casioned large drops of sweat to run down his face. In these circumstances, however, he was never heard to utter a groan, or to express the least impatience; and as soon as he recovered a momentary degree of ease, he would smile and talk with his usual cheerfulness. Till this time it was customary with him to read and write several hours in a day, but he was now obliged to rely on Mr. Conduit, who married his niece, for his assistance in the Mint. On Saturday morning, March 18, 1726-7, he read the newspapers, and discoursed a long time with his physician, Dr. Mead, having then the perfect use of all his senses and understanding; but the same night he entirely lost them all, and died on the Monday following, which was March 20th, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. His body lay in state in the Jerusalem chamber, and on the 28th of the same month, was conveyed to Westminster Abbey, the Lord Chancellor, the Dukes of Montrose and Roxburgh, and the Earls of Pembroke, Sussex, and Macclesfield, holding up the pall.

In his person, Sir Isaac was of a middling stature, and somewhat inclined to corpulency in the latter part of his life. His countenance was both pleasing and venerable, especially when he took off his peruke, and shewed his white hair which was pretty thick. He had lost but one tooth, and never made use of spectacles during his whole life.

The leading feature of his mind, was modesty,

and

and one day, when a friend was saying some. handsome things of his extraordinary talents, Sir Isaac assured him, "for his own part he was sensible that whatever he had done worthy of notice, was owing to a patience of thought, rather than any extraordinary sagacity, which he was endowed with above other men. "I keep," says he "the subject constantly before me, and wait till the first dawnings open slowly, by little and little, into a full and clear light."

Hence it is that we are able to account for the great abhorrence he had to disputing upon these points; a steady unbroken attention being his peculiar felicity. But though philosophy and mathematicks constituted his favourite, they were not his sole pursuits. He ranged through the circle of literature, and his Bible was his favourite companion. He was a sincere believer in revelation; and one day when Dr. Halley had uttered some loose expressions with regard to religion in his company, Sir Isaac reproved him in these strong terms; "Dr. Halley, when you talk about philosophy and mathematicks, I always hear you with pleasure, because these are subjects with which you are well acquainted; but I must beg that you will say nothing about Christianity, for it is a subject you have never studied: I have, and I know that you know nothing of the matter."

Such was the equanimity of his temper that it was scarcely ever ruffled. After he had been en

gaged for a considerable time in a long train of laborious and intricate calculations, he had occasion one evening to leave his study for some time to attend a gentleman, and on his return found his papers scattered over the floor, and for the most part torn to pieces, by his favourite little dog. After looking at the fragments for a moment, he turned to the animal, and said, "Ah, poor Fidele, what mischief hast thou done!"

Of his occasional absence of mind, the following anecdote has been related on good authority:

which he found

After waiting a

Dr. Stukeley, the learned antiquary, coming to town from Stamford, called upon Sir Isaac about his usual hour of dinner, laid on the table in the parlour. long time and being rather hungry, the doctor lifted off the cover from a dish, and found a boiled fowl, which he instantly set about carving and made a good dinner: then covering up the fragments, he resumed his seat by the fire side, waiting the arrival of the philosopher. Sir Isaac, on entering the room apologized for keeping him so long, and then asked the doctor whether he had dined. Stukeley told him that he had on which Sir Isaac, seating himself at the table and taking off the cover from the dish, "bless me," says he, on seeing the remains of the fowl, "who would have thought it? I forgot that I had dined.”

Sir Isaac was never married, and perhaps he had never leisure to think of it: being immerged

in profound studies during the prime of his age, and afterwards engaged in an employment of great importance, he was not sensible of any vacancy in life, or of the want of a companion at home.

He left thirty-two thousand pounds at his death, but made no will, because, says M. de Fontenelle, he thought a legacy was no gift.

His philosophy has not been without censurers, but this has arisen from a want of comprehending the author's meaning, or being able to pursue the chain of his reasoning. Hence it is, that his notions of attraction and gravitation have met with violent opposition, as making those qualities inherent in matter; whereas Sir Isaac has expressly denied it, saying that, "the cause of gravity is what he did not pretend to know." Some of the most vehement antagonists of the Newtonian system, have been Mr. John Hutchinson, and his followers, who, in their laudable zeal for revelation, thought themselves bound to oppose the mathematical philosophy, as being unfavourable to the history of the creation by Moses.* Notwithstanding these attempts to lessen.

* In a scarce pamphlet entituled, "The Theology and Philosophy in Cicero's Somnium Scipionis, explained,” published anonymously in 1751, is the following anecdote, given indeed upon no authority, but said to be well attested.

"Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Pembroke, and Mr. Locke,

lessen the merit of our illustrious countryman, he will still be regarded, by all good judges, as the

were to pay a visit to Mr. Patrick, weather-glass maker, in the old Bailey. Sir Isaac happening to mention a vacuum Mr. Patrick said, "God bless me, Sir Isaac, have I not told you there is no such thing?"-" I'm sure there is," quoth the philosopher." I tell you there is not :" said Mr. Patrick, " and I'll prove it by an undoubted experiment." Lord Pembroke said, "Pray Mr. Patrick, let us have the experiment." Upon which, Mr. Patrick produced a well-blown glass tube, sealed at one end, which he filled with mercury, and clapping his finger upon the other end, immersed it in a bason of mercury, ready for the purpose: upon which the mercury in the tube fell, till it became a counterbalance to the weight of the atmosphere. He then asked Sir Isaac, whether there was not a better vacuum at the top of the tube, than any he could make with the air pump; which he readily allowed. Mr. Patrick then added, "You suppose there is nothing there; then any thing I can do can't affect nothing." Upon which he put an iron, properly prepared, into the fire, which he heated red-hot; then applying it gently to the upper part of the tube, where was the supposed vacuum, in a few minutes, the mercury was pressed down half an inch. Upon which Lord Pembroke said to Sir Isaac, "what do you say to Mr. Patrick's experiment? 'Tis very plain and simple." Isaac, taking his lordship on one side, said, we must not give up this point, my lord; if we do, all will fall to the ground." Upon which my lord replied, "d-n it, let it fall to the ground if it is not worth keeping up."

66

Sir

This pamphlet was written by Mr. George Horne, then a young master of arts, of the University of Oxford, and afterwards Bishop of Norwich. Mr Locke died in 1704, and this necdote did not appear in print till forty-seven years after

wards