Biographical Memoir of Henry Cavendish. 221 



at fixed periods, the new suit being of the same cloth and colour 

 as the former. Lastly, it has even been said, that, when he went 

 to ride, he had to find his boots always ready in the same place, 

 and the whip placed in one of them, and always in the same one. 



The occasion of assisting at some new experiment, or of con- 

 versing with some one who might afibrd him instruction, or had 

 need of his advice, was the only thing capable of interrupting 

 the established order, or rather this sort of interruption itself 

 formed part of his order : then he indulged himself in the plea- 

 sure of talking ; and his conversation, which was entirely Socra- 

 tic, did not end until all was cleared up. 



In every thing else, his mode of life had all the regularity and 

 precision of his experiments. It could not even be altered by an 

 incident which, of a certainty, would have produced a great 

 change in that of any other. Being a younger member of a 

 younger branch, he was rather poor in his youth, and his pa- 

 rents, it is said, treated him as a man who, to all appearance, 

 would never become rich. Chance or his real merit decided 

 otherwise. 



One of his uncles who had served in the army in India, and 

 who had made a great fortune there, conceived a strong attach- 

 ment for him, and left him the whole. Being now the pos- 

 sessor of many thousands of pounds, Mr Cavendish had to 

 use a few additional signs, to shew what was to be done with 

 the excess of his income; but to obtain them, it was still 

 necessary for him to be repeatedly urged by his banker. It 

 is said that the banker came one day to tell Mr Cavendish 

 that he had allowed L. 75,000 Sterling to accumulate in his 

 hands, and that he was ashamed to keep so large a sum longer, 

 without being regularly settled, — a circumstance which assured- 

 ly proves as much delicacy on the one side, as carelessness on 

 the other. It is said, however, that he ultimately left about 

 L. 1,250,000 Sterling. Few philosophers have been so rich, 

 and few rich people have become so like him, without caring 

 about riches. This cause of the greatness of his fortune is also 

 its excuse ; for we must allow that one almost needs to be ex- 

 cused when he has acquired so much ; yet he did not omit seek- 

 ing opportunities of diminishing it : he supported and carried 

 forward several young persons who gave promise of talent ; he 



