The Saggi di naturali esperienze was published in 1667 by one of the earliest scientific societies, the Accademia del Cimento. The book was a triumph for the ruling Medici family of Florence, and the commitment of the Accademia to experimentation helped the Saggi become the'laboratory manual' of the 18th century. The Saggi highlighted two key features of modern science: the pre-eminence of experimentation and the replication of experiments. Importantly, it also masked a third important feature, the role of argumentation.