PRELUDE TO THE EPOCH OF NEWTON. 145 



ting opinions which might bring him into trouble. 

 He, on all occasions, endeavoured to explain away 

 the doctrine of the motion of the earth, so as to 

 evade the scruples to which the decrees of the pope 

 had given rise ; and, in stating the theory of vortices, 

 he says s , " There is no doubt that the world was 

 created at first with all its perfection; neverthe- 

 less, it is well to consider how it might have arisen 

 from certain principles, although we know that it 

 did not." Indeed, in the whole of his philosophy, 

 he appears to deserve the character of being both 

 rash and cowardly, "pusittanimus simul et cmdax" 

 far more than Aristotle, to whose physical specula- 

 tions Bacon applies this description 9 . 



Whatever the causes might be, his system was 

 well received and rapidly adopted. Gassendi, indeed, 

 says that he found nobody who had the courage to 

 read the Principia, through 10 ; but the system was 

 soon embraced by the younger professors, who were 

 eager to dispute in its favour. It is said 11 that the 

 University of Paris was on the point of publishing 

 an edict against these new doctrines, and was only 

 prevented from doing so by a pasquinade which is 

 worth mentioning. It was composed by the poet 

 Boileau (about 1684), and professed to be a Re- 

 quest in favour of Aristotle, and an Edict issued 

 from Mount Parnassus in consequence. It is obvious 



8 Prin. p. 56. 9 Bacon, vol. ix. p. 230. 



10 Del. A. M. ii. 193. 



11 Enc. Brit. art. Cartesianism. 



VOL. II. L 



