136 THE NEW SCIENCE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE 



half-mystical inspiration in the heavens above, as Savage, Brooke, 

 Young, and Akenside. The poems from the first group are filled 

 with the hitherto unappreciated commonplace things of country 

 life; the poems from the second group are more formal and more 

 religious. The purpose here is to show that scientific curiosity 

 permeates the work of both groups, that both employ the material 

 out of which was to be contructed the new natural history of the 

 world. 



John Philips, in Cider, wrote out of an interested and long- 

 continued observation. The orchard was to him a laboratory where- 

 in he made experiments in grafting, pruning, fertilizing. He had 

 examined with curiosity through the microscope the embryonic 

 tree in the kernel ;^-^ he had seen the mites that prey on trees 

 and fruit; he had noted the times and seasons with an inductive, 

 commonsense judgment. ^-^ In spirit and method he was in accord 

 with the new philosophers. 



Thomson, likewise, was possessed of the new spirit. He roamed 

 the fields "with philosophic eye and inspect sage". The meteor 

 that sped across the sky did not frighten him as it did the "super- 

 stitious multitude". He surveyed it curiously, "inquisitive to 

 know the causes ".^-^ The changes of the seasons he endeavored 

 to interpret in terms of chemistry.^-* He was familiar with the 

 recent scientific activities."^ Boyle and Newton were mentioned 

 by him with special praise.^^® He felt himself, in general, to be in 

 perfect sympathy with the new science. 

 "Fair thy renown 

 In awful sages and in noble bards; 

 Soon as the light of dawning science spread 

 Her orient ray, and waked the Muse's song". 

 Thomson, more nearly than any other of these poets, has followed 

 the exhortation of Thomas Sprat, "to read in the great Book of 

 Nature, to w^alk in its Garden and taste its plenty". If the new 



"iBk. I. 



"2 Bk. II. Autwnn, p. 141, Crowell. 



^^ Autmiin, p. 105, Crowell, "Whate'er the wintry frost nitrous prepared and sum- 

 mer suns concocted strong". 



^^ fittmmer, p. 97, To memory of Sir Isaac Newton, also p. 406. 

 ^^ Autumn, p. 146. 

 ^Spring, p. 15. 



