CH. VIII. SCIENCE OF THE MIDDLE AGES. 59 1678; Whewell's History of the Inductive Sciences;' Priestley's 'History of Vision,' 1772; Smith's 'Optics,' 1778; Edinburgh Encyclopædia,' art. Chemistry; Bacon's 'Opus Majus,' by Dr. Jebb, 1733; Bacon, 'Sa Vie, ses Ouvrages, et ses Doctrines,' by M. Charles, 1861; Ventura, 'Ouvrages Physico-mathématiques de Léonardo da Vinci,' 1797; Draper's 'Conflict between Religion and Science,' 1875 CH. IX. SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 63 CHAPTER IX. SCIENCE OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. Rise of Modern Science-Dogmatism of the Middle Ages-Reasons for studying Discoveries in the order of their dates-Copernican theory of the Universe-Copernicus goes back to the System of Aristarchus-Is afraid to publish his Work till quite the end of his Life-Work of Vesalius on Anatomy-He shows that Galen made many mistakes in describing Man's Structure-His Banishment and Death-The value of his Work to Science- Fallopius and Eustachius Anatomists-Gesner's Works on Animals and PlantsHe forms a Zoological Cabinet and makes a Botanical GardenHis Natural History of Animals-His classification of Plants according to their Seeds-His work on Mineralogy-Casalpinus makes the First System of Plants on Gesner's plan-Explains Dicecious Plants-Chemistry of Paracelsus and Van Helmont. We have now arrived at the beginning of Modern Science, when the foundations were laid of that knowledge which we possess to-day. With the exception of some original discoveries made by the Arabs, learned men during the Dark Ages had spent their time almost entirely in translating and repeating what the Greeks had taught; till at last they had come to believe that Ptolemy, Galen, and Aristotle had settled most of the scientific questions, and that no one had any right to doubt their decisions. But as Europe became more civilised, and people had time to devote their lives to quiet occupations, first one observer and then another began to see that many grand truths were still undiscovered, and |