84
HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE
the organisation of created beings. Nay, these verysuperstitions forbade them to enquire; and repressedthem in the desire, if they entertained it, of rising tohigher and more worthy contemplations.
Thus, then, to furnish the first philosopher there wasneeded a singularly happy combination of dispositionsand capacities; a mind capable of seeing the value ofenquiry, as such; of taking the best point of viewfrom which, as it were, to contemplate the vast com-plexity of objects presented; of assigning to each classof them, whether more or less imposing at first sight, itsdue importance; and lastly of seizing, at least, some ofthe leading analogies and relations between them. This,of course, in its full extent is more than can reasonablybe expected in any one individual even in more ad-vanced stages of science; much less in its infancy.In fact, the utmost we could look for would be thatsome luminary might arise on the intellectual horizon,sufficiently powerful to cast a general, though not bril-liant lustre over the region to be explored. It must hereserved to the accession of more numerous and shininglights, to throw out the different parts and objects ofthe scene in full relief, and to invest them with theirproper colours.
Precisely such harbingers of science were Thales,Pythagoras , and others to whom we have referred. Intheir schools, of course, no system of minute observation,no exact experimental results, were to he expected; nor,we may add, at this stage of science were they required.What was wanted was the power of a master mind toimpart some great comprehensive principles, and givethe right turn and direction to philosophical contempla-tion ; to indicate what were its proper objects, and whatthe reasonable extent to which it might hope to push itsenquiries ; and thus to give the right tone and spirit toits character. And we may well suppose the world musthave existed, and society have gone on, for many agesbefore such men appeared.
The great merit of these distinguished men was, that