138 ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE 



the Royal Society, which is referred to 16G0, certainly preceded by six years 

 that of its French rival. But, indepentlently of tlie consideration that the 

 period had arrived when the state of experimental science urgently demanded 

 tlie realization of those splendid visions of associated activity which had long 

 Lefore kindled the imagination of Bacon, * the chronological origin of the illus- 

 trious bodies in question is involved in some obscurity in consequence of their 

 previous existence as })rivate and spontaneous reunions of certain learned men 

 of (he age. Hence the title of the " Invisible College," which we find applied 

 by Boyle to the future lioyal Society, while as yet it existed only in this in- 

 choate state, a period of which the follov.ing passageti convey to us some inter- 

 esting notices : 



"About the year 1645," says Dr. "Wallis, "while I lived in London, (at a 

 time when, by our civil Avars, academical studies Avere much interrupted in 

 both our nniA'ersitics,) besides the conversation of divers eminent divines as to 

 matters theological, 1 had the opportunity of being acquainted Avith divers 

 Avorthy persons inquisitive into natural philosophy and other parts of human 

 learning, and particularly of Avhat hath been called the New Philosophjj, or 

 Experimental Fli'dosophy. We did, by agreement, divers of us, meet weekly 

 in London on a certain day, to treat and discourse of such matters. Our. busi- 

 ness Avas (precluding matters of theology and state affairs) to discourse and con- 

 sider of philosophical inquiries, and such as related thereunto, as physic,, 

 anatomy, geometry, astronomy, navigation, statics, magnetics, cliymics, me- 

 chanics, and natural experiments, Avith the state of these studies as then culti- 

 vated at home and abroad. We then discoursed of the circulation of tJte blood, 

 the ralres in the reins, the vcnce. lactecc, the lijmphatic vesneh, the I'opicrnican 

 ]i})2>nlhcsis, the nature of comets and new stars, the satellites of Jupiter, the oval 

 shape (as Avas then sn[>posed) of Saturn, the spots on the sun and its turning on 

 its own axis, the incquat ities and selcnograph ij of the moon, the several j'hases 

 of Venus and Mercury, the improvement of telescopes and grinding of glasses 

 for that purfose, the weight of air, the possibility or hnpossibility of vacuities 

 and nature's abhorrence thereof the Torricellian experiment in quicksilver, the 

 descent of heavy bodies and the degrees of acceleration therein, and diA'ers other 

 things of like nature, some of Avhich Averc then but ncAv discoveries, and others 

 not so genei-ally knoAvn and embraced as noAv they are." 



" For such a candid and impassionate company as that Avas," says Dr. Sprat, 

 in his History of the Royal Society, " and for such a gloomy season, Avhat could 

 liaA'e been a better subject to pitch upon than natural philosophy ? To have 

 been always tossing about some theological question Avould have been to make 

 that their private diversion, the excess of Avhich they themselves disliked in 

 th(! public ; to have been eternally musing on civil business and the distresses 

 of tlu'ir country Avas too melancholy a retlection. It Avas nature alone AA'hich 

 could pleasantly entertain them in that estate. Their meetings Avere as frequent 

 as their aft'airs permitted; their proceedings, rather by action than discourse, 

 chietly attending some particular trials in chemistry or mechanics. They had 

 no rules nor method fixed ; their intention Avas more to communicate to each 

 other their discoveries, Avhich they could make in so narroAv a compass, than 

 an united, constant, or regular inquisition. Thus they continued, Avithout any 

 great intermissions, till about the fatal year 165S, Avhen the continuance of 

 their meetings might haA'e made them run the hazard of the fate of Archimedes; 

 for then the place of their meeting (Gresham College) Avas made a quarter for 

 soldiers." 



" There arose at this time," says Dr. WheAvell, alluding to the period ante- 

 cedent to the epoch of Newton, " a group of philosophers Avho began to knock 



*Sec the "NeAv Atlantis," of Lord Bacon. 



