30 THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENCE. 



the reign of this belief there was, as history shows, no 

 advance in astronomical science. 



But after this long and barren period, when the revival 

 of learning began, in the sixteenth century, celestial 

 observations were renewed. During the early part of 

 the revival the astronomer and the astrologer were often 

 combined in the same person. Tycho Brahe, for exam- 

 ple, began as an astrologer ; so did Gassendi ; and even 

 the great Kepler "spoke of astronomy as the wise 

 mother and astrology as the foolish daughter," adding 

 that the daughter was necessary to the life of the mother. 

 {Enc. Brit., 9th, II., 741). The visionary notion of occult 

 influences lay in the minds of these men, side by side 

 with a true conception of mechanical causes ; and it was 

 only because their love of truth for its own sake sur- 

 passed their love of truth for the sake of what they con- 

 ceived to be its practical uses, that these energetic 

 students of nature finally became eminent astronomers 

 instead of famous astrologers. 



Thenceforward, the unflinching attachment to the 

 study of nature for the sake of knowledge lifted as- 

 tronomy from rank to rank, until she stands the con- 

 fessed queen of sciences, beautiful in form, lovely in 

 character, and pure and powerful in influence over the 

 human intellect ; while astrology, animated by no such 

 love of truth, declined even unto death. 



The history of chemistry and alchemy furnishes, if 

 possible, a still better illustration. Both are alike 

 founded upon the incessant changes which abound in 

 nature. Decay, growth, melting, burning, the trans- 

 formation of water, earths and metals, by heat, and a 

 thousand other mutations in the nature of familiar ob- 

 jects have offered themselves for study in all periods of 

 human history. Whether the study of them should be 

 called chemistry or alchemy dejjends upon the motives 



which have prompted it. 



14 



