734 THE UNIVERSE. 



eased minds could discover wild in tradition or terrible in 

 legend, was for many ages looked upon as expressing occult 

 truths. Fools gave themselves up to punishment and death, 

 accusing themselves of unheard-of acts, while the judges 

 never noticed their delirium ! 



In the Middle Ages magic was confounded with science ; 

 it was not attacked ; but in the sterner times of the Renais- 

 sance the fagots were lighted. The victims that suffered 

 for imaginary crimes cannot be numbered. 



But if so many and such serious errors spread through 

 the vulgar, we must with sorrow admit that they were in 

 great part the work of the learned men of these later times. 

 The most eminent men of the Middle Ages and the Renais- 

 sance, who could discuss all branches of human knowledge 

 of that day with perfect clearness, seemed to become struck 

 with blindness so soon as ever the question turned upon 

 monsters ; instead of dissipating error, they lent all the 

 weight of their authority to sanction it. And this deplora- 

 ble mass of superstition issued neither from the smoky 

 laboratory of the alchemist nor from the mysterious cave of 

 the cabala ; the fountain head is to be found in the works 

 of scholars the most esteemed and religious of their epoch. 



In fact, all these fabulous traditions, which credulity still 

 collects with such avidity, were put forth as so many reali- 

 ties by the naturalists of past ages. This is what we see in 

 the writings of Albertus Magnus, Olaus Magnus, Aldrovan- 

 dus, Gesner, and Scheuchzer. Not content with simple re- 

 citals, they ornament their works with figures representing 

 all these fantastic creatures as if they had been drawn from 

 nature. Who could doubt after that? 



