Page:Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton's life.djvu/171

infinite were the encomiums they received from foreign countrys; in a great mesure owing to the superior capacity, & unbounded merit of so illustrious a president. nor is it to be forgotten, that at the same time S^r. Hans Sloan & D^r. Halley were secretarys; a triumvirate of the greatest names in the commonwealth of philosophy.

then were distinguishd ornaments of the Society the noble Thomas Earl of Pembroke, who had been president, S^r. Christopher Wren, who had been president, Dr. Keils, monsieur de Moivre, D^r. Cotes, D^r. Tancred Robinson, D^r. Mead, D^r. Friend, D^r. Sherard, who founded the botanic salary at Oxford, D^r. Woodward who founded that of natural philosophy at Cambridg, D^r. Flamsted, M^r. Roger Gale, D^r. Pound, M^r. Derham, D^r. Brook Taylor. D^r. Desaguliers, M^r Graham,

^xDr Bentley, Dr Stephen Hales, Mr Hadley, Mr Rand,

&c., a galaxy of shining genius's, each in their several branches of knowledg illuminating the whole hemisphere of arts, & sciences!

⁺at that time indeed England was the center of learning & curiosity. all the literary Societys the College of Physicians, the Royal Society, the Antiquarian Society, the Surgeons company, the Apothecarys were at the height of glory, & reputation. hither were imported the treasures of antiquity curiosity, & found a ready entertainment. Lord Pembroke made his immense collection of coins, Antient marbles, pictures, books. Lord Oxford, Lord Sunderland collected librarys of books and MSS not less than princely: Sir Hans Sloan, & Dr Mead purchased all that nature or art, antient or modern produc'd: Mr John Bridges, Mr Thomas Rawlinson & many other made very great librarys. Dr. Woodward began the taste of collecting fossils, shells, & all natural productions. Sir Hans Sloan made a noble foundation of the physick garden at Chelsea. The learned Heneage earl of Winchelsea, had made a very great collection of greek coyns;

^x S^r Andrew Fountain, M^r Thomas Sadler & many more Vertuoso's, in all kinds of antient coyns.

S^r. Isaac, in the latter part of his days, thro' age, & a sedentary life, had somewhat of a relaxation of the sphincter of the bladder: so that he was