THE PROBLEM OF KNOWLEDGE 281 



harmony of working machinery to the vast and 

 confused mass of local custom and tradition, re 

 ligious, social, economic, and intellectual, as well 

 as political. In this juncture the great adminis 

 trators and lawyers of Rome seized with avidity 

 upon the results of the intellectual analysis of so 

 cial and political relations elaborated in Greek 

 philosophy. Caring naught for these results in 

 their reflective and theoretical character, they saw 

 in them the possible instrument of introducing or- 



*der into chaos and of transforming the confused 

 and conflicting medley of practice and opinion 

 into a harmonious social structure. Roman law, 

 that formed the ve rtebral column of civilization 



.for a thousand years, and which articulated the 

 outer order of life as distinctly as Christianity 

 controlled the inner, was the outcome. 



Thought was once more in unity with action, 

 philosophy had become the instrument of conduct. 

 Mr. Bosanquet makes the pregnant remark &quot; that 

 the weakness of medieval science and philosophy 

 are connected rather with excess of practice than 

 with excess of theory. The subordination of phi 

 losophy to theology is a subordination of science to 

 a formulated conception of human welfare. Its 

 essence is present, not wherever there is metaphys 

 ics but wherever the spirit of truth is subordinated 

 to any preconceived practical intent.&quot; (&quot; His 

 tory of Esthetics,&quot; p. 146.) 



