That snails have no eyes,
Of the picture of Moses with horns,
That the forbidden fruit was an apple,
and so forth.
But though his tracts on these “vulgar errors” may, in many instances—and
looked at by the light of our present knowledge (and we must never forget
the immense difference in the scientific knowledge of the seventeenth and
nineteenth centuries)—appear not only quaint, but almost trivial, yet
even where the conclusion to the question discussed may appear to be
self-evident, and the reasoning thrown away, we often see an amount of
learning and research displayed which strikes us as quite remarkable.
For example, in discussing the “vulgar error,” _that the ostrich
digesteth iron_, he quotes the following writers in reference to
it:—Rhodiginus, Johannes Langius, Aristotle, Oppianus, Pliny, Œlian, Leo
Africanus, Fernelius, Riolanus, Albertus Magnus, and Ulysses
Aldrovandus—a list which may well make us stand astonished at the extent
of his studies, and cause us to say of him, even in such small matters,
“_Nihil tetigit quod non ornavit_.” It is almost needless to add that in
this case Sir Thomas arrived at the common-sense conclusion that although
ostriches may swallow iron they do not digest it.
His greatest works were undoubtedly those which I have already mentioned.
But he wrote also a very noted book, entitled the _Garden of Cyrus_, in
which he discussed learnedly, and often fancifully, numerous questions
connected with the vegetable world. He reviewed the practice of
Horticulture, and the arrangements of gardens even from the first garden
mentioned—that of Eden in Paradise. He makes reference to the hanging
gardens of Babylon; the classical gardens of the Hesperides and of
Alcinous; and to the gardens and orchards, with their pools of water, of
King Solomon. And he discusses the various forms in which ancient
gardens were presumably laid out—dwelling largely upon the quincuncial
{135a} arrangements probably adopted. The whole book teems also with
allusions, showing his minute acquaintance with vegetable phenomena.
As to King Cyrus, he says, “All stories do look upon Cyrus as the
splendid and regular planter.”
Sir Thomas Browne also wrote _Some account of the tombs and monuments in
the Cathedral Church of Norwich_; and many papers on the birds, and
fishes, and vegetable life of Norfolk and other parts. {135b} But I
should indeed weary you, were I merely to enumerate to you the bare
titles of the long list of tracts and papers which his fertile brain
produced.
Amongst his _Letters_, those to his sons, which will be found in Wilkin’s
Edition of his works, are worthy of mention as illustrating the special
bent of his mind, his wide range of thought, the peculiarity of his
advice, and the strength of his family attachments.
The stilted and complimentary, as well as roundabout, epistolary style of
those days is well known. Thus, in writing to Mr. Evelyn, he begins:
“Worthy Sir,—In obedience unto the commands of my noble friend, Mr.
Paston, and the respects I owe unto so worthy a person as yourself,” or
again, addressing Dr. Merritt, he commences: “Most honoured Sir,—I take
the boldness to salute you as a person of singular worth and learning,
and whom I very much respect and honour,” or again, “Honoured Sir,—I am
sorry that I have had diversions of such necessity, as to hinder my more
sudden salute since I received your last.”
To his sons he writes many letters. In these he addresses his eldest son
Edward as “Dear Sonne,” or “Dear Sonne Edward;” but those to his younger
son Thomas, always commenced “Honest Tom” or “Tom” only.
Much of his advice to “Honest Tom” is peculiar although essentially sound
and practical. Thus he advises him, when a young man in France, in this
fashion: “I would be glad you had a good handsome garb of your body, . . .
and take up a commendable boldness, without which you will never be fit
for anything.” “Live soberly and temperately, the heat of the place
(Xaintes) will otherwise mischief you, and keep within in the heat of the
day.” “You may stay your stomach with little pastrys some times in cold
mornings, for I doubt sea larks will be too dear a collation and drawe
too much wine down.”
Again, later on, he writes: “Bee sober and complacent. If you quit
periwigs it would be better, and more for your credit.” “Hee that goes
to warre must patiently submit unto the various accidents thereof.” And
that this “Honest Tom” was a worthy son and a fine English sailor we
learn from a passage in another letter to him at a latter period, when a
lieutenant of his Majesty’s ship the “Marie Rose.” He writes to his son:
“Mr. Scudamore, your sober and learned chaplaine, in your voyage with Sir
Jeremie Smith, gives you no small commendations for a sober, studious,
courageous, and diligent person; that he had not met with any of the
fleet like you, so civile, observing, and diligent to your charge, with
the reputation and love of all the shippe; and that without doubt you
would make a famous man and a reputation to your country.”
We can only regret that this promising son did not live to fulfil the
high expectations formed of him.
Finally reference may be made to a _Letter_, because stated to have been
previously unpublished, which may be found in the “Eastern Counties
Collectanea,” in which he exhaustively discusses the nature of _a large
fish-bone_ dug up at Cunnington, and which had been sent to him for his
opinion upon it.
To sum up—Sir Kenelm Digby writes to Sir T. Browne, of the _Religio
Medici_ as “Your excellent piece, . . . of so weighty subjects, and so
strongly penned.”
Dr. Johnson says of him “There is no science of which he does not
discover some skill; and scarce any kind of knowledge profane or sacred,
obstruse or elegant, which he does not appear to have cultivated with
success.”
Carlyle says “The conclusion of the essay on urn burial is absolutely
beautiful; a still elegiac mood, so soft, so solemn and tender, like the
song of some departed saint flitting faint under the everlasting canopy
of night—an echo of deepest meaning from the great and mighty nations of
the dead. Browne must have been a good man.”
Evelyn, as I have already quoted, writes of him as “That famous scholar
and physician.”
And to come nearer home, the late Captain Blakiston, in a paper read
before the Archæological Institute, in Norwich, in 1847, writes of him as
a “Great Antiquarian and eminent citizen; . . . a quaint and original
thinker;” and as “Leaving behind him a shining reputation.”
By general consent Sir Thomas Browne was recognised, not only as a
“curious thinker,” but as a man of remarkable and original talent even in
his lifetime, and the same reputation continued after his death. His
works have always been regarded as those of a strong and original
thinker, and they have never been held in higher estimation than at the
present time. And I think I may fairly repeat that the more his writings
are studied the more does their learning and power impress itself upon
our understanding. With many faults, with many shortcomings—as judged by
the standard of the present day—they yet remain the monument of genius,
and worthy to be classed amongst the highest productions of great and
cultivated intellects.
Norwich may be well proud of so great a citizen—of one whose memory is
held in higher and yet higher esteem, and who is justly regarded as one
of the greatest of her literary men.
Perhaps the only drawback to our satisfaction is the fact that he was not
a native of Norwich. And in this sense we cannot claim him as our own,
as we are proud to claim so many of our citizens, who have distinguished
themselves in literature, in science, in botany, in departments of
natural history, in medicine, and in painting. But Norwich can look upon
him with pride as an adopted son, as one who elected to live the whole of
his working life in this city; and who identified himself so absolutely
with it, that his name is inseparable from it, and who will be known for
all time as Sir Thomas Browne, of Norwich.
* * * * *
ADDENDUM.—On October 19th, 1905, the admirable statue by Mr. Henry Pegram
of Sir Thomas Browne, erected in the Norwich Haymarket, was unveiled by
Lord Avebury, in the presence of the Mayor and other city officials and
of a numerous company. This date was the tercentenary of the birth of
this great philosopher, and he was both born and died on the 19th
October.
* * * * *
JARROLD & SONS, LTD.,
PRINTERS.
THE EMPIRE PRESS, NORWICH.