THE REVIVAL OF SCIENCE 269 



science, however, where England led the world, 

 the descent became an ascent. We leave Dr. Dee 

 and Edward Kelly, and we arrive at Harvey and 

 Newton. 



The gap between the mediaeval science which 

 still obtained in Queen Elizabeth's time and the 

 science of the Stewarts was bridged by Francis 

 Bacon, in a way, but only in a way. He was a 

 reformer of the scientific method. He was no 

 innovator in the inductive method ; others had 

 preceded him, but he, from his great position, 

 clearly pointed out that the writers and leaders 

 of his time observed and recorded facts in favour 

 of ideas other than those hitherto sanctioned by 

 authority. 



Bacon left a heritage to English science. His 

 writings and his thoughts are not always clear, 

 but he firmly held, and, with the authority which 

 his personal eminence gave him, firmly proclaimed, 

 that the careful and systematic investigation of 

 natural phenomena and their accurate record 

 would give to man a power in this world which, 

 in his time, was hardly to be conceived. What 

 he believed, what he preached, he did not prac- 

 tise. " I only sound the clarion, but I enter not 

 into the battle " ; and yet this is not wholly 



