The history of the Royal Society of London, for the Improving of Natural Knowledge / By Tho. Sprat.

  • Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713.
Date:
1702
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of the Royal Society of London, for the Improving of Natural Knowledge / By Tho. Sprat. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    34/470 (page 12)
    and fitted for the benefit of humane Society ; v, hich confifled in the plain, and diredt Rules, of good Life, and Charity, and the Belief in a redemption by one Savior, was miferably divided into a thoufand intri¬ cate queftions, which neither advance true Piety, nor good manners. Hence arofc all the Herefies of thofe times. Again!! thefe, befides the force of Difputa- tion, the Church obtain’d the Arm of the Civil Magi- ftrate : and fo at laft by the help of many General Councils, got them extinguifh’d, V if I may fay they were extinguilh’d, feeing in this age wherein we live, we have feen moil of them unhappily reviv’d.) But ftill by this means,there was no knowledge in requeft, but the Difputative Philofophy. For while things were in thispoflure, and fo many great Wits in gag’d in the heats of controverfie: it was not to be expeded, that they Ihould look out for farther a fii fiance, then the Arts,which were already prepar’d,-or that they Ihould make any confiderable indeavours, about new inven¬ tions, and the tedious tryal of Experiments. Nor can we much blame them for it: feeing in a time of War, every man will rather fnatch up that armor which he finds ready made, then flay till men go to t he Mine, and digge out new Ore, and refine, and harden it a better way ; in hope to have his weapons of a ffronger, and nobler Metal at laft. Nor was that Age unfit for fuch an enterprife, on¬ ly on the account of thefe Warrs of the Tongue : But alfo by reafon of the miferable diflempers of the civil affairs of the World, about that time: which were chiefly occafion’d by the Roman Armies usur¬ ping the Right of choofing Emperors, and by the invafions of Barbarous Nations, which overwhelm’d the greatefl part of Europe. Amidft thefe diftrations, it •x