170 A SHORT HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



Astronomy changes into astrology, and the main business of the science 

 becomes the casting of horoscopes. The study of medicine changes 

 into the composition of philtres and talismans and the reciting of incan- 

 tations. Chemistry changes into a search for the secret of the trans- 

 mutation of metals and the elixir of immortal health. In short, the 

 tendency always was to shift the appeal from the intellect and reason 

 to the fancy and imagination ; and their zeal, instead of being devoted 

 to laying firm foundations, evaporated in vague aspirations after the 

 unintelligible or the unobtainable. . . . 



And the consequence is that not only has the Arab left us little 

 or nothing, but his whole history seems already more legendary than 

 real. Other civilizations abide our question. Not the Greek and 

 Roman only, but the remote Assyrian and Egyptian, are definite and 

 real in comparison with the Arabian. This seems of another texture. 

 It is such stuff as dreams are made of. 



Those so-called conquests of his [the Arab's] were really the taking 

 advantage of a unique opportunity for destroying and pulling down. 

 The collapse of the Western Empire, and weakness and paralysis of 

 the Eastern, afforded the Arab a fine field for the display of his peculiar 

 prowess. He took to the lumber and debris of these crumbling empires 

 as fire takes to rotten wood. But if in the void that separates ancient 

 civilisation from modern the Arab appears to advantage, there no 

 sooner entered on the scene nations of solid character and creative 

 genius than he retired before them, and yielded to their advance. 



March Phillips. 



The Golden Age of Moorish learning in the tenth century came 

 and went, leaving behind it singularly few permanent results. 

 Owing to the racial and religious hatreds of the time the Christian 

 conquerors of the Moslems, like their Roman prototypes in the 

 first few centuries after Christ, had small respect for Greek and 

 less for Mohammedan learning. Hence, doubtless, it came 

 about that to-day in Cordova, for example, almost no traces re- 

 main of that Arabian learning of which it was once the celebrated 

 seat. Even the site of its illustrious university has faded from 

 memory and only its great mosque (of which the heart is occupied 

 by a Christian church) remains to bear visible witness to Moham- 

 medan Cordova. The same is true of other once famous centres 



