Il8 THE INTELLECTUAL RISE IN ELECTRICITY. 



cultivation of physical science. If ignorance had left that 

 road choked and impassable with weeds, the scholastic 

 philosophy, of which John Scot Krigena began the asser- 

 tion in Aelfred's reign, conducted inquiring minds alto- 

 gether away from it. In the early days of Christendom 

 the heathen philosophy was regarded as different from the 

 philosophy of the new dispensation, and, therefore, it was 

 silenced. Now, it was maintained that the heathen phil- 

 osophy was identical with that deduced from divine reve- 

 lation, and consequently that theology was inherently and 

 essentially philosophical truth. Wherefore Abelard in- 

 sisted that logic includes the whole of science, which is 

 the same thing as saying that the key to all knowledge 

 lies in combining and recombining the notions conveyed 

 by words : or that the manipulation of a mathematical 

 formula can result in the discovery of a new mathematical 

 truth. Thus, a universal science was established with 

 the authority of a religious creed. Error became wicked, 

 dissent became heresy ; to reject the received human doc- 

 trines was nearly the same as to doubt divine declara- 

 tions. 1 



In the scholastic philosophy so founded, physics had no 

 proper part, as distinguished from metaphysics. u Quiddi- 

 ties " were spoken of as distinct from qualities and quanti- 

 ties. Peter became an individual because of his humanity 

 combined with "Petreity." 2 The nature of angels, their 

 nine hierarchies, their modes of conversing and the morning 

 and evening state of their understandings; 3 the character of 

 the crystalline waters above the heavens wherein the stars 

 are set; 4 the mystical analogies between man and the uni- 

 verse, such were some of the subjects which were discussed 

 and disputed in endless circles until minds became polarized 



1 Whewell : Hist, of the Inductive Sciences, i., 315; ii., 151; Tenne- 

 mann: Geschichte der Philos., viii., 461 ; Ratike: Hist, of the Popes, i., 

 502. 



2 Ibid., 321. 



"Hallam: Literature of Europe, cit. sup. 4 Whewell, 318. 



