racter of 49. fpirits; but it hath its effects, that feldom fail to be moft fatal. The immoderate love of ease, maketh a ⚫ mans mind pay a paffive obedience to any thing that happeneth: it reduceth the thoughts, from having de(f) Cha-fire, to be content (f). Some of thefe reflexions are K. Charles extremely juft; and I doubt not of the readers being II. p. 45 pleased with them, especially as they tend to illuftrate the character of the monarch under confideration. It would be injuftice to Charles to omit Dr. Sprat's account of his encouragement of the Royal Society; as it confirms what Burnet has related in the paffage above cited. "When the fociety,' fays the writer, first addreffed themselves to his majefty, he was pleased to ex• prefs much fatisfaction, that this enterprize was begun in his reign. He then reprefented to them the gravity and difficulty of their work; and affured them of all the kind influence of his power and prerogative. Since that, he has frequently committed many things to their fearch: he has referr'd many foreign rarities to their inspection: he has recommended many domeftick improvements to their care: he has demanded the refult of their tryals, in many appearances of nature: he has been prefent, and affifted with, his own hands, at the performing of many of their experiments, in his gardens, his parks, and on the river. And, befides, I will not conceal, that he has sometimes reproved them for the flownefs of their proceedings: at which reproofs they have not fo much cause to be afflicted that they are the reprehenfions of a king, as to be comforted that they are the reprehenfions of his • love and affection to their progrefs. For a teftimony * of which royal benignity, and to free them from all • hindrances hindrances and occafions of delay, he has given them the establishment of his letters patent (g).' One would think, by this paffage, that the Royal Society had its beginning in this reign: but, fetting aside the name and the charter, it had its existence long before. For it was under the parliament, when the authority and the name of king was little reverenced, but merit, and arts of all kinds, encouraged. It was in this memorable period, fo favourable to liberty and the sciences, that this noble fociety, though without a name, was set on foot. About the year 1645,' fays Dr. Wallis, a very eminent member, while I lived in London, at a time 6 when, by our civil wars, academical studies were much interrupted in both our universities, befides the . converfation of divers eminent divines, as to matters theological; I had the opportunity of being acquainted with divers worthy perfons, inquifitive into natural philofophy, and other parts of human learning: and particularly of what hath been called the New Philofophy, or Experimental Philofophy, We did, by agreement, divers of us meet weekly in London, on a certain day, to treat and difcourfe of fuch affairs. •Of fuch number were, Dr. John Wilkins, afterwards Bishop of Chester; Dr. Jonathan Goddard, Dr. George • Ent, Dr. Glisson, Dr. Merret, Doctors in Phyfick; • Mr. Samuel Fofter, then Profeffor of Astronomy at Gresham College; Mr. Theodore Haak, a German of the Palatinate, and then refident in London (who, I think, gaye the first occafion, and first suggested these meetings); and many others. Thefe meetings we held fometimes at Dr. Goddard's lodgings, in Wood'fireet, B 4 (g) Hiftory of the Royal Society, p. 133. 4to. Lond. 1667. Areet, or fome convenient place near, on occafion of his keeping an operator for grinding glaffes for telef copes and microscopes; and fometimes at a conveni⚫ent place in Cheapfide; fometimes at Gresham College, or fome place near adjoining. Our business was, pre'cluding matters of theology and ftate affairs, to dif courfe and confider of philofophical enquiries, and fuch as related thereunto, as phyfick, anatomy, geometry, aftronomy, navigation, ftaticks, magneticks, chemicks, mechanicks, and natural experiments with the ftate of thefe ftudies, as then cultivated, at home and abroad. About the year 1648, 1649, fome of us being removed to Oxford, firft Dr. Wilkins, then I, and, foon after, Dr. Goddard, our company divided. Thofe in London continued to meet there, as before; and we with them, when we had occafion to be there. And thofe of us at Oxford, with Dr. Ward, fince Bishop of Salisbury; Dr. Ralph Bathurst, now Prefident of Trinity College, in Oxford; Dr. Petty, fince Sir William Petty; Dr. Willis, then an eminent phyfician in Oxford; and divers others; continued fuch meetings in Oxford, and brought those studies into fashion there: meeting first at Dr. Pettie'ş lodgings, in an apothecaries houfe, because of the ❝ convenience of infpecting drugs, and the like, as there was occafion; and, after his remove to Ireland, tho? not fo conftantly, at the lodgings of Dr. Wilkins, then Warden of Wadham College; and after his removal to Trinity College in Cambridge, at the lodgings ' of the Honourable Mr. Robert Boyle, then refident for divers years in Oxford. Thofe meetings in London continued and after the kings return, in 1660, were increafed with the acceffion of divers worthy and ho 'nourable dulity (YY), Befides this, with a feeming nourable perfons; and were afterwards incorporated by the name of the Royal Society, &c. and fo continues to this day*. The reader will par don a digreffion intended to restore the honor of fo excellent an inftitution to its right authors; and to rescue the time of its formation from the foul flanders of barbarifm, ignorance, and darkness, fo frequently caft on it +. (YY) He was fubject to much weakness and credulity.] Wisdom, and folly; understanding, and credulity; though oppofites and contraries, very frequently refide in one and the fame man: and nothing is more common, than to fee those of fuperior capacities fall into weakneffes and follies, which men of plain fenfe hold in contempt and very defervedly ridicule. - Witches the Stars, Charms, Oracles, Ghofts, and every phantom which weaknefs or wickednefs, in various ages and different countries, have imagined or feigned, have, fome or other of them, been embraced, as truths, by * Wallis's account of fome paffages in his life, quoted in the notes of the Life of A. Sydney, p. 44. 4to. Lond. 1763. And Ward's preface to the Lives of the Profeffors of Grefham College, p. 1o. fol. Lond. 1740. See alfo Sprat's Hiftory, p. 53. † Wood, fpeaking of Henry Stubbe, fays, while he continued undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxon, it was usual with him to discourse in the public fchools very fluently in the Greek tongue; as it was, at the fame time, with one John Pettie, of Baliol, afterwards of Queen's College, and others, whofe names are forgotten. But fince the king's restoration, we have had no fuch matters; which fhews, in fome part, that education and discipline were more fevere then (as indeed they were) than after, when scholars were given more to liberty and frivolous ftudies. Athene Oxon. vol. ii. c. 561. men (b) Pal chal's Let ters, vol. i. p. 183. 8vo. Lond. 1744 feeming openness and frankness of heart, which men most respectable on account of their knowledge, virtue, and integrity. I need not quote proofs for this: fuch as are defirous of them, may read Plutarch, among the antients; and recollect, that the names of Sir Thomas Brown, Sir Matthew Hale, Mr. Boyle, and many others, among the moderns; are in the number of the believers of the intercourfe of the Devil with the most wretched and defpicable of the daughters of Eve. To which may be added, that the profeffion of a conjurer was so very common amongst the catholics, that a queftion is put by the Jefuit Sanchez, whether a con'jurer is obliged to return the gain which he makes by conjuration? Which he thus refolves: ? If the conjurer has not taken the care and pains to know, by the devil's means, what could not be known otherwife; he is obliged to reftitution: but if he has taken all due care, he is not obliged (b). No wonder, therefore, is it to find a prince of Charles's character, who was unufed to enquiry, and accustomed to affent to thofe about him, liable to weaknefs, and exposed to credulity. Burnet tells us, the king had ordered • Mountague, his ambassador at Paris, in the year 1678, to find out an aftrologer, of whom it was no won' der he had a good opinion: for he had, long before his Reftoration, foretold, he fhould enter London on the 29th of May, 60. He was yet alive; and Mountague found him, and faw he was capable of being ⚫ corrupted. So he refolved to prompt him, to fend the 'king fuch hints as fhould ferve his own ends. And he was fo bewitched with the Duchefs of Cleveland, that he " trufted |