1813.] Sir Isaac Newton. 325 



H. S. E. 



ISAACUS NEWTON, EQUES AURATUS, 



QUI ANIMI VI PROPE DIVINA 



PLANETARUM MOTUS, FIGURAS, 



COMETARUM SEMITAS OCEANIQUE ^ESTUS, 



SUA MATHESI FACEM PRjEFERENTE, 



PRIMUS DEMONSTRAVIT. 



RADIORUM LUCIS DISSIMILITUDINES, 



COLORU.MQUE INDE NASCENTIUM PROPR1ETATES, 



QUAS NEMO ANTEA VEL SUSPICATUS ERAT, PERVESTIGAVIT. 



NATUR.E, ANTIQUITATIS, S. SCRIPTURE, 



SEDULUS, SAGAX, FIDUS INTERPRES, 



DEI OPT. MAX. MAJESTATEM PHILOSOPHIA ASSERU1T, 



EVANGELII SIMPLICITATEM MORI BUS EXPRESSIT. 



SIBI GRATULENTUR MORTALES, TALE TANTUMQUE EXTITISSE 



HUMANI GENERIS DECUS. 



NATUS XXV. DECEMB. MDCXLII. OBIIT XX. MART. 

 MDCCXXVI. 



The mathematical discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton were so 

 numerous and so important, that it is no easy task to give an 

 idea of them. As his geometrical studies were conducted, in a 

 great measure, without a master; and as the first books to which 

 he paid particular attention were the Geometry of Descartes, and 

 the Arithmetic of Infinites of Dr. Wallis, he never possessed 

 any intimate acquaintance with the methods of the ancient 

 mathematicians ; a circumstance which, as we are informed by 

 Dr. Pemberton, he afterwards regretted ; but which, probably, 

 contributed to render his invention so fertile and so happy. He 

 made a great many discoveries while perusing the two works 

 above-mentioned ; and we have complete evidence that he was 

 in possession of all his inventions before the age of 24. A 

 complete collection of his works was published in 177^, by Dr. 

 Horsley, in five quarto volumes, accompanied by a commentary, 

 which, however, is any thing but complete. It is to be regretted 

 that the mathematical world is yet destitute of a good commen- 

 tary on the works of this consummate mathematician. Some of 

 his books, indeed, have been fully commented on. Thus the 

 Jesuits' copy of the Principia, if it has any fault, abounds too 

 much with notes ; and Stirling's Commentary on Newton's 

 Treatise respecting Lines of the Third Order, is excellent. We 

 have also a very elaborate Commentary on his Universal Arith- 

 metic ; and perhaps his Optics stands in need of no other com- 

 mentary than the few optical discoveries which have been made 

 since he wrote, and which enable us to rectify one or two of his 

 opinions on that difficult subject. 



Newton communicated many of his original discoveries to Dr. 

 Barrow, at that time Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge ; 



