Chronology, Prisca Sapientia and the Temple

Abstract

Apart from Reports as Master of the Mint, which were published between 1701 and 1725, Newton published only scientific manuscripts in his lifetime. Principia published in 1687, which consisted of three volumes, defined the three laws of motion and gravitation which lay down the foundation of classical mechanics, and in the formation of this theory he developed the mathematical field of calculus. Newton added material and revised the Principia in 1713 and 1726. His second contribution to science was Opticks, which considered the properties and the refraction of light, and was published in 1704. These two books had established Newton as the most significant scientist of his time. However, science was not his only interest and in fact Newton’s library consisted of only 52 volumes, or 3% of the whole library, on mathematics, physics and optics.