The period 1680-1715 was a great turning point in Western intellectual history. It marked the beginning of the general ferment which caused the overthrow of the classical mind and provided the initial stimulus for the establishment of the Romantic Enlightenment. With clarity as well as a sharp sense for the evaluation of detail and historical relevance, the author delineates this ferment and the process of erosion of respect for tradition, stability, proportion and settled usage which characterized Classicism.