Hello, I'm Lucy Worsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces. You're listening to our podcast

that explores the history and stories of our six palaces. These talks are a collection of some of our

best live events. I really hope you enjoy listening. In this talk, writer Thomas Levinson discovers the surprising and unknown history of Isaac Newton

as Warden of the Mint at the Tower of London.

Let me begin by asking you if you can identify who said this.

If interest be not yet low enough for the advantage of trade

and designs of setting the poor on work, the only proper way to lower it is more pay per credit

till by trading and business we can get more money. Very close.

Any other?

I mean, it was not Adam Smith, it wasn't Benjamin Franklin, who, you know, most people don't

know this.

I mean, somebody here is very up on their money.

I mean, he was quite possibly the greatest or most acute financial thinker in the English-speaking world between the folks of this year,

of 6090s, and Adam Smith. But in fact, of course, it's Isaac Newton, as you would expect

from the subject of tonight's talk. I should add that it wasn't George Osborne, which might be a pity.

So what was Isaac, I mean, given add that it wasn't George Osborne, which might be a pity.

So what was Isaac, I mean, given what we usually think of as, you know, Isaac Newton's purpose in life, as it were, this is an unusual subject perhaps for him to be involved in.

So where did it come from? Well, what I'm going to talk to you about tonight

is a story of crime and punishment, but it's really a story in which one of the protagonists,

Newton, is deeply engaged in the transformation of the conception of money from a thing.

You know, somewhere here I have some, not much, you

know, a chunk of metal you hold in your pocket, and turn it into something else, an idea,

...