EARLY KNOWLEDGE METHOD OF RESEARCH. 7 



science was unborrowed, no doubt, but it was certainly in- 

 ferior to the Egyptian, for it does not seem to have included 

 much geometry, a branch which Egypt appears to have 

 originated and successfully applied to practical purposes. 



After reaching, as early as 3000 B.C., an extension and 

 accuracy all but incomprehensible to us, considering the 

 scanty means of observation and paucity of instruments the 

 Egyptians and Chaldaeans possessed, these two sciences, 

 Geometry and Astronomy, remained stationary for ages and 

 ages until the Greeks became acquainted with them. A 

 Thales (600 B.C.), a Pythagoras (530), a Hippocrates (420) 

 would visit Egypt, and bring back to his own country the 

 knowledge of the Egyptians ; and once in the possession 

 of the rudiments, the Greeks extended these branches of 

 knowledge, and made them sciences worthy of the name, 

 concurrently with the other studies they pursued. We owe to 

 the Greeks whether or not they drew some of their notions 

 from the far- East, China or India, or from Egypt only all 

 the scientific elements which have enabled us to advance. 



These elements cannot, strictly speaking, be said to have 

 existed before Aristotle otherwise than as common knowledge, 

 although some few phenomena were known with " rigorous 

 precision." With Aristotle, and after him, however, the know- 

 ledge of a whole series of phenomena developed into science 

 that is, qualitative prevision became quantitative prevision. 

 Yet, as the roots planted before Aristotle's time were vital 

 roots destined to grow, it behoves us to cast a cursory glance 

 upon the results of Greek inquiry at its earlier stage. 



640548. Thales, one of the Seven Sages, to whom 

 we owe the famous precept, " Know Thyself? was a geometer 

 and an astronomer. He was the first among the Greeks 

 to determine the length of the year, to exhibit the nature 

 of the lunar and solar motions, to give an explanation for 

 the inequality of the days and nights in different seasons, 

 to distinguish the four distinct divisions of the year and 

 to discard the older division into two (solstitial) seasons only; 

 he marked out the equinoctial periods; he stated that the 

 moon reflects the sun's light to us; he foretold A SUN'S 

 ECLIPSE (May 28, 584 B.C.) Beyond this he formulated 



