Desaguliers was a successful natural philospher, lecturer, and engineer who promoted Newtonian ideas. He was also a lukewarm clergyman; his clerical preferments reveal his skill at acquiring sources of income rather than his commitment to the religious life. He had many lucrative connections through his membership with the freemasons and the Royal society, and was skilled at acquiring aristocratic patronage. His only poem, The Newtonian System, is an example of poetry used solely as a vehicle for flattery in order to secure monetary support. He used money from his patrons in order to subsidize his inventions and experiments. Because he continually spent more than he earned, he also turned to engineering to supplement his income.