Holograph draft of MINT00518 (Mint 19/2/229), followed by numerous calculations and a paragraph on interpreting the chronology of the Book of Revelation

<11r>

Chester May the 16^th: 1725

Sir Isack Newton

Your great, wise and food genious, so much known to mankinde, leads me, (tho unknown) to trouble you with the Melancholly account of an unhappy youth, tho a most hopefull young Gentleman, & son of the best of Mothers, who has been alwayes Esteemed an Extraordinary Wife to her husband, & looked on to be most valuable in the deportment of her minde which I hope alltogether may deserve your advice, & consideration, toward this young Gentleman, & doubt not, but if you will please to give him leave to make himselfe known to you, that you will finde him deserveing of your instructions and favor, because, beleive him, to be a branch of your Family, as I Iudge may appear, by the following account viz^t:

This young Gentleman, Robert Newton now upwards of 15 years old is the heir of Heightly in the County of Salop, which Estate is well Wooded, & upwards of £800 per annum: This said Robert Newton, is Lineally descended from Sir Richard Newton who was Lord Cheife Iustice of the Common Pleas, in Reigns of 3 of the King Henerys, & allso descended Lineally from Sir Peter Newton, mentioned in Bakers Chronicles &c^a.

This said Rob^t: Newton, Minor, is kept out of his Estate by two Daughters, of his Fathers Eldest Brother, & tho there was a good Settlement made att the Marriage of his Grandmother, on the Male heirs, yet his uncles two Daughters pretend there has been fines past, and that their Father & Grand Mother by Lease & Release, has created it fee simple, but this said Rob^t: Newtons Father who was next in the intail, was not taken in, He was Minister of S^t Peters Church in this Citty of Chester, When he dyed, he left 5 young Children, the Eldest, but 12 years old, and this present youth, then 4 months Old, their Mother, through her great care and industry, gave them all, a good Edducation, the Eldest son, Chosen fellow, of Brazon Noze Oxen, and took his Master of Arts degree, he afterward, was Reader of S^t Stephens Walbrook London. In the year 1720 he preferred a Bill in Chancery against the two Daughters of his Vnckle, & continued in suit near two years, but finding his Mothers substance Exausted, & not able to proceed dismissed his bill, and soon after dyed, and ever since his death, <11v> the two daughters are cutting down the Wood & makeing great devastation in the Estate, as appears by the Oaths of Creddible Persons,

Sir Isack my years & Eyes will not permitt me to write, what may be said on this terrible case, but as Iustice & conscience, are the motives of troubling you, I hope it may Excuse me, as I am with great Respect,

Sir Isack,

Your most humble servant

Geo: Needham

^[1] < insertion from the middle of f 12v >

Sir Isack Newton att his house
near Leisterfeilds
London

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May it please your Lordships

In obedience to your Lordships Order of Referent of Sept. 23^d, 1725, that we should cause the weight & assay of five sorts of new Portugal Gold coins to be taken & report the same to your Lordships with our opinion at what value they may reasonably go in Ireland in case his Majesty should think fit to make them current there by proclamation: We have caused five pieces of the said five sorts new out of the Portugal Mint, to be weighed & assayed. And they proved as follows

By these assays the coyn is standard & by the weights of the pieces, the species are double to one another in proportion, so that if the biggest pieces be {valued} at three pounds eleven shillings & eight pence (as we reccon{)}; the next in bigness will be worth one pound eleven pence, the least but one nine shillings abating an half penny & the least four shillings & six pence abating a farthing. These are their values in England when they come fresh out of the Mint one with another but the Merchants will be apt to pick out the lightest pieces for Ireland & send the heaviest to the melting pot. And those peices which are full weight when they come fresh out of the Mint, will soon grow lighter by wearing in Portugal before they come into Ireland. And the smallest pieces will wear fastest in pro
portion to their weight & value. But if this money is to be made current in Ireland, we are humbly of opinion that the biggest pieces should not be current for more then the value of three Guineas & a third part of a Guinea in Ireland, the next in bignes may be current for half the value of the biggest, the middlemost for a quarter of that value, the least but one for the eighth part of that value & the least for the sixteenth part thereof. All which is most humbly submitted

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The pieces of the biggest species we reccon worth 3^li. 11^s. 8^d each as they come fresh out of the Mint, one with another; & according to this valuation the next in bigness are worth one pound 15^s & ten pence each, the middlesmost are worth 17^s. 11^d each, the least but one are worth nine shilling each abated an halfpenny, & the least are worth four shillings & six pence each abating a farthing.

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The Two thousand three hundred days are the duration of the profanation of the {temple}. & intermission of the {daily sacrifice} & amount unto six years & four months & twenty days: whereas the profanation of the tem{ple} & cessation of the daily sacrifice in the reign of Antiochus lasted but three years 1 Maccab. 1. 20, 20, 54. And if you date the time from the first spoiling of the temple by Antiochus, which was two years earlier, the whole will be but five years, & these not continued. But if you date them from the time in which some Iews apostatized from the law to the religion of the heathens & got a licence from the king to do after the ordinances of the heathens, & built a place at Ierusalem for their religious meetings {Mac 1 11, 13, 14}: the year of this apostacy is not recorded, & it was but a particular apostacy without profaning the Temple or interrupting the daily sacrifice during 2300 days.

He only polluted the temple & took away the daily sacrifice during three years or 1080 days. MAccab. 1. 28, 29, 54 He spoiled the temple two years before but did not then take away the daily sacrific{e} & the whole five years amount only to 1800 days. Before this some Iews apostatized from the laws to the heathen religion & got a licence from the king to do after the ordinances of the heathens & built a place at Ierusalem for their religious meetings Maccabi 1. 1.. 12. 14, but they neither cast down the sanctuary nor polluted it not took away the daily sacrifice. The little horn acted till the last end of the indignation & this indignation is not yet at an end. The sanctuary continued cast down 2300 days before it was cleansed, & day, in sacred prophets are pu{illeg} for years. Ezek IV, 5, 6.