April 23rd, 1907.] Proceedings. xxxv 



outside the scope of the paper. The astronomy of the poem is 

 founded on the Ptolemaic system, though the possible triumph 

 of the latter is expressly admitted in Book VIII. The account 

 of the Creation in Book VII. is taken direct from Biblical 

 sources, an inevitable proceeding under the circumstances. 

 In " Natura non pati senium" (Nature not subject to old 

 age), Milton departs so far from the traditional custom of 

 poets as to insist that the earth is not losing its vigour, and that 

 the operations of Nature are conducted on the same scale as 

 heretofore. Darwin's " Botanic Garden," or " The Loves of the 

 Plants," contains an oft-quoted allusion to the then undeveloped 

 powers of steam, but the general style of the poem is heavy, and 

 its weakness soon provoked Canning to parody it in " The 

 Loves of the Triangles." In more recent times (1844) the Rev. 

 John Selby Watson, of Guernsey, published a poem on Geology 

 in five books, which on the whole is a meritorious piece of work, 

 and the list is completed by Mr. J. F. Rowbotham's " Human 

 Epic" (1906), the most learned of modern efforts in this 

 direction. 



Reference was also made to the " Fugitive Poems " collected 

 by Daubeny (1869), to Lord Neaves's "Songs and Verses," and 

 lighter effusions by O. W, Holmes, Maxwell, Rankine, Bret 

 Harte, and several anonymous writers. 



Ordinary Meeting, May 7th, 1907. 



The President, Professor H. B. Dixon, M.A., F.R.S., in the 



Chair. 



The thanks of the members were voted to the donors of the 

 books upon the table. The following were among the recent 

 accessions to the Society's Library: — " Anatomie de la tcte du 

 Lasius niger." Par Ch. Janet (Svo., Limoges, 1905), presented 

 by the author ; " JDi alcuiie imporlanti quest ioni filosoficheP 

 G. C Paoli (8vo., Milano, 1907), presented by the author. 



