2!92f Recapitulation. 



catalogue of economical philosophers of the eigh- 

 teenth century who were never equalled hj any 

 of preceding times. To mention no more, the 

 illustrious American, count Rumford, at the close 

 ef this period, presented to the world an example 

 of practical science of which we shall perhaps 

 seardi irt vain for a parallel in the history of 

 man. 



4. The last century may also, in a peculiar 

 and distinguishing sense, be called THE AGE OF 

 EXPERIMENT. The mode of pursuing knowledge 

 hj observation, experiment, analysis, and an in- 

 duction of facts, though not absolutely begun by 

 lord Bacon, was for the first time employed to 

 any considerable extent by that enlightened phi- 

 losopher. The influence of his example in this 

 respect in the sixteenth century (in which he 

 lived) was comparatively small. In the seven- 

 teenth, his plan of philosophising was more fre- 

 quently adopted. But in the* eighteenth it ob- 

 tained an ascendancy and prevalence never be- 

 fore known in the history of science. Never 

 were there so many heads and hands at work to 

 develope the arcana of nature, to investigate her* 

 laws, and to bring former principles, as far as 

 possible, to the test of weight, measurement, and 

 vision. The amount of experiments of different 

 kinds, and instituted for different purposes, laid 

 before the public, within this period, by indivi- 

 duals, and by learned societies, forms a mass of 

 stupendous extent, and presents: one of the most 

 prominent features of the age. 



These remarks apply ahnost exclusively to the 

 physical sciences j for there is too much reason to 



