the Royal Society.
39
they have found out, in some particular Body. But that is a Fault, which ought to be overwhelm'd by their other Praises: And I shall boldly affirm, that if all other Philosophical Matters had been as well and as throughly sifted, as some admirable Men of this Age have manag'd some parts of Astronomy, Geometry, Anatomy, &c. there would scarce any Burden have remained on the Shoulders of our Posterity; but they might have sat quietly down, and injoy'd the Pleasure of the true Speculative Philosophy, and the Profit of the Practical.
To all these Proceedings, that I have mention'd there is as much Honour to be paid, as can be due to any one single human Wit: But they must pardon us, if we still prefer the joint Force of many Men.
Sect. XIX.Modern Academies for Language.And now it is much to be wondred, that there was never yet such an Assembly erected, which might proceed on some standing Constitutions of Experimenting. There have, 'tis true, of late, in many Parts of Europe, some Gentlemen met together, submitted to common Laws, and form'd themselves into Academies: But it has been, for the most Part, to a far different Purpose; and most of them only aim'd at the smoothing of their Style, and the Language of their Country. Of these, the first arose in Italy: where they have since so much abounded, that there was scarce any one great City without one of these Combinations. But that, which excell'd all the other, and kept it self longer untainted from the Corruptions of Speech, was the French Academy at Paris. This was compos'd of the noblest Authors of that Nation; and had for its Founder, the Great Cardinal de Richelieu: who, amongst all his Cares, whereby he esta-
blish'd,
