304 



BARROW. 



Barrow, related to several other distinguished men. He re- 

 ceived the earliest part of his education at the Char- 

 ter-house, where he was remarkable only for inatten- 

 tion, slovenliness, and a most quarrelsome disposition. 

 His father, who had destined him for a learned pro- 

 fession, was 60 discouraged by these untoward ap- 

 pearances, that he often wished, if Providence were 

 ever to deprive him of any of his children, that it 

 might be Isaac, from whom he promised himself no 

 comfort. But having afterwards sent him to a school 

 at Felsted in Essex, he soon perceived the dawn of 

 his future excellence. i\t the age of fifteen, he was 

 placed at Trinity College*, Cambridge, where he was 

 supported chiefly by the liberality of the learned Dr 

 Hammond. His father's circumstances had been 

 greatly reduced by his attachment to the cause of 

 the unfortunate Charles I. ; and young Barrow, who 

 had imbibed the same loyal partialities, could not be 

 prevailed upon, by any temptation of interest, to de- 

 clare his adherence to the republican party. Yet, 

 by his diligence, prudence, and candour, by the man- 

 liness of his principles, and the purity of his morals, 

 he recommended himself to the esteem of the heads 

 of the university, though little favour could then be 

 expected by any who refused to subscribe the covenant. 

 During his residence at the university, he applied 

 with great eagerness to every branch of useful learn- 

 ing ; but his chief attention was paid to the writings 

 of Bacon, Galileo, Descartes, and the other refor- 

 mers of philosophy. In 1649, notwithstanding the 

 odium to which his loyalty exposed him, his indis- 

 putable merit obtained him a fellowship ; and for 

 some time after his election, being convinced that a 

 man of his principles could have no opportunity of 

 being useful in the church, he resolved to make phy- 

 sic his profession. For a few years, therefore, he 

 applied to the study of anatomy, chemistry, and the 

 other branches of a medical education ; but after far- 

 ther deliberation, he returned to the study of divinity, 

 from which he conceived he could not withdraw, 

 without violating the oath he had taken at his ad- 

 mission to a fellowship. 



It is affirmed, that he was led to the study of ma- 

 thematics by reading Scaliger on Eusebius. Per- 

 ceiving that chronology is founded on the basis of 

 astronomy, he began to read some works on this 

 science ; and foreseeing that his labour would be 

 fruitless, unless he previously gained an acquaintance 

 with the principles of geometry, he determined to 

 make himself master of the writings of the ancient 

 mathematicians. Not satisfied with improving his 

 own mind by these exercises, to which he bent hi.; 

 attention with almost unprecedented perseverance, he 

 prepared and published more correct editions of the 

 works of Euclid, Archimedes, and Apollonius, than 

 had hitherto been presented to the world. This, 

 however, is not the whole extent of his merit. 

 Though not of a genius so inventive as Newton, he 

 made a near approach to some of that wonderful 

 man's discoveries, and contributed in a very remark- 

 able degree to enlarge the field of mathematical learn- 

 ing. 



Barrow was recommended by Dr Duport, on his 

 resignation of the Greek professorship, as the fittest 

 person to succeed him ; but, though his qualifica- 



tions were universally acknowledged, his alleged ten- Barrow, 

 dency to Arminianism obstructed his advancement on " " v*- 

 this occasion. In 16.54, he travelled into France, 

 and had the happiness of administering to the wants 

 of his father, whom he found at Paris, in the retinue 

 of the English court. From France he proceeded 

 to Italy, and resided for some time at Florence, where 

 he ' perused many books and medals in the grand 

 duke's library. He was deterred by the plague from 

 visiting Rome, and, in the end of the year 1657, he 

 sailed for Smyrna. During the voyage, he had an 

 opportunity of signalizing his courage in a fierce and 

 obstinate engagement with a pirate. He remained 

 in Turkey more than a year, and at Constantinople 

 he employed himself in reading the works of Chry- 

 sostom, formerly bishop of that see, and in studying 

 the institutions and manners of the people. He re- 

 turned home by the way of Venice, Germany, and 

 Holland, and, soon after his arrival in England, he 

 was ordained by Bishop Brownrigg. 



At the Restoration, it was expected that he would 

 have received some mark of the royal favour, corre- 

 sponding to his deserts ; but, like many others, who 

 had sacrificed their interest in the cause of loyalty, he 

 had the mortification of experiencing the monarch's 

 neglect. His feelings on this occasion were expres 

 sed in the following lines : 



7V magia optarit reditu aw, Carole, nemo; 

 El nemo sensit te retliise minus. 



Soon after this period, however, literary distinc- 

 tions were rapidly bestowed on him by the best 

 judges of his merit. In 1660, he was elected to the 

 professorship of Greek at Cambridge. In 1662, he 

 was appointed professor of geometry at Gresham 

 College; and in 1663, he was chosen, by Mr Lucas's 

 executors, to} fill the mathematical chair at Cam- 

 bridge. In 1664, he resigned the Gresham lecture, 

 and was succeeded by the justly celebrated Dr Ro- 

 bert Hook. In 1669, determining to confine his at- 

 tention to divinity, he resigned his professorship at 

 Cambridge, in favour of Isaac Newton, then in his 

 27th year, whose marvellous attainments Barrow was 

 the first to celebrate and to reward. 



After his resignation, he applied with great assi- 

 duity to tlie composition of sermons, though he had 

 not yet obtained any benefice in the church. About 

 seven years before, he had been offered a valuable 

 living, on condition of educating the patron's son ; 

 but he chose to decline a favour, burdened with a 

 stipulation which he thought simoniacal. In 1670 

 or 1671, his uncle, the Bishop of St Asaph, gave 

 him a small sinecure in his diocese, and the Bishop 

 of Salisbury gave him one of the prebends in his 

 church; both of which he retained only till 1672, 

 when, in his 42d year, he was made master of Tri- 

 nity College, Cambridge. This promotion he owed 

 entirely to the high opinion entertained of liim by 

 the king, who said, he had bestowed it on the best 

 scholar in England ; and his majesty's choice was ap- 

 proved by the almost universal suffrage of the learn- 

 ed. 



From this period he was engaged chiefly in at- 

 tending to the interest of his college, and in writing 

 his theological works, particularly his elaborate trea- 



