THE NEW SCIENCE AND PROSE 175 



In the Characteristics of Shaftesbury, however, there is an 

 interesting idealization of the virtuoso. ''Every man", he as 

 serts, "is a virtuoso, of a higher or lower degree". 115 He then 

 proceeds to point out that the danger in this interest lies in "fall 

 ing in love with rarity for rareness' sake". The men who do this, 

 he admits, are deserving of the ridicule which they receive ; 116 but 

 there is a study worth the pursuing. "I am persuaded that to be a 

 Virtuoso (so far as befits a Gentleman) is a higher step toward 

 becoming a Man of Virtue and good sense, than the being what 

 in this Age we call a Scholar". 117 There is, furthermore, no ground 

 for prejudice against the new philosophy, for it does not contain 

 anything to bias a man's mind in the study of other problems. 118 

 After this defense there comes a passage in which the broadened 

 horizon has stimulated the imagination of this philosopher; the 

 "diocentric idea", which John Locke received from the new astron 

 omy, has dawned upon him also. "Yet is this Mansion-Globe, this 

 Man-Container, of a much narrower compass even than its other 

 fellow Wanderers of our system. How narrow then must it ap 

 pear, compar'd with the spacious system of its own Sun? And 

 how narrow, or as nothing, in respect of those innumerable systems 

 of other apparent suns ? ' ' 118 The Newtonian discoveries concerning 

 light also inspired him to write that rather eloquent passage be 

 ginning, "But wither shall we trace the sources of light? or in 

 what Ocean comprehend the luminous matter so wide diffus'd 

 thro ' the immense spaces which it fills ? ' ' 119 



There was in this philosopher a sensible and a genuine apprecia 

 tion of the new science. He saw clearly the abuses of pretenders 

 to learning and felt that the satire on them was fully merited ; but 

 he saw also its nobler aspects and himself caught some of the zeal 

 of discovery. His mind was drawn into speculative philosophy 

 rather than experimental science, and yet this ' ' Virtuoso of Human 

 ity" was broad-minded enough to commend the excellent service 

 the experimenters were performing. 



115 Characteristics, vol. I, p. 138. 

 118 Ibid. II, 253. 



117 Characteristics, I, p. 290. 



118 Ibid. A Rhapsody, II, p. 373. 



119 Ibid. p. 379. 



