234 THE EOYAL INSTITUTION. [CHAP. IV. 



In his manners he had something of the stiffness of the 

 Quaker remaining, and, though he never said or did a rude 

 thing, he never made use of any of the forms of politeness. 

 Not that he avoided them through affectation ; his behaviour 

 was natural, without timidity, and easy without boldness. 

 He rarely associated with the young men of the College, 

 who called him, with a mixture of derision and respect, 

 ' Phenomenon Young,' but he lived on familiar terms with 

 the Fellows in the Common Boom. He had few friends of 

 hia own age or pursuits in the University, and not having 

 been introduced to many of those who were distinguished 

 either by their situation or talent, he did not seek their 

 society, nor did they seek him ; they did not like to admit 

 the superiority of anyone in statu pupillari, and he would 

 not converse with anyone but as an equal. 



It is difficult to say how he employed himself ; he read 

 little, and though he had access to the College and 

 University libraries he was seldom seen in them. There 

 were no books piled on his floor, no papers scattered on his 

 table, and his room had all the appearance of belonging to 

 an idle man. 



I once found him blowing smoke through long tubes, and 

 I afterwards saw a representation of the effect in the 

 1 Transactions of the Royal Society,' to illustrate one of his 

 papers upon sound ; but he was not in the habit of making 

 experiments. He walked little and rode less ; but, having 

 learnt to ride the great horse abroad, he used to pace round 

 Parker's Piece on a hackney : he once made an attempt to 

 follow the hounds, but a severe fall prevented any future 

 exhibition. 



He seldom gave an opinion, and never volunteered one. 

 He never laid down the law like other learned doctors, 

 or uttered apophthegms or sayings to be remembered. 

 Indeed, like most mathematicians (though we hear of 

 abstract mathematics), he never seemed to think ab- 

 stractedly. A philosophical fact, a difficult calculation, an 



