undertakers indeed, and fierce with dark keeping: but as in the inquiry of the divine truth, their pride inclined to leave the oracle of God's word, and to vanish in the mixture of their own inventions; so in the inquisition of nature, they ever left the oracle of God's works, and adored the deceiving and deformed images, which the unequal mirror of their own minds, or a few received authors or principles, did represent unto them. And thus much for the second disease of learning.

For the third vice or disease of learning, which concerneth deceit or untruth, it is of all the rest the foulest, as that which doth destroy the essential form of knowledge, which is nothing but a representation of truth; for the truth of being and the truth of knowing are one, differing no more than the direct beam and the beam reflected. This vice therefore brancheth itself into two sorts-delight in deceiving, and aptness to be deceived; imposture and credulity, which, although they appear to be of a diverse nature, the one seeming to proceed of cunning and the other of simplicity, yet certainly they do for the most part coucur; for, as the verse noteth,

Percontatorem fugito, nam garrulus idem est,*

an inquisitive man is a prattler, so, upon the like reason, a credulous man is a deceiver: as we see it in fame, that he that will easily believe rumours, will as easily augment rumours, and add somewhat to them of his own; which Tacitus wisely noteth, when he saith, "Fingunt simul creduntque :"+ so great an affinity hath fiction and belief.

He then proceeds :

And as for the facility of credit which is yielded to arts and opinions, it is likewise of two kinds; either when too much belief is attributed to the arts themselves, or to certain authors in any art. The sciences themselves, which have had better intelligence and confederacy with the imagination of man than with his reason, are three in number; astrology, natural magic, and alchemy; of which sciences, nevertheless, the ends or pretences are noble. For astrology pretendeth to discover that correspondence or concatenation, which is between the superior globe and the inferior: natural magic pretendeth to call and

*Avoid an inquisitive man, for he is also a tell-tale.
†They invent and believe at the same time.

reduce natural philosophy from variety of speculations to the magnitude of works: and alchemy pretendeth to make separation of all the unlike parts of bodies, which in mixtures of nature are incorporate. But the derivations and prosecutions to these ends, both in the theories and in the practices, are full of error and vanity; which the great professors themselves have sought to veil over and conceal by enigmatical writings, and referring themselves to auricular traditions and such other devices, to save the credit of impostors. And yet surely to alchemy this right is due, that it may be compared to the husbandman whereof Esop makes the fable; that, when he died, told his sons, that he had left unto them gold buried under ground in his vineyard; and they digged over all the ground, and gold they found none; but by reason of their stirring and digging the mould about the roots of their vines, they had a great vintage the year following: so assuredly the search and stir to make gold hath brought to light a great number of good and fruitful inventions and experiments, as well for the disclosing of nature, as for the use of man's life.

And as for the overmuch credit that hath been given unto authors in sciences, in making them dictators, that their words should stand, and not counsels, to give advice; the damage is infinite that sciences have received thereby, as the principal cause that hath kept them low, at a stay without growth or advancement. For hence it hath come, that in arts mechanical the first deviser comes shortest, and time addeth and perfecteth but in sciences the first author goeth farthest, and time loseth and corrupteth. So, we see, artillery, sailing, printing, and the like, were grossly managed at the first, and by time accommodated and refined: but, contrariwise, the philosophies and sciences of Aristotle, Plato, Democritus, Hippocrates, Euclides, Archimedes, of most vigour at the first and by time degenerate and embased; whereof the reason is no other, but that in the former many wits and industries have contributed in one, and in the latter many wits and industries have been spent about the wit of some one, whom many times they have rather depraved than illustrated. For as water will not ascend higher than the level of the first spring-head from whence it descendeth, so knowledge derived from Aristotle, and exempted from liberty of examination, will not rise again higher than the knowledge of Aristotle. And therefore although the position be good, "Oportet discentem credere,` yet it must be

VOL. II.

* A learner should believe.

D

coupled with this, "Oportet edoctum judicare;"* for disciples do owe unto masters only a temporary belief, and a suspension of their own judgment till they be fully instructed, and not an absolute resignation, or perpetual captivity: and therefore, to conclude this point, I will say no more, but so let great authors have their due, as time, which is the author of authors, be not deprived of his due, which is, further and further to discover truth.

Besides these three diseases, however, he remarks, "there are some other rather peccant humours than formed diseases," which are not altogether to be passed

over:

The first of these is the extreme affecting of two extremities; the one antiquity, the other novelty; wherein it seemeth the children of time do take after the nature and malice of the father. For as he devoureth his children, so one of them seeketh to devour and suppress the other; while antiquity envieth there should be new additions, and novelty cannot be content to add, but it must deface: surely, the advice of the prophet is the true direction in this matter, "State super vias antiquas, et videte quænam sit via recta et bona, et ambulate in ea." Antiquity deserveth that reverence, that men should make a stand thereupon, and discover what is the best way; but when the discovery is well taken, then to make progression. And to speak truly, "Antiquitas sæculi juventus mundi." These times are the ancient times, when the world is ancient, and not those, which we account ancient "ordine retrogrado,"§ by a computation backward from ourselves.

This paragraph is noticeable as containing, we believe, the earliest announcement by Bacon of a thought which is, perhaps, of all the striking things that he has said, the one that most readily occurs to recollection in connexion with his name. He has himself repeated the idea of antiquity being the youth, and modern times comparatively the manhood, of the world, in other parts

*The educated man should judge for himself.

+ Stand fast in the old ways, and see what is righteous and good, and walk therein.

Antiquity of time is the childhood of the world.
In a retrograde order.

of his writings (as he is in the habit of doing with all his remarkable thoughts); it will be found, in particular, eloquently expanded in the First Book of the Novum Organum; but it is perhaps principally indebted for its celebrity to its strong accordance with the whole spirit of the Baconian philosophy. Nevertheless, from the manner in which it is here introduced as a Latin phrase, there would seem to be some reason for doubting whether it be an original thought of Bacon's. It has much the appearance of some aphorism or adage of the schools.*

Some of the other errors that infest learning are thus noticed :

Another error, of a diverse nature from all the former, is the over early and peremptory reduction of knowledge into arts and methods; from which time commonly sciences receive small or no augmentation. But as young men, when they knit and shape perfectly, do seldom grow to a further stature; so knowledge, while it is in aphorisms and observations, it is in growth: but when it once is comprehended in exact methods, it may perchance be further polished and illustrated, and accommo

*A friend, however, who, if we were to name him, would be recognised as one of the first of living authorities on all points connected with the history of learning and philosophy, informs us that he feels certain of having never met with the expression or the thought in any writer previous to Bacon, although the view of modern times as the advanced age of the world is familiar enough. It may be added, that Bacon's remark appears to have been received as new by his friend Sir Henry Wotton; who, in a letter thanking him for the Novum Organum, after having read the First Book and a few aphorisms of the Second, says, "I have learned thus much by it already that we are extremely mistaken in the computation of antiquity by searching it backwards, because, indeed, the first times were the youngest, especially in points of natural discovery and experience." It takes somewhat, however, from Sir Henry's authority, that he should not have been aware of the promulgation of the thought by Bacon fourteen years before in the Advancement of Learning.

dated for use and practice; but it increaseth no more in bulk and substance.

Another error is an impatience of doubt, and haste to assertion without due and mature suspension of judgment. For the two ways of contemplation are not unlike the two ways of action, commonly spoken of by the ancients; the one plain and smooth in the beginning, and in the end impassable; the other rough and troublesome in the entrance, but after a while fair and even so it is in contemplation; if a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.

But the greatest error of all the rest is the mistaking or misplacing of the last or furthest end of knowledge: for men have entered into a desire of learning and knowledge, sometimes upon a natural curiosity, and inquisitive appetite; sometimes to entertain their minds with variety and delight; sometimes for ornament and reputation; and sometimes to enable them to victory of wit and contradiction; and most times for lucre and profession; and seldom sincerely to give a true account of their gift of reason, to the benefit and use of men: as if there were sought in knowledge a couch, whereupon to rest a searching and restless spirit; or a terrace for a wandering and variable mind to walk up and down with a fair prospect; or a tower of state, for a proud mind to raise itself upon; or a fort or commanding ground, for strife and contention; or a shop for profit or sale; and not a rich storehouse, for the glory of the Creator, and the relief of man's estate. But this is that which will indeed diguify and exalt knowledge, if contemplation and action may be more nearly and straightly conjoined and united together than they have been; a conjunction like unto that of the two highest planets, Saturn, the planet of rest and contemplation, and Jupiter, the planet of civil society and action: how beit I do not mean, when I speak of use and action, that end before mentioned of the applying of knowledge to lucre and profession; for I am not ignorant how much that diverteth and interrupteth the prosecution and advancement of knowledge, like unto the golden ball thrown before Atalanta, which while she goeth aside and stoopeth to take up, the race is hindered;

Declinat cursus, aurumque volubile tollit.*

*Turns from the course to grasp the rolling gold.