THE CONTINUITY OF SCIENCE 53 



York to instruct princes and nobles at the Frankish 

 court. At this same palace school half a century 

 later the Irishman Scotus Erigena exhibited his learn- 

 ing, wit, and logical acumen. In the tenth century 

 Gerbert (Pope Sylvester II) learned mathematics 

 at Arab schools in Spain. The translation of Arab 

 works on science into the Latin language, freer in- 

 tercourse of European peoples with the East through 

 war and trade, economic prosperity, the liberation 

 of serfs and the development of a well-to-do middle 

 class, the voyages of Marco Polo to the Orient, the 

 founding of universities, the encouragement of learn- 

 ing by the Emperor Frederick II, the study of logic 

 by the schoolmen, were all indicative of a new era in 

 the history of scientific thought. 



The learned Dominican Albertus Magnus (1193- 

 1280) was a careful student of Aristotle as well as 

 of his Arabian commentators. In his many books on 

 natural history he of course pays great deference to 

 the Philosopher, but he is not devoid of original ob- 

 servation. As the official visitor of his order he had 

 traveled through the greater part of Germany on 

 foot, and with a keen eye for natural phenomena was 

 able to enrich botany and zoology by much accurate 

 information. His intimacy with the details of natu- 

 ral history made him suspected by the ignorant of 

 the practice of magical arts. 



His pupil and disciple Thomas Aquinas (1227- 

 1274) was the philosopher and recognized champion 

 of the Christian Church. In 1879 Pope Leo XIII, 

 while proclaiming that every wise saying, every use- 

 ful discovery, by whomsoever it may be wrought, 

 should be welcomed with a willing and grateful 



