^{page 66 note *} Leibnitii et Beenoullii Commercium Episiolicum, tom. ii. Epist. ccxxvi. p. 365.

^{page 67 note *} His expressions are, ‘C'est ici ou les modernes se flattent d'avior un avantage, marqué, s'imaginant avior les premiers découvert le principe de la gravitation universelle, qu'ils regardent comme une verité qui avoit été inconnue aux Anciens. Il est cependant aisé de faire voir qu'ils n'ont fait que suivre les traces des ces anciens philosophes, en partant du même principe, et guidés par les mêmes raisonnemens:’ p. 145.

^{page 68 note *} It is worthy of remark, that M. Delambre, in his ‘Histoire de l'Astronomie au Dixhuitième Siecle,’ objects to these statements of David Gregory, as attributing more precise ideas on the subject of gravitation to the ancients than they possessed, not being aware that in so doing he was opposing not only the opinion of David Gregory, but that of Newton himself.

^{page 69 note *} The remainder of this paragraph is as follows: ‘Nam liberrime agit quæ optima et ratione maxima consentanea sunt, et errore vel fato cæco adduci non potest ut aliter agat. Hæc est idea Entis summe perfecti, et conceptus durior Deitatem minime perficiet, sed suspectam potius reddet, aut forsan excludet e rerum natura.’

^{page 70 note *} The rest of this paragraph is as follows:—‘Nam quomodo motus in pleno peragatur intelligi non potest; cum partes materiæ, utcunque minutæ, si globulares sint, nunquam implebunt spatium solidum; sin angulares, propter omnimodum superficierum contactum firmius hærebunt inter se quàm lapides in acervo, et ordine semel turbato, non amplius congruent ad spatium solidum implendum. Porrò tam experimentis probavimus quàm rationibus mathematicis, quod corpus sphæricum densitatis cujuscunque in fluido ejusdem densitatis utcunque subtili progrediens, ex resistentia medii prius amittet semissem motus sui quam longitudinem diametri suæ descripserit. Et quod resistentia fluidi illius nee per subtilem partium divisionem, nee per motum partium inter se diminui possit, ut corpus longitudinem diametri prius describat quam amittat semissem motus.’

^{page 72 note *} To enable the reader to form his own opinion, these two letters are here subjoined. They are both addressed to Mr Locke.

‘Sir,

‘Being of opinion that you endeavoured to embroil me with women and by other means, 1 was so affected with it, as that when one told me you were sickly and would not live, I answered, 'Twere better if you were dead. I desire you to forgive me this uncharitableness. For I am now satisfied that what you have done is just, and I beg your pardon for my having hard thoughts of you for it, and for representing that you struck at the root of morality in a principle you laid down in your book of Ideas, and designed to pursue in another book; and that I took you for a Hobbist. I beg your pardon also for saying or thinking that there was a design to sell me an office, or to embroil me. I am your most humble, and unfortunate Servant, Is. Newton.’

‘At the Bull, in Shoreditch,

London, Sept. 16. 1693.’

In answer to these painful acknowledgments, Locke, in, a letter written, as Mr Stewart justly remarks, ‘with the magnanimity of a philosopher, and with the good-humoured forbearance of a man of the world,’ requests Newton to point out the places in his book that gave occasion to his censure, in order that, by explaining himself better in a second edition, he may avoid being mistaken by others, or unawares doing the least prejudice to truth or virtue. Newton's reply is as follows:

‘Sir,

The last winter, by sleeping too often by my fire, I got an ill habit of sleeping; and a distemper which this summer has been epidemical, put me farther out of order, so that when I wrote to you, I had not slept an hour a night for a fortnight together, and for five nights together not a wink. I remember I wrote to you, but what I said of your book I remember not. If you please to send me a transcript of that passage, I will give you an account of it if I can. I am your most humble Servant, Is. Newton.’

‘Cambridge, Oct. 5. 1693.’

^{page 73 note *} These remarkable expressions occur in a very curious and interesting letter, also contained in Lord King's Life of Locke. As it relates to the character of Newton, and appears to me to throw considerable light on the subject under discussion, I shall make no apology for inserting it here, especially as it seems to be but little known. It is a confidential letter from Locke to his friend and relation Mr King, afterwards Lord Chancellor; and it can scarcely be doubted that, had there been any truth in the supposition of Newton's previous derangement, he would have made some allusion to it on this occasion.

‘Dear Cousin, Oates, April 30. 1703.

‘I am puzzled in a little affair, and must beg your assistance for the clearing of it. Mr Newton, in autumn last, made me a visit here; I showed him my essay upon the Corinthians, with which he seemed very well pleased, but had not time to look it all over, but promised me if I would send it him, he would carefully peruse it, and send me his observations and opinion. I sent it him before Christmas, but hearing nothing from him, I, about a month or six weeks since, writ to him, as the inclosed tells you, with the remaining part of the story. When you have read it, and sealed it, I desire you to deliver at your convenience. He lives in German Street: You must not go on a Wednesday, for that is his day for being at the Tower. The reason why I desire you to deliver it to him yourself is, that I would fain discover the reason of his so long silence. I have several reasons to think him truly my friend, but he is a nice man to deal with, and a little too apt to raise in himself suspicions where there is no ground; therefore, when you talk to him of my papers, and of his opinion of them, pray do it with all the tenderness in the world, and discover, if you can, why he kept them so long, and was so silent. But this you must do without asking why he did so, or discovering in the least that you are desirous to know. You will do well to acquaint him that you intend to see me at Whitsuntide, and shall be glad to bring a letter to me from him, or any thing else he will please to send; this perhaps may quicken him, and make him despatch these papers if he has not done it already. It may a little let you into the freer discourse with him, if you let him know that when you have been here with me, you have seen me busy on them (and the Romans too, if he mentions them, for I told him I was upon them when he was here,) and have had a sight of some part of what I was doing.

‘Mr Newton is really a very valuable man, not only for his wonderful skill in mathematics, but in divinity too, and his great knowledge of the Scriptures, wherein I know few his equals. And therefore pray manage the whole matter so as not only to preserve me in his good opinion, but to increase me in it; and be sure to press him to nothing, but what he is forward in himself to do.’

^{page 75 note *} Dissertation on the Progress of Metaphysical, Ethical, and Political Philosophy, Part II. p. 31.—Supplement to Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. V. Part I.