NEWTON, SIR IsAne, the most celebrated mathema tician and natural philosopher that any country has pro duced, was born on the 25th of December, 1642, at Woolsthorpe, a village in the parish of Colsterworth, in Lincolnshire, about six miles south of Grantham. His father was descended from the oldest branch of the fa mily of Sir John Newton, Bart., and was lord of the ma nor of Woolsthorpe. They came originally from New ton in Lancashire. His mother, Hannah Ayscough, was of an old family in Lincolnshire. She contracted a se cond marriage with the Rev. Barnabas Smith, a wealthy old Bachelor, by whom she had a son and two daugh ters. When Isaac was born, which was three months after his father's death, he was of extremely diminu tive size, and two women who were, sent to Lady Pakenham's at North Witham, for something for the child, did not expect to find him alive at their return. Mrs. Newton was extremely attentive to his education. She sent him to two day schools at Skellington and Stoke ; and, at the age or 12, he went to the great school at Grantham, under Mr. Stalkes ; where he boarded in the house of an apothecary, whose brother was usher of the school.
At this school he displayed a very singular passion for mechanical contrivances. By means of little saws, hatchets, hammers, and all sorts of tools, he made mo dels of wood, when his companions were at play ; and such was his dexterity, that he constructed a wooden clock, and a good model of a windmill which was erected about that time near Grantham, on the way to Gunnerby. Into this model he sometimes put a mouse which he called his miller, and by means of whose action he could turn the mill round when he chose. He executed also a water-clock, about 4 feet high, with a dial-plate at top for indicating the hours. The index was turned by a piece ol wood, which either rose or fell by the drop ping of water. The passion of the boy for these me chanical occupations often withdrew his attention from his regular studies ; and in consequence of this the other boys gained places above him, till he was roused to outstrip them all by a little extraordinary exertion, The intermission of his mechanical pursuits, which was thus rendered necessary, rather increased than abated his ardour for them. He introduced the use of paper
kites among his school-fellows. He made paper lan terns, by the light of which he went to school in the win ter mornings ; and he frightened the country people by tying them to the tails of his kites in a dark night. He watched too the motions of the sun with great diligence ; and by means of pegs placed in the wall of the house where he lived, and marks for the hours and half hours, the time of the day was shown to every person, on what went by the name of Isaac's dial. He had also a great turn for drawing ; and, according to the account of Mrs. Vincent, who was niece to the wife of Sir Isaac's land lord, at Grantham, he frequently made little tables and cupboards, for her and her play-fellows. She mentions also his having made a cart with four wheels, in vrhich he could drive himself by turning a windlass.
Upon the death of Mrs. Newton's second husband, she we.nt from North Witham to Woolsthorpe, and re called Isaac from school, in order that he might give his assistance in managing the business of the farm. He superintended the tillage, the grazing, and the harvest ; and, accompanied by a trusty servant, he went on Satur days to Grantham market to dispose of corn and other articles of agricultural produce. Isaac frequently de serted his commercial charge, left the servant, and be took himself to a garret in the apothecary's house, where he amused himself with some old books, till he received notice that it was time to return. The affairs of the farm did not flourish under our young philosopher's manage ment. The study of a book, the execution of a model, or the superintendance of a water wheel of his own con struction, often occupied his attention when the sheep were astray, and the corn treading down by the cattle.