On Caiopirical and dioptrical Instruments. 1 77 



does not scruple to speak of such inquiries in these words : 

 H Ego lites illasy &c.* I hold these national controversies, 

 about the origin of literature and the first discovery of the 

 sciences, to be of little moment, since there was nothing 

 to hinder them from being invented by several at the same 

 time ; and it more interests us to know who extended and 

 promoted the sciences, how far they carried them, and what 

 monuments or precepts they have left to posterity, whereby 

 those sciences may be further advanced. " — Undoubtedly 

 scientific " monuments and precepts," that is to say, the 

 sciences themselves, are more interesting to us than it is to 

 know who were their inventors. Yet it is not easy to see, 

 why the " extenders and promoters of the sciences" have a 

 better claim to be remembered than the " inventors." The 

 truth is, that this learned and worthy author (for such he 

 was in many valuable respects) was a still greater master in 

 classical and arehaiological erudition than in strict argu- 

 ment; and, when he wrote this passage, seems not to have 

 recollected that a little fame, too often posthumous, is the 

 only reward * of many inventors ; a cheap reward, surely, 

 for all their labour and ingenuity. Nor, judging from his 

 Answers to the Exceptions against his Theory of the Earth, 

 would he have been pleased, if he could have foreseen that 

 his own elegant but unsound performance would be neg- 

 lected as it now is ; except by those philosophers who do 

 not unreasonably deride antient writers (sometimes inclu- 

 ding those of the Bible), and who still respect Burnet for his 

 excellent elucidations of many parts of the Scriptures, and 

 other venerable antient writings. It may be said, that 

 the love of fame is a modification of pride, and ought 

 to be discouraged. Perhaps I might accede to this pro- 

 position, if accompanied with certain limitations, which 

 I have not room to state. At present I shall only ob- 

 serve, that it is entertaining enough to hear men talk thus, 

 who in their practice act — just like other men; take hu- 

 man nature as they find it; and even occasionally show that 

 they themselves are not dead to the influence of the u uni- 

 versal passion." I must, moreover, appeal to every discern- 

 ing, well-disposed man, whether he does not feel more sa- 

 tisfaction in tracing the progress of arts, and sciences, and 

 civilization, in such a work as Henry's History of Great 

 Britain f, than in wading through volumes filled with ge- 

 nealogies, 



* Quis enim Pirtutem ampUct tut ipsam, 



Framia si tollas ? J u v t N . 



t Br, Henry, speaking of Roger Bacon, has these words : <« We learn, 

 from the best authority, that no lectures on optics had been read at Paris, 

 or at any other place among the Latins, except twice at Oxford, before 



A. D. 



