of the middle of the seventeenth century, and we note the influence of the European upheaval at the end of the eighteenth century. The extraordinary outburst of intellect in the second half of that century is accentuated by the fact that, taking into account all entries in the 'Biographical Dictionary,' the gross number of eminent men of the low standard required for inclusion shows little increase in the eighteenth century (5,789, as against 5,674 in the preceding century, is the editor's estimate); the increase of ability is thus in quality rather than in quantity. It is curious to note that, throughout these eight centuries, a marked rise in the level of intellectual ability has very frequently, though not invariably, been preceded by a marked fall. It is also noteworthy that in nearly every century the majority of its great men have been born in the latter half; that is to say, that the beginning of a century tends to be marked by an outburst of genius, which declines through the century. This outburst is very distinct at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and, as we have seen reason to believe, it was probably succeeded by an arrest, if not a decline, in the production of genius. If that is so, we may probably expect a fresh outburst of intellectual ability at the beginning of the twentieth century. It would seem that we are here in the presence of two factors: a spontaneous rhythmical rise and fall in the production of genius, so that a period of what is improperly called 'decadence' is followed by one of expansive activity; and also, at the same time, the stimulating influence of great historical events, calling out latent intellectual energy. These considerations, however, are merely speculative, and it is sufficient to accord them this brief passing notice.
Having thus explained the nature of the data with which we have to deal, and the methods by which it has been obtained, we may now proceed, without further explanations, to investigate it. We have to study the chief characteristics—anthropological and psychological— of the most eminent British men and women of genius (using that word merely to signify high intellectual ability), in so far as these characteristics are revealed by the 'Dictionary of National Biography.'[1]
- ↑ In a certain number of cases I have supplemented or corrected the information derived from the 'Dictionary' by reference to other reliable sources, in many cases of more recent date.
