22 GIORDANO BRUNO PART 



committed against the Logic of the Organon" ; and that 

 this was no dead law had been proved a few years 

 before when one Barebones was degraded and expelled 

 because of an attack on Aristotle from the standpoint 

 of Ramus. The only living subject of teaching was 

 theology, there was no real science, and no real scholar- 

 ship. This peaceful school was not likely to be 

 gratified by the letter which Bruno wrote asking per- 

 mission to lecture at Oxford ; it is printed in the 

 Explicatio Triginta Sigittorum: 1 "To the most excellent 

 the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, its 

 most famous Doctors and celebrated Masters Saluta- 

 tion from Philotheus Jordanus Brunus of Nola, Doctor 

 of a more scientific theology, professor of a purer and 

 less harmful learning, known in the chief universities 

 of Europe, a philosopher approved and honourably 

 received, a stranger with none but the uncivilised and 

 ignoble, a wakener of sleeping minds, tamer of presump- 

 tuous and obstinate ignorance, who in all respects 

 professes a general love of man, and cares not for 

 the Italian more than for the Briton, male more than 

 female, the mitre more than the crown, the toga more 

 than the coat of mail, the cowled more than the un- 

 cowled ; but loves him who in intercourse is the more 

 peaceable, polite, friendly and useful (Brunus) whom 

 only propagators of folly and hypocrites detest, whom 

 the honourable and studious love, whom noble minds 

 applaud." The epistle which so begins is the preface 

 to a work on the art of discovering, arranging, and 

 remembering facts of knowledge, by which Bruno 

 hoped to commend himself to the English, as he 

 had succeeded in commending himself to the French 

 universities. He attempted to disarm prejudice by 



1 Op. Laf. ii. 2. pp. 76-8. 



