THE AUTHOR'S EPISTLE TO THE READER 13 
the London publican and sinner, who left us the common mans 
view of the Royal Society and its Fellows at the time when 
Leeuwenhoek was in his prime. I regret that space will not 
allow me to quote at length Ned’s description of a typical 
Fellow of his period, who “could see as far into a millstone 
as another :” or of the Society’s musewm at “ Wiseacres’ Hall” 
[Gresham College|\—a “warehouse of Egyptian mummies, 
old musty skeletons, and other antiquated trumpery : 
skeletons of men, women and monkeys, birds, beasts, and 
fishes; abortives put up in pickle, and abundance of other 
memorandums of mortality.” 
Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis—the times are 
changed, and with them we ourselves. ’tis a hackneyed phrase, 
dear Reader, and as you know a misquotation, but none the less 
true. Today an Englishman must almost apologize for reintro- 
ducing an ancient Hollander to his own countrymen, and for 
presuming to revive und interpret his long-forgotten words. 
Yet England and Holland were once more closely goined—both 
geographically and spiritually. Only 250 years ago the links 
of language and spiritual endeavour needed no emphasis: vt 
would then even have been unnecessary to explain the manifest 
connextons between certain bits of Holland (such as Delft and 
Leeuwenhoek) and allied bits of England (such as London 
and its Royal Society). Today, alas! we are apt to forget 
our common heritage of race, language, religion, and even 
science. . . . The times are changed indeed. 
You will doubtless exclaim that I exaggerate the affinities 
between the Dutch and English nations: and you will (with 
some show of justice) oppose my statements with familiar argu- 
ments from certain memorable wars—both old and new. But 
please do not forget that those old contests for naval and 
colonial supremacy were fought in the days before we had 
learned to express our rwalry in the form of tennis and 
football: and if you should perchance remind me of South 
Africa, pray remember also that Christianity was originally 
implanted in Holland herself chiefly by monks from Britain, 
and that the struggle for religious freedom—and its ultimate 
success—ran sympathetically parallel in both countries. Hven 
when England and Holland were at war, Englishmen and 
Scotsmen (as you know) once fought on both sides against the 
common enemy : it was once no inconsistency, during an Anglo- 
Dutch war, for British troops to fight simultaneously side-by- 
