78 SCIENCE IN "BONDAGE" 



What does this mean ? In the first place it 

 shows, what all instructed persons know, that the 

 Royal Society did then exercise the privilege of 

 giving an imprimatur at any rate to books written 

 by its own Fellows. It cannot be supposed that 

 such imprimatur guaranteed the accuracy of all 

 the statements made by Tyson, for we may feel 

 sure that John Hoskins was quite unable to give 

 any such assurance. We must assume that it 

 meant that there was nothing in the book which 

 would reflect discredit upon the Society of which 

 Tyson was a Fellow and from which the im- 

 primatur was obtained. 



However this may be, the sway over its Fellows' 

 publications was exercised, and indeed very 

 excellent arguments might be adduced for the 

 reassumption of such a sway even to-day. 1 



Though the imprimatur in question has fallen 

 into desuetude, it is, as we all know, the com- 

 monest of things for the introductions to works 

 of science to occupy some often considerable part 

 of their space with acknowledgments of assistance 

 given by learned friends who have read the 

 manuscript or the proofs and made suggestions 

 with the object of improving the book or adding 

 to its accuracy. Any person who has written a 

 book can feel nothing but gratitude towards those 

 who have helped him to avoid the errors and slips 

 to which even the most careful are subject. 



1 Of course, it may be argued, no Fellow need have applied 

 for an imprimatur ; he did it ex majori canteld as the lawyers 

 say. This may be so, but the same applies to the ecclesiastical 

 imprimatur. 



