“Making many difficulties at first, urging among other things that his work must be held imperfect, as not containing his investigations on the generation of insects; I nevertheless prevailed at length, and he said to me, ‘I intrust these papers to your care with full authority either speedily to commit them to the press, or to suppress them till some future time.’ Having returned him many thanks, I bade him adieu and took my leave, feeling like another Jason laden with the golden fleece. On returning home I forthwith proceeded to examine my prize in all its parts, and could not but wonder with myself that such a treasure should have lain so long concealed; and that whilst others produce their trifles and emptiness with much ado, their messes twice, aye, an hundred times, heated up, our Harvey should set so little store by his admirable observations. And indeed so often as he has sent forth any of his discoveries to the world, he has not comported himself like those who, when they publish, would have us believe that an oak had spoken, and that they had merited the rarest honours—a draught of hen’s milk at the least. Our Harvey rather seems as though discovery were natural, a matter of ordinary business; though he may nevertheless have expended infinite labour and study on his works. And we have evidence of his singular candour in this, that he never hostilely attacks any previous writer, but ever courteously sets down and comments upon the opinions of each; and indeed he is wont to say that it is argument of an indifferent cause when it is contended for with violence and distemper, and that truth scarce wants an advocate.
FACSIMILE OF WILLIAM HARVEY’S HANDWRITING.
“It would have been easy for our illustrious colleague to have woven the whole of this web from materials of his own; but to escape the charge of envy he has rather chosen to take Aristotle and Fabricius of Aquapendente as his guides, and to appear as contributing but his portion to the general fabric. Of him whose virtue, candour, and genius are so well known to you all I shall say no more, lest I should seem to praise to his face one whose singular worth has exalted him beyond the reach of all praise. Of myself I shall only say that I have done no more than perform the midwife’s office in this business, ushering into the light this product of our colleague’s genius as you see it, consummate and complete, but long delayed and fearing perchance some envious blast; in other words, I have overlooked the press; and as our author writes a hand which no one without practice can easily read[8] (a thing that is common among our men of letters), I have taken some pains to prevent the printer committing any very grave blunders through this—a point which I observe not to have been sufficiently attended to in the small work[9] of his which lately appeared. Here then, my learned friends, you have the cause of my addressing you at this time, viz., that you may know that our Harvey presents an offering to the benefit of the republic of letters, to your honour, to his own eternal fame.
“Farewell, and prosper
“George Ent.”
This account brings home to us the charm of Harvey’s personality. Beloved by his family and honoured by the College of Physicians, the old man went to his grave amidst the genuine grief of all who knew him. The publication of his essay on Development in 1651 was almost his last literary effort. He wrote a few letters to different friends abroad which show that his mind was still actively engaged upon the problem of the circulation of the blood, but nothing more of importance appeared from his pen. His love for the College of Physicians remained unabated, and he gave proof of it in a most practical manner. At an extraordinary Comitia held July 4, 1651, Dr. Prujean, the President, read a written paper to the assembled Fellows which contained the following proposition: “If I can procure one that will build a library and a repository for simples and rarities, such a one as shall be suitable and honourable to the College, will you assent to have it done or no, and give me leave and such others as I shall desire to be the designers and overlookers of the work both for conveniency and ornament?” This offer from an anonymous donor was too handsome to meet with other than immediate acceptance, and as the Annals of the College express it, “super hac re prompté gratéque itum est ab omnibus in suffragia” [the proposition was instantly and thankfully agreed to by the votes of all present]. The building proceeded apace, but there is no doubt that the name of the benefactor became known, for on December 22, 1652, and before it was completed, the College voted that a statue of Harvey should be placed in their hall which then occupied a site in Amen Corner. It was accordingly erected there with an inscription upon the pedestal which ran:—
GULIELMO HARVEIO
Viro monumentis suis immortali
Hoc insuper Collegium Medicorum Londinense
posuit,
Qui enim sanguini motum
ut et
Animalibus ortum dedit,
Meruit esse
Stator perpetuus.
It represented Harvey in the cap and gown of his degree, and though it perished in the Great Fire of London in 1666, it was not replaced when the College was rebuilt on or near its old site nor in the more recent building in Pall Mall.