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A consequence of this was, Newton was elected to champion the
university in the convention that arranged the revolutionary settlement. In this
capacity, he made the acquaintance of a broader group, including the philosopher
John Locke. Newton enjoyed the hedonism of London life in the aftermath of the
Principia.
The great bulk of his creative work had been completed. He was never
again satisfied with the academic cloister, and his desire to change was whetted
by Fatio's suggestion that he find a position in London. Seek a place he did,
especially through the agency of his friend, the rising politician Charles Montague,
later Lord Halifax. Finally, in 1696, he was appointed warden of the mint. Although
he did not resign his Cambridge appointments until 1701, he moved to London and
henceforth centred his life there.
In the meantime, Newton's relations with Fatio had undergone a crisis. Fatio was
taken seriously ill; then family and financial problems threatened to call him home to
Switzerland. Newton's distress knew no limits.
In 1693 he suggested that Fatio
move to Cambridge, where Isaac Newton would support him, but nothing came of the
proposal. During early 1693 the intensity of Newton's letters built almost
palpably, and then, without surviving explanation, both the close relationship and
the correspondence finished. A few months later, without prior notice, Samuel
Pepys and John Locke, both personal friends of Newton, received wild, accusatory
letters. Pepys was informed that Newton would see him no more; Locke was
charged with trying to entangle him with women. Both men were alarmed for
Newton's sanity; and, in fact, Newton had suffered at least his second nervous
breakdown. The crisis passed, and Newton recovered his stability. Only briefly did
he ever return to sustained scientific work, however, and the move to London was
the effective conclusion of his creative activity.
As warden and then master of the mint, Newton drew a large income, as much as
£2,000 per annum. Added to his personal estate, the income left him a rich man at
his death.
The position, regarded as a sinecure, was treated otherwise by
Newton. During the great recoinage, there was need for him to be actively in
command; even afterward, however, he chose to exercise himself in the office.
Above all, he was interested in counterfeiting. He became the scurge of London
counterfeiters, sending a numerous men to the gallows and finding in them a
socially acceptable target on which to vent the rage that continued to well up
within him.
Interest in religion and theology
Newton found time now to explore other interests, such as religion and theology.
In the early 1690s he had sent Locke a copy of a manuscript attempting to prove
that Trinitarian passages in the Bible were latter-day corruptions of the original
text. When Locke made moves to publish it, Newton withdrew in fear that his
anti-Trinitarian views would become known. In his later years, he devoted much
time to the interpretation of the prophecies of Daniel and St. John, and to a
closely related study of ancient chronology. Both works were published after his
death.
Albert Einstein.
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