Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/139

 the juster, if we consider, that the first learned Times or the Antients, and all those, that followed after them, down to this Day, would have received no Prejudice at all; if their Philosophers had chiefly bestow'd their Pains, in making Histories of Nature, and not in forming of Sciences. Perhaps indeed the Names of some particular Men, who had the Luck to compile those Systems and Epitomes which they gave us, would have been less glorious than they are: Though that too might be doubted; and (if we may conclude any Thing surely, upon a Matter so changeable as Fame is) we have reason enough to believe, that these latter Ages would have honour'd Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, and Epicurus, as much, if not more, than now they do; if they had only set Things in a way of propagating Experiences down to us, and not impos'd their Imaginations on us, as the only Truths. This may be well enough suppos'd, seeing it is common to all Mankind, still to esteem dearer the Memories of their Friends, than of those that pretend to be their Masters.

But this Matter of Reputation, was only the private Concernment of five, or fix. As for the Interest of those Times in general, I will venture to make good, that in all Effects of true Knowledge, they might have been as happy, without those Bodies of Arts, as they were with them; Logick, and the Mathematicks only excepted. To instance in their Physicks; they were utterly useless, in respect of the good of Mankind; they themselves did almost confess so much, by reserving their natural Philosophy, for the Retirements of their wise Men. What Help did it ever bring to the Vulgar? What visible Benefit to any City or Country in the World? Their Mechanicks, and Artificers (for whom 2