48 Life of John Dollond, F.R.S. 



oF our government, in Spilalficlds, and partieular cucourage- 

 nient granted to the silk inanufactory. 



Tile lirst vears of Mr. Dollond's life were employed at 

 the loom ; but, l)eing of a very studious and plulosophic 

 turn of mind, his leisure hours were engaged in mathema- 

 tieal pursuits ; and though by the death of his father, 

 %vhieh happened in his infancy, his education gave way 

 to the necessities of his family, yet at the age of fifteen, 

 before he had an opportunity of seeing works of science or 

 elementary treatises, he ainuscd himself by constructing 

 sun-dials, drawing geometrical schemes, and solving pro- 

 blems. 



An early marriage and an increasing family afforded him 

 little opportunity of pursuing his favourite studies : but such 

 arc the powers of the human mind when called into action, 

 that difTiculties, which appear to the casual observer insur- 

 mountable, vield and retire before perseverance and genius : 

 even under the pressure of a close application to business 

 for the support of his family, he found time, by abridging 

 the hours of his rest, to extend his mathematical knov/- 

 ledge, and made a considerable proficiency in optics and 

 astronomy, to which he now principally devoted his atten- 

 tion, having in the earlier stages of his life prepared him- 

 self for the higher parts of those subjects by a perfect know- 

 ledge of alsicbra and o;cometrv. 



Soon after this, without abatmg from the ardour of his 

 other literary pursuits, or relaxing from the labours of his 

 profession, he began to study anatomy, and likewise to 

 read divinity ; and finding the knowledge of T«itia and 

 Greek indispensablv necessary towards attaining those ends, 

 he applied himself diligently, and was soon able to translate 

 the Greek Testament into Latin ; and as he admired the 

 power and the wisdom of the Creator in the mechanism of 

 the human frame, so he adored his goodness displaced in 

 his revealed word. 



It might from hence be concluded that his sabbath was 

 devoted to retired reading and philosophical objects ; but he 

 was not content with private devotion, as he was alw avs au 

 advocate for social worship, and with his family regularly 

 attended the public service of the French protestant church, 

 and occasionally heard Benson and Lardner, whom he re- 

 spected as men and admired as preachers. In his appear- 

 ance he was grave, and the strong lines of his face were 

 marked with deep thought and reflection ; but in his inter- 

 course with his family and friends, he was cheerful and 

 aftettioaat»j and his language and sentnnents are distinctly 



recollected 



