Book digitized by Google from the library of Harvard University and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb. Published also as thesis (Ph. D.) Columbia university, 1921 Bibliography: p. 219-225 Introduction.--Introductory chapter: The attitude toward the classical authors during the mediaeval period. Italian humanism. Humanism beyond the Alps. Montaigne.--The scientific phase: Francis Bacon. Galileo. Descartes. Thomas Hobbes.--The literary phase: Contrast between the thought environment of the seventeenth century and our own. Sir William Temple's Essay upon ancient and modern learning. William Wotton's Reflections. Richard Bentley's Dissertation. Jonathan Swift's Tale of a tub and The battle of the books. The French point of view as compared with the English. Charles Perrault. Fontenlle. Conclusion