He was a very close and acute Reasoner, Sparing of Words, not through want of them, but from an Aversion to Redundancy, as necessarily begetting a Confusion of Ideas. ... Indefatigable in his Search after Knowledge, when Difficulties came in his Way, he assailed them Day and night till they fell before his persevering Spirit. The Study in which he took most delight and chiefly excelled was Mathematics;