Chap. Iir. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 97 



and, accordingly, we fee in what a miferable flate learning is atprc- 

 fent in Conftantinople and the other places where they govern. But 

 learning was faved by fonie learned Greeks, who, after the taking of 

 Conftantinople, coming to Italy, and bringing with them fome 

 Greek manufcripts, reftored the Greek learning in Italy, which was- 

 as much loft there as the Latin learning and language was in the 

 Eaft. This they did under the patronage of certain great men and 

 lovers of learning in Italy, fuch as thofe of the family of Medicis ; 

 one of whom, Laurentius by name, diitinguiftied himfelf fo much 

 in that way, that he was dignified with the appellation of Pater Li~ 

 ternrum ; and he learned even to fpeak the Greek fo well, that the 

 Greeks, then in Italy, admired his fpeaking. And the Greek lan- 

 guage, at that time, was fo much in faftiion in Rome, that even the 

 ladies fpoke Greek. And it was then not only fpoken in Italy, 

 but very well written; for, I have ^ilfe where mentioned an addi- 

 tion made by Stro^zza, a Florentine nobleman, to Ariftotle's Books 

 of Polity, in admirable Greek *. 



As the fpirit of learning was then fo prevalent in Italy, it did not 

 confine itfelf to the Greek learning, but took in the learning of their 

 own country, I m.ean the Roman, whicn, though not loft, like 

 the Greek learning, was much declined; and, in this way, all we 

 call claffical learning was reftored. And it was not confined to Ita- 

 ly, but went over the. Alps to France, from thence to Britain, and 

 fo by degrees all over FAU-ope: And this happened in the courfe of a 

 century; fo that the fixieenth century, the next after the reftoratlon 

 of learning, was a very learned age, more learned, I believe, than 

 any that has been fince. 



But this fo quick propagation of learning could not have been in 

 fo ftiort a time, if the art of printing had not been difcovered about 

 the fame time. But even that art, great as it was, would not have 



Vol. V. N been 



"* Vol. 3. of this work, p. Ixxli. of the preface. 



