History of the Royal Society of London

work by Sprat

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July 16, 2026

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Sprat, Thomas The crowning of King Charles II, frontispiece from *History of the Royal Society of London* by Thomas Sprat, 1667.

The Royal Society, founded in 1660, is the world's oldest national scientific society and a leading organization for scientific research in Britain. It originated from a meeting of 12 men at Gresham College, London, who aimed to establish a "Colledge for the promoting of Physico-Mathematicall Experimentall Learning".1

Thomas Sprat, a founding member and historian of the Royal Society, wrote The History of the Royal Society of London in 1667. This work served as a defense of the new scientific society and advocated for language reform, criticizing jargon and promoting a simpler style of prose. Sprat's efforts contributed to the society's early efforts to disseminate scientific knowledge.21

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Thomas Sprat
In his History of the Royal Society of London (1667), a propagandist defense rather than a factual account of the new scientific society, he criticizes the “inkhorn terms” (learned jargon) and sonorous stylistic swellings of Restoration prose. He advocated the return to the style of a simpler…
Read More
In his History of the Royal Society of London (1667), a propagandist defense rather than a factual account of the new scientific society, he criticizes the “inkhorn terms” (learned jargon) and sonorous stylistic swellings of Restoration prose. He advocated the return to the style of a simpler…
Read More