Something wonderful was brought to my attention by one of the participants in the History of Science WikiProject: the Ballad of Gresham College. The ballad is a 1663 ode to the Royal Society, recounting the noble exploits of the Fellows. It was first (and probably only) published in 1932 (ISIS, vol. 18, no.1, pp. 103-117), along with Dorothy Stimson’s speculation on authorship and sparse notes about the individuals and RS publications to which it alludes.
Topics include:
- Experiments involving cats and air pumps
- Prince Rupert Drops
- Loadstones and iron filings
- John Wilkins‘s Philosophical Language
- The Longitude problem
- The endowment of the Royal Society
These be the things with many more
Which miraculous appere to men
The Colledge intended: The like before
Were never donne, nor wilbe agen.
Which miraculous appere to men
The Colledge intended: The like before
Were never donne, nor wilbe agen.
For anyone with a casual interest in the early Royal Society (or fans of The Baroque Cycle), you should definitely check it out. It’s now on Wikisource for the enrichment of the masses lacking JSTOR access.
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