4 HIS TORT of the SOCIETY. 



time to time, a regular account to the world of their refearches 

 and difcoveries. It was the idea of this great philofopher, 

 that the learned world fhould be united, as it were, in one 

 immenfe republic, which, though confifting of many de- 

 tached dates, fhould hold a ftridl union and preferve a mutual 

 intelligence with each other, in every thing that regarded the 

 common intereft. The want of this union and intelligence he 

 laments as one of the chief obftacles to the advancement of 

 fcience ; and, juftly confidering the inftitution of public foci- 

 eties, in the different countries of Europe, under the aufpices of 

 the Sovereign, to be the beft remedy for that defect, he has 

 given, in his fanciful work of the New Atlantis, the delinea- 

 tion of a Philofophical Society, on the moft extended plan, for 

 the improvement of all arts and fciences ; a work, which, 

 though written in the language, and tinctured with the colour- 

 ing of romance, is full of the nobleft philofophic views. The 

 plan of Lord BACON, which met with little attention from the 

 age in which he lived, was de (lined to produce its effecl: in a 

 period not very diftant. The fcheme of a Philofophical College, by 

 COWLEY, is acknowledged to have had a powerful influence in 

 procuring the eftablifhment of the Royal Society of London, 

 by charter from CHARLES II. * ; and COWLEY'S plan is mani- 

 feftly copied, in almoft all its parts, from that in the New At- 

 lantis. The inftitution of the Royal Society of London was 

 foon followed by the eftablifhment of the Royal Academy of 

 Sciences at Paris ; and thefe two have ferved as models to the 

 Philofophical Academies of higheft reputation in the other 

 kingdoms of Europe. 



IN Scotland, fimilar aflociations for the advancement of 

 fcience and of literatxire have, even without the benefit of 

 Royal patronage, and with no other fupport than the abilities 

 of their members, attained to no common degree of reputa- 

 tion. 



IN 



* SPRAT'S Hiftory of the Royal Society of London, 2d edit. p. 59. 



