Account of Newton's manual dexterity

<1r>

I have heard that it was \is/ a custom \all the {sic}/ \for a/ in the Austrian family to teach all the Princes some manual trade, & it is well known the Great Czar for {sic} some measure \time in a manner/ abdicated the crown \his an Empire/ to learn Mechanicks, but without discussing wether it be necessary for Kings to have Philosophical hands as well as minds it will be allowed that there never was \to be/ a true {sic} saying than that of a late Excellent \Excellent/ author (who in more instances than one seemed to prophecy & foretell the productions of the \the/ great author now S^r I. N.) that Philosophy would then attain to perfection when either Mechanick labourers should have Philosophical heads or Philosophers haue mechanical hands – Happy was it |  It was a providential idleness – or it was nothing less than idleness in S^r I. that S^r I. thus exercised at once, \at once/ equally his body & his mind & his hands as well as his thoughts – As the operations of |  exercise of the faculties |of| the soul depends on the condition of the organs of the body, so the Philosopical & \they/ are lively & vigorous or weak & depressed \inactive/ faint according to the condition the |of| machine the machine by w^ch they act | \those/ mechanical organs <1v> inventions \the Philosophical productions/ of the mind are in a great measure supported |  improved & advanced by The \ready/ operations of the hands, & S^r I. had never carried this improvements of his intellectual improvements \discoveries/ so far if by an early habit & constant exercise he had not acquired that \a wonderfull/ manual dexterity in ex w^ch put in execution \to execute & perform/ those experiments his invention & sagacity contrived, & in w^ch others of great fame & note were hardly able to follow him even after he had instructed them

if he had not thus early \from his childhood/ exercised at \once/ his body as well as his \& his/ mind & his hands as well as his thoughts & by an {sic} cons early \use &/ habit & constant use acquired so {sic} masterly \wonderfull/ a dexterity \a pliableness &/ in executing those experiments his invention contrived that others who made it their business \of no small note who/ were hardy \hardly/ able to follow {sic} him even after he had pointed chalked out the way for them

<2r>

I have heard that it has been a long \It is said to be a/ custom in \for all the Princes of/ the House of Austria to teach \make/ their Princes \themselves masters of/ some manual trade |  Handicraft, & & \it is well known/ the Great Czar in a manner abdicated an Empire for some years to learn mechanicks, but without considering |  discussing wether it be \as/ necessary for Kings to have Philosophical hands as well as \Plato thought it was to {sic} Philosophical/ minds it will \must/ \now/ be allowed |  be owned to be true \that S^r I. made good the/ saying of a late Excellent author (who seemed to prophecy in more instances in {sic} one what has been accomplished by S^r I. N) that Philosophy would then attain to perfection when either mechanick labourers should have mechanical hands Philosophical heads or Philosophers have mechanical hands — As the Faculties of the |  exercise of the Soul depend on the |  is influenced by \accidental the {sic} disposition/ organs of the body & \they/ are lively & vigorous or dull & weak \frail/ according to the condition \state/ of the Machine by w^ch they act \of the body/, the Philosophical <2v> productions of the mind are improved & advanced by an \a correspondence |  concurrence &/ ready & concurring \& equal manual & expert/ cooperation of the \corporeal organs/ hands, & Sr Isaac had never not carried his intellectual \natural/ discoveries \in nature/ so far, if he had not thus from his childhood thus exercised his at once his body & mind & his hands as well as his thoughts & by an early use & habit \given a proper turn & pliancy to both &/ acquired so wonderfull a dexterity in executing the experiments his invention contrived that \Mariotte & Huygens &/ others of no small note who sett out in the same road were not \hardly/ able to follow him even after he had chalked \trod & pointed/ out the way \path/ for them –     It is obserued by a late Ingenious author that Nature to endear the necessity <3r> of society has given one man's hands to another man's head & that the Ma Smith & the Carpenter & the Ioiner & Smith are necessary to the Mathematician

Vide Guardian —

This to come in where I give an account of S^r Isaac's dexterity in experiments

Like the Musician who must have a dexterity in his fingers to execute as well as a fancy to compose

It is said to be a custom for all the Princes of the House of Austria to make themselves Masters of some manual trade |  handicraft, & it is well known the Great Czar in a manner abdicated an Empire for some years to learn mechanicks, but without discussing wether it be as necessary for Kings to have Philosophical hands as Plato thought it was to haue Philosophical minds it must be owned to have been a true \ the person I am now treating of |  S^r Isaac Newton made good that/ saying of a late Excellent Author – That Philosophy would then attain to perfection when either mechanick labourers should have Philosophical heads or Philosophers mechanical hands. As the soul is influenced in the exercise of it's faculties by the disposition of the body, the Philosophical productions of the mind are advanced & improved by an expert & ready cooperation of the corporeal organs. S^r I. N. would \could/ not have carried his intellectual discoveries in Nature so far if he had not from his childhood thus exercised his hands as well as his thoughts |  head & by an early use & habit acquired the so wonderfull a dexterity in executing the experiments \as wonderfull as/ his invention \in/ contriving {sic} |them| that \& in which Hugens & Mariotte/ others {sic} of no small note who sett out in the same road with him, were hardly able to follow \him/ even after he had trod & pointed out the way | a path | a track for them

<4r>

As the most fruitfull & spritely fancy cannot is not sufficient to make a \perfect/ Musician unless it be accompanied with a happy com̄and & volubility of fingers, so he who would be as Master of the heavenly Musick of the Divine Creator must \be able to perform as well as invent/ have a nimble & ready hand to perform the experiments |  compositions his Invention suggests be able to play with exquisite skill \& accuracy/ upon all the most delicate & subtle parts \particles/ of matter & by giving the finest strokes & nicest \& {sic} by giving the nicest & finest/ touches to {sic} the strings of Nature disclose \discover strike out/ |all| that surprizing |  amazing harmony which arises from the variety of Notes in |  various tones of\all/ her operations \compositions/ –

M^r Machin said to S^r I. N when courses of experiments were first in vogue what a pity it was that when people had a demonstration by Geometry they should trust to their senses w^ch might be deceived, upon w^ch S^r <4v> Isaac said he had first proved his inuentions by Geometry & only made use of experiments to make them intelligible & to convince the vulgar What Machin meant by having a demonstration was that a Geometer knows the power of the Laver {sic} & the pully & can demonstrate it without seeing the Lauer {sic} or the pully knows by the laws of motion they must operate in such & such a manner

This an observation of the Guardian – 1. V. p. 11 that Nature to endear the necessity of social life has given one man's head to another man's hands – \made/ the Carpenter Smith & joiner necessary to the Mathematician – an affinity between all works beneficial to mankind – but S^r Isaac had the Carpenters \mechanick's/ hands as well as the head of the Philosopher –

As a fine razor is \tho^u/ best for cuttin splitting \cutting/ a hair \is easily turned & broke/ but a {dirk} hatchet or wedge \will go thro^u/ much more proper for hewing \or splitting/ a knotty piece of timber Tillottson – p. 423 – Mem^m S^r I had the acuteness of the razour & the strength of the thought \Hatchet/ – no peirce like lightning not turn the edge persevere go through – thought & patience –