Through family contacts, Locke had the good fortune to study at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he met the chemist, Sir Robert Boyle, who introduced him to the 'new science,' chemistry. Boyle's exciting emphasis on experiment contrasted sharply with Locke's formal studies in Scholastic philosophy. Although Locke trained to be a doctor, in 1666, he met Lord Ashley, an important politician, and became his secretary. When Ashley was appointed the lord chancellor of England in 1672, Locke became secretary to the Council of Trade and Plantations. In 1675, he moved to France for several years, where he met important philosophers including Pierre Gassendi. During Locke's time abroad, Ashley, now long fallen from power, had been plotting against the succession of the Catholic James II to the throne, and when Ashley was arrested, Locke fled to Holland. He did not return to England until 1689, after James II had been replaced in a bloodless revolution by the Protestant king of Holland,William of Orange. During his five years of exile in Holland, Locke completed his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, A Letter Concerning Toleration, and worked on Two Treatises on Civil Government. In 1689, Locke was appointed the commissioner of appeals, but from then until his death in 1704, he spent most of his time in philosophical study, staying with his friends, the philosopher Lady Masham and her husband.
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