72 



time Alexander Neckam cited the Posterior Ana- 

 lytics, the Topics and the De aniina\ but Hales 

 was in possession of the whole, or almost the 

 whole, of a more or less corrupt Aristotle, which 

 he turned upon theology. 



Roger Bacon was the first of the natural philo- 

 sophers of the West, and the only eminent fore- 

 runner of Harvey and the other pioneers of natural 

 science in the seventeenth century. As erudite as 

 Albert, Bacon was more inventive, freer of spirit, 

 more disposed to scientific method, better aware of 

 the hollowness of authority, better aware that truth 

 can be found only in free reason guided by experi- 

 ment. Unfortunately as an author he was as dull 

 and ineffectual as Francis Bacon was rich, animated 

 and impressive. That indeed this premature 

 renascence, without scientific methods or sound 

 tradition, should have failed 1 , that its light 

 was but the phantom of dawn 2 , is no matter 

 for surprise ; yet from this time forward the 



1 As a school of thought; in fine art of course it was 

 glorious. 



2 Ozanam (Doc. inedits, quoted by Rashdall, p. 78) says this 

 early light was " une de ces nuits lumineuses ou les dernieres 

 clartes du soir se prolongent jusqu'aux premieres blanch eurs 

 du matin." 



