PERIPATETIC. 
nics, interpreting, in their fchools, Tome of the writings 
of Ariftotle, particularly his Dialedics, and recommen¬ 
ding them to young perfons. This feems to have been 
the firft ftep to that univerfal dominion which Ariftotle 
afterwards obtained in the republic of letters, which was 
alfo very much promoted by the controverfies which Qri- 
gen had occafioned: he was zealoufly attached to the 
Platonic fyftein : and, therefore, after his condemnation, 
many, to avoid the imputation of his errors, and to pre¬ 
vent their being counted among the number of his fol¬ 
lowers, openly adopted the philofophy of Ariftotle. 
Nor was any philofophy fo proper for furnifhing tliofe 
weapons of fubtle diftin&ions and captious fophifms, 
which were ufed in the Neftorian, Arian, and Eutychian, 
controverfies. About the clofe of the fixth century, the 
Ariftotelian philofophy, as well as fcience in genera!, was 
almoft univerfally decried; and it was chiefly owing to 
Boethius, who had explained and recommended it, and 
who united the Platonic with the Ariftotelian dofirine, 
that it obtained a higher degree of credit among the La¬ 
tins than it had hitherto enjoyed. Towards the end of 
the feventh century, the Greeks, abandoning Plato to 
the monks, gave themfelves up entirely to the direction 
of Ariftotle; and in the fucceeding century the Peripa¬ 
tetic philofophy was taught every-where in their public 
fchools, and propagated in all places with conliderable 
fuccefs. John Damafcenus, who flouriftied at the begin¬ 
ning of. the eighth century, very much contributed to 
its credit and influence, by compofihg a concife, plain, 
and comprehenfive, view of the doftrines of the Stagirite, 
for the inftru&ion of the more ignorant, and in a manner 
adapted to common capacities. Under the patronage of 
Photius, and the protection of Barda, the ftudy of philo¬ 
fophy, having for fome time declined, revived again about 
the end of the ninth century. About the year 1050, a 
revolution in philofophy Commenced in France 5 when 
feveral eminent logicians, who followed Ariftotle as 
their guide, took neverthelefs the liberty of illustrating 
and modelling anew his philofophy, and extending it far 
'beyond its ancient limits. In the twelfth century, three 
methods of teaching philofophy were p raft i fed by diffe¬ 
rent doftors. The firft was the ancient and plain method, 
which confined its refearches to the philofophical notions 
of Porphyry, and the dialedtic fyftern, commonly attribu¬ 
ted to St. Auguftine, and in which were laid down this 
general role, that philofophical inquiries were to be li¬ 
mited to a finall number of fubjefls, left, by their beco¬ 
ming too extenfive, religion might fufter by a profane 
mixture of human fubtilty with its divine wifdorn. The 
fecond method was called “ the Ariftotelian,” becaufe it 
confided in explications of the works of that philofopher, 
feveral of whofe books, being tranflated into Latin, were 
aim oft every-where in the hands of the learned. The 
third was termed the “ free method,” employed by fuch 
as were bold enough to fearch after truth, in the man¬ 
ner the mod; adapted to render their inquiries fuccefsful, 
without rejeding the fuccours of Ariftotle and Plato. 
About this time, dialectic philofophy was fuppofed to 
be the key of theology, without which it would be im- 
poflible to unlock the myfteries of /acred wifdom. On 
account of this fuppofed alliance between logic and theo¬ 
logy, the former was made the principal object of ftudy 
in ail the fchools, and thole who excelled in the dialectic 
art were regarded with the high eft admiration, and atten¬ 
ded by crowds of pupils. The Ariftotelian philofophy 
had now for feveral centuries been ftudied by the Saracens, 
and was at this time taught in their fchools in Spain. 
Thefe fchools were vifited by many of the Weftern Chrif- 
tians, who learned Arabic, that they might be able to 
read tranflations of Ariftotle, and other philofophical 
writers, and who afterwards tranflated many Arabic 
books into the European tongues. Another caufe which 
ferved to eftablilh a general tafte for the Peripatetic phi¬ 
lofophy, and particularly for the Ariftotelian logic, was, 
that about this period many Greek copies of the writings 
Vo t. XIX. No. 1330. 
623 
of Ariftotle were brought from Conftantinople into the 
Weft. Before this time, though they had been read in 
the original by a few monks, more learned than the reft, 
moll perfons had been contented with the tranflations of 
Viftorinus and Boethius. But* at the beginning of the 
12th century, the original writings of Ariftotle were- ftu¬ 
died in Paris; whence they were introduced among the 
Germans, by Otho of Freifingen, in the time of Abelard. 
The guardians-of the church were alarmed by the inun¬ 
dation of new opinions, which this fondnefs for logical 
difputations introduced j and, after having fentenced the 
works of two Parifian teachers of theology to be publicly 
burned, a general prohibition of the ufe of the phyfical 
and metaphyfical writings of Ariftotle in the fchools, 
was iffued firft by the fynod of Paris, and afterwards, un¬ 
der pope Innocent III. by the council of Lateran. The 
evil that had caufed the alarm was not fupprefled ; but the 
fondnefs for the fubtleties of Ariftotelian logic and meta- 
phylics became fo general, that the orthodox clergy com¬ 
plained, that fcholars fpent their whole time in difputa- 
tion. It was at length found neceflary, under certain re- 
ftridtions, to favour the ftudy of Ariftotle. Accor¬ 
dingly his Dialectics, Phyfics, and Metaphyfics, were by 
exprefs llatute received into the univerfity of Paris. It 
was ordered, however, in 1231, by a bull of pope Gregory 
IX. that only fuch books of Ariftotle (hould be tiled in 
the fchools as had been examined and purged from er¬ 
rors. 
In feveral other countries, the Ariftotelian philofophy 
was received with lefs oppofition. In England, the wri¬ 
tings of the Stagirite were read with great avidity; and 
in Germany and Italy the ftudy of Ariftotle was very 
much encouraged. The name of Ariftotle, from the 
end of the twelfth century, obtained univerfal dominion ; 
and fo far were his writings, after this time, from falling 
under the cenfure of councils and popes, that the philo¬ 
fophy of Ariftotle, and that of the Saracens, became the 
main pillars of ecclefiaftical hierarchy. In the year 1452, 
Charles VII. ordered the works of Ariftotle to be read 
and publicly explained in the univerfity of Paris. Thus 
the union between the Peripatetic philofophy and the 
Chriftian religion was confirmed ; and Ariftotle became 
not only the interpreter, but even the judge, of St. Paul. 
Although, at the beginning of the 16th century, the 
fcholaftic philofophy began to fall into general contempt, 
Ariftotle ftill retained, in a great degree, his authority. 
This event was owing to many concurring circum- 
ftances. The partifans of the Platonic fyftern, who, under 
the patronage of the Medicean family, had long main¬ 
tained their ground againft the Ariftotelians, loft their 
influence as that of their patrons declined ; and the advo¬ 
cates of the Peripatetic philofophy proportionally in- 
creafed, and, after a violent conflict, obtained a vidlory. 
The deference which had been long paid to the decifions 
of Ariftotle, induced the firft reftorers of learning to di¬ 
rect their principal attention to his writings: accor¬ 
dingly the number of critics and commentators became 
very confiderable. The firft perfons of this defcriptioa 
employed themfelves in verba! rather than philofophical 
criticifm, and in correcting the text of their author. 
But commentators of a different clafs were chiefly em¬ 
ployed, from Pomponatius to the middle of the feven- 
teenth century, in afcertaining and reftoring the true 
Ariftotelian philofophy. It would be an endlefs talk to 
enumerate all the learned men, who, in the fifteenth and 
fixteenth centuries, attached themfelves to the Ariftote¬ 
lian fyftern. Among the Roman Catholics we may men¬ 
tion'Nicholas Leonicus Thomsens, a Venetian, born in 
1457/ who feems to have been one of the firft that at¬ 
tempted to reftore the genuine Ariftotelian philofophy; 
Pomponatius of Mantua, born in 1462, who taught the 
doctrines of Ariftotle and Averroes in the fchools of Pa¬ 
dua and Bologna, and who had many followers of great 
celebrity; fuch were Simon Porta, a Neapolitan, Julius 
Ctefar Scaliger, a celebrated philologift, and Lazarus J?o- 
7 U ■ namicus,. 
