Page:Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton's life.djvu/121

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highest opinion, & early prognoſtic of his excellence; would frequently ſay, that truly he himself knew something of the mathematics: ſtill he reckond himself but a child in compariſon of his pupil Newton. He faild not upon all occaſions, to give a just encomium of him. & whenever a difficult problem was brought to him to ſolve, he refer'd 'em immediately to Newton.

*Sr. Iſaac had all the qualifications for a philoſopher the acumen, the patience, & the judgmt. necessary: at the ſame time, he had a natural geometry able to ſurmount all difficultys. he neither began with Euclid, or ſuch like introductions but cd. demonſtrate on sight. & at 24 yrs of age had laid the foundation of his two great diſcoverys, the principia philoſ. mathemat. & of his optics: & then had invented the wonderful method of infinite series, or fluxions.

it ſeems to me, likely enough, that Sr. Iſaac's early use, & expertness at his mechanical tools, & his faculty of drawing, & deſigning, were of ſervice to him, in his experimental way of philoſophy: & prepar'd for him, a ſolid foundation to exercise his ſtrong reaſoning facultys upon; his ſagacious discernment of cauſes, and effects, his most penetrating inveſtigation of methods to come at his intended purpose; his profound judgment; his invincible conſtancy, & perſevereance in finding out his ſolutions, & demonſtrations, & in his experiments; his vast ſtrength of mind, in protracting his reaſonings, his chain of deductions; his indefatigable attachment to calculations; his incomparable ſkill in algebraic, & the like methods of notation; all theſe united in one man, & that in an extraordinary degree, were the architects that raiſd a building upon the experimental foundation, wh