He obtained something more than an elementary knowledge of mathematics, mastered De Crousaz' _Logic_ and Locke's _Essay_, and filled up his spare time with that wide and discursive reading to which his boundless curiosity was always pushing him.

He was thoroughly happy and contented, and never ceased throughout his life to congratulate himself on the fortunate exile which had placed him at Lausanne.

In one respect he did not use his opportunities while in Switzerland.

He never climbed a mountain all the time he was there, though he lived to see in his later life the first commencement of the Alpine fever.

On the other hand, as became a historian and man of sense, the social and political aspects of the country engaged his attention, as well they might.