t of his marriage--for that reason "Archbishop Sheldon who had
the keys of the Church for a great time in his power, and could admit
unto it and keep out of it whom he pleased, I mean (Pope hastens to
explain) disposed of all Ecclesiastical Preferments, entertained a
strong prejudice against him." This prejudice the Archbishop, when
later, on the introduction of Ward, he came to know him better,
acknowledged to have been unjust, a signal instance of Wilkins' power of
winning men. The Latitudinarian was at first coldly received at Lambeth:
the brother-in-law of Cromwell was not acceptable at Whitehall. His
friend Ward did not desert him, but "followed up good words with
answerable actions," and procured for him the Precentor's place at
Exeter,--"the first step which Wilkins ascended to a better fortune."

In Charles II. he soon found a still more powerful friend. The King, who
was himself the broadest of Latitudinarians, as far as Protestantism was
concerned, was not repelled by Wilkins' theological views, and yielded
readily to the attractions of a versatile and agreeable man of science.
Science was the most creditable of Charles's tastes and occupations; the
one in which he took a genuine and enduring interest.

On November 28, 1660, the Invisible College was embodied, and became a
tangible reality. At a meeting held in Gresham College, twelve persons
of eminence in science and in other ways "formed the design," as the
first Journal Book of the Royal Society records, "of founding a College
for the promotion of Physico-Mathematicall Experimentall Learning."
Among those present were Rooke, Petty, Wren, and Wilkins: a committee
was formed, of which Wilkins was appointed chairman: the King gave his
approval to the scheme drawn up by the committee, and offered to become
a member of the new College: in 1662 he gave it the Charter of
Incorporation which passed the Great Seal on July 13th of that year.
Wilkins was not chosen President; that honour was given to Lord
Brouncker.

The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge
(its official title) took knowledge for its province; that is, natural
knowledge, of Nature, Art, and Works, in preference to, though not
necessarily to the exclusion of, moral and metaphysical philosophy,
history and language. The experiments, its chief work, were to be
productive both of light and fruit: the influence of Bacon is so great
and evident that he might in a sense be call