nfortunately, we know almost as little. We hear that she
was recommended by a parishioner to the Rev. Barnabas Smith, an old
bachelor in search of a wife, as "the widow Newton--an extraordinary
good woman:" and so I expect she was, a thoroughly sensible, practical,
homely, industrious, middle-class, Mill-on-the-Floss sort of woman.
However, on her second marriage she went to live at North Witham, and
her mother, old Mrs. Ayscough, came to superintend the farm at
Woolsthorpe, and take care of young Isaac.

By her second marriage his mother acquired another piece of land, which
she settled on her first son; so Isaac found himself heir to two little
properties, bringing in a rental of about L80 a year.

[Illustration: FIG. 56.--Manor-house of Woolsthorpe.]

He had been sent to a couple of village schools to acquire the ordinary
accomplishments taught at those places, and for three years to the
grammar school at Grantham, then conducted by an old gentleman named Mr.
Stokes. He had not been very industrious at school, nor did he feel
keenly the fascinations of the Latin Grammar, for he tells us that he
was the last boy in the lowest class but one. He used to pay much more
attention to the construction of kites and windmills and waterwheels,
all of which he made to work very well. He also used to tie paper
lanterns to the tail of his kite, so as to make the country folk fancy
they saw a comet, and in general to disport himself as a boy should.

It so happened, however, that he succeeded in thrashing, in fair fight,
a bigger boy who was higher in the school, and who had given him a
kick. His success awakened a spirit of emulation in other things than
boxing, and young Newton speedily rose to be top of the school.

Under these circumstances, at the age of fifteen, his mother, who had
now returned to Woolsthorpe, which had been rebuilt, thought it was time
to train him for the management of his land, and to make a farmer and
grazier of him. The boy was doubtless glad to get away from school, but
he did not take kindly to the farm--especially not to the marketing at
Grantham. He and an old servant were sent to Grantham every week to buy
and sell produce, but young Isaac used to leave his old mentor to do all
the business, and himself retire to an attic in the house he had lodged
in when at school, and there bury himself in books.

After a time he didn't even go through the farce of visiting Grantham at
all; but stopped on th