1813.] Sir Isaac Newton. 243 



the sun, especially in the yard of the house where he lived, 

 against the wall and roof, wherein he drove pegs to mark the 

 hours and half hours made by the shade. These, by some years' 

 observation, he made very exact, so that any body knew what 

 o'clock it was by Isaac's dial, as they usually called it. 



His turn for drawing, which he acquired without any assist- 

 ance, was equally remarkable with his mechanical inventions. 

 He filled his whole room with pictures of his own making; 

 copied partly from prints, and partly from the life. Among 

 others, were portraits of several of the kings, of Dr. Donne, 

 and of Mr. Stokes, his school- master.* 



Mrs. Vincent was niece to the wife of Sir Isaac's landlord, at 

 Grantham, and lived with him in the same house. According 

 to her account, he very seldom joined with his school-fellows in 

 their boyish amusements, but chose rather to be at home, even 

 among the girls, and would frequenth- make little tables, cup- 

 boards, and other utensils, for her and her play fellows to set 

 their babies and trinkets in. She mentioned, likewise, a cart 

 which he made with four wheels, in which he would sit, and by 

 turning a windlass about, made it carry him round the house 

 wherever he pleased. He is said to have contracted an attach- 

 ment to Mrs. Vincent, whose maiden name was Storey, and 

 would have married her, but being himself a Fellow of a Col- 

 lege, with hardly any other income, and she having little or no 

 fortune of her own, he judged it imprudent to enter into any 

 matrimonial connection. But he continued to visit her as long 

 as he lived, after her marriage, and repeatedly supplied her with 

 money when she wanted it. 



During all this time the mother of Sir Isaac lived at North 

 Witham, with her second husband; but, upon his death, she 

 returned to Woolsthorp, and, in order to save expenses as much 



• He informed Ms nephew, Mr. Conduitt, that he lind a facility in making 

 verses. This is (he more remarkahle, as he had been heard (o express a coin 

 tempt for poetr. . Hence it is probable that the following lines, which he 

 wrote under the portrait of Charles I., were of his own composition, they 

 n.re given by »r. Slukely, from Mrs. V 'intent, who repeated them from 

 memory , 



A secret art my soul requires to try, 

 If piayers can give me what the wars deny. 

 Three crowns distinguished here in order do 

 Present then objects to my knowing view. 

 Earth's crown, thus at my feet, I can disdain, 

 W Inch heavy is, and, at the belt, but vain. 

 Rat now ;i croWll of thorns I gladly gret I : 

 Sharp is this cro«n, but not so sharp .I* -.■. 

 Tin- crown ofglorj that I vomit, sir 

 I. lull of bl 1st and of eternity. 



if Newton wrote these lines, .1 must be remembered thai they nw u • 



'l*i be tfOI only u boy at school. 



e 2 



