THE MEDIEVAL MIND 97 



the Church, and Occam's writings condemned by the 

 University of Paris, which tried to impose realism as 

 late as 1473. But irresistibly the doctrine spread, and 

 a few years later the show of resistance was abandoned. 



Occam's final and most decisive triumph came fifty 

 years later, when Martin Luther (1483-1546) pored 

 over his works in the recently founded University of 

 Wittenberg, and based the new teaching on the nature 

 of the sacrament of the Eucharist on theories drawn 

 from the writings of his " lieber Meister." But, if 

 henceforward philosophy was more able to press home 

 its enquiries free from the need of reaching conclusions 

 foreordained by theology, on the other side religion was 

 for a time detached from rationalism, and given an 

 interval for the development of its no less important 

 emotional and mystical sides. Hence the fourteenth 

 and fifteenth centuries saw the growth of Northern 

 mysticism, especially in Germany, and the appearance 

 of many types of religious consciousness still existent 

 and of value. 



The task of the Middle Ages was accomplished ; 

 the ground prepared for the Renaissance, with human- 

 ism, art, practical discovery and the beginnings of 

 natural science as its characteristic glories. With 

 the decay and death of scholasticism we turn a new 

 page in the history of the world. 



For the historian of science mediaeval times are the 

 seed-bed of modern growth. They are a period of 

 surpassing interest, but they have no science of their 

 own till Roger Bacon stands roughly chafing at 

 his limitations external and internal, shaking the 

 door which shuts him from his natural home in later 



7 



