30 HEROES OF SCIENCE. 



the brine-pits of Northwych, and at Chester he 

 noticed the red stone of the cathedral, which he 

 considered had little beauty within or without. 

 He visited Swindon, and got home by Shrewsbury 

 and Gloucester. This was a journey done in the 

 old-fashioned manner, on horseback. It opened 

 Ray's eyes to the immense amount of nonsense that 

 XVas talked about nature, and especially about any 

 unusual natural phenomenon. He seems especially 

 to have visited the wells and springs, and he 

 expressed his doubts of the wonderful cures, 

 attributing his want of belief to his scientific frame 

 of mind. 



At this period, it was usual for young men of 

 ability and learning, though not in orders, to de- 

 liver sermons and common-place readings, as they 

 were called, not only in the chapels or halls of their 

 own colleges, but even before the University body 

 at St. Mary's church. In these Ray eminently 

 distinguished himself. He was among the first 

 who ve ntured to lead the attention of his hearers 

 from the unprofitable subtleties of scholastic 

 divinity and the trammels of the old Greek philo- 

 so]pHy to an observation of nature and a practical 

 investigation of truth. The rudiments of many of 

 his subsequenf writings originated in these juvenile 

 essays, particularly his celebrated book on the 

 " Wisdom of God manifested in the Works of the 

 Creation," known all over the world by its numerous 

 editions and translations, and universally admired 

 for its rational piety, sound philosophy, and solid 



