Greek, and even Hebrew, was eagerly sought after.

Latin itself was assuming another aspect; the Renaissance Latin is classical Latin, whilst Mediaeval Latin is dog-Latin.

The physical universe now began to be inquired into with a perfectly fresh interest, but the inquiries were still conducted under the aegis of the old habits of thought.

The universe was still a system of mysterious affinities and magical powers to the investigator of the Renaissance period, as it had been before.

There was this difference, however; it was now attempted to _systematize_ the magical theory of the universe.
While the common man held a store of traditional magical beliefs respecting the natural world, the learned man deduced these beliefs from the Neo-Platonists, from the Kabbala, from Hermes Trismegistos, and from a variety of other sources, and attempted to arrange this somewhat heterogeneous mass of erudite lore into a system of organized thought.
The Humanistic movement, so called, the movement, that is, of revived classical scholarship, had already begun in Germany before what may be termed the _sturm und drang_ of the Renaissance proper.