COOPERATION IN SCIENCE 105 



and teach all sorts of natural, experimental philoso- 

 phy, to consist of the mathematics, mechanics, medi- 

 cine, anatomy, chemistry, the history of animals, 

 plants, minerals, elements, etc.; agriculture, archi- 

 tecture, art military, navigation, gardening; the 

 mysteries of all trades and improvement of them ; 

 the facture of all merchandise, all natural magic or 

 divination ; and briefly all things contained in the 

 Catalogue of Natural Histories annexed to my Lord 

 Bacon's Organon." The early official history of the 

 Royal Society (Sprat, 1667) says that this proposal 

 hastened very much the adoption of a plan of organi- 

 zation. Cowley wished to educate youth and incur 

 great expense (X4,000), but " most of the other 

 particulars of his draught the Royal Society is now 

 putting in practice." 



A charter of incorporation was granted in July, 

 1662; and, later, Charles II proclaimed himself 

 founder and patron of the Royal Society for the ad- 

 vancement of natural science. Charles continued to 

 take an interest in this organization, devoted to the 

 discovery of truth by the corporate action of men ; 

 he proposed subjects for investigation, and asked 

 their cooperation in a more accurate measurement 

 of a degree of latitude. He showed himself tactful 

 to take account of the democratic spirit of scientific 

 investigation, and recommended to the Royal Society 

 John Graunt, the author of a work on mortality sta- 

 tistics first published in 1661. Graunt was a shop- 

 keeper of London, and Charles said that if they found 

 any more such tradesmen, they should be sure to 

 admit them all without more ado. 



It was a recognized principle of the Society freely 



