Of the Remains of the Scholastic Philosophy. WITH what assiduity the Scholastic philosophy was opposed, with what clearness its futility and pernicious tendency were laid open, from the time of the revival of letters to the completion of the Reformation in the sixteenth century, we have already seen. And how successful these attempts were, with men of sound understandings and honest minds, who preferred truth to every other consideration, the whole history of the revival and improvement of philosophy will shew. But, since nothing in human affairs is brought to perfection at once, it is not surprising that some predilection for Scholastic subtleties still remained. In the midst of the general spirit of reformation and improvement which distinguished this period, there were not wanting men, who, from their zealous attachment to ancient systems, and the ecclesiastical hierarchy, judged it inexpedient to dismiss an ally, to which they had been so much indebted. In order therefore to retain this palladium of the church of Rome, the advocates for established forms pleaded, that the evils so violently complained of had originated, not from the Scholastic method of philosophizing, but from the abuse of it; and that nothing more was necessary to render this philosophy a useful auxiliary to religion, than to chastise its subtleties, and moderate the spirit of vain curiosity and idle disputation which had prevailed in the schools. Under this futile pretence, the p. 263. Rexinger. et Edzard. Diss. de Lutheri Ref. Hamb. 1717. Wucherer. de Increm. Phys. a Reform. Temp. Jen. 1717. Lehman. de Utilitate Morali Discip. Ref. ib. Stockii de bon. Lit, renov. post Ref. ib. Elswich de Fort. Arist. in Ac. Prot. Halbauer. Diss, de Luth, polit. Lit. Werensdorf de Próg, emend. Rel. 'Crenius de Sing. Script, Struvii Bibl. Phil friends of the Romish hierarchy retained in their hands an instrument, which had been found so useful in establishing and perpetuating the reign of ignorance and superstition. Hence, whilst a better method of philosophizing was every where else adopted, the Scholastic philosophy, somewhat corrected by the introduction of Aristotle's logic and metaphysics, was still studied and professed in the colleges and monasteries belonging to the church of Rome. Even into these schools indeed some rays of light penetrated. A few men of superior genius, and a more liberal spirit, even this unfavourable soil produced, who saw the weakness of the pleas upon which the Scholastic philosophy was retained, and who ventured, though with little success, to recommend salutary innovations. Toletus,' of Cordova, a Jesuit, who flourished about the middle of the sixteenth century, and is celebrated for his learning and the perspicuity of his writings, philosophized after the genuine manner of the Peripatetic school. Ricciolus, an Italian Jesuit, who in the seventeenth century, taught at Bologna and at Parma, studied with great success the sciences of mathematics and astronomy. Caramuel de Lobkowitz, a native of Madrid, born in 1606, obtained a great name for the extent and variety of his learning, and for a surprising fertility of genius. He pretended to introduce wonderful improvements into every branch of science; but the luxuriancy of his imagination obstructed the growth of the substantial fruits of sound judgment, and his voluminous writings, notwithstanding all their originality, were soon forgotten. Honoratus Faber, born in 1626, and professor of mathematics and philosophy at Lyons, wrote upon philosophy, logic, and physics. He implicitly followed neither the Scholastics nor the Aristotelians, but borrowed light from modern philosophers, particularly the Cartesians. His innovations, how ever, brought him under a strong suspicion of heresy, and produced little effect. The generality of the Romish clergy still retained so much of the Scholastic spirit, that instead of promoting, they only retarded the progress of true philosophy. It 4) Pinacothee. i. p. 136. N. Auton. Bib. Hisp. n. t. i. 2 Bibl. Soc. Jés. p. 416. would therefore be a tedious and fruitless task to detail their history. Their writings chiefly consist of systems of philosophy, summaries of logic, theses upon Scholastic topics, and commentaries upon the works of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. The bigoted attachment to ancient systems, which has prevailed in the Romish church with respect to religion, has always extended itself to philosophy, and has given a permanent establishment to the Scholastic method of philosophizing, which all the wisdom of modern times has not been able to overturn. It is, however, a happy omen of the entire exorcism of the demons which have so long haunted the schools, that in many universities a better and more extensive plan of instruction has been adopted, which has in a great measure precluded the idle dreams of dialectic subtlety. In an age in which a rational plan of philosophizing was generally followed; in which vague conceptions, unmeaning terms, and uncertain principles were commonly exploded; in which the accurate method of mathematical reasoning was applied with success to other sciences; in which experimental philosophy was every where studied and encouraged; and in which the correct use of language was an object of attention, it could not but happen that the empty shadow of abstraction would be thrown out of the philosophical world, to make room for more substantial and profitable studies.3. SECT. II. Of the Revival of the genuine Aristotelian Philosophy. "ALTHOUGH, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Scholastic philosophy began to fall into general contempt, Aristotle still retained, in a great degree, his authority. It required more enlargement of thought than the age afford Vidend. Melchior. Camus. L. Theol. 1. viii. ix. Præf. ad Mabillon. de Stud, Monast. Le Cerf. Bibl, des Auteurs de la Cong. de S. Maur. N. Anton. Bibl. Hisp. N. Jac. Echard. de Sc. Domin. Wadding Annal. Ord. Min. Carol. de Vish. Bibl. Scrip. Ord. Cisterc. F. Rothfisher. Ep. ad Cardin. Lettres Provinciales de Montalte. Vavasor Op. p. 240. ed to discard at once a system of philosophy, which had been received with almost universal approbation, and been supported by the united labours of the learned for so many centuries; nor was it merely the power of prescription which established the dominion of Aristotle, several other causes concurred to produce this effect. The partizans of the Platonic system, who, under the patronage of the Medicean family, for a long time maintained their ground against the Aristotelians, declining with the fortunes of their patrons, the advocates for the Peripatetic philosophy proportionally increased, and, after a violent struggle, established a victory. It greatly contributed towards this issue, that men began at this time to extend their inquiries beyond the region of metaphysics and theology, into the subjects of natural history and philosophy. Finding little assistance in their researches into nature in the writings of Plato, they had recourse to the Stagyrite, who was at this time universally allowed to be the best guide in the study of physics. And, though in his treatises upon this branch of science they met with much obscurity, and many difficulties, the persuasion that they were a rich mine of knowledge, which would amply repay the labour bestowed upon it, induced them to spare no pains to come at his true meaning. Among the followers of the church of Rome the Peripatetic philosophy continued to be zealously maintained, on account of the assistance which its dialectics afforded them in the defence of the established system, and because many of the doctrines of this system coincided with those of the school of Aristotle. The deference which had been long paid to the decisions of Aristotle, even whilst his works were only read in very imperfect translations, induced the first restorers of learning to make his writings a principal object of their attention, and to rest much of their reputation, as editors, translators, and commentators, upon the manner in which they executed this part of their office. And the brevity and obscurity of Aristotle's style, his frequent reference to preceding writers, and the injuries which his works had sustained from time, and from the ignorance, negligence, or dishonesty of transcribers, furnished those who were desirous of distinguishing themselves as philologists with an ample field for the display of learning and ingenuity. The first race of critics upon Aristotle, after the revival of letters, and the invention of printing, employed themselves in verbal rather than philosophical criticism, and took more pains to fix the true reading, and explain the grammatical construction of their author, than to investigate or illustrate his philosophical tenets. But it was soon found that a knowledge of philosophy, as well as an attention to the rules of criticism, was necessary in writing notes upon Aristotle; and the second race of commentators, from Pomponatius to the middle of the seventeenth century, were chiefly employed in ascertaining and restoring the true Aristotelian philosophy. Even among the reformers, though Luther was a professed enemy to Aristotle, his philosophy had many admirers. Melancthon, as we shall afterwards see, approved of and encouraged the study of his dialectics and metaphysics, as a useful exercise of the understanding, and only objected to the misapplication of them in theological questions. It is to be regretted, that a man of such superior abilities, and in every other respect of so independent a spirit, should addict himself to any sect, and choose rather to be an interpreter of Aristotle, than to follow the course of his own ideas, and philosophize for himself. The consequence was, that Aristotle, who, in the zeal of reformation, had been driven out of the church, was again suffered to steal in; and that, after the thorns which Scholastic philosophy and subtlety had planted were extirpated, the ground was again encumbered with barren weeds. This was the only reason why, among Protestants, to whom the authority of Aristotle could be of little use, and who ought to have exercised the same freedom of thinking in philosophy as in religion, the doctrine of Aristotle prevailed even till the time of Bacon, Grotius, and Des Cartes. It would be an endless undertaking to enumerate all the learned men, who, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, attached themselves to the Aristotelian system. We shall select a few of the more celebrated names. Among the Roman Catholics, Nicholas Leonicus Tho |