II THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE 43 



interests among the most widely separated peoples, 

 and the strengthening of the forces of the organi- 

 sation of the commonwealth against those of 

 political or social anarchy, thus effected, have 

 exerted an influence on the present and future 

 fortunes of mankind the full significance of which 

 may be divined, but cannot, as ^e^be estimated 

 at its full value. 



This revolution for it is noi^^f less in the 

 political and social aspects of modern civilisation 

 has been preceded, accompanied,, and in great 

 measure caused, by a less obvious, but no less 

 marvellous, increase of natural -knowledge, and 

 especially of that part of it which is known as 

 Physical Science, in consequence of the application 

 of scientific method to the investigation of the 

 phenomena of the material world. Not that the 

 growth of physical science is an exclusive preroga- 

 tive of the Victorian age. Its present strength 

 and volume merely indicate the highest level of a 

 stream which took its rise alongside of the primal 

 founts of Philosophy, Literature, and Art, in 

 ancient Greece ; and, after being dammed up for 

 a thousand years, once more began to flow three 

 centuries ago. 



It may be doubted if even-handed justice, as 

 free from fulsome panegyric as from captious de- 

 preciation, has ever yet been dealt out to the 

 sages of antiquity who, for eight centuries, from 

 the time of Thales to that of Galen, toiled at the 



