22 THE NEW SCIENCE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE 



Jonson's satire was no longer pertinent for the new scientists. 

 The Royal Society never sought for the Philosopher's Stone. 



The spirit of travel and exploration was active in this period. 

 Dampier's Voyages is a conspicuous example. And, not only 

 did Sorbiere, Moncony, Evremont, Voltaire, and other foreigners 

 visit England for purposes of inspection, but many Englishmen 

 likewise returned the compliment. Ray, Willughby, Lister, Thores- 

 by made journeys to the continent to gather data for the new na- 

 tural history ; Halley sailed to South America to make astronomical 

 observations; Sir Thomas Browne made a tour of discovery into 

 Iceland, The later archaeological investigations of Lord Montagu 

 in the far East are well known. Connected with this interest was 

 a desire to make accurate geography. The work of the Sansons in 

 France is perhaps the most important. Helvelius's map of the 

 moon, inspired of this same spirit, furnished a good mark for the 

 satirists. Related to the geographical interest is the study of the 

 structure of the earth itself. Geology had not yet really begun, 

 but the work of Woodward is noteworthy. He endeavored to ex- 

 plain the presence of sea fossils found far inland on the basis of 

 Burnet's Sacred Theory. ^^ At the time of the deluge, he claimed, 

 the waters pent up within the crust of the earth burst their bounds, 

 and when the various substances again settled to the layer where 

 their varying weights carried them, these fossils were thus dis- 

 placed. The explanation was ingenious but not convincing even 

 to his contemporaries."" It may now be seen, however, that Wood- 

 ward narrowly missed discovering the strata of the earth's crust, 

 the great achievement of the following years. 



In mathematics there was great activity through these years. 

 As has been shown, Descartes brought this pure science to the aid of 

 philosophical problems, making it the handmaid of astronomy and 

 physics. There could, however, be little to attract the popular mind 

 developed from its study. There was a dispute that lasted for 

 several years between Descartes, Hobbes, Wallis, and others, over the 

 possibility of squaring the circle; and Newton and Leibnitz quar- 

 reled over their respective claims to priority in the invention of 



^ Cf. Woodward's Account of the Deluge. 



■^ Cf. Arbuthnot's An Examination of Woodward's Account of the Deluge, Wks., 

 vol. II, p. 196. 



