(5.) A wrong Way chofe. The logical affect a Science for its own Sake; yet he will be found to purfue a Variety of Thoughts and Doctrines, rather than a fevere and rigid Enquiry after the Truth. Or if any exact Enquirer should turn up; yet even he will propofe to himself fuch a measure of Truth, as may fatisfy his own Mind, in affigning the Caufes of Things already known; and not that which may procure fresh Pledges and Earnefts of Works, and new Light of Axioms ". Therefore, fince the End of the Sciences has not hitherto been well fixed, and defined, by any one; we need not wonder if Men have erred and wander'd in the Things fubfervient to the proper End. APHORISM LXXXII. 8. Again, if this End had been rightly propofed; yet Men have chofe a very wrong and impaffable Way to proceed in. And it may strike any one with Astonishment, who duly confiders it, that no Mortal should hitherto have taken Care to open and prepare a Way for the human Understanding, from Senfe, and a well conducted Experience; but that all Things fhould be left, either to the Darkness of Tradition; the giddy Agitation, and Whirlwind of Argument; or elfe to the uncertain Waves of Accident, or a vague, and uninform'd Experience. Let any one foberly and carefully confider, what that Way is, which Men have accuftom'd themselves to, in the Enquiry and Difcovery of any Thing; and he will, doubtlefs, find, that the manner of Invention moft commonly used, is fimple and unartful; or no other than this: viz. when a Person goes upon an Enquiry, in the first Place he fearches out and peruses what has been faid upon it by others; in the next Place, adds his own Thoughts thereto; and, laftly, with great Struggle of the Mind, follicits and invokes, as it were, his own Spirit to deliver him Oracles which is a Method entirely deftitute of Foundation, and rolls wholly upon Opinions. 9. Others may chance to call in the Affiftance of Logic; but this is only a nominal Affiftance: for Logic does not difcover the Principles and capital Axioms upon which Arts are built; but fuch only as feem agreeable thereto: and when Men are curious and earnest with it, to procure Proofs, and difcover Principles, or firft Axioms, it refers them to Faith, Let the more eminent of the modern Inventors, and Philofophers, be examined by this Rule. * See above, Aph. 10-14, 20, &c. This is the theoretical Philofopher in his Study, who writes with Struggle and Pangs, out of his own Invention; instead of confulting Nature and Experience, which alone afford Materials worth the recording. 2 See Aph. 13, 14, &i. Faith, or puts them off with this trite and common Answer, that Every 10. There remains, therefore, nothing but mere Experience; which of- Experience to fering itself, is call'd Accident; but when fought, Experiment. And this be follow'd. kind of Experience is but like loofe Twigs; and a bare feeling about for the right Way in the dark whilft it were much more advisable to wait for Day, or light up a Flambeau; and then pursue the Road . On the other hand, the true Method of Experience firft procures the Light, then fhews the Way, by its Means; beginning with well regulated and digefted Experiments, (not fuch as are wild, fcatter'd, and rambling;) and from thence deriving Axioms; and, again, from these Axioms, well establish'd, Setts of new Experiments . For the divine Word itfelf, did not operate upon the Mafs of Things without Order. d. II. Men, therefore, may ceafe to wonder that the Sciences are no far- And a due Orther advanced; when they have entirely mifs'd the Way, and quite for- der to be obfaken Experience; or elfe, bewildering themfelves therein, have courfed ferved. about it, as in a Labyrinth: for it is a well appointed Order, that must lead, in a continued Path, thro' the Thickets of Experience, to the open Plains of Axioms e. APHORISM LXXXIII. ments. 12. This Mischief has obtain'd a furprizing Spread, from a certain (6.) The NegOpinion, or rivetted Conceit, no lefs tumid than deftructive; as if it let of Experiwere a Diminution to the Majefty of the Mind to be long converfant in Experiments, and fuch Particulars as are fubject to Senfe, and confined to Matter; efpecially as thefe Things are ufually laborious in the Enquiry, ignoble in Speculation, unpolite in Difcourfe, ungenteel in the Practice, infinite in Number, and of little Sublimity: the Iffue of all which is, that the true Way has not only been forfaken, but also block'd a This having obtained as an almoft general Rule, the natural and mechanical Philofophers, even of the prefent Time, are obliged to refort to Artizans, Mechanics, and Tradefinen, to difcover their Practices; and learn of the Shops what Works are perform'd by Art and Industry : whereas, if Things were in their proper Channel; all Arts, Inventions, and Works, fhould flow from natural Philofopers; and Life owe thofe Advantages to them, which it now receives from ingenious and inventive Mechanics. The Confideration hereof feems to have occafion'd that noble Defign of Mr. Boyle, to put a Sett of ingenious Youths Apprentices to several Trades; in order, by their Communications, and Discoveries afterwards, to improve the State of Natural Philofophy. b Viz. According to the common Expreffion, a Broom or Faggot unbound; as having little ufe, till reduced, from their ftraggling State, into Collections of fome Form or Order, and fit for certain Purposes. In allufion to the Light which the Author, in this Piece, endeavours to fet up. d The Method in doing this, is fhewn in the Second Part. Sce this farther explained, Vol. III. p. 316. (7.) Regard to up and obftructed; and Experience not only deferted and ill conducted, but difdain'd f. APHORISM LXXXIV. 13. Again; the Reverence of Antiquity, and the Authority of fuch Antiquity and as have bore a great Reputation for Philofophy, and thence the current Authority. Confent, has withheld, and almoft chain'd down Mankind from advancing the Sciences. But of Confent we have spoken above. The vulgar Notion of Antiquity erro neous. 14. The Opinion which Men entertain of Antiquity is a very idle Thing; and almoft incongruous to the Word: for the old Age, and Length of Days of the World, fhould, in reality, be accounted Antiquity; and ought to be attributed to our own Times, not to the Youth of the World, which it enjoyed among the Ancients: for that Age, tho', with respect to us, it be ancient and greater; yet, with regard to the World, it was new and lefs. And as we juftly expect a greater Knowledge of Things, and a riper Judgment, from a Man of Years, than from a Youth, on account of the greater Experience, and the greater Variety and Number of Things feen, heard, and thought of, by the Perfon in Years; fo might much greater Matters be justly expected from the prefent Age, (if it knew but its own Strength, and would make Trial and apply,) than from former Times: as this is the more advanced Age of the World; and now enrich'd and furnish'd with infinite Experiments and Obfervations". be Voyages of 15. It must alfo go for fomething, that by means of the long Voyages the Moderns. and Travels, fo famous in our Times, numerous Things have been procured, and difcovered in Nature, for giving new Light to Philofophy: and it would be fcandalous for Mankind to have the Tracts of the material Globe, its Countries, Seas, and the Heavens themfelves, greatly laid open to the View of thefe Times; and yet the intellectual World remain within the harrow Confines of the Inventions of the Ancients. 16. 'Tis And furely, if Natural Philofophy has received any Improvement of late, it is principally owing to the greater Reputation which Experience and Practice have gained; and the profecuting, with fome tolerable Care and Order, the Bufinefs of Experimenting, in a Variety of Subjects. See Aph. 77. See alfo Aph. 55 Let us beware there is no Defect in this Argument. "Tis to be apprehended that many of the Arts known to the Ancients, are now loft; particularly the ancient Baliflicks, &c. And even, if all the Knowledge and Discoveries of the Ancients were continued down to us; fome will still question, whether the Capacities of Men in later Times are equal to thofe of former. As to the Point of Capacity; the Author anfwers, to avoid Difpute, that a Cripple in the right Way may beat a Racer in the wrong; and as to the Knowledge of the Ancients, he allows it to have been great; and that only fome of their more fuperficial and popular Philofophies have defcendSee above, Aph. 71. So that we can only judge of what we have: tho' the utmost Diligence fhould, doubtlefs, be ufed to recover all the Arts, Inventions, and Philofophies, that flourished among the Ancients. See the Author's Sapientia Veterum So far as we know them. ed to us. Authors.. 16. 'Tis the greatest Weaknefs to be attributing infinite Things to The Weakness. Authors, whilft we are refufing Juftice to the Author of Authors, and of admiring all Authority; which is Time for Truth is juftly call'd the Daughter of Time, not of Authority. Whence 'tis no wonder, if these joint Fafcinations, viz. of Authors, of Antiquity, and Confent, fhould fo far bind the Faculties of Men as to keep them, like Perfons poffefs'd, from converfing with Things themselves *. APHORISM LXXXV. 17. And not only the Admiration of Antiquity, Authority, and Confent, (8.) Admira has conftrain'd the Industry of Men to acquiefce in Things already dif- tion of the Works in ufe. cover'd; but also an Admiration of the Works they have long poffefs'd. For when a Man views that Variety and beautiful Apparatus of Things introduced, and provided by the mechanic Arts, for human Ufes; he is rather inclin'd to admire the Opulency of Mankind, than entertain a Sense of their Want not confidering that the original Obfervations of Men, and the Operations of Nature, which proved like the Soul and first Mover of all this Variety', were neither numerous, nor derived from any great Depth of Knowledge; and that the reft was owing only to the Patience of Men, and the fubtile or regular Motion of the Hand, or Inftruments. Thus, for Example, 'tis certainly a very fubtile and accurate Piece of Workmanship to make a Clock, that fhall feem to imitate the Revolution of the heavenly Bodies, and the Pulfation of the Bodies of Animals, by a regular and fucceffive Motion; and yet this depends upon but one or two Axioms of Nature m. portion to the 18. And if any one fhall confider that Subtilty fhewn in the liberal But few InArts; or the Preparation of natural Bodies by the mechanic Arts, and ventions difco the like; fuch, for Example, as the Discovery of the celeftial Motions; ver'd in pro the Notes in Mufick; the Letters of the Alphabet, (which to this Day Time. are not used among the Chinese ;) or, again, in the mechanic Arts, the Productions of Bacchus and Ceres; that is, the Preparation of Wine, Malt-Liquors, Bread, Paftery, the Furniture of the Table, Distillations, &c. and if, at the fame time, he reflect, thro' what a Number of Years all thefe (except Diftillation, which alone is not ancient) are arrived to that Degree of Perfection, wherein we now enjoy them; and yet how little of Obfervation, or of the Axioms of Nature, they have in them, (as we before inftanced in Clocks ;) and how readily, or, as it were, by obvious Occafions, and neceffary Confiderations, they might be discover'd; will eafily ceafe his Wonder, and rather pity the Condition of Mankind, that * Obferve how the Author endeavours to break the Charm, mention'd in the Preface under Aph. 7. Viz. The Obfervations upon which they were formed. Books. that for fo many Ages there fhould have been fo great a Want and Barrennefs of Inventions. Yet all the Discoveries now mention'd ", are more ancient than Philofophy, and the intellectual Arts: fo that, to fay the Truth, when the rational and dogmatical Arts came upon the Stage, the Invention of ufeful Works went off. Little Variety 19. If a Man turn his Eyes from the Shops to Libraries, he may of Matter in perhaps be furprized at the immenfe Variety of Books he finds; but upon examining and diligently weighing their Matters and Contents, he will be ftruck with Amazement on the other Side; and after finding no End of Repetitions, but that Men continually treat and fpeak the fame Things over and over again, fall from his Admiration of the Variety, into a Wonder at the Want and Scantinefs of thofe Things, which have hitherto deatain'd and poffefs'd the Minds of Men P. The Procedure 20. And again; if any one fhould condefcend to regard fuch Things of the Alche- as are accounted rather curious than useful; and take a thorough View mifts. of the Works of the Alchemists, or the Followers of natural Magic; he might, perhaps, be at a Difficulty which he fhould withhold, his Tears, or his Laughter. For the Alchemist goes on with an eternal Hope; and where his Matters fucceed not, lays the Blame upon his own Errors; and accuses himself, as not having fufficiently understood either the Terms of his Art, or his Author: whence he either hearkens out for Traditions and auricular Whispers; or elfe fancies he made fome Miftake, as to the exact Quantity of the Ingredients, or Nicety of the Experiment; and thus repeats the Operation without End. And if, in the mean time, among all the Chances of Experiments, he throws any which appear either new or useful; he feeds his Mind with thefe, as fo many Earnefts; boasts and extols them above measure; and conceives great Hopes of what is behind. It muft, indeed, be allow'd that the Alchemifts have made many Difcoveries, and obliged Mankind with ufeful Inventions; but they are well represented in that Fable of the old Man, who left an Eftate to his Children, (buried fomewhere or other, he told them, in his Vineyard;) which they, therefore, fell to dig for with great Diligence; whereby, tho' they found no Gold in Subftance, yet they received a better Vintage for their Labour. The Procedure 21. But fuch as apply to natural Magic, and explain every thing by of the Follow Sympathies and Antipathies, have, by fupine and indolent Conjectures, placed ers of Natural ftrange Virtues and Operations in Things; and if, at any time, they have Magic. n Except Diftillation, which was excepted before. produced • If this, upon a fair and full Enq iry, fhall appear to be the Cafe; it might afford a ftrong Argument against admitting the rational and dogmatical Arts; or any Philofophy, but the practical and experimental Kind. P Hence the Author, in another Place, obferves, that there is a great Agreement betwixt the Shops of Artificers, and the Libraries of the Learned; as both make a great Shew of Variety, yet contain nothing but infinite Repetitions of a few Things, or numerous Applications of a few Principles, differently dreffed and modelled, according to particular Humours, Fafhions, or Exigencies. |