SCHOOLING 23 
Somewhere about the time of her second marriage, Antony’s 
mother put him to school at Warmond, a townlet a few miles 
north of Leyden. After receiving his earliest education here, 
he went—at what age is not exactly known—to live with an 
uncle who was an attorney, and also town clerk, at Benthuizen.’ 
It has been said that young Antony was at this time con- 
templating a similar career, and that he went to his uncle to 
prepare himself for it.” But there appears to be very little 
foundation for such a supposition ; and it has been judiciously 
remarked * that, as he was never even taught Latin, it is un- 
likely he was ever destined either for the law or for the 
university. 
But whatever his own or his family’s intentions may have 
been at this date, we know certainly that Antony neither 
progressed far in the study of the law nor did he prepare himself 
for a university career. We may suppose, however, that his 
education was not wholly neglected during his residence with 
his uncle: and it was, perhaps, at this time that he acquired 
those rudiments of mathematics and physical science in which 
he so delighted to indulge himself in his later life. Yet it is 
certain that he received no instruction in languages, for to the 
end of his days he knew none but his own.* 
In 1648° (the year in which his stepfather died) Antony, 
being 16 years of age, was sent to Amsterdam—then, as now, 
one of the great commercial cities of the world. He was there 
placed in a linen-draper’s shop, in order to learn the business ; 
and in a very short time he qualified himself as a draper and 
rose to the position of book-keeper and cashier’—a post which 
he held for several years at least. How long he remained in 
the shop at Amsterdam is not known, and nothing is known 
with certainty regarding his other doings at this period. But 
it seems probable that during his sojourn in the capital he 
’ Cf. Boitet (1729) and Haaxman (1875).—Benthuizen is a small place 
some 9 miles N.H. of Delft. 
* Boitet (1729), followed by v. Haastert (1823). 
* Halbertsma (1843). 
* Of. p. 305 infra. 
° Schierbeek (1929) gives the year as 1638: but this is obviously a 
misprint. 
° According to Boitet (1729), who is copied by later biographers. There 
are no known records extant relating to L.’s apprenticeship. 
