86 THE NEW SCIENCE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE 



inquiries sent to it in the pages of its official organ, The Mercury. 

 One section of this periodical was devoted to science and delivered 

 to its readers second hand facts from the Royal Society, such as 

 Swift suggested in his satiric Ode to the Athenian Society. Set- 

 tle's work purports to be a comedy, but is in fact a "scurrilous 

 dialogue" on the momentous question, — "Which is the more noble 

 Animal a louse or a flea?" The two scientists, "Jury Squirt, 

 Casuist, and Physician in Ordinary", and "Joachim-Dash, Mathe- 

 matician", who take part in this debate, have been identified as 

 Mr. Norris and Mr. Sault, respectively.^* The ridicule was un- 

 doubtedly well deserved. 



An adaptation of Moliere's Les Femmes Savantes was made by 

 Thomas Wright in (1693-1697) The Female Virtuosoes. The fe- 

 male wits are to form a society, an "Academy of Beaux Esprits". 

 "Woe then" says Sir Maurice Meanwell, "to the Royal Society; 

 the glory of it will suffer a manifest eclipse ".^^ His wdfe. Lady 

 Maurice, is the leader of these female wits ; she is, in fact, much more 

 of a "virtuosa" than Lady Vaine in Shadwell's Sullen Lovers. 

 Her head is full of "projects". "I was yesterday with my Lord 

 Mayor, to communicate to him a Mathematical Engine of my own, 

 to keep the streets as clean, and as dry as a drawing Room all the 

 year around ' '."'' This wonderful invention was to consist of ' ' tim- 

 ber posts" set around the city, to which bellows were to be at- 

 tached for blowing the clouds away. My Lady, it appears, is a 

 much better philosopher than wife, in the judgment of her hus- 

 band. 



"Sir Maurice, — A pretty thing indeed, to see these long spec- 

 tacles of yours set on the Top of my House, for you to peep 

 through, and tell how many Hackney-Coaches are going in the 



moon ! " 



' ' Sir Maurice, — A pox of Philosopher for a Wife, who the Devil 

 would marry Wit".^^ 



But Lady Maurice is not the only projector and observer. Love- 

 wit has a huge limbeck in the process of manufacture — 



«* Brown, Frank, Elkanah Settle, p. 98. 

 «» The Female Virtuosoes, Act II, sc. 1. 

 «Il)id. Act III, sc. 1. 

 " Ibid. 



