Isaac Newton did not love money. If he had been greedy, he would never have become Master of the Royal Mint.
His attitude toward money was probably that he knew it was a necessity of life. Naturally, he did not mind making a fortune off South Sea stock, but he did not pursue it. His hoarding of currency, combined with his extensive knowledge of smelting, made him the most suitable candidate for the position.
By then, he had become the smartest man in Britain. Those who wanted to attend his lectures packed the classrooms. Recoinage might not have been as grand as the mysteries of the universe, but if mishandled, it could have led to civil war. A few years earlier, no one would have imagined he would become a dependable administrator.
On his first morning at the Mint, Newton had the workers swear an oath: "You shall swear not to reveal or disclose, directly or indirectly, to any person or group, any invention concerning round coins or the inscriptions and patterns on the edges of coins. If you so promise, may God bless you."
Counterfeiting was what could most directly affect the issuance of the new currency. Only after dealing with that did Newton turn to the Mint's machinery.
There were only a handful of "saints" in this world who served others wholeheartedly, not for money, profit, fame, or power. Newton's fondness for fame was understandable. He might simply never have imagined that he would accomplish what so many others had failed to accomplish: his work reconstructing the harmony between God and nature allowed natural science not only to contend with theology, but to take theology's place.
The opening of the Declaration of Independence stated: "When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to