ly suffered no pecuniary loss,
rather the contrary, yet there was considerable risk in bringing out a
book which not a dozen men living could at the time comprehend. It is no
small part of the merit of Halley that he recognized the transcendent
value of the yet unfinished work, that he brought it to light, and
assisted in its becoming understood to the best of his ability.

Though Halley afterwards became Astronomer-Royal, lived to the ripe old
age of eighty-six, and made many striking observations, yet he would be
the first to admit that nothing he ever did was at all comparable in
importance with his discovery of the _Principia_; and he always used to
regard his part in it with peculiar pride and pleasure.

And how was the _Principia_ received? Considering the abstruse nature of
its subject, it was received with great interest and enthusiasm. In less
than twenty years the edition was sold out, and copies fetched large
sums. We hear of poor students copying out the whole in manuscript in
order to possess a copy--not by any means a bad thing to do, however
many copies one may possess. The only useful way really to read a book
like that is to pore over every sentence: it is no book to be skimmed.

While the _Principia_ was preparing for the press a curious incident of
contact between English history and the University occurred. It seems
that James II., in his policy of Catholicising the country, ordered both
Universities to elect certain priests to degrees without the ordinary
oaths. Oxford had given way, and the Dean of Christ Church was a
creature of James's choosing. Cambridge rebelled, and sent eight of its
members, among them Mr. Newton, to plead their cause before the Court of
High Commission. Judge Jeffreys presided over the Court, and threatened
and bullied with his usual insolence. The Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge
was deprived of office, the other deputies were silenced and ordered
away. From the precincts of this court of justice Newton returned to
Trinity College to complete the _Principia_.

By this time Newton was only forty-five years old, but his main work was
done. His method of fluxions was still unpublished; his optics was
published only imperfectly; a second edition of the _Principia_, with
additions and improvements, had yet to appear; but fame had now come
upon him, and with fame worries of all kinds.

By some fatality, principally no doubt because of the interest they
excited, every discovery he