A View of Sir Isaac Newton's PhilosophyPemberton, Henry
Science
A View of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy
Pemberton, Henry
Newton, Isaac, 1642-1727. Principia
_As to the moral endowments of his mind, they were as much to be
admired as his other talents. But this is a field I leave others to
exspatiate in. I only touch upon what I experienced myself during
the few years I was happy in his friendship. But this I immediately
discovered in him, which at once both surprized and charmed me: Neither
his extreme great age, nor his universal reputation had rendred him
stiff in opinion, or in any degree elated. Of this I had occasion
to have almost daily experience. The Remarks I continually sent him
by letters on his Principia were received with the utmost goodness.
These were so far from being any ways displeasing to him, that on
the contrary it occasioned him to speak many kind things of me to my
friends, and to honour me with a publick testimony of his good opinion.
He also approved of the following treatise, a great part of which we
read together. As many alterations were made in the late edition of
his Principia, so there would have been many more if there had been
a sufficient time. But whatever of this kind may be thought wanting,
I shall endeavour to supply in my comment on that book. I had reason
to believe he expected such a thing from me, and I intended to have
published it in his life time, after I had printed the following
discourse, and a mathematical treatise Sir_ ~ISAAC NEWTON~ _had written
a long while ago, containing the first principles of fluxions, for I
had prevailed on him to let that piece go abroad. I had examined all
the calculations, and prepared part of the figures; but as the latter
part of the treatise had never been finished, he was about letting me
have other papers, in order to supply what was wanting. But his death
put a stop to that design. As to my comment on the Principia, I intend
there to demonstrate whatever Sir_ ~ISAAC NEWTON~ _has set down without
express proof, and to explain all such expressions in his book, as
I shall judge necessary. This comment I shall forthwith put to the
press, joined to an english translation of his Principia, which I have
had some time by me. A more particular account of my whole design has
already been published in the new memoirs of literature for the month
of march 1727._
_I have presented my readers with a copy of verses on Sir_ ~ISAAC
NEWTON~, _which I have just received from a young Gentleman, whom I am
proud to reckon among the number of my dearest friends. If I had any
apprehension that this piece of poetry stood in need of an apology,
I should be desirous the reader might know, that the author is but
sixteen years old, and was obliged to finish his composition in a very
short space of time. But I shall only take the liberty to observe, that
the boldness of the digressions will be best judged of by those who are
acquainted with_ ~PINDAR~.
A
~POEM~
ON
Sir ~_ISAAC NEWTON_~.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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