Stoke Edith Ian: 16th 1727/8

Dear Sir

It was an unspeakable pleasure to me to see yethe Hand of my old Acquaintance, & I wish in return I could send something considerable, to give you a pleasure, relating to ytthat Great Man you write abt.about: But I am so unhappy as to find very little under Sr.Sir Isaac's own hand, of what past between Him & my Father.

I guess, by a small Book I find amongst my Fathers papers ytthat he had a design to collect into one all ytthat he had of Sr.Sir Isaac's writing; But he went no farther than yethe transcribing three short LettrsLetters he received from Him & a Common Place of His part of wch.which I find under Sr.Sir Isaac's own hand, yethe rest together with yethe originals of those three LettrsLetters, is lost: Besides those transcribed LettrsLetters and yethe Common place, I can meet wth.with nothing but four or five LettrsLetters under Sr.Sir Isaac's own hand very short, & relating to Dividends & Chamber Rent wch.which he was so kind as to receive for my Father when at Monmouth where he was most part of yethe time he continu'd Fellow. There being so little in these LettrsLetters I do not now send them, but wait for your Commands, for whatever I can meet with of This worthy Man, shall be at your Service.

My Father's Intimacy with Him came by meer Accident My Fathers first Chamber-fellow being very disagreeable to him he retired one day into yethe walks, where he found Mr Newton solitary & dejected; Upon entering into discourse they found their cause of RetiremtRetirement yethe same, & thereupon agreed to shake off their present disorderly Companions & Chum together, wch.which they did assoon as conveniently they could & so continued as long as My Father staid at College.

I have heard my Father often say that he has been a Witness to what yethe World has so often heard of Sr.Sir Isaac's forgetfullness of his food, when intent upon His Studies; And of his Rising in a pleasant manner wth.with yethe satisfaction of having found out some Proposition; without any concern for, or seeming want of his Nights sleep, wch.which he was sensible he had lost thereby.

He was turning Grey, I think, at Thirty, and when my Father observed ytthat to him as yethe Effect of his deep attention of Mind; He would jest wthwith yethe Experimts.Experiments he made so often wth.with Quick Silver as if from thence he took so soon that Colour:

He sometime suspected Himself to be inclining to a Consumption, & yethe Medicine He made use of was yethe Lucatellus Balsam wch.which when he had compos'd Himself, He would now & then melt in Quantity abt.about a Qr.Quarter of a Pint & so drink it.

It is now Eight Years since my Fathers death in wch.which time many things my Father used to relate of Him are sliped out of my Memory; but being mostly of such a Nature as what I have now mentioned I suspect would be of no Service could I recollect any more.

But there is one thing upon AcctAccount of wchwhich not only my Father did but my Self also shall always pay a peculiar Regard to His Memory; wchwhich was a Charitable Benefaction, wch.which has privately pass'd from Him through My Fathers & since his Death through my own hands. We have been yethe Dispersers of many Dozens of Bibles sent by him for poor people, & I have now many by me sent from Him for yethe same purpose; wch.which as it shews yethe great regard he had to Religion, I cannot but desire ytthat by you it may be made publick to yethe World.

Dear Sir, my Thoughts dwell with wonderfull delight upon the Memory of this Great, & Good Man, and therefore I have troubled you with so long a LettrLetter, which I now beg pardon for; and in hope of hearing again soon from you conclude, with my Brothers hearty Service & respect to you. I beg my humble Service to all My old Acquaintance & am

Dear Sir

Your much Obliged

humble Servt.Servant

Nic: Wickins