32 THE NEW SCIENCE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE 



need it. 7. Men have already deserted antiquity on some things.^* 

 These are strange words from the pen of the author of the Religio 

 Medici; they voice a mental attitude in perfect accord with the 

 founder of the new experimental philosophy. "Bacon's protest 

 against the principle of authority is no less vigorous than that of 

 Descartes ".^^ 



But not only has this philosophical physician largely the mental 

 attitude of the new scientists, he has also an active interest in the 

 reconstruction of the new natural history. For, first of all, the 

 aim in writing Vulgar Errors was to correct false notions that had 

 found lodgment in the minds of the common people.^'' The author 

 becomes here a true virtuoso, testing by experiment and observation 

 these long accepted theories, and reporting with care the facts and 

 his conclusions. "No metal attracts, nor animal concretion we 

 know, although polite and smooth; as we have made trial in Elk's 

 hoofs. Hawk's Talons, the sword of the Sword-fish, Tortois-shells, 

 Sea-horse, and Elephant's teeth, in Bones, in Harts-horn, and what 

 is usually conceived Unicorn's horn"." This reads like a report 

 to the Royal Society, and shows beyond a doubt that Sir Thomas 

 Browne was by this time, both in attitude and method, one of the 

 new philosophers. The "divine mysteries" were no longer ac- 

 cepted on faith, but must be "strongly erected upon the two great 

 pillars of truth, experience and reason ".^^ In the same manner he 

 proceeded to explain by natural causes the noise of the Death- 

 watch, ^® and to prove that "crystal is not concreted Ice or Snow".-" 

 It was he who found the natural cause for "the raining of wheat 

 from heaven", which created so much excitement among the virtuosi 

 at Gresham College.^^ "What was found this year in many places 

 and almost preached for wheat rained from the clouds, was but 

 the seed of the ivy-berries, which somewhat represent it".^^ 



" Vulgar Errors, vol. I, chap. VI. 



" Seth, James, English Philosophers, p. 3. 



'' Vulgar Errors, pp. 118-9, Preface. 



" Vulgar Errors, vol. II, p. 252. 



"Ibid. vol. II, p. 104. 



"Ibid. vol. I, p. 299. 



*oibid. vol. II, Bk. II, chap. 1. 



'^ Phil. Trans. Jan. 21, 1666. 



" Vulgar Errors, vol. I, p. 303. 



