MEMOIR OF ARISTOTLE. 
67 
the original. By those means was Aristotle at length 
not merely exalted to the throne of philosophy, but 
enshrined as it were the inspired and presiding ge- 
nius of science. Never was papal despotism over 
the consciences of men more absolute, than was the 
authority of the Stagirite over their minds and opi- 
nions. The power of the greatest monarchs on earth 
must appear fleeting and precarious, when compared 
with his long and solitary reign in the schools of the 
middle ages. 
From this summary of the life and character of 
Aristotle, tve must now turn to give a condensed 
survey of his voluminous works. According to the 
most credible accounts, he composed about 400 dif- 
ferent treatises on. the various subjects which then 
formed the curriculum of scholastic study, including 
Logic, Rhetoric, Ethics, Politics, Physics, Meta- 
physics, Mathematics, Optics, Astronomy, Music, 
Mechanics, Medicine, Philology, Physiology, Natu- 
ral History, Epistles, and many other topics, which 
it would be tedious to enumerate. It appears that 
neither he nor Theophrastus were at pains to secure 
the publication of their works during their lifetime ; 
and the cause of their negligence or nonperformance 
of this important task, has been the theme of much 
conjecture. The solution of the question may de- 
pend on collateral circumstances with which we are 
altogether unacquainted : but the current persuasion 
was, that it arose either from an excess of modesty 
or prudence ; or, from a diffidence of success in com- 
