Originally published in 1967. The origin of the Royal Society has long been obscured by baffling discrepancies in the evidence. This volume investigates its underlying purpose and creation, at the same time uncovering the real nature of its debt to Francis Bacon and its role in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century.

Purver, Margery

Part One: 1. The Validity and Significance of Sprat's History as a Source. 2 A New System of Natural Philosophy I Francis Bacon . 3 A New System of Natural Philosophy II The Royal Society. 4The Oxford Experimental Science Club. 5 Establishment as a Royal Foundation. 6 The Religious Policy of the Royal Society. Part Two:1. John Wallis's Accounts of the Origin of the Royal Society. 2 The Royal Society and Gresham College. 3 The Invisible College. 4 The Royal Society and "Pansophia". Conclusion