Mr. Sharp continued all his life a bache lor, and spent his time as recluse as a hermit. He was of a middle stature, but very thin, being of a weakly constitution; he was remarkably feeble the last three or four years before he died, which was on the eighteenth of July 1742, in the ninety-first year of his age.
In his retirement at Little Horton, he employ ed four or five rooms or apart ments in his house for diffi.ren. purposes, into which none of his family could pos sibly enter at ally time without his per mission. He was seldom visited by any persons, except two gentlemen of Brad ford, the one a mathematician. and the other an ingenious apothecary : these were admitted, when he chose to be seen by them, by the signal of rubbing a stone against a certain part of the outside wall of the house. He duly attended the dis senting chapel at Bradford, of which he was a member, every Sunday; at these times he took care to be provided with plcnty of halfpence, which he very cha ritably suffered to be taken singly out of his hand, held behind him during his walk to the chapel, by a number of poor t,eople who followed him without his ever look ing back, or asking a single quesuon.
Mr. Sharp was very irregular as to his meals, and remarkably sparing in his diet, which he frequently took in the follow ing manner. A little square hole, some
thing like a window, made a communica tion between the room where lie was usually employed in calculations, and an other chamber or room in the house where a servant could enter ; and before this hole he had contrived a sliding board : the servant always placed his victuals in this hole, without speaking or making the least noise, and when he had a little leisure, he visited his cupboard, to see what it afforded to satisfy his hunger or thirst. But it often happened that the breakfast, di nner, and supper, have re mained untouched by him, when the ser vant has gone to remove what was left, so deeply engaged had he been in calcula tions Cavities might easily be perceived in an old English oak table where he sat to write, by the frequent rubbing and wearing of his elbows. Giata ea-vat lapi dem, &c By Mr. Sharp's epitaph it ap pears that he was related to Archbishop Sharp ; and Mr. Sharp, the eminent sur geon, who some years since retired from business, is the nephew of our author. Another nephew was the father of Mr. Ramsden, the present celebrated instru ment maker, who says that his grand uncle, Abraham, our author, was some tme, in his younger days. an exciseman, which occupation he quitted on coming to a patrimonial estate of about two hun dred pounds a-year