autobiography and selected essays-第9节

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the　New　Reformation。＇18＇







ON　THE　ADVISABLENESS　OF　IMPROVING　NATURAL　KNOWLEDGE　　　　　＇19＇





This　time　two　hundred　years　agoin　the　beginning　of　January；　1666

those　of　our　forefathers　who　inhabited　this　great　and　ancient

city；　took　breath　between　the　shocks　of　two　fearful　calamities：　one

not　quite　past；　although　its　fury　had　abated；　the　other　to　come。



Within　a　few　yards　of　the　very　spot　＇20＇　on　which　we　are　assembled；

so　the　tradition　runs；　that　painful　and　deadly　malady；　the　plague；

appeared　in　the　latter　months　of　1664；　and；　though　no　new　visitor；

smote　the　people　of　England；　and　especially　of　her　capital；　with　a

violence　unknown　before；　in　the　course　of　the　following　year。　　The

hand　of　a　master　has　pictured　what　happened　in　those　dismal　months；

and　in　that　truest　of　fictions；　The　History　of　the　Plague　Year；

Defoe　＇21＇　shows　death；　with　every　accompaniment　of　pain　and　terror；

stalking　through　the　narrow　streets　of　old　London；　and　changing

their　busy　hum　into　a　silence　broken　only　by　the　wailing　of　the

mourners　of　fifty　thousand　dead；　by　the　woful　denunciations　and　mad

prayers　of　fanatics；　and　by　the　madder　yells　of　despairing

profligates。



But；　about　this　time　in　1666；　the　death…rate　had　sunk　to　nearly　its

ordinary　amount；　a　case　of　plague　occurred　only　here　and　there；　and

the　richer　citizens　who　had　flown　from　the　pest　had　returned　to

their　dwellings。　　The　remnant　of　the　people　began　to　toil　at　the

accustomed　round　of　duty；　or　of　pleasure；　and　the　stream　of　city

life　bid　fair　to　flow　back　along　its　old　bed；　with　renewed　and

uninterrupted　vigour。



The　newly　kindled　hope　was　deceitful。　　The　great　plague；　indeed；

returned　no　more；　but　what　it　had　done　for　the　Londoners；　the　great

fire；　which　broke　out　in　the　autumn　of　1666；　did　for　London；　and；

in　September　of　that　year；　a　heap　of　ashes　and　the　indestructible

energy　of　the　people　were　all　that　remained　of　the　glory　of　five…

sixths　of　the　city　within　the　walls。





Our　forefathers　had　their　own　ways　of　accounting　for　each　of　these

calamities。　　They　submitted　to　the　plague　in　humility　and　in

penitence；　for　they　believed　it　to　be　the　judgment　of　God。　　But；

towards　the　fire　they　were　furiously　indignant；　interpreting　it　as

the　effect　of　the　malice　of　man；as　the　work　of　the　Republicans；

or　of　the　Papists；　according　as　their　prepossessions　ran　in　favour

of　loyalty　or　of　Puritanism。



It　would；　I　fancy；　have　fared　but　ill　with　one　who；　standing　where

I　now　stand；　in　what　was　then　a　thickly　peopled　and　fashionable

part　of　London；　should　have　broached　to　our　ancestors　the　doctrine

which　I　now　propound　to　youthat　all　their　hypotheses　were　alike

wrong；　that　the　plague　was　no　more；　in　their　sense；　Divine

judgment；　than　the　fire　was　the　work　of　any　political；　or　of　any

religious　sect；　but　that　they　were　themselves　the　authors　of　both

plague　and　fire；　and　that　they　must　look　to　themselves　to　prevent

the　recurrence　of　calamities；　to　all　appearance　so　peculiarly

beyond　the　reach　of　human　controlso　evidently　the　result　of　the

wrath　of　God；　or　of　the　craft　and　subtlety　of　an　enemy。



And　one　may　picture　to　one's　self　how　harmoniously　the　holy　cursing

of　the　Puritan　of　that　day　would　have　chimed　in　with　the　unholy

cursing　and　the　crackling　wit　of　the　Rochesters　and　Sedleys；＇22＇　and

with　the　revilings　of　the　political　fanatics；　if　my　imaginary　plain

dealer　had　gone　on　to　say　that；　if　the　return　of　such　misfortunes

were　ever　rendered　impossible；　it　would　not　be　in　virtue　of　the

victory　of　the　faith　of　Laud；＇23＇　or　of　that　of　Milton；　and；　as

little；　by　the　triumph　of　republicanism；　as　by　that　of　monarchy。

But　that　the　one　thing　needful　for　compassing　this　end　was；　that

the　people　of　England　should　second　the　efforts　of　an　insignificant

corporation；　the　establishment　of　which；　a　few　years　before　the

epoch　of　the　great　plague　and　the　great　fire；　had　been　as　little

noticed；　as　they　were　conspicuous。





Some　twenty　years　before　the　outbreak　of　the　plague　a　few　calm　and

thoughtful　students　banded　themselves　together　for　the　purpose；　as

they　phrased　it；　of　〃improving　natural　knowledge。〃　　The　ends　they

proposed　to　attain　cannot　be　stated　more　clearly　than　in　the　words

of　one　of　the　founders　of　the　organisation：



〃Our　business　was　（precluding　matters　of　theology　and　state

affairs）　to　discourse　and　consider　of　philosophical　enquiries；　and

such　as　related　thereunto：as　Physick；　Anatomy；　Geometry；

Astronomy；　Navigation；　Staticks；　Magneticks；　Chymicks；　Mechanicks；

and　Natural　Experiments；　with　the　state　of　these　studies　and　their

cultivation　at　home　and　abroad。　　We　then　discoursed　of　the

circulation　of　the　blood；　the　valves　in　the　veins；　the　venae

lacteae；　the　lymphatic　vessels；　the　Copernican　hypothesis；　the

nature　of　comets　and　new　stars；　the　satellites　of　Jupiter；　the　oval

shape　（as　it　then　appeared）　of　Saturn；　the　spots　on　the　sun　and　its

turning　on　its　own　axis；　the　inequalities　and　selenography　＇24＇　of　the

moon；　the　several　phases　of　Venus　and　Mercury；　the　improvement　of

telescopes　and　grinding　of　glasses　for　that　purpose；　the　weight　of

air；　the　possibility　or　impossibility　of　vacuities　and　nature's

abhorrence　thereof；　the　Torricellian　experiment　＇25＇　in　quicksilver；

the　descent　of　heavy　bodies　and　the　degree　of　acceleration　therein；

with　divers　other　things　of　like　nature；　some　of　which　were　then

but　new　discoveries；　and　others　not　so　generally　known　and　embraced

as　now　they　are；　with　other　things　appertaining　to　what　hath　been

called　the　New　Philosophy；　which　from　the　times　of　Galileo　at

Florence；　and　Sir　Francis　Bacon　＇26＇　（Lord　Verulam）　in　England；　hath

been　much　cultivated　in　Italy；　France；　Germany；　and　other　parts

abroad；　as　well　as　with　us　in　England。〃



The　learned　Dr。　Wallis；＇27＇　writing　in　1696；　narrates　in　these　words；

what　happened　half　a　century　before；　or　about　1645。　　The　associates

met　at　Oxford；　in　the　rooms　of　Dr。　Wilkins；　who　was　destined　to

become　a　bishop；　and　subsequently　coming　together　in　London；　they

attracted　the　notice　of　the　king。　　And　it　is　a　strange　evidence　of

the　taste　for　knowledge　which　the　most　obviously　worthless　of　the

Stuarts　shared　with　his　father　and　grandfather；　that　Charles　the

Second　was　not　content　with　saying　witty　things　about　his

philosophers；　but　did　wise　things　with　regard　to　them。　　For　he　not

only　bestowed　upon　them　such　attention　as　he　could　spare　from　his

poodles　and　his　mistresses；　but；　being　in　his　usual　state　of

impecuniosity；　begged　for　them　of　the　Duke　of　Ormond；　and；　that

step　being　without　effect；　gave　them　Chelsea　College；　a　charter；

and　a　mace：　crowning　his　favours　in　the　best　way　they　could　be

crowned；　by　burdening　them　no　further　with　royal　patronage　or　state

interference。



Thus　it　was　that　the　half…dozen　young　men；　studious　of　the　〃New

Philosophy；〃　＇28＇　who　met　in　one　another's　lodgings　in　Oxford　or　in

London；　in　the　middle　of　the　seventeenth　century；　grew　in　numerical

and　in　real　strength；　until；　in　its　latter　part；　the　〃Royal　Society

for　the　Improvement　of　Natural　Knowledge〃　had　already　become

famous；　and　had　acquired　a　claim　upon　the　veneration　of　Englishmen；

which　it　has　ever　since　retained；　as　the　principal　focus　of

scientific　activity　in　our　islands；　and　the　chief　champion　of　the

cause　it　was　formed　to　support。



It　was　by　the　aid　of　the　Royal　Society　＇29＇　that　Newton　＇30＇

published　his　Principia。　　If　all　the　books　in　the　world；　except

the　Philosophical　Transactions；　＇31＇　were　destroyed；　it　is　safe　to

say　that　the　foundations　of　physical　science　would　remain　unshaken；

and　that　the　vast　intellectual　progress　of　the　last　two　centuries

would　be　largely；　though　incompletely；　recorded。　　Nor　have　any　signs

of　halting　or　of　decrepitude　manifested　themselves　in　our　own　times。

As　in　Dr。　Wallis's　days；　so　in　these；　〃our　business　is；　precluding

theology　and　state　affairs；　to　discourse　and　consider　of

philosophical　enquiries。〃　　But　our　〃Mathematick〃　is　one　which

Newton　would　have　to　go　to　school　to　learn；　our　〃Staticks；

Mechanicks；　Magneticks；　Chymicks；　and　Natural　Experiments〃

constitute　a　mass　of　physical　and　chemical　knowledge；　a　glimpse　at

which　would　compensate　Galileo　＇32＇　for　the　doings　of　a　score　of

inquisitorial　cardinals；　our　〃Physick〃　and　〃Anatomy〃　have　embraced

such　infinite　varieties　of　beings；　have　laid　open　such　new　worlds

in　time　and　space；　have　grappled；　not　unsuccessfully；　with　such

complex　problems；　that　the　eyes　of　Vesalius　＇33＇　and　of　Harvey　＇34＇

might　be　dazzled　by　the　sight　of　the　tree　that　has　grown　out　of

their　grain　of　mustard　seed。



The　fact　is　perhaps　rather　too　much；　than　too　little；　forced　upon

one's　notice；　nowadays；　that　all　this　marvellous　intellectual

growth　has　a　no　less　wonderful　expression　in　practical　life；　and

that；　in　this　respect；　if　in　no　other；　the　movement　symbolised　by

the　progress　of　the　Royal　Society　stands　without　a　parallel

in　the　history　of　mankind