determine whether the idea of such an application originated with
Bacon.

Another mechanical discovery about which there has been a great
deal of discussion is Bacon's supposed invention of gunpowder. It
appears that in a certain passage of his work he describes the
process of making a substance that is, in effect, ordinary
gunpowder; but it is more than doubtful whether he understood the
properties of the substance he describes. It is fairly well
established, however, that in Bacon's time gunpowder was known to
the Arabs, so that it should not be surprising to find references
made to it in Bacon's work, since there is reason to believe that
he constantly consulted Arabian writings.

The great merit of Bacon's work, however, depends on the
principles taught as regards experiment and the observation of
nature, rather than on any single invention. He had the
all-important idea of breaking with tradition. He championed
unfettered inquiry in every field of thought. He had the instinct
of a scientific worker--a rare instinct indeed in that age. Nor
need we doubt that to the best of his opportunities he was
himself an original investigator.


LEONARDO DA VINCI

The relative infertility of Bacon's thought is shown by the fact
that he founded no school and left no trace of discipleship. The
entire century after his death shows no single European name that
need claim the attention of the historian of science. In the