofthisandthebeginningofthenex
year.InOctober，1693，Locke，whowasthenaboutpublishinga
secondeditionofhisworkontheHumanUnderstanding，reques
edNewtontoreconsiderhisopinionsoninnateideas.Andin
1694，hewaszealouslyoccupiedinperfectinghislunartheory;
visitingFlamstead，attheRoyalObservatoryofGreenwich，in
September，andobtainingaseriesoflunarobservations;and
14LIFEOFSIRISAACNEWTON
commencing，inOctober，acorrespondencewiththatdistinguished
practicalAstronomer，whichcontinuedtill1698
WenowarriveattheperiodwhenNewtonpermanentlywith
drewfromtheseclusionofacollegiate，andentereduponamore
activeandpubliclife.HewasappointedWardenoftheMint，
in1695，throughtheinfluenceofCharlesMontague，Chancellor
oftheExchequer，andafterwardEarlofHalifax.Thecurren
roinofthenationhadbeenadulteratedanddebased，andMon
tagueundertookare-coinage.Ourauthorsmathematicaland
chemicalknowledgeprovedeminentlyusefulinaccomplishing
果然菲律宾没有雪，马尼拉也没有爱。湖南的风终究是吹不到广东。他现在不仅是在雾里中学物理了。而且他还要在英语的苦海你学物理。其实昨天他也说过，他是个偏科怪。只是他没有说，他最偏的一科就是英语。他的英语真的是差到姥姥家了。看着满本物理教材的英语文章，不知道的还以为他上的是英语课。好了，现在是物理课都上不动了。
下课后，还是易若兰的照顾时间，她将自己的物理课本已经全部翻译成中文给他学习。看到她这一番操作，他甚至都有一点儿想要以身相许的想法。
在这美妙时候，就只见一句：“粗鄙武夫”。这话听到后谁不想打人呢。好在易若兰拦住了他，不然他就想将今早上课时的新仇旧怨一起算了。也算那小子是想跑得快。
果然并不是只有早上的文化课有课前检查，连下午的训练课也有课前检查。检查的内容很简单，也就是昨天学的四招。昨天学的四招看起来虽然不多，但是对于大部分普通学生而言却是一个不小的难度。果不其然，楚主任连抽14人都没有一个能够打出三招的。其中那个欠揍的胡太原连一招都没能打出来。楚主任还当场罚了他，当时许多人还在这偷笑。谁让这家伙今天在课堂上装了这个逼，现在可好了，连一招动作都做不出来。
这时楚主任又点了易若兰。只见易若兰动作流畅且优美得打出了四套连招，直接震惊全场。其中也包括楚主任，他当时想着能流利的打出四套连招的人不超过5位。其中自然不包括易若兰。易若兰的表现的确让他惊讶。
同样惊讶的还有在受罚的胡太原，他是怎么都没有想到，明明易若兰也不会比他强上多少，凭什么，她可以这么厉害。这里陈乡才就很有发言权了。说实话，他觉得易若兰的天赋还是要比胡太原要强上不少。
今天依然是杀敌拳的教学，只见大多学员也已经按照自己早已找好的组合在一起配合练拳。陈乡才已经将各位联络在一起，在这里分享今天学拳的精髓，今天虽然只学了三招，但是难度已经较昨天上了一个台阶了。这一点在陈乡才身上还是不太明显，但是在其余四人身上身上是淋漓尽致。就算强如易若兰都只能学会一招，更别说他的那三位老乡了。
今天的任务很艰巨，他直接将今天的招式打了出来让他们观摩。于是他还是先教易若兰，今天两人的双修时间开始了。这次修炼少了很多肢体接触，多了的就是对细节的把握。两人就对细节方面的把握进入到了跟细节的抠挖中。
经过一下午的抠挖，终于他的身体算是被掏空了。一脸生无可望的在树下躺着，而易若兰则是心满意足的跑到一旁教起了其他人。他们看见陈乡才的样子后不得不说，这易若兰真的是厉害，连陈乡才这样精壮的人都被轻松拿捏了。他倒是无所谓，剩下来那些糟心的事就交个她来解决吧。
于是他就在训练场的树下，运转起了九阳神功修行起来。下午也是九阳神功的好时候，这世间有两个时间段是修行九阳神功的好时候，第一个时间就是清晨，阳气初始；第二个就是下午，阳气最盛之时。现在虽然没什么太阳，但这也不影响九阳神功的修行。随着修行的发展，时间也是来到了黄昏，一下午的修行也让他的九阳神功，功力大进，只不过离九阳神功的第一步修成还差着远。
这时，胡太原出现在他的眼前。这倒是令他很惊讶。这时他便开口说道:“胡同学，我们也没啥矛盾啊，你也不用光盯着一人来欺负吧，再说泥人还有三分火气，你要是把我逼急了，我可不敢保证会对你做些什么。“只不过，胡太原的下一番操作惊到了他。
本章结束