210 



SCIENTIFIC MEN. 



days, about the time of his ordina- 

 tion, a pugilist, in whose company 

 he accidentally found himself while 

 travelling, audibly lamented that 

 such lusty thews and sinews should 

 be thrown away on a parson. With 

 these physical advantages Avas com- 

 bined a knowledge almost literally 

 universal. Some people are said 

 to know a little of everything ; he 

 might be truly said to know a great 

 deal of everything. Second Wrang- 

 ler of his year, Professor of Miner- 

 alogy, and afterwards of Moral 

 Philosophy, author of a Bridge- 

 water Treatise, and writer on a 

 diversity of subjects, scientific and 

 ethical, he kept up his classics to 

 an extent unusual for a scientific 

 man, and did not neglect the lighter 

 walks of literature. His name is 

 on the list of the Cambridge prize 

 poets, and is also known in connec- 

 tion with several translations from 

 the German. In conversation it 

 was scarcely possible to start a sub- 

 ject without finding him at home 

 in it. A. story is current about 

 him, not absolutely authenticated, 

 but certainly of the se non vero ben 

 troyato sort; that some of the Dons 

 who were tired of hearing him ex- 

 plain everything, and enlighten 

 everybody in Combination-room, 

 laid a trap to catch him in this 

 wise. They determined to get 

 themselves up thoroughly in some 

 out-of-the-way topic, and introduce 

 it, as if by accident, on the first 

 convenient occasion. Accordingly 

 they pitched upon something con- 

 nected with China, either (for there 

 are two versions of the story) 

 Chinese musical instruments or the 

 Chinese game of chess. Various 

 odd books, and particularly a cer- 

 tain volume of a certain cyclopaedia, 

 were dragged out of their dusty 

 repose and carefully perused. Next 

 Sunday, when the College digni- 

 taries and some stranger guests 

 were marshalled over their port and 

 biscuit, the conspirators thoroughly 



primed, and with their parts artis- 

 tically distributed, watched their 

 time and adroitly introduced the' 

 prepared topic. One after the other 

 they let drop most naturally a quan- 

 tity of strange erudition, marvel- 

 lously astounding, no doubt to the 

 small-college Dons present, and ap- 

 parently puzzling to the object of 

 attack, for he actually remained 

 silent for a full quarter of an hour, 

 till, just as the parties were con- 

 gratulating themselves on their 

 success, he turned to the principal 

 speaker, and remarked, " O, I see 

 you've been reading the article I 

 wrote for such a cyclopaedia in such 

 a year!" They gave it up after 

 that. (Bristed's Five Years in an 

 English University.) 



YOUTHFUL PURSUITS OF GALILEO. 



The early years of Galileo were- 

 spent in the construction of instru- 

 ments and pieces of machinery, 

 which were calculated chiefly to 

 amuse himself and his schoolfellows. 

 Sir David Brewster, in mentioning 

 this fact, remarks that in this re- 

 spect the early life of the future- 

 astronomer, resembled that of al- 

 most all great experimental philo- 

 sophers. 



GALILEO'S ABJURATION. 

 In the year 1615, Galileo was 

 called to account by the Inquisition 

 at Rome for maintaining the mo- 

 tion of the earth and the stability 

 of the sun, and teaching and pro- 

 mulgating this doctrine. He was 

 enjoined by Cardinal Bellarmine to 

 renounce this opinion as heretical, 

 and it was decreed that if he refused 

 he should be cast into prison. The 

 astronomer appeared before the 

 cardinal, and declared that he 

 abandoned the doctrine of the 

 earth's motion, and would cease to 

 propagate it. Under the pontifi- 

 cate of Urban VIII., howevei-, he 

 began anew to teach the doctrine 

 of the earth's motion. This pope 



