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Article ACCOUNT OF AN EXTRAORDINARY NATURAL GENIUS, ← Page 4 of 6 →
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Account Of An Extraordinary Natural Genius,
cure such books and instruments as were absolutely necessary to pursue his geometrical studies . However , with the assistance of a neighbouring artificer , he procured the figures which he found represented by the diagrams in his book , to be made in wood , and with these he went to work at every interval of leisure , which now happened only once a week , after divine service on a Sunday . He was still in want of a new bookancl having laid ba little sum for that
, y purpose against the time of the fair , where alone he had access to a bookseller ' s shop , he made a purchase of three small volumes , from which he acquired a complete knowledge of trigonometry . After this acquisition he could not rest till he had begun to s ' fudy astronomy ; his next purchase therefore was an introduction to that science , which he read with indefatigable diligenceand invented innumerable
ex-, pedients to supply the want of proper instruments , in which he was not less successful than Robinson Crusoe , who in an-island , of which he was the only rational inhabitant , found means to supply-himself not only with the necessaries but the conveniencies of life . During his study of geometry and astronomy he had frequently met with fhe word philosophy , and this became more and more the object
of his attention . Pie conceived that it was the name of some science of great importance and extent , with which he was as yet wholly unacquainted ; he became therefore impatient in the hi ghest degree to get acquainted with . philosophy , and being continually upon the watch" for such assistance as offered , he at last picked up a book , called An Introduction to the Knowledge of God , of man , and of the
Universe . In reading this book he was struck with a variety of objects that were equally interesting and new . But as this book contained only general principles , he went to Dresden" and enquired among the booksellers , who was the most celebrated author that had written on ' philosophy . By the booksellers he was recommended to the works of Wolfius written in the German language , and Wolfius having been mentioned in several books he had read , as one of the most able men of his age , he readily took him for his guide in the regions of philosophy .
Ihe first purchase that he made , of Wolfius ' s works , ' was his logic , and at this he laboured a full year , still attending to his other studies , so as not to lose what he had gained before . In this book he found himself referred to another , written by the same author , called Mathematical Principles , as the fittest to give just ideas of things and facilitate the practice of logic , he therefore enquired after this book with a design to buy it , but finding it too dear for his finances , he was
obliged to content himself with an abridgment of it , which he purchased in the autumn of 1743 . From this book he derived much pleasure and much profit , and it employed him from October 1743 to February 1745 . ; He then proceeded to metaphysics , at which he laboured till the October following , and lie would fain have entered on the study of physics , but his indigence was an insuperable impediment , and lie
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Account Of An Extraordinary Natural Genius,
cure such books and instruments as were absolutely necessary to pursue his geometrical studies . However , with the assistance of a neighbouring artificer , he procured the figures which he found represented by the diagrams in his book , to be made in wood , and with these he went to work at every interval of leisure , which now happened only once a week , after divine service on a Sunday . He was still in want of a new bookancl having laid ba little sum for that
, y purpose against the time of the fair , where alone he had access to a bookseller ' s shop , he made a purchase of three small volumes , from which he acquired a complete knowledge of trigonometry . After this acquisition he could not rest till he had begun to s ' fudy astronomy ; his next purchase therefore was an introduction to that science , which he read with indefatigable diligenceand invented innumerable
ex-, pedients to supply the want of proper instruments , in which he was not less successful than Robinson Crusoe , who in an-island , of which he was the only rational inhabitant , found means to supply-himself not only with the necessaries but the conveniencies of life . During his study of geometry and astronomy he had frequently met with fhe word philosophy , and this became more and more the object
of his attention . Pie conceived that it was the name of some science of great importance and extent , with which he was as yet wholly unacquainted ; he became therefore impatient in the hi ghest degree to get acquainted with . philosophy , and being continually upon the watch" for such assistance as offered , he at last picked up a book , called An Introduction to the Knowledge of God , of man , and of the
Universe . In reading this book he was struck with a variety of objects that were equally interesting and new . But as this book contained only general principles , he went to Dresden" and enquired among the booksellers , who was the most celebrated author that had written on ' philosophy . By the booksellers he was recommended to the works of Wolfius written in the German language , and Wolfius having been mentioned in several books he had read , as one of the most able men of his age , he readily took him for his guide in the regions of philosophy .
Ihe first purchase that he made , of Wolfius ' s works , ' was his logic , and at this he laboured a full year , still attending to his other studies , so as not to lose what he had gained before . In this book he found himself referred to another , written by the same author , called Mathematical Principles , as the fittest to give just ideas of things and facilitate the practice of logic , he therefore enquired after this book with a design to buy it , but finding it too dear for his finances , he was
obliged to content himself with an abridgment of it , which he purchased in the autumn of 1743 . From this book he derived much pleasure and much profit , and it employed him from October 1743 to February 1745 . ; He then proceeded to metaphysics , at which he laboured till the October following , and lie would fain have entered on the study of physics , but his indigence was an insuperable impediment , and lie