388 INTRODUCTORY LECTURES. 



session of that kingdom. There they established schools, and 

 revived a taste for study, which also spread, in some degree, into 

 the different countries of Europe. In the eleventh century, the 

 Arabians, or their disciples, founded schools of physic at Saler- 

 num in Italy, and at Montpellier in France, from whence some 

 knowledge of it diffused itself in various directions. In the 

 course of the twelfth century, the university of Paris was estab- 

 lished ; and not long after, similar institutions were founded in 

 other countries ; and by these means some degree of study pre- 

 vailed, and, with other parts of it, physic had its share. But 

 in this, all the knowledge that appeared was derived from the 

 Arabians ; and we have said that among them it was in a very 

 imperfect state; and in being brought into Europe, physic was by 

 no means brought into a soil favourable to its culture. By their 

 learning from the Arabians, the European physicians necessar- 

 ily became acquainted with the names of Hippocrates and 

 Galen ; but being entirely unacquainted with the Greek lan- 

 guage, they could not consult their original writings, and could 

 only read them in the very imperfect translations that were 

 made of them, and of such too from the Arabic. Rhazes and 

 Avicenna were the names of most repute among them ; and 

 their writings afforded the ordinary text for the lectures of the 

 professors in all the universities of Europe ; but it was still the 

 system of Galen that they entirely followed ; and the state of 

 all literature and science was so low, that the physicians of those 

 days were in no condition to make either alterations in, or ad- 

 ditions to it. 



Europe, overrun by the brave but barbarous nations of the 

 north, had fallen into a state of the grossest ignorance and want 

 of literature. War was the sole occupation of the people ; and 

 the practice and knowledge of civil arts were almost entirely ob- 

 literated. By the Christian religion still subsisting, some re- 

 mains of literature connected with it were preserved ; but 

 the religion itself had degenerated into a gross superstition, 

 which had no tendency to promote peace, or any of its arts. It 

 had rather corrupted the policy of states ; and from this and 

 other causes, that policy was every where in a barbarous 

 condition, very unfavourable to study and to the progress of 

 knowledge. Though study, therefore, by the establishment 



