228 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



to give encouragement to it." The royal patron fulfilled his 

 promise. 



The charter of incorporation passed the great seal on the 15th 

 of July, 1G62, and was read on the 13th of August following. 



Evelyn's "Diary" of this date contains this passage: "Our 

 charter being now passed under the broad seal, constituting us a 

 corporation, the name of Royal Society, for the improvement of 

 natural knowledge, was this day read ; and was all that was done 

 this afternoon, being very long." 



Charles affected chemistry and navigation, and, when he grew 

 tired of his wine and his mistresses, would resort to his labora- 

 tory, and as the young rakes, who circled about him, imitated the 

 royal exemplar's dissipations, so they frequented the scientific 

 lectures and tried to look wise. But even Charles and his fops 

 could not, by their attention, harm the growing sciences in the 

 estimation of good and true men. The reason for this may be 

 found in the recognition of the need of such a society, and the 

 character of the men constituting it. The fame of such men as 

 Sir Robert Moray, Boyle, Evelyn, Pepys, Wallis, Hooke, and 

 Wren, who were among the incorporators, continues lively to this 

 day. It may not be, as has been said, that the incorporation of 

 the Royal Society was the only wise act of Charles II, yet it has 

 proved itself, without a doubt, his wisest act. 



It was high time that England was bestirring herself, for on 

 every side were evidences of the pressing need of some such insti- 

 gating and conserving force as the Royal Society soon became. 

 Every intellectual center of Italy had its Academy of Science, and 

 France already had her society for the study of literature. The 

 origin of learned societies appears to take the same course as the 

 order of succession of the universities. As the first university 

 arose in Italy, so arose the first academy; then comes France, 

 with her University of Paris and the French Academy ; later, 

 England follows close upon the heels of France, with her univer- 

 sities at Oxford and Cambridge, and her Royal Society. By the 

 lapsing of the Academy del Cimento of Florence, and other 

 Italian academies, the Royal Society of England enjoys the 

 honor of being the oldest in consecutive history of any society 

 in Europe which was established for the investigation and ad- 

 vancement of science. 



There is no better illustration of the true scientific spirit of 

 inquiry which the Royal Society at once set on foot throughout 

 England, than its influence upon the popular superstitions of the 

 day. The popular belief in witchcraft had, during the sixteenth 

 and seventeenth centuries, reached the height of its frenzy. 



In Germany the number of persecutions was enormous. A 

 twentieth part of the entire population of the small district of 



