246 Epitome of the Progress of J^atural Science. 



of experimental philosophy, owes its origin to the Arabians : 

 the transmutation of base rnetals into gold, and the composition of 

 a medicine that could confer immortality, were favourite pursuits 

 of this ingenious and romantic people. 



When the rays of Arabian science were reflected upon Eu- 

 rope, ingenious and learned men began to arise there. Among 

 the most eminent is Roger Bacon, an Englishman, born A. D. 

 1214. He was a man of universal knowledge, and being a great 

 alchemist, he was charged by the bigotry of his cotemporaries 

 with being a necromancer. Had a mind like friar Bacon's been 

 left untrammelled, and experimental philosophy been encouraged 

 instead of repressed, the greatest progress might have been made 

 in physical science ; but the general ignorance was too great, and 

 the influence of the scholastic school too powerful. We cannot 

 help contrasting here the attainments of Bacon as we have spo- 

 ken of them, with those of the celebrated Thomas Aquinas, born 

 A. D. 1224, the glory of the scholastics and theologians, known 

 by the name of " the angelical doctor." In metaphysical and 

 speculative discussions he was without a rival ; but as to phy- 

 sical experiments, he denounced them, upon all occasions, as the 

 result of necromancy. An amusing anecdote is related of this 

 holy man, who after his death was beatified. Being induced 

 to go and see a curious automaton figure, which uttered sounds, 

 as if in reply to questions put to it ; this far famed and holy 

 champion of the church, fell into a prodigious fright, and rage, 

 and lifting up his staff broke it in pieces, rejoicing that he had 

 overcome the devil. 



The Italians were among the first to- cultivate those sciences 

 which the Saracens had given to Europe. Bologna became a 

 great medical school. In 1315, Mondino de Luzzi conducted dis- 

 sections there, and became a celebrated anatomist. He followed 

 Galen implicitly, and used the Arabic terms. Luzzi only used 

 human subjects, a mode of illustration against which strong pre- 

 judices were entertained. His book was the text book of the 

 anatomical schools for a century. 



The influence of the scholastic school began now to decline. 

 Remarkable chiefly for speculative absurdities, discussed in an 

 unintelligible language, and for a corrupted theology defended 

 by the misunderstood logic and metaphysics of the ancients; the 

 practice of demonstrating truth by facts, which was now be- 



