Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/45

Rh to the Walls of the Imperial Cities themselves. But now (not to insist on the Learning of far remote Countries, of which we have only imperfect Relations; but to contract our Observation to Christendom alone) there being so many different States, and Governments in Europe, every Country sets up for itself: almost in every place, the liberal Arts (as they are call'd) are cherish'd, and publick Allowance is made for their Support. And in this Compass, the infinite Numbers of Wits, which have appear'd so thick for these many Years, have been chiefly taken up about some of these three Studies; either the Writings of the Antients, or Controversies of Religion or Affairs of State.

The first Thing that was undertaken, was to rescue the excellent Works of former Writers from Obscurity. To the better performing of this, many things contributed about that time. Amongst which as to us in England, I may reckon (and that too, it may be, not the least, whatever the Action was in itself, the Dissolution of Abbies: whereby their Libraries came forth into the Light, and fell into industrious Men's Hands, who understood how to make more Use of them, than their slothful Possessors had done. So that now the Greek and Latin Tongues began to be in Request; and all the ancient Authors, the Heathen Philosophers, Mathematicians, Orators, Historians, Poets, the various Copies, and Translations of the Bible, and the Primitive Fathers were produc'd. All these, by the several Transcriptions, and the Ignorance of the Transcribers, had very many different Readings, and many Parts wholly lost; and by the Distance of Times, and Change of Customs,