and Progrefs of the Royal Soclefy tf London. 1^5- 



«ivil and political contentions to which they gave birih, and 

 the dircolion of fo much of the learned abilitv of'the time, 

 to excrcife in the field of the popifh controverfy, fliould nol 

 have proved iiuu;fpicious to ihe ralvaucenient o{ phiiuloi)hical 

 itndies. The reign of William, haratfed with wars, with 

 difputes relative to the rights of the reigning fovereign and 

 to the royal fiiccetlion, with factions in chinxh and date, 

 introduced no new fortunate sera for the advancement of phi- 

 lofophv and the arts. Even in the beginning of the iHih 

 century, and during the courfe of fonie vtars, the fame dif- 

 fenfions and wars continued to produce the fame ede^s upon 

 the fortune nf fcience. The wits prrfumed to throw ridicule 

 upon fcience and erudition, which thcv were too idle to cul- 

 tivate. The reign of Anne was for England perhaps the 

 golden age of wit and cle<i:"nt literature ; and men (liowed 

 themfelves fulficienllv diipofed to prefer the light and Hiiuino-, 

 to that which was only folid and unoltentatious. 



Yet, while isewion, the pride of the Roval Societv, di- 

 ftinguiflied himfelf among its ac^tive members, or prefided at 

 its meetings, it could not but continue to be regarded as the- 

 graiid focus of phvfico-mathematical difcovery and know- 

 ledge. His own communications in optics, aftronomy, and 

 general phyfics, were invaluable. His fyftem of the univerfe 

 was adopted as one which was infallibly true, and which it 

 was for the honour of the nation, by all poffible means, to 

 illuftrate and maintain. Hence, from the commencement till 

 nearly the middle of the iStli century, the labours of the So- 

 ciety were princijially employed in purfuing the analosies of 

 the Newtonian fydcm ihroiighoat all that divcrfity of'pha;- 

 iiomena by which its certainly was to be tried. Such were 

 alnioft all the experiments, obfcrvations, and theories, of the 

 illullrious, the indefatigable Halley. Dciaguliei-, Faciu, Keiil, 

 and Maclaurin, fuccefsfully laboured in the fame field. Every 

 other branch of thofe Icicnces which tlie Society iiudied efpe- 

 cially to impro\e, continued alfo to be more or iefs advanced 

 by the labours of its nierrdjcrs. 



It was at lenirth evident that the field which its founders 

 had, with nofdc ambition, marked out for themielves was too 

 valt. The Society of Arts arofc by perhaps an unconfcious 

 <lerivation from the Royal Society. To the latter was liill 

 left the province of tbc lubliiiier and abliruier fciences. The 

 latter, with admirable national enthulialm, undertook the talk 

 of applying, and encouraging the application of, fcienlific 

 truth to the improvement of the common arts. 



For a time, about the middle of the i8ih century, whera 

 the Newlouian fyileui was fuJIy eftabliUicd, and no nevy 



path 



