8 THE NEW PHILOSOPHY 



repair to Bullhead Tavern or to the apartments of Dr. Goddard for 

 meat and drink and for discourse and experiment. Hence the way was 

 led to regular weekly meetings with weekly contributions in money to 

 meet the cost of experiments. Thus Gresham College, with its seven 

 water-tight compartments for the seven philosophies, was itself destined 

 to become an instrument for breaking down the sanctity of the sacred 

 number. Built by Gresham for the perpetuation of the old philosophies, 

 its greatest renown in the world is that in the first fifty years of its life 

 it became the home of the new philosophy. It was not only the cradle 

 of the Royal Society, but its three fine halls were the meeting place of 

 the society for nearly all of the first half century of its history. Its 

 galleries housed the libraries and the curiosities, and supplied the per- 

 manent offices for the secretaries and officials of the new society. 



In the first century of its existence, the meetings of the Royal Society 

 were largely given up to experimentation. Thus Gresham College 

 shared with certain of the London inns the honor of serving as the 

 original English laboratory for experimental learning. The early rec- 

 ords of the Society give an interesting picture of the intense eagerness 

 and enthusiasm of the philosophers in the new calling. No distinction 

 was made between pure science and applied science. The following 

 minutes extracted from the record for one of the earliest meetings, 

 that of September 10, 1662, may cause a smile, but there was more good 

 for the future of society bound up in these primitive efforts than in 

 volumes and volumes of disputations on theses of the schoolmen: 



"It was order'd, at the next meeting Experiments should bee made 

 with wires of severall matters of ye same size, silver, copper, iron, 

 etc., to see what weight will breake them; the curatour is Mr. Croone. 



"Dr. Goddard made an experiment concerning the force that press- 

 eth the aire into lesse dimensions; and it was found, that twelve 

 ounces did contract 1 /24 part of Aire. The quantity of Aire is want- 

 ing. 



"My Lord Brouncker was desired to send his Glasse to Dr. God- 

 dard, to make further experiments about the force of pressing the 

 aire into less dimensions. 



"Dr. Wren was put in mind to prosecute Mr. Rook's observations 

 concerning the motions of the Satellites of Jupiter. 



"Dr. Charleton read an Essay of his, concerning the velocity of 

 sounds, direct and reflexe, and was desired to prosecute this matter; 

 and to bring his discourse again next day to bee enter'd. 



"Dr. Goddard made the Experiment to show how much aire a 

 man's lungs may hold, by sucking up water into a separating glasse 

 after the lungs have been well emptied of Aire. Severall persons of 

 the Society trying it, some sucked up in one suction about three 



