produced Works, they are rather fuited to Admiration and Strangeness, than to Fruit and Advantage. 22. And for fuperftitious Magic, if we were disposed to speak thereof, it Superstitious would come first to be obferved, that there is only one certain and de- Magic. terminate Kind of Subject, in which the curious and fuperftitious Arts, thro' all Nations, Ages, and Religions, could take Place, and have any Effect, or impofe". But of this we fay no more. In the mean time, 'tis no wonder if an Imagination of great Plenty has proved a Cause of Want. APHORISM LXXXVI. ers and Wri. 23. This Admiration of Mankind, as to Doctrine and Arts, which is (9.) The Artia fimple and almoft childish Thing in itself, has been increased by the fice of TeachCraft and Artifice of fuch as treat and deliver the Sciences; who propofe ters in the them with that State and Affectation, or fo finely fashioned; and bring Sciences. them fo dreffed upon the Stage, as if they were perfect in every Part; and fo many finifhed Things. For to look upon the Methods and Divifions of thefe Teachers, they might feem to contain and include every thing that can fall within the Subject; and tho' the Parts are ill fill'd up, and in reality little more than empty Carcaffes; yet they pass currently among the Vulgar, as having the Form and Fulnefs of compleat Sciences $. 24. But the primitive Enquirers after Truth, with greater Fidelity, The aphoriftiand a happier Conduct, used to throw all the Knowledge they deter- cal Way of mined to collect, and treasure up for ufe, into Aphorifms, or fhort and Writing reloofe Sentences; not ranged into Method; without profeffing or pretending to fet down the whole of an Art'. But, as the Cafe now stands, 9 See de Augment. Scientiar. Sect. VI. 'tis The Author appears to mean that the weak, and credulous, are this Subject. He expreffes himfelf, in another Place, thus. The Magician, when, according to his own Underflanding, he fees fome Things effected that are beyond the Power of Nature; and thus fuppofing her to be once forced and fubdued; he adds Wings to his Imagination; and fcarce believes the Effect to differ according to the Degree of more and lefs; and therefore promises himself that he may obtain the greatest Things of all; without confidering that they are Subjects of one peculiar Kind, wherein Magic and Superftition have had any Power and Influence, thro' all Nations and Ages. See the Sylva Sylvarum, under the Articles Imagination and Sympathy. This Inconvenience is very apt to attend the writing of Systems, and Bodies of Sciences; where the Writer having the Matter before him, feldom confiders of any thing more than how to give it the best Form, and render it moft agreeable to the Reader. This, tho' it may ufually ke efteem'd a laudable Thing, has yet a pernicious Effect, and doubtless retards the Advancement of the Sciences; whence it fhould be avoided by Philofophers, and fevere Enquirers into Truth, as a kind of Impofture. See Tjcbirnbauf. Medicina Mentis in init. See alfo Vol. III. p. 8, 9, 10. The Author thus enforces the prefent Confideration in another Place. The firft and most ancient Enquirers after Truth, with more Sincerity, and better Succefs, threw the Knowledge they gather'd from the Contemplation of Things, and propofed to lay up for Service, into Aphorifms, or fhort and independent Expreffions; which fhewing Inventions naked as they were, commended. and 1 (10.) Oftenta derns. 'tis no wonder if Men make no farther Progrefs in thofe Things, which are deliver'd as if already perfected. APHORISM LXXXVII. 25. Things of Antiquity have alfo received an additional Reputation tious Promifes and Credit, from the Vanity and Levity of fuch as offer'd new ones; of the Moefpecially in the effective and operative Part of Natural Philofophy. For certain boafting and fantastical Perfons, partly thro' Credulity, and partly thro' Impofture, have amufed Mankind with great Promifes of the Prolongation of Life, the Retardation of old Age, the Mitigation of Pain, the Repair of natural Defects, Cures for the Deceptions of the Senfes, the Way of bending and exciting Affections, the Illumination and Exaltation of the intellectual Faculties, the Tranfmutation of Subftances, the strengthning and multiplying of Motions at Pleasure, the Impreffions and Alterations of the Air, the bringing down and procuring of celestial Influences, the Divination of future Events, the Reprefentation of Things remote, the Revelation of Secrets, &c. The Truth is, there feems to be the fame Difference in the Doctrines of Philofophy, between thefe Vanities, and the real Arts; as there is between the hiftorical Narrations of the Exploits of Julius Cæfar, or Alexander the Great; and the Atchievements of Amadis de Gaul, or Arthur of Britain. For those celebrated Emperors are found, in Fact, to have accomplish'd greater Things, than the other fhadowy Heroes are even feign'd to have done: and yet this, by fuch Means as are no way fabulous or monftrous. Nor fhould it detract from the Credibility of real Hiftory, that it has fometimes been injured and abufed with Fables. In the mean time, 'tis not strange that a great Prejudice should be raised against new Propofals, efpecially thofe relating to Works, upon account of these Impoftors, who have attempted the like; whence the Excefs and Difdain of Vanity ", have, even at prefent, left no Spirit for fuch great Defigns ". APHORISM and at the fame time indicating the Spaces that remain'd to be fill'd with Difcoveries; they were hence the lefs deceived, and Mens Thoughts and Minds the more excited to judge, and discover. On the contrary, the prefent Method is, to place the Sciences in fuch a Light, as may procure them the moft Credit, not excite the Judgment; and, by a fevere Authority, to stop İnventions in the Bud: fo that the Sciences now defcend, as in the Perfons of Mater and Scholar, inftead of Inventor and Improver: whence no wonder if they are not advanced. Viz. Excefs on one Side, and Difdain on the other; or on the Side both of Projectors, and Anti-Projectors. w And under this Difadvantage the Author lay in his great Defigns, for enriching the Kingdom by mineral Works; erecting his Solomon's College; his Enquiries for prolonging Life; commanding the Winds, and the Weather; his new Logic, &c. &c. APHORISM LXXXVIII. 26. But the Sciences have been much more hurt by Pufilanimity; and (11.) Want of the Slenderness of the Tafks which Men propos'd themfelves: and yet, propofing worto enhance the Mischief, this Pufilanimity is not without its Pride and thy Tasks. Difdain. 27. For first, 'tis a common Excuse with every Artift, to lay the Im- Laying the perfection of his Art, as a Reproach, at the Door of Nature; and Imperfection of Arts to the what his Art does not perform, to pronounce, from that Art, impoffible f Charge of in the Nature of Things; and certainly the Art will not be condemned, Nature. whilft itself is the Judge. Nay, the prefent Philofophy contains and patronizes fome Opinions, which, if diligently examin'd, wholly tend to perfuade Mankind, that nothing great, or very commanding over Nature, can be expected from Art, or the human Powers, (as we instanced above, in the Difference betwixt folar and culinary Fire, Compofition, Mixture, &c. *) which, in the refult, is no other than maliciously to limit Mens Faculties; and to invent, and introduce, an artificial Defpair, that fhall not only disturb and unfettle our Hopes and Expectations, but take away the Motives to Industry, cut its Sinews, and disappoint or prevent all the Chances of Experience; whilft the Artift is only follicitous about this, that his Art fhould be esteem'd perfect: thus endeavouring at an exceeding vain and deftructive Glory, in having it believed, that every Thing not yet difcover'd and understood, is abfolutely impoffible to be found out, or known. And if any one applies himfelf to Nature, and endeavours to ftrike out fomething new; yet he will generally propofe and fix upon fome one Invention, without farther Search: For Example, the Nature of the Loadflone, the Tides, the Theory of the Heavens, and the like; which feem to conceal fome Secret; and have been hitherto unfuccefsfully explained: whereas 'tis, in the highest Degree, unskilful, to examine the Nature of any Thing, in that Thing itfelf. For the fame Nature, which in fome Things lies hid and concealed, appears open and obvious in others; fo as to excite Admiration in the one, and to pafs unobferved in the other: thus the Nature of Confiftence is not taken Notice of in Wood or Stone, but flighted under the Term of Solidity, without farther Enquiry into its Avoidance of Separation, or Solution of Continuity; whilft the fame Thing appears fubtile, and of deeper Enquiry, in Bubbles of Water, which throw themfelves into thin Skins, of a curious hemifpherical Figure, in order, for the inftant, to avoid a Solution of Continuity. * See Aph. 75. y Some will confine this to the more illiterate Mechanics and Artifans; and others extend it to the Liberal Sciences, Medicine, Philofophy, &c. VOL. II. Ddd 28. And 28. And, again; thofe very Things which are accounted Secrets, have, in other Cafes, a common and manifeft Nature; which can never be difcover'd, whilft the Experiments and Thoughts of Men run wholly upon them. And generally thofe Things are esteem'd new Inventions in mechanical Works, that are no more than better Ways of finishing, adorning, joining, compounding, rendering more commodious, enlarging, or contracting the Bulk of the old ones; and the like a. 29. So that 'tis no wonder if noble and worthy Inventions, suitable to the Dignity of Mankind, are not brought to Light; whilft Men content and please themselves with fuch flender and childish Performances; and at the fame Time imagine that they perform great Matters by them. APHORISM LXXXIX. (12.) Supersti- 30. We must not omit, that Natural Philofophy has, thro' all Ages, tion and Zeal, had a troublesome and difficult Adverfary to contend with; viz. Superbeing oppofite ftition, and the blind, furious Zeal of Religion. For we find among the to Natural Philofophy. the School Greeks, that they who firft affign'd the natural Caufes of Thunder and Dangerous to 31. And, as Matters now ftand, 'tis ftill more difficult and dangerous Theology. 32. And z Thus Tranfmutation, tho' exprefly endeavour'd after, to little purpofe in fome Cafes; yet in others feems to occur almost spontaneously. See Sylva Sylvarum, under the Articles Alterations and Tranfmutations. a In another Place the Author obferves, that if a Mechanic happens to add fome Ornament, and a greater Luftre, to any former Invention; or combines two or three Things, that before were feparate; or fits them more commodiously for Practice; or exhibits the Thing either in a greater, or a lefs Bulk; he prefently writes himself in the Lift of Inventors: whence Men (1.) difdain the Invention of new Arts and Works, as an idle, fruitless, and fufpected Endeavour; or (2.) believe that there are noble Inventions difcover'd; but that they lie concealed, with the utmoft Silence and Caution, in a few Hands; or (3) take these fmalier Additions and Alterations of Inventions, for new Difcoveries. All which tends to turn Mens Minds afide from the true and laborious Method of Enquiry; and prevents fuch Tasks and Discoveries as are worthy of Mankind. b See the Clouds of Aristophanes. See de Augment. Scientiar. Sect. XXVIII. This occafion'd the Author a great Difficulty in his Time; tho' he was naturally inclined, and admonished by others, to ufe the utmost Caution against it. 32. And to this Head belongs, tho' in a different refpect, the La- The Mixture bours of fuch as have ventured to deduce and confirm the Truth of the of Philofophy with ReliChriftian Religion, from the Principles and Authorities of Philofophers: gion. Thus, with great Pomp and Solemnity, celebrating the Inter-Marriage of Faith and Senfe, as a lawful Conjunction; and foothing the Minds of Men with a pleafing Variety of Matter; tho' at the fame time rafhly and unequally intermixing Things divine and human. But in fuch Medlys of Divinity and Philofophy, only the Things at prefent receiv'd in Philofophy are comprehended; whilft new ones, tho' better, are almost quite rejected and excluded . 33. Laftly, we find, thro' the Unfkilfulness of certain Divines, that The Opinion, the Paffage to any Philofophy, tho' ever fo juft, is in a manner that deep na block'd up: For fome weakly fufpect, that deep Enquiries into Nature will tural Enqui ries should tranfgrefs the Bounds of Sobriety; and injudiciously wrefting what is fubvert Relifaid in Scripture, of those who pry into the divine Mysteries, apply it gion. to the Secrets of Nature; from which we are no where forbid. Others, with greater Cunning, conceive, that if the Means remain unknown, all Things may be the eafier managed by the Dexterity of the Hand, and the divining Rod; which they imagine highly ferviceable to Religion: but this is no other than offering to God the unclean Sacrifice of a Lye. Others dread the Example; left the Disturbances and Changes in Philofophy fhould extend to, and terminate in Religion. And others, again, feem afraid, left fomething fhould be found in the Enquiry of Nature, to fubvert, or at least undermine Religion; efpecially among the Ignorant. Thefe two latter Fears appear to us to be deeply tinged with low grovling Wifdom; as if Men, in their fecret Thoughts, cherish'd fome Doubt and Distrust about the Strength of Religion, and the Power of Faith over the Senses; and therefore apprehend Danger to it from the Search of Truth, in natural Things: but whoever rightly confiders it, will find, that Natural Philofophy is, next after the Word of God, the most certain Cure of Superftition; and the best Support of Faith. Philofophy, therefore, is defervedly appointed as the true Handmaid to Religion; the one manifefting the Will, and the other the Power of God. For 'twas no Error in him who faid, Ye err, not knowing the Scriptures, and the Power of God: thus infeparably mixing, and joining together the Information of his Will, and the Knowledge of his Power. Tis, therefore, the lefs Wonder, that Natural Philofophy has been fo little improved, when Religion, whofe Power over Mens Minds is exceeding great, has, thro' the Ignorance and unwarrantable Zeal of fome, been made to oppofe it. Sec de Augment. Scientiar. Sect. XXVIII. and Supplem. XVI, XVII. Viz. If Men are kept in Ignorance. f For Knowledge can never make Men irreligious; or independent upon God. See Vol. I. p. 16-18. |