130 A Century of Science 



ment in the direction of toleration, which is a neces 

 sary condition for the development of free think 

 ing. When we have arrived at a truly cordial 

 toleration of opinions, allowing to all free play to 

 stand or fall, just as hypotheses in science are suf 

 fered to stand or fall, then is men s thought for the 

 first time really untrammelled. Whatever, there 

 fore, tended toward toleration of diverse forms of 

 creed or worship was a step in the path that led 

 to free thinking ; and whatever tended to demo 

 cratize the church and relieve it from state control 

 was a step toward toleration. The revolt of Henry 

 VIII. at first but realized what the jjrcemunire 

 statutes of Edward I. and Edward III. had threat 

 ened. But by breaking up the religious orders, 

 expelling abbots from Parliament, and making the 

 headship of the church a subject of fierce dispute, 

 it contributed immensely to weaken and relax the 

 bonds of conservatism, and it afforded a rare op 

 portunity for the thoughts of laymen and small 

 preachers to assert themselves. Thus the Lollard- 

 ism which had been partially suppressed for more 

 than a century now reared its head again defi 

 antly, and, after learning lessons in democracy 

 from Calvin, came forth as Puritanism, clad in full 

 panoply for one of the world s most fateful con 

 tests. 



