ftration. And thefe we denominate Idols of the Theatre; because all the Philofophies that have been hitherto invented or received, are but as fo many Stage-Plays, written or acted; as having fhewn nothing but fictitious and theatrical Worlds. Nor is this faid only of the ancient or prefent Sects and Philofophies; for numberlefs other Fables, of the like Kind, may be still invented and drefs'd up; fince quite different Errors will proceed from almoft the fame common Caufes. Nor, again, do we mean it only of general Philofophies; but likewife of numerous Principles and Axioms of the Sciences, which have prevailed thro' Tradition, Belief, and Neglect. But thefe feveral Kinds of Idols must be more fully and diftinctly fhewn, that the Mind may be upon its Guard against them. APHORIS M XLV. 8. The Mind has this Property, that it readily fuppofes a greater Or- The particular der and Conformity in Things, than it finds: and tho' many Things in Idols of the Tribe, viz. Nature are fingular, and extremely diffimilar; yet the Mind is ftill ima(1.) From imagining Parallels, Correfpondencies, and Relations between them; which ginary Rela have no Existence. Hence the Fiction, that all the celeftiall Bodies tions. moved in perfect Circles; hence the fictitious Element of Fire, with its Orb, was added to the three fenfible Elements, to make them four; and fuch kind of Dreams. Nor docs this Folly prevail only in Tenets, but alfo in fimple Notions. APHORISM XLVI. 9. When the Mind is once pleafed with certain Things, it draws all (2) From Diothers to confent, and go along with them: and tho' the Power and stortions. Number of Inftances, that make for the contrary, are greater; yet it either attends not to them, or defpifes them; or elfe removes and rejects them, by a Diftinction; with a ftrong and pernicious Prejudice, to maintain the Authority of its first Choice unviolated. And hence, in moft Cafes of Superftition; as of Aftrology, Dreams, Omens, Judgments, &c. thofe who find Pleafure in fuch kind of Vanities, always obferve where the Event anfwers; but flight and pafs by the Inftances where it fails; which are much the more frequent. This Mifchief diffufes itself still more fubtilly in Philofophies and the Sciences; where that which has once pleafed infects and fubdues all other Things, tho' much more fubftantial and valuable than itself. And tho' the Mind were free from this Delight and Vanity; yet it has the peculiar and conftant Error of being more moved and excited by Affirmatives, than by Negatives: whereas it fhould duly and equally yield to both. But, on the contrary, in the raifing of true Axioms, negative Inftances have the greatest Forces. s As will be more fully fhewn hereafter. See Part II. Sect. II. VOL. II. Z z APHORISM APHORISM XLVII. (3.) Undue 10. The human Intellect is moft moved by thofe Things that strike Motions of the and enter it all at once; fo as to fill and fwell the Imagination : Understand but for the reft, it feigns and fuppofes them, after a certain imperceing. ptible manner, to be like thofe few that poffefs the Mind: whilst the Understanding is quite flow, and unfit to pafs fo readily to remote and diffimilar Inftances, whereby Axioms are tried, as it were, in the Fire'; unless the Task be impofed upon it by fevere Laws, and a potent Authority. APHORISM XLVIII. 11. The human Understanding shoots itself out, and cannot reft; but ftill goes on, tho' to no purpose. Thus 'tis inconceivable there should be any Bounds to the Univerfe; yet it conftantly, and, as it were, neceffarily recurs, that there must be something farther. So, again, it cannot be conreceived how Eternity fhould have flow'd to the prefent Time: and there is the like Subtilty as to the infinite Divifibility of Lines, &c. all arifing from the Weakness of human Thought. But this Impotence of the Mind proves more pernicious in the Difcovery of Caufes: for altho❜ the highest Univerfals, in Nature, ought to be pofitive Things; because they are found, and cannot be made; yet the Understanding, not knowing how to stop, is still defirous of greater Satisfaction; and endeavouring to ftretch farther, lights upon final Caufes; which are plainly of the Nature of Man, rather than of the Nature of the Universe ". And from this Fountain Philofophy has been ftrangely corrupted: For it is as fenfelefs, and unphilofophical, to expect Caufes in the most general Cafes, as not to require them in fuch as are fubordinate ". W APHORISM XLIX. 12. The Light of the Understanding is not a dry or pure Light, but drench'd in the Will and Affections; and the Intellect forms the Sciences accordingly: for what Men defire fhould be true, they are moft inclined to believe. The Understanding, therefore, rejects Things difficult, as being impatient of Enquiry; Things just and folid, because they limit Hope; and the deeper Mysteries of Nature, thro' Superftition: it rejects the Light of Experience, thro' Pride and Haughtinefs; as difdaining the Mind fhould be meanly and waverily employ'd: it excludes Paradoxes, for fear of the Vulgar. And thus the Affections tinge and infect the Understanding, numberlefs Ways; and fometimes imperceptibly. See above, Sect. I. Aph. 14. and hereafter, Part II. Sect. II. u For final Caufes are only expected to be fuch as fatisfy the Mind. See the de Augm. Scientiar. Sect. V. See also hereafter, Part II. Sect. II. APHORISM APHORISM L. 13. But much the greateft Impediment and Deviation of the Under- (6.) Defects in ftanding, proceeds from the Dullnefs, Incompetency, and Fallacies of the Senfes. the Senfes whence the Things that ftrike the Senfe, unjustly over-balance thofe that do not ftrike it immediately: So that Contemplation ufually ends with Sight; and little or no Obfervation is made of Things invifible. And hence all the Operations of the Spirits, included in tangible Bodies, all fubtile Organizations, and the Motions of the Parts, are unknown to Mankind and yet, unless these are difcover'd and brought to Light, nothing very confiderable can be done in Nature, with regard to Works. Nay, the Properties of the common Air, and numerous Bodies of greater Subtlety than that, remain almoft unknown: For Senfe, of itfelf, is a weak and erroneous Thing. Nor can Inftruments, for improving and fharpening the Senfes, be here of any great Service: all true Interpretations of Nature being made by proper and appofite Inftances and Experiments; wherein Senfe judges of the Experiment only; and the Experiment judges of Nature, and the Fact . APHORISM LI. 14. The Understanding is, by reafon of its own Nature, carried on (7.) And Fondto Abstraction; and fancies thofe Things to be conftant, which are wa- nefs for Abvering but it is better to diffect Nature, than to abftract her; as was fractions. practifed by the School of Democritus; which went farther into Nature, than any of the reft. And as Matter is principally to be confider'd in all its Schemes and Organizations; fo likewife are pure Action, and the Laws of Action, or Motion: but for the Ariftotelian Forms, they are Idols, or Figments of the Mind; unless we call the Laws of Motion, Forms a. APHORISM LII. 15. And this kind of Idols are what we term Idols of the Tribe: which have their Origin, either from (1.) the Uniformity of the human Spi See the Sylva Sylvarum, under the Articles Imagination, Nature, Spirits, and Sympathy. Mere grofs Matter is a dull unactive Thing; they are Motions, and fubtile Matters in Motion, that perform the chief Operations of Nature. y See above, Aph. 24, and hereafter, Aph. 70. See alfo Vol. I. p. 12. where this Matter is farther explained; but the full Illuftration and Profecution of it comes in the Second Part of the prefent Work. That is, by making of Experiments, rather than by Contemplation, and Reafoning upon Notions, without the proper Facts. This is meant of abstract Forms; but for phyfical Forms, or the effential, and efficient Caufe of the peculiar Properties of Things, it is the principal Defign of the Second Part of the prefent Work, to fhew how they may be discover'd. See Aph. 17. of that Part. de Augment. Scientiar. Se&t. V. See alfo Z z 2 rit b; The particular ticular Stu dies. rit; (2.) its Prepoffeffion; (3.) its Narrownefs; (4.) its reftlefs Motion; (5.) The Tincture of the Affections ; (6.) the Incompetency of the Senfes; or (7.) the Manner of the Impreffion". APHORISM LIII. 16. Idols of the Den take their Rife from the peculiar Nature of every particular Perfon; both with regard to Soul and Body: as alfo from Education, Cuftom, and Accidents. This kind is various and manifold; but we will touch upon fuch as require the greatest Caution, and have the greatest Force to pollute the Understanding. APHORISM LIV. (1.) From Af- 17. Men are fond of particular Sciences and Studies; either because fection to par- they believe themfelves the Authors and Inventors thereof; or because they have beftow'd much Pains upon them; and principally applied themselves thereto. And fuch Men as thefe, if they afterwards take to Philofophy and univerfal Contemplations, generally wreft and corrupt them with their former Conceits: of which we have a fignal Example in Aristotle; who made his Natural Philofophy fuch an abfolute Slave to his Logic, as render'd it contentious, and, in a manner, ufelefs. The Tribe of Chemifts, from a few Experiments of the Furnace, have run up a phantaftical Philofophy, of very fmall Extent. And fo Dr. Gilbert, after he had, with immenfe Labour, profecuted his magnetical Studies, prefently invented a Philofophy agreeable to his own Notion. (2.) The principal Diffe rence of Capacities. APHORISM LV. 18. The great and radical Difference of Capacities, as to Philofophy and the Sciences, lies here; that fome are ftronger and fitter to obferve the Differences of Things; and others to obferve their Correfpondencies. For a steady and fharp Genius, can fix its Contemplations; and dwell, and faften upon all the Subtilty of Differences: whilft a fublime and ready Genius perceives, and compares, the finalleft and most general Agreements of Things. But both Kinds eafily fall into Excefs; by grafping either at the dividing Scale, or Shadows of Things. b See above, Aph. 45. • See Aph. 46. See Aph. 47. • See Aph. 48. f See Aph. 49: * See Aph. 50. b See Aph. 51. APHORISM Thus we fee of later Date, when Mathematicians apply to Phyficks, Medicine, Chemitry, &c. they render them all mathematical; when Chemits apply to Phyficks, Medicine, &c. they render them chemical: fo when Divines apply to Philofophy, they often ren der it fcriptural, &r. See below, Aph. 65. APHORISM LVI. quity, or No 19. Some Men of Genius are wrapp'd up in the Admiration of Antiquity; (3.) Affectation of Antiothers fpend themselves in a Fondnefs for Novelty; and few are fo temper'd as to hold a Mean: but either quarrel with what was juftly laid velty. down by the Ancients; or defpife what is juftly advanced by the Moderns. And this is highly prejudicial to Philofophy and the Sciences ; as being rather an Affectation of Antiquity, or Novelty, than any true Judgment: for Truth is not to be derived from any Felicity of Times, which is an uncertain Thing; but from the Light of Nature and Experience, which is eternal. Thefe Affectations, therefore, are to be laid afide; and Care taken, that the Understanding be not hurried by them, into Confent ". APHORISM LVII. 20. To contemplate Nature and Bodies, in their Simplicity, breaks (4.) And ill and grinds the Understanding; and, to confider them in their Compo- Choice of Obfitions and Configurations, blunts and relaxes it: as appears plainly, ječts. upon comparing the School of Leucippus and Democritus with the other Philofophies. For the former is fo taken up with the Particles of Things, as almoft to neglect their Structure; whilft the others view the Fabrication of Things with fuch Aftonishment, as not to enter into the Simplicity of Nature. Both thefe Contemplations, therefore, are to be taken up by Turns; that the Understanding may at once be render'd more piercing and capacious; and the Inconveniences above-mention'd, with the Idols thence arifing, be prevented'. APHORISM LVIII. 21. And, in this manner, let comtemplative Prudence proceed, in cha- The Rife of fing and diflodging the Idols of the Den; which principally have their the Idols of the Rife, (1.) from Prevalency; (2.) the Excefs of Compofition, and Divi- Den. fion; (3.) Affectations for Times; or (4.) from too great, and too fmall a Size of Objects". And, in general, whoever ftudies the Nature of Things, fhould hold for fufpect, whatever powerfully ftrikes and detains the Mind; and ufe fo much the greater Caution to preferve his Underftanding pure and equable, in fuch kind of Tenets. APHORISM * How much regard has been had to this Aphorifm, in the late Contests for and against the Superiority of ancient and modern Learning? How the Author practifed this Rule himself, appears from his Sylva Sylvarum, Histories of Winds, Life and Death, &c. See Aph. 54, 55, 56, 57. |