THE IMPLICATIONS OF EARLY ASTRONOMY. 1G9 



practised, this is abundantly illustrated. And we even 

 have evidence that in some cases the knowledge possessed 

 was, in a sense, quantitative. For, as we find by analysis 

 that the hard alloy of which the Egyptians made their cut 

 ting tools, was composed of copper and tin in fixed pro 

 portions, there must have been an established prevision that 

 such an alloy was to be obtained only by mixing them in 

 these proportions. It is true, this was but a simple empiri 

 cal generalization ; but so was the generalization respecting 

 the recurrence of eclipses ; so arc the first generalizations 

 of every science. 



Respecting the simultaneous advance of the sciences 

 during this early epoch, it only remains to remark that 

 even the most complex of them must have made some 

 progress perhaps even n, greater relative progress than 

 any of the rest. For under what conditions only were tho 

 foregoing developments possible ? There first required an 

 established and organized social system. A long continued 

 registry of eclipses ; the building of palaces ; the use of 

 scales ; the practice- of metallurgy alike imply a fixed and 

 populous nation. The existence of such a nation not only 

 presupposes laws, and some administration of justice, which 

 we know existed, but it presupposes successful laws laws 

 conforming in some degree to the conditions of social sta 

 bility laws enacted because it was seen that tho actions 

 forbidden by them were dangerous to the State. We do 

 not by any means say that all, or even the greater part, of 

 the laws were of this nature ; but we do say, that the fun 

 damental ones were. It cannot be denied that the laws 

 affecting life and property were such. It cannot be denied 

 that, however little these were enforced between class and 

 class, they were to a considerable extent enforced between 

 members of the same class. It can scarcely be questioned, 

 that the administration of them between members of the 

 ?ame class was seen by rulers to be necessary for keeping 



