CONRAD GESNER. 103 



The principal author who appeared between the 

 epoch which witnessed the destruction of the Ro- 

 man Empire and the beginning of the century just 

 specified, was Albertus Magnus ; so called, according 

 to some, not because he was great as a man of 

 science, but because his family-name was Groot, 

 which in Dutch signifies " great," and being Latin- 

 ized, as was then the fashion, became " magnus." 

 However, he was not a small personage in his day ; 

 for it is told of him that he constructed a brazen 

 head which had the faculty of answering questions, 

 and wrote so many works that, when collected for a 

 general edition at Lyons in 1651, they filled twenty- 

 one thick folios. His character was highly respect- 

 able, and his History of Animals is certainly a re- 

 markable production for the age in which he lived. 

 Born at Lavingen in Suabia in 1205, he received 

 his education at Pavia, where he entered the order of 

 Dominicans. Some time having elapsed, he went to 

 Paris and delivered public lectures with applause. 

 In 1248, he was invited to Rome by Pope Alexander 

 III., who appointed him to the office of Master of 

 the Holy Palac^, and bestowed on him the bishop- 

 ric of Ratisbon, which he soon after resigned. Re- 

 turning to Cologne, he resumed his lectures, which 

 were much frequented. Pope Gregory X. called 

 him to assist at the general council, held at Lyons 

 in 1274, where the conclave of cardinals for the 

 election of the successor of St Peter was first insti- 

 tuted. He died at Cologne at the age of 77- The 

 celebrated Thomas Aquinas, who was his pupil, is 

 reported to have broken, in a fit of terror, his fa- 

 mous brazen oracle ; and the progress of science has 

 shown as little respect to his other works, consisting 



