DURING THE MIDDLE AGE. 99 



cultivation of the liberal arts. Several princes 

 followed his example : So that they Teemed now 

 to be quitting their former habitations, and to 

 feck more and more for fheltcr and protection 

 in our quarter of the globe. But the fuperfli- 

 tion under which Europe groaned, retarded for 

 a long time the progrcfs of natural fcicncc. For 

 every one who attempted to explore the works 

 of nature, or had acquired the lead acquaintance 

 with her, was deemed a conjuror, and agent of 

 infernal fpirits, and fcntenccd to be burned to 

 death. By degrees, however, the thick clouds 

 of ignorance and cnthuiiatm were diflipatcd, and 

 men of fciencc and of genius were permitted to 

 purfuc their ftudics in a wider field. And this 

 change was efpccially remarkable in the i6th 

 century, when the zeal of Luther freed the 

 church from that load of abfurd and ridiculous 

 garments with which it had been long disfigur- 

 ed and opprciied. 



If we coniidcr ftcp by ftcp the progrcfa 

 of chemical fcience, we mall find indeed that 

 various properties of bodies were difcovcrcd, 

 but that they were neither fo accurately de- 

 termined, nor exactly compared together, as was 

 nccellary ; and formed only a rude and undi- 

 gcflcd mafs, arranged into no fyftcm : In fuch 

 myftcry and confufion was true fcience as yet 

 obfcurcd. The vaft number of experiments that 

 were made about the end of this period, with- 

 G 2 out 



