COOPERATION IN SCIENCE 103 



genial Hartlib. In 1646 he writes his tutor inquir- 

 ing about books on methods of husbandry and refer- 

 ring to the new philosophical college, which valued 

 no knowledge but as it had a tendency to use. A few 

 months later he was in correspondence with Hartlib in 

 reference to the Invisible College, and had written a 

 third friend that the corner-stones of the invisible, 

 or, as they termed themselves, the philosophical col- 

 lege, did now and then honor him with their com- 

 pany. These philosophers whom Boyle entertained, 

 and whose scientific acumen, breadth of mind, hu- 

 mility, and universal good-will he found so congen- 

 ial, were the nucleus of the Royal Society of London, 

 of which, on its definite organization in 1662, he 

 was the foremost member. They had begun to meet 

 together in London about 1645, worthy persons in- 

 quisitive into natural philosophy Wilkins, inter- 

 ested in the navigation of the air and of waters below 

 the surface ; Wallis, mathematician and grammarian ; 

 the many-sided Petty, political economist, and in- 

 ventor of a double-bottomed boat, who had as a youth 

 of twenty studied with Hobbes in Paris in 1643, and 

 in 1648 was to write his first treatise on industrial 

 education at the suggestion of Hartlib, and finally 

 make a survey of Ireland and acquire large estates ; 

 Foster, professor of astronomy at Gresham College ; 

 Theodore Haak from the Pfalz ; a number of medi- 

 cal men, Dr. Merret, Dr. Ent, a friend of Harvey, 

 Dr. Goddard, who could always be relied upon to 

 undertake an experiment, Dr. Glisson, the physiolo- 

 gist, author in 1654 of a treatise on the liver (Zte 

 Hepate)) and others. They met once a week at 

 Goddard's in Wood Street, at the Bull's Head Tav- 

 ern in Cheapside, and at Gresham College. 



