the human body, but also in all changes of other natural bodies.

A greater evil arises from the contemplation and investigation rather of the stationary principles of things from which, than of the active by which things themselves are created. For the former only serve for discussion, the latter for practice. Nor is any value to be set on those common differences of Motion which are observed in the received system of Natural Philosophy, as Generation, Corruption, Augmentation, Diminution, Alteration and Translation. For this is their meaning: if a body, unchanged in other respects, is moved from its place, this is Translation; if the place and species be given, but the quantity changed, it is Alteration; but if, from such a change, the mass and quantity of the body do not continue the same, this is the motion of Augmentation and Diminution; if the change be continued so as to vary the species and substance, and transfuse them to others, this is Generation and Corruption. All this is merely popular, and by no means penetrates into Nature; and these are but the measures and bounds of motion, and not different species of it; they merely suggest How far, and not How or Whence.. For they exhibit neither the affections of bodies, nor the process of their parts, but merely establish a division of that motion, which coarsely exhibits to the senses matter in its varied form. Even when they wish to point out something relative to the causes of motion, and to establish a division of them, they ́ most absurdly introduce natural and violent motion, which is also a popular notion, since every violent motion is also in fact natural, that is to say, the external efficient puts nature in action in a different manner to that which she had previously employed.

But if, neglecting these, any one were for instance to observe, that there is in bodies a tendency of adhesion so

as not to suffer the unity of Nature to be completely separated or broken, and a vacuum to be formed; or that they have a tendency to return to their natural dimensions or tension, so that if compressed or extended within or beyond it, they immediately strive to recover themselves, and resume their former volume and extent; or that they have a tendency to congregate into masses with similar bodies, the dense, for instance, towards the Circumference of the Earth, the thin and rare towards that of the Heavens ; these and the like are true Physical genera of Motions, but the others are clearly Logical and Scholastic, as appears plainly from a comparison of the two.

Another considerable evil is, that men in their Systems and contemplations bestow their labour upon the investigation and discussion of the Principles of things and the extreme Limits of nature, although all utility and means of action consist in the intermediate objects. Hence men cease not to abstract Nature till they arrive at potential and shapeless matter, and still persist in their Dissection, till they arrive at Atoms; and yet were all this true, it would be of little use to advance man's estate.

lxvii. The Understanding must also be cautioned against the intemperance of Systems, so far as regards its giving or withholding its assent; for such intemperance appears to fix and perpetuate Idols, so as to leave no means of removing them.

These excesses are of two kinds. The first is seen in those who decide hastily, and render the sciences positive and Dictatorial. The other in those who have introduced Scepticism, and vague unbounded inquiry. The former subdues, the latter enervates the Understanding. The Aristotelian Philosophy, after destroying other Systems (as the Ottomans do their brethren) by its disputatious confutations, decided upon every thing, and Aristotle himself then raises up questions at will, in order to settle them; so that

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every thing should be certain and decided, a method now in use among his succcessors.

The school of Plato introduced Scepticism, first, as it were, in joke and irony from their dislike to Protagoras, Hippias, and others, who were ashamed of appearing not to doubt upon any subject. But the new Academy dogmatized in their Scepticism, and held it as their tenet. Although this method be more honest than arbitrary decision (for its followers allege that they by no means confound all inquiry, like Pyrrho and his Disciples, but hold doctrines which they can follow as probable, though they cannot maintain them to be true) yet when the human mind has once despaired of discovering truth, every thing begins to languish.) Hence men turn aside into pleasant controversies and discussions, and into a sort of wandering over subjects, rather than sustain any rigorous investigation. But as we observed at first, we are not to deny the authority of the human senses and understanding, although weak; but rather to furnish them with assistance.

lxviii. We have now treated of each kind of Idols, and their qualities; all of which must be abjured and renounced with firm and solemn resolution, and the Understanding must be completely freed and cleared of them; so that the access to the Kingdom of Man, which is founded on the Sciences, may resemble that to the Kingdom of Heaven, where no admission is conceded except to children.

lxix. Vicious demonstrations are the muniments and support of Idols, and those which we possess in Logic, merely subject and enslave the World to human thoughts, and thoughts to words. But Demonstrations are, in some manner, themselves systems of Philosophy and Science. For such as they are, and accordingly as they are regularly or improperly established, such will be the resulting systems of Philosophy and Contemplation. But those which we employ in the whole process leading from the senses and

things to Axioms and Conclusions, are fallacious and incompetent. This Process is fourfold, and the errors are in equal number. In the first place the impressions of the senses are erroneous, for they fail and deceive us. We must supply defects by substitutions, and fallacies by their correction. 2dly. Notions are improperly abstracted from the senses, and indeterminate and confused when they ought to be the reverse. 3dly. The Induction that is employed is improper, for it determines the Principles of Sciences by simple enumeration, without adopting exclusions, and resolutions, or just separations of Nature. Lastly, the usual method of discovery and proof by first establishing the most general Propositions, then applying and proving the intermediate. Axioms according to them, is the parent of error and the calamity of every Science. But we will treat more fully ofthat which we now slightly touch upon, when we come to lay down the true way of interpreting Nature, after having gone through the above expiatory process and purification of the Mind.

lxx. But Experience is by far the best demonstration, provided it adhere to the experiment actually made; for if that experiment be transferred to other subjects apparently similar, unless with proper and methodical caution, it becomes fallacious. The present method of experiment is blind and stupid. Hence men wandering and roaming without any determined course, and consulting mere chance, are hurried about to various points and advance but little; at one time they are happy, at another their attention is distracted, and they always find that they want something further. Men generally make their experiments carelessly, and as it were in sport, making some little variation in a known experiment, and then if they fail, they become disgusted and give up the attempt: nay, if they set to work more seriously, steadily, and assiduously, yet they waste all their time on probing some solitary matter; as Gilbert on

the Magnet, and the Alchymists on gold. But such conduct shows their method to be no less unskilful than mean. For nobody can successfully investigate the nature of any object by considering that object alone, the inquiry must be more generally extended.

Even when men build any science and theory upon Experiment, yet they almost always turn with premature and hasty zeal to practice, not merely on account of the advantage and benefit to be derived from it, but in order to seize upon some security in a new undertaking of their not employing the remainder of their labour unprofitably; and by making themselves conspicuous, to acquire a greater name for their pursuit. Hence, like Atalanta, they leave the course to pick up the golden apple, interrupting their speed, and giving up the victory. But in the true course of Experiment, and in extending it to new effects, we should imitate the Divine Foresight and Order. For God, on the first day, only Created Light, and assigned a whole day to that work, without creating any material substance thereon. In like manner, we must first, by every kind of Experiment, elicit the discovery of Causes and true Axioms, and seek for Experiments which may afford light rather than profit. Axioms, when rightly investigated and established, prepare us not for a limited but abundant Practice, and bring in their train whole troops of Effects. But we will treat hereafter of the ways of experience which are not less beset and interrupted than those of Judgment; having spoken at present of common Experience only as a bad species of Demonstration, the order of our subject now requires some mention of those external signs of the weakness in practice of the received systems of Philosophy and Contemplation' which we referred to above, and of the Causes of a circumstance at first sight so wonderful and incredible. For the

I See Aph. lxi, towards the end. The subject extends to Aph. lxxxviii.