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T THE
XVIII. SCIENCE
history of science in medieval England, as in the
medieval west generally, followed much thesame course
as the history oflearning as a whole. It is the history ofan
intellectual tradition beginning with the literary rex
covery ofclassical science, firstfrom Latin and later from Greek
and Arabic sources, and leading to thoughts and investigations
which gradually took on an independent life of their own.
Most ofthe basic problems of medieval science and the metlv
ods of solving them came from classical sources, and to a
large extent science remained to the end ofthe medieval period
under ancient tutelage; but from their first contacts with class^
ical learning the barbarian invaders of the old Roman prow
inces showed so marked and vigorous an originality of mind
and intention that they recovered nothing they did not in some
medieval centuries this is
degree transform. During the early
especially true of their approach to practical problems; and
where these came within the scope of contemporary formal
education, as did the calendar, with its dependence on astron/
omy, and medicine, their influence upon the development of
a theoretical science based on experiment was profound. The
connexion is less obvious between theoretical science and the
technological problems found in mining and metallurgy, the
construction of machinery, architecture, and agriculture, acx
tivities in which marked advances were made during the
middle ages but which lay outside the scope offormal educa^
tion. Some interest in these subjects men oflearning certainly
took. The medieval achievements in technology show the
same originality and strongly empirical attitude of mind as is
so characteristic of the achievements in theoretical science. In
both, not only by her own accomplishments, but also by her