thought he had discovered spots on the sun. He was assured 

 though, that, since Aristotle did not mention such spots, the spots 

 he had seen must be in his own eyes. But now things were changed. 

 Theology might continue its chosen way, philosophy, too, might 

 follow its old method, but the special sciences were starting out 

 upon a voyage of discovery, which, in due time, would produce a 

 new temper both in philosophy and theology. What wonder if, 

 for a time, men were carried away by their intense excitement! 

 Nothing seemed impossible any more ; the mysteries of the heavens 

 and the powers of the earth will obey the investigator. Science, 

 with its new method, will be the guide of the human mind in its 

 victorious march through nature. There are many illustrious 

 names throughout this period of marvellous development. Tele- 

 sius, Ramus, Bruno, Campanella are among the pioneer theore- 

 tical innovators, while among the more practical reformers are 

 Leonardo da Vinci, Tycho Brahe, Copernicus, Kepler, Galilei, 

 Harvey, and, later, Boyle and Newton. 



But many there were, who looked askance at these brave but 

 bold investigations into the innermost truths of nature. And, as 

 different men here and there continued their work along the lines 

 of this new method, this feeling of suspicion grew from one of secret 

 and silent opposition to one of open and bitter hostility. The 

 conflict waxed hot and continued for long. In the year 1660, a 

 number of "divers worthy persons, inquisitive into natural philoso- 

 phy and other parts of human learning, and particularly of what 

 hath been called the New Philosophy or Experimental Philosophy," 

 formed themselves into a society, and nothing reveals so well this 

 spirit of opposition, .as the records that remain of tfee attacks made 

 upon this little company, which was to become known to history as 

 "The Royal Society". Here were men, who were disregarding the 

 sanctity of Nature's temple, who ruthlessly entered her courts and 

 essayed to bring to light her innermost treasures, men, who would 

 enter even her holy of holies and who would attempt to ascertain 

 her most sacred, her most inviolable laws! A reference to Boyle's 

 "Free Inquiry into the Vulgar Notion of Nature" reveals the 

 superstitious awe with which most regarded Nature in his day; 

 but this new attitude, with its new method, was directly opposed to 

 all such views. Nothing would deter it from investigation and 



68 



