Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A61158
|
The history of the Royal-Society of London for the improving of natural knowledge by Tho. Sprat.
|
Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713.; Cowley, Abraham, 1618-1667. To the Royal Society.
|
1667
(1667)
|
Wing S5032; ESTC R16577
|
253,666
|
459
|
little to be suspected for making men pervers and ungovernable that it is the best praeservative against disobedience One of the principal Causes of this is a misguided Conscience and opposing the pretended Dictates of God against the Commands of the Sovereign This I have already shewn that these labors will moderat and reform by abolishing or restraining the fury of Enthusiasm Another is idle poverty which drives men into fulleness melancholy discontent and at last into resistance of lawful Authority To this Experiments will afford a certain cure they will take away all pretence of idleness by a constant cours of pleasant indeavors they will employ men about profitable Works as well as delightful by the pleasure of their Discoveries they will wear off the roughness and sweeten the humorous peevishness of mind whereby many are sowr'd into Rebellion But the most fruitful Parent of Sedition is Pride and a lofty conceit of mens own wisdom whereby they presently imagine themselves sufficient to direct and censure all the actions of their Governors And here that is true in Civil affairs which I have already quoted out of my Lord Bacon concerning Divine A litle Knowledge is subject to make men headstrong insolent and untractable but a great deal has a quite contrary effect inclining them to be submissive to their Betters and obedient to the Sovereign Power The Science that is acquir'd by Disputation teaches men to cavil well and to find fault with accurate subtilty it gives them a fearless confidence of their own judgments it leads them from contending in sport to oppositions in earnest it makes them believe that every thing is to be handled for and against in the State as well as in the Schools But the unfeign'd and laborious Philosophy gives no countenance to the vain dotages of privat Politicians that bends its Disciples to regard the benefit of mankind and not the disquiet that by the moderation it prescribes to our thoughts about Natural Things will also take away all sharpness and violence about Civil The Work of that is so vast that it cannot be perform'd without the assistance of the Prince It will not therefore undermine his Authority whose aid it implores that prescribes a better way to bestow our time than in contending about litle differences in which both the Conquerors and the Conquer'd have always reason to repent of their success That shews us the difficulty of ord'ring the very motions of senseless and irrational things and therefore how much harder it is to rule the restless minds of men That teaches men humility and acquaints them with their own errors and so removes all overweening haughtiness of mind and swelling imaginations that they are better able to manage Kingdoms than those who possess them This without question is the chief root of all the uneasiness of Subjects to their Princes The World would be better govern'd if so many did not praesume that they are fit to sustain the cares of Government Transgression of the Law is Idolatry The reason of mens contemning all Iurisdiction and Power proceeds from their Idolizing their own Wit They make their own Prudence omnipotent they suppose themselves infallible they set up their own Opinions and worship them But this vain Idolatry will inevitably fall before Experimental Knowledge which as it is an enemy to all manner of fals superstitions so especially to that of mens adoring themselves and their own Fancies I have now at last brought my Reader by a tedious compass to the end of our Journey And here I desire him to look back and to make a reflection on the matters of which I have treated In the first part of my Discours I have alleg'd the Causes by which these Studies were suppress'd in all former Ages which have bin Interest of Sects the violence of Disputations the plausible Arts of Speech the Religious Controversies the Dogmatical Opinions the poverty of the Vndertakers and the want of a continual race of Experimenters In the Second I have shew'd by what steps the Royal Society arose what it has propos'd to attempt what cours it has taken to make its Observations universal and perpetual what assistance has bin afforded it to that purpose and about what particulars it has bin conversant In the Third I have try'd to free it from the false scandals of Ignorance and the praejudices of several ways of life and to prove that its effects will more immediatly refer to our own Country My Reader now beholds an Assembly setled of many eminent men of all Qualities who have ingag'd to bestow their labors on a design so public and so free from all suspicion of mean or private Interest What foundation they have within themselves for defraying the expence of their Trials and Intelligence may be ghess'd by their Number which at this present amounts very neer to Two Hundred as appears by this following Catalogue which I have rang'd Alphabetically The King's Majesty Founder and Patron His Royal Highness the Duke of York His Highness Prince Rupert His Highness Ferdinand Albert Duke of Brunswick and Lunenbourgh The Duke of Albermarle the Earl of Alesbury the Earl of Argill the Lord Ashley the Lord Annesley Mr. Ashmole Sr. Robert Atkins Mr. Austin Mons. Auzout Mr. Awbrey The Duke of Buckingham the Lord George Berkeley the Lord Brereton Mr. Bagnal Mr. Bains Mr. William Balle Mr. Isaac Barrow Dr. George Bate Dr. Bathurst Dr. Beal Mons. Beaufort de Fresars Sr. Iohn Birkinhead Mr. Blunt Mr. Boyl Mr. Brook Dr. Bruce Mons. Bullialdus Mr. Burnet Sr. Edward Byshe The Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Earl of Clarendon Lord Chancellor of England the Earl of Carlile the Earl of Craford and Lindsay the Lord Cavendish the Lord Clifford Mr. Carkess Mr. Carteret Dr. Charleton Sr. Winstone Churchill Sr. Iohn Clayton Sr. Clifford Clifton Mr. George Cock Sr. Richard Corbet Dr. Cotton Dr. Cox Mr. Thomas Cox Mr. Daniel Cox Mr. Creed Mr. Crispe Sr. Iohn Cutler The Marquess of Dorchester the Earl of Devonshire the Earl of Dorset Mons. Vital de Damas Sr. George Ent Mr. Ellise Mr. Iohn Evelyn Sr. Francis Fane Mons. le Febvre Sr. Iohn Finch Mr. Henry Ford Sr. Bernhard Gascoigne Mr. Ioseph Glanvile Dr. Glisson Mr William Godolphin Mr. Graunt The Lord Hatton Mr. Haak Mr. William Hammond Mr. William Harrington Sr. Edward Harley Sr. Robert Harley Mr. Harley Dr. Henshaw Mons. Hevelius Mr. Abraham Hill Mr. Hoar Dr. Holder Mr. Hook Mr. Charles Howard Mons. Huygens Mr. Richard Iones the Earl of Kincardin Sr. Andrew King Mr. Edmund King the Earl of Lindsey the Lord Bishop of London Mr. Lake Sr. Ellis Leighton Mr. Iames Long Sr. Iohn Lowther Mr. Lowther Mons. Hugues de Lyonne The Earl of Manchester Mons. Nicolas Mercator Dr. More Dr. Iasper Needham Dr. Needham Mr. Thomas Neile Mr. William Neile Mr. Nelthorp Mr. Newburgh Sr. Thomas Nott the Earl of Peterburgh Mr. Packer Mr. Samuel Parker Sr. Robert Paston Dr. Iohn Pearson Dr. Pell Sr. William Persall
of the Nation and the greatest number of them coming to London they usually met at Gresham College at the Wednesdays and Thursdays Lectures of Dr. Wren and Mr. Rook where there joyn'd with them several eminent persons of their common acquaintance The Lord Viscount Brouncker the now Lord Brereton Sir Paul Neil Mr. Iohn Evelyn Mr. Henshaw Mr. Slingsby Dr. Timothy Clark Dr. Ent Mr. Ball Mr. Hill Dr. Crone and divers other Gentlemen whose inclinations lay the same way This Custom was observ'd once if not twice a week in Term time till they were scatt'red by the miserable distractions of that Fatal year till the continuance of their meetings there might have made them run the hazard of the fate of Archimedes For then the place of their meeting was made a Quarter for Soldiers But to make hast through those dreadful revolutions which cannot be beheld upon Paper without horror unless we remember that they had this one happy effect to open mens eies to look out for the true Remedy upon this follow'd the King's Return and that wrought by such an admirable chain of events that if we either regard the easiness or speed or blessed issue of the Work it seems of it self to contain variety and pleasure enough to make recompence for the whole Twenty years Melancholy that had gone before This I leave to another kind of History to be describ'd It shall suffice my purpose that Philosophy had its share in the benefits of that glorious Action For the Royal Society had its beginning in the wonderful pacifick year 1660. So that if any conjectures of good Fortune from extraordinary Nativities hold true we may presage all happiness to this undertaking And I shall here joyn my solemn wishes that as it began in that time when our Country was freed from confusion and slavery So it may in its progress redeem the minds of Men from obscurity uncertainty and bondage These Gentlemen therefore finding the hearts of their Countrymen inlarg'd by their Joys and fitted for any noble Proposition and meeting with the concurrence of many Worthy Men who to their immortal Honor had follow'd the King in his banishment Mr. Erskins Sir Robert Moray Sir Gilbert Talbot c. began now to imagine some greater thing and to bring out experimental knowledge from the retreats in which it had long hid it self to take its part in the Triumphs of that universal Jubilee And indeed Philosophy did very well deserve that Reward having been always Loyal in the worst of times For though the Kings enemies had gain'd all other advantages though they had all the Garrisons and Fleets and Ammunitions and Treasures and Armies on their side yet they could never by all their Victories bring over the Reason of Men to their Party While they were thus ord'ring their platform there came forth a Treatise which very much hasten'd its contrivance and that was a Proposal by Master Cowley of erecting a Philosophical College The intent of it was that in some place neer London there should liberal Salaries be bestow'd on a competent number of Learned Men to whom should be committed the operations of Natural Experiments This Model was every way practicable unless perhaps in two things he did more consult the generosity of his own mind than of other mens the one was the largeness of the Revenue with which he would have his College at first indow'd the other that he impos'd on his Operators a Second task of great pains the Education of youth The last of these is indeed a matter of great weight The Reformation of which ought to be seriously examin'd by prudent Men. For it is an undeniable Truth which is commonly said that there would be need of fewer Laws and less force to govern Men if their Minds were rightly inform'd and set strait while they were yong and pliable But perhaps this labor is not so proper for Experimenters to undergo For it would not only devour too much of their Time but it would go neer to make them a little more magisterial in Philosophy then became them by being long accustom'd to command the opinions and direct the manners of their Scholars And as to the other particular the large estate which he requir'd to the maintenance of his College It is evident that it is so difficult a thing to draw men in to be willing to divert an antient Revenue which had long run in another stream or to contribute out of their own purses to the supporting of any new Design while it shews nothing but promises and hopes that in such cases it were it may be more advisable to begin upon a small stock and so to rise by degrees then to profess great things at first and to exact too much benevolence all in one lump together However it was not the excellent Author's fault that he thought better of the Age then it did deserve His purpose in it was like himself full of honor and goodness most of the other particulars of his draught the Royal Society is now putting in practice I come now to the Second Period of my Narration wherein I promis'd to give an account of what they did till they were publickly own'd incourag'd and confirm'd by Royal Favor And I trust that I shall here produce many things which will prove their attempts to be worthy of all Mens incouragement though what was perform'd in this interval may be rather styl'd the Temporary Scaffold about the building then the Frame it self But in my entrance upon this Part being come to the top of the Hill I begin to tremble and to apprehend the greatness of my Subject For I perceive that I have led my Readers Minds on by so long and so confident a Speech to expect some wonderful Model which shall far exceed all the former that I have acknowledg'd to have been imperfect Now though this were really so as I believe it is yet I question how it will look after it has been disfigur'd by my unskilful hands But the danger of this ought to have deterr'd me in the beginning It is now too late to look back and I can only apply my self to that good Nature which a Great Man has observ'd to be so peculiar to our Nation that there is scarce an expression to signifie it in any other Language To this I must flye for succor and most affectionately intreat my Countrymen that they would interpret my failings to be onely errors of obedience to some whose commands or desires I could not resist and that they would take the measure of the Royal Society not so much from my lame description of it as from the honor and reputation of many of those Men of whom it is compos'd I will here in the first place contract into few Words the whole summe of their Resolutions which I shall often have occasion to touch upon in parcels Their purpose is in short to make faithful Records of all the Works of