Newton was first and foremost, an alchemist. His mathematical pursuits were an afterthought, certainly not what took up the vast majority of his time which was

Newton was first and foremost, an alchemist. His mathematical pursuits were an afterthought, certainly not what took up the vast majority of his time which was alchemy. There is a lot we still don't know and the tendency to condense and distort is everpresent, but the facts are a lot more interesting than the oversimplifications one usually encounters in modern books about Newton's alchemy. For instance, the focus tends to lie on alchemical transmutation (which is erroneously equated with making gold) rather than Newton's worldview (intensely religious) and philosophy (alchemical). That Newman has cheekily renamed alchemy to chymistry in his output, reinforces the fact that a specific agenda is being pushed rather than an attempt made to acquire holistic understanding.