The conflict between those of the Roman faith and the men of science
continued for above two hundred years. In general, the part which the
Church took was one of remonstrance, but in a few cases the spirit of
fanaticism led to the persecution of the men who did not obey its
mandates and disavow all belief in the new opinions which were deemed
contrary to the teachings of Scripture. The last instance of such
oppression occurred in France in the year 1756, when the great Buffon
was required to recant certain opinions concerning the antiquity of
the earth which he had published in his work on Natural History. This
he promptly did, and in almost servile language withdrew all the
opinions to which the fathers had objected. A like conflict between
the followers of science and the clerical authorities occurred in
Protestant countries. Although in no case were the men of science
physically tortured or executed for their opinions, they were
nevertheless subjected to great religious and social pressure: they
were almost as effectively disciplined as were those who fell under
the ban of the Roman Church.

Some historians have criticised the action of the clerical authorities
toward science as if the evil which was done had been performed in our
own day. It should be remembered, however, that in the earlier
centuries the churches regarded themselves as bound to protect all men
from the dangers of heresy. For centuries in the early history of
Christianity the defenders of the faith had been engaged in a
life-and-death struggle with paganism, the followers of which held all
that was known of Nature. Quite naturally the priestly class feared
that the revival of scientific inquiry would bring with it the evils
from which the world had suffered in pagan times. There is no doubt
that these persecutions of science were done under what seemed the