WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 33
in 1684. Newton immediately tried to prove his prece-
dence and started an acrimonious debate that lasted
for years. He also turned on Huygens, as well as the
first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, and many
others. He even accused Pepys, his friend, of speaking
ill of him. It seems Newton could not stand to be
upstaged or criticized by anyone, friend or foe.
Clash with the church
Genius is obsessive, and Newton was no exception.
Two of his greatest interests were religion and the
dark art of alchemy. His early list of “sins” clearly
shows the depths of his religious convictions. One
of the Church of England’s core beliefs is the doc-
trine of the Holy Trinity, which describes God as
three separate entities. This doctrine almost spelled
disaster for Newton and his career.
The young Newton began his studies at Trinity
College in Cambridge in 1661. To earn his keep, he
waited tables and cleaned rooms. Newton was
awarded his bachelor’s degree in 1665, and although
he brief ly went home when the school closed due to
plague, he was back at Cambridge by 1667 as a newly
appointed fellow on the faculty. By 1669, Newton had
been appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. To
remain in this post, he was required to take an oath
stating that he believed and accepted the Thirty-nine
Articles of the Anglican Church.
One of Newton’s most famous quotes, “If I have seen further it is by
standing on the shoulders of giants,” may, in fact, have been a jab at
Robert Hooke, who is said to have been hunchbacked and rather short.
In part because of
Newton’s vendetta
against him, no
paintings of Robert
Hooke survive. This
painting of Hooke
(left), completed in
2004, is based on
the descriptions of
two contemporaries:
John Aubrey and
Richard Waller.
Samuel Pepys (right)
spent most of his life
on better terms with
Newton. Here, he
appears on a
collectible card sold
with cigarettes in
the late 1930s. RITA
GREER; RAYMOND SHUBINSKIFollowing his
death in 1726
(or 1727,
depending on
the calendar in
use), Newton
was buried in
Westminster
Abbey in
London. This
monument
sits above
his tomb.
KLAUS-DIETER KELLER/
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS