Isaac Newton Sir Godfrey Kneller
The Newton Project, a UK organization that's putting the complete works of Isaac Newton online, is featuring an amazing list of 48 "sins" that 19-year-old Isaac committed in 1662, according to a list he wrote. The young genius was both very pious and very peevish, having punched his sister, poked Iohn Keys with a pin, and even threatened to burn down his stepfather's house.
And all this before Whitsunday!
Here is the complete, and completely scandalous, list:
- Vsing the word (God) openly
- Eating an apple at Thy house
- Making a feather while on Thy day
- Denying that I made it.
- Making a mousetrap on Thy day
- Contriving of the chimes on Thy day
- Squirting water on Thy day
- Making pies on Sunday night
- Swimming in a kimnel on Thy day
- Putting a pin in Iohn Keys hat on Thy day to pick him.
- Carelessly hearing and committing many sermons11
- Refusing to go to the close at my mothers command.
- Threatning my father and mother Smith to burne them and the house over them
- Wishing death and hoping it to some
- Striking many
- Having uncleane thoughts words and actions and dreamese.
- Stealing cherry cobs from Eduard Storer
- Denying that I did so
- Denying a crossbow to my mother and grandmother though I knew of it
- Setting my heart on money learning pleasure more than Thee
- A relapse
- A relapse
- A breaking again of my covenant renued in the Lords Supper.
- Punching my sister
- Robbing my mothers box of plums and sugar
- Calling Dorothy Rose a jade
- Glutiny in my sickness.
- Peevishness with my mother.
- With my sister.
- Falling out with the servants
- Divers commissions of alle my duties
- Idle discourse on Thy day and at other times
- Not turning nearer to Thee for my affections
- Not living according to my belief
- Not loving Thee for Thy self.
- Not loving Thee for Thy goodness to us
- Not desiring Thy ordinances
- Not long {longing} for Thee in {illeg}
- Fearing man above Thee
- Vsing unlawful means to bring us out of distresses
- Caring for worldly things more than God
- Not craving a blessing from God on our honest endeavors.
- Missing chapel.
- Beating Arthur Storer.
- Peevishness at Master Clarks for a piece of bread and butter.
- Striving to cheat with a brass halfe crowne.
- Twisting a cord on Sunday morning
- Reading the history of the Christian champions on Sunday
A kimnel is a large wooden tub for brewing, kneading, and salting meat, according to Merriam-Webster.