It is further observed, concerning this part of his character, that he never talkefl either of himself or others, nor ever be haved in such a manner, as to give the most malicious censurers the least occa sion even to suspect himof vanity. He was candid and affable, and always put himself upon a level with his company. He never thought either his merit or his reputation sufficient to excuse him from any of the common offices of social life. No singularities, either natural or affect ed, distinguished him from other men. Though he was firmly attached to the Church of England, he was averse from the persecution of the non-conformists. He judged of men by their manners, and the true schismatics, in his opinion, were the vicious and the wicked. Not that he confined his principles to natural religion, for it is said he was thoroughly persuad ed of the truth of revellition ; and amidst the great variety of books which he had constantly before him, that which he studied with the greatest application was the Bible, at least in the latter years of his life ; and he understood the nature and force of moral certainty, as well as he did that of a strict demonstration.
Sir Isaac did not neglect the opportu nities of doing good, when the revenues of his patrimony and a profitable employ ment, improved by a prudent economy, put it in his power. We have two re markable instances of his bounty and generosity ; one to Mr. Maclaurin, extra professor of mathematics at Edinburgh, to encourage whose appointment he offer ed 201. a year to that office ; and the other to his niece Barton, upon whom he set tled an annuity of '100b per annum. When decency upon any occasion requir ed expense and shew, he was magnificent without grudging it, and with a very good grace ; at all other times, that pomp, which seems great to low minds only, was utterly retrenched, and the expense reserved for better uses.
Newton never married ; and it has been said that " perhaps he never had leisure to think of it; that, being immersed in profound studies dining the prime of his age, and afterwards engaged in an em ployment of great importance, and even quite taken up with the company which his merit drew to him, he was not sensi ble of any vacancy in life, nor the want of a companion at home." These, how ever, do not appear to be any sufficient reasons for his never marrying, if he bad had an inclination so to do. It is much more likely that he had a constitutional indifference to the state, and even to the sex in general.
• He left at his death, it seems, 32,0001., but he made no will ; which, Fontenelle tells us, was because he thought a lega cy was no gift. As to his works, besides what were published in his lifetime, there were found after his death, among his papers, several discourses upon the sub jects of antiquity, history, divinity, che mistry, and mathematics ; several of Which were published at different times, is appears from the following catalogue of all his works ; where they are ranked in the order of time in which those upon the same subject were published.
1. Several Papers relatinc to his Tele scope, and his theory of Light and Co lours, printed in the Philosophical Trans actions, Numbers, 80, 81,82, 83, 88, 96, 97, 110, 121, 123, 128 ; or Yob. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.. • 2. Optics, or a Treatise on the Reflec tions, Refractions, and Inflections, and the Colours of Light, 1704, 4to. A Latin Translation, by Dr. Clarke, 1706, 4to. ; and a French Translation, by P. Caste, Aunt. 1729, 2 vols. l2mo. Besides seve ral English editions in 8vo.
3. Optical Lectures, 1728, 8vo.; also in several Letters to Mr. Oldenburg, Secre tary to the Royal Society, inserted in the General Dictionary, under our author's article.
4. Lectiones Opticc, 1729, 4to. • 5. Naturalis Philosophic Principia Ma thematics, 1687, 4to. A second editidn in 1713, with a Preface by Roger Cotes. The third edition in 1726, under the di rection of Dr. Pemberton. An English Translation by Matte, 1729, 2 vols, 8vo. printed in several editions of his works, in different nations, particularly an edi tion, with a large Commentary, by the two learned Jesuits, Le Seur and Jacquier, in 4 vols. 4to. in 1739, 1740, and 1742.
6. A System of the World, Translat ed from the Latin original, 1727, 8vo. This, as has been already observed, was at first.intended to make the third book of his Principia. An English Trans lotion by Motte, 1629, 8vo.
7. Several Letters to Mr. Flamstead, Dr. Halley, and Mr. Oldenburg.
8. A Paper concerning the Longitude, drawn up by order of the House of Com mons.
9. Abrege de Chronologie, &c. 1726, under the direction of the Abbe Conti, together .with some Observations upon it 10. Remarks upon the Observations made upon a Chronological Index of Sir 1. Newton, &c. Philosophical Transac tions, vol. 33. See also the same, vols. 34 and 35, by Dr. Halley.
11. The Chronology of Ancient Wang doms amended, &c. 1728, 4to.
12. Arithmetic& Universalis, &c. under the inspection of Mr. Whiston, Cantab. 1707, 8vci. Printed without the author's consent, and even against his will, an of fence which, it seems, was never forgiven. There are also English editions of the same, particularly one by Wilder, with a Commentary, in 1769, 2 vols. 8vo. ; and a Latin edition, with a Commentiry, by Castilion, 2 vols. 4to. Anat. &c. • 13. Analysis per Quantitatum Fluxiones, et Differentia*, cum Enumera tione Linearum Tertii Ordinis, 1711,4to. under the inspection of W. Jones, Esq. F. R. 8. The last tract had been publish ed before, together with another on the Quadratureuf Curves, by the method of Fluxions, under the title of Tractatus duo de Speciebus et Maguitudine Figura rum Curvilinearum, subjoined to the first edition of his Optics, in 1704, and other Letters in the Appendix to Dr. Grego ry's Catoptrics, &c. 2735, 8vo. Under this head may be ranked Newtoni Ge nesis Curvarum per Umbras, Leyden, 1740.