Notice of British Naturalists. 223 
“ As things are at present conducted,” says he, “a sudden transi- 
tion is made from sensible objects and particular facts, to general 
propositions, which are accounted principles; and around which, 
as around so many fixed poles, disputation and argument contin- 
ually revolve. Fyrom the propositions thus hastily assumed, all 
things are derived, by a process compendious and precipitate, ill 
Suited. to discovery, but wonderfully accommodated to debate. 
The way that promises success is the reverse of this. It requires 
that we should generalize slowly, going from particular things to 
those which are but one step more general, from those to others 
of still greater extent; and so on to such as are universal. By 
such means we may hope to arrive at principles, not vague and 
obscure, but luminous and well defined, such as nature herself 
will not refuse to acknowledge.” The end of all knowledge is 
utility, the improvement of the condition of mankind; and vain 
Must that species of it ever be which revolves within itself, and 
in view no ultimate effects. 
It was not long before his works began to take effect among 
thinking men. Truth advances slowly; especially when long 
*stablished errors oppose its progress ; but still, there are always 
M society a certain number of persons, who, standing on a higher 
eminence, like the Hebrew sentinels of old, receive the first 
gleams of light, and inform those below of the fact. Bacon 
awakened a spirit of inquiry; and the minds of men began to 
be opened to the absurd fables of ancient authors, and to cast 
aside the interminable synonyms which obscured, while they 
Were meant to elucidate natural history. 
The first whom we may rank in the new school of British nat- 
uralists was John Ray, or Wray, for he wrote his name in both 
Ways. He was born in 1628, at Black Notley, near Braintree, in - 
Essex ; a small and picturesque country hamlet, but remarkable 
for hothing else, we believe, except as being the birth place a few 
Years before of the celebrated William Bedell, bishop of Kilmore, 
= elarid; a man equally remarkable for his piety and modera- 
tion; and respected and well treated by even his opponents and 
enemies, 
Ray was the son of a blacksmith, who, from the little we can 
of him, appears to have been in his station, a person of so- 
ber habits and respectability, and to have amassed sufficient prop- 
to give his son a good education. Of the early years of the 
