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

  • Thomas Sprat
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.

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    to thrive, when the minds, and labours of men of all Conditions, are join’d to promote it, and when it becomes the care of united Nations, Into the Eafl, the firft Inquifitive Men amongft the Grecians traveled: By what they obferved there, they ripened their own imperfed Conceptions, and fo return’d to teach them at home. And that they might the better infinuate their opinions into their hearers minds, they let them off with the mixture of Fables, and the ornaments of Fancy. Hence it came to pafs, that the firft Mafters of knowledge amongft them, were as well Poets, as Philofophers; For Orpheus, Linus, Mufteus, and Homer, firft foftned mens natural rudenefs, and by the charms of their Numbers, allur’d them to be inftruded by the fe- verer Do&rines, of Solon, Thales, and Pythagoras. This was a courfe, that was ufeful at firft, when men were to be delightfully deceiv’d to their own good : But perhaps it left fome ill influence, on the whole Philofophy of their Succeflors ; and gave the Greci¬ ans occafion ever after of exercifing their wit, and their imagination, about the works of Nature, more then was confiftent with a -fincere Inquiry into them. Sed. IV. When the fabulous Age was paft: Philofophy took The Philo- a 'ittle more courage; and ventured more to relye Sophy of upon its own ftrength, without the Afliftance of Greece. Poetry. Now they began to gather into Aftemblies, and to increafe their intereft : and, according to the different temper of the Grecians, from the Eajl. ern Nations; fo were their Arts propagated in a different way from theirs. The Greeks, being of a vigorous, and adive humour, eftablilh’t their Philo¬ fophy,
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