Philofophy to be extended to the Sciences, and they brought back tracted; or whether it be larger, and extend beyond them. If it be more extenfive, regard muft be had whether it confirms its own Extenfiveness, by promifing well; that is, by defigning, or pointing out new Particulars: left otherwife we should either ftick in Things already known; or elfe, with a weak Endeavour, catch at Shadows, and abstract Forms; and not grafp fuch Things as are folid, and fix'd in Matter. And, when this Practice fhall take Place, a folid Hope will justly attend it. APHORISM CVII. 19. And here fhould be repeated what we faid above, concerning the extending of Natural Philofophy, and the bringing particular Sciences back again thereto; fo as to prevent all rending and difmembring of the Sciences. For, unless this be done, there is lefs Hope of their farther to Philofophy. Advancement. And fo much for preventing Despair, and exciting Hope, by way of forfaking or rectifying the Errors of Times paft. We proceed next to confider what other Motives of Hope are ftill behind. Discoveries may be expect ed from diligent Enquiry. APHORISM CVIII. 20. And, first, fince many ufeful Things have been difcover'd, as it were by Accident, or Neceffity; without any Enquiry, or particular Regard, on the Side of Men; there can be no doubt, but if Men were to look out, and bend their Minds to it, in a certain Method and Order; and not by Fits and Starts; that many more Difcoveries would be made, For altho' it may now and then happen, that a Man fhall accidentally hit upon a Thing, which had before escaped a great and diligent Search; yet, queftionlefs, the contrary is found in the Whole of Things: and, therefore, many more, and much better Discoveries, are to be expected from the Reafon and Industry, the Direction and Intention, of Mankind; and that in lefs Time; than from Chance, the Instinct of Brutes, &c. which have hitherto given the firft Hints of Discoveries. APHORISM CIX. Many unex- 21. It may likewife be an Argument of farther Hope, that fome of pected Difco- the Things already difcover'd, are fuch, as, before their Difcovery, did veries made. not f These are the Axioms which the Author principally intends; viz. not fuch as fhall be made to fit a few particular Inftances; which are no more than naked Expreffions of the Result of certain Facts; but fuch as fhall far exceed the Particulars from whence they were drawn; mark out new Particulars; and lead to greater Discoveries. The Meaning of this is largely explained in the Second Part of the present Work. h See above, Aph. 80. See above, Aph. 74-85. See also de Augment. Scientiar. Sect. XIII. not enter into Mens Minds even to fufpect; fo that any one would have defpifed them as Impoffibilities. For it is an ufual Way with Mankind, to form Conjectures of new Things, according to the Examples of old ones; and according to the Opinion thence preconceived, and entertained which is a very fallacious Manner of Judging; for many Particulars derived from the Fountains, or Origins of Things, do not flow in the common Channels K. 22. So, if a Man, before the Discovery of Ordnance, fhould have thus Ordnance. defcribed the Thing by its Effects; viz. that there was a certain Way of battering down Walls, and the ftrongest Fortifications, at a great Distance; Mens Thoughts would have run upon multiplying the Force of their common Engines of War, the known Battering-Rams and Machines, by the Means of Weights, Wheels, and the other mechanical Powers; but fcarce any one would have fuddenly fallen upon the Invention of, raising a fiery Wind, that fhould blow out of a Tube, with fuch prodigious, expanfive Violence, as to produce the above-mention'd Effect: an obvious Example thereof, having never been seen, unless, perhaps, in Earthquakes, or Thunder-Storms; which, as being grand Works in Nature, Men would prefently have rejected as inimitable by Art. 23. So, likewife, before the Invention of Silk; if any one fhould have Silk. faid there was a certain Way of making a certain Cloth for Apparel, and Houfhold-Furniture, far exceeding that of Linen, or of Woollen, in Finenefs, Strength, Glofs, and Softnefs; Men would immediately have fallen to conjecturing about fome vegetable Silk; the finer Furs of Animals; or the Feathers and Down of Birds; without ever dreaming it fhould proceed, in fuch Plenty, from the anniverfary Spinning of a fmall Worm. And if any one fhould have but dropp'd a Word about fuch a Worm, he would certainly have been laugh'd at, as the Projector of a new Spider-Work. 24. So, again, if, before the Ufe of the Compass, any Man had faid, The Compass. that a certain Inftrument was known, for exactly difcovering the Quarters and Points of the Heavens; Mens Invention would hence presently have run upon a more exact Conftruction of aftronomical Inftruments; and various Ways of applying them: but that any thing fhould be found, whofe Motion had fuch a Correfpondence to the heavenly Bodies; and yet the Thing itself be no celeftial, but only a bare terrestrial, ftony, or metallic Subftance; would have feem'd abfolutely incredible. Yet these, and the like Particulars have been hid from Mankind for fo many Ages; and, at laft, were not difcover'd by Philofophy, or the rational Arts; but by Chance, or Accident: and are of fuch a Nature, as to appear perfectly foreign, and remote from the Things known before; fo that no previous Notion could any way lead to them. * See above, Aph. 24. 177 02 25. Whence It cannot be too carefully remember'd, that all our Knowledge is in proportion to what we have feen; and not to what is contained in Nature. 25. Whence there is great room to expect, that there ftill remain in the Bofom of Nature, many Things, of excellent Ufe, that have no manner of Relation, or Analogy, to the Things already difcover'd; but lying perfectly out of the Road of the Imagination"; and which, tho' hitherto unknown, may, doubtlefs, thro' numerous Revolutions, and Succeffions of Ages, be one Time or other difcover'd; as thofe abovemention'd have been. But, by the Method we propofe, they will more readily, and fuddenly, be reprefented, and anticipated ", at once °. APHORISM CX. The obvious m Such as the Bark, and other Specifics in Medicine; Phosphorus, Aqua Fortis, and Aqua That is, be discover'd, or at leaft foreseen in the Mind; and the Ways of bringing them into ufe difcern'd; much fooner, than by waiting the ordinary, or flow-paced Courfe of Things; as is fhewn in the Second Part. here. The following Aphorifm, found detached in another Place, may deferve to be added I. "It may, perhaps, feem incredible to many, that there should ftill remain undiscover'd "any confiderable Number of ufeful, and beneficial Works; and, again, ftranger, that they "fhould hereafter be discover'd, of a fudden: and great, to be fure, will be the Wonder, what these particular Works can be. The direct Answer is, that as the Ignorance of Man"kind has led them into Despair; fo Knowledge will lead them out of it, into the Regions "of Hope, or, rather, of Certainty. But whoever duly confiders it, will not find it strange, "if our Method of Interpreting Nature prevails, that there fhould, in a fmall Compass of "Time, many new and ufeful Inventions grow up for the Births of Knowledge are quick; but the Births of Time are flow. And all the noble Inventions at present in Use, "rather proceeded from Accident, and random Trials, or Conjectures; than from any pre"vious Light of Knowledge: whereas the Method of discovering by Induction is certain, "regular, and direct; without waiting for accidental Hits, and lucky Chances. 66 2. "And, that there may ftill remain new Discoveries to be made, at leaft with regard to 66 our felves, may be fairly argued from hence; that we have no certain Knowledge of all the "Inventions known to former Ages, the different Countries of the World, or to all particular Perfons. And 'tis certain, were it not for Men, we fhould never have feen Multitudes of thofe Things we at prefent enjoy; especially those vulgarly call'd Productions of Art; "fuch as Cloth, Coin, &c. And, to confider it clofely, Mankind will be found directed by "certain Motions, which they obey in their Discoveries. Thefe Motions, indeed, appear fubtile, "and hard to be diftinctly comprehended, and understood; but are not the lefs certain for "that. And tho', in this Cafe, Men may be faid to obey their own Will; that alters not the "Nature of the Thing; for Will, in Man, acts like that call'd Fortune, or Accident, in the "World. Such Things, therefore, as require the Affiftance of Men to produce, and have hi"therto lain quite out of their Road, may be reasonably expected from this new Method, which "was unknown to former Ages. For Men fometimes ftumble upon Things, before they are "aware of them; and go in queft of others, with a certain View; and by fuch Means as they "know: But the Knowledge of the Means for Discovery, has hitherto come by common "Obfervavations, and obvious Experiments; whereas our Method tends to produce fuch "Works as have neither an obvious Effect, an obvious Operation, nor an obvious Light; "being indeed no other than the Works of Knowledge; that are not otherwile producible, than by pure Science, and direct Interpretation, neither of them obvious; but removed "infinite Degrees from fuch Things as are common. Paper, &c. may feem to depend upon certain Properties of Things, and of Nature; yet, doubtless, the Art of Printing contains nothing that is not open, and in a manner obvious. But Men not obferving, that, tho' it were harder to range the Types of Letters, than to draw Letters by the Hand; yet there was this Difference, that the Types of Letters, being once fet, would serve for numerous Impreffions; whilft Characters, drawn by the Hand, afforded only a fingle Writing: or, perhaps, not reflecting that Ink might be fo thicken'd, as to ftain without flowing, especially if the Face of the Letter ftood upwards, and the Impreffion was ftruck downwards; the World has, for fo many Ages, been without this admirable Invention, which fo nearly concerns the Propagation of Knowledge. ventions. 27. And, in this Courfe of Invention, the Mind is frequently fo per- The perverfe verfe, childish, and contradictory, as first to diftruft, and presently after Action of the to defpife itself for Men firft conceive it incredible, that any fuch Dif- Mind in Incovery fhould be made; but, after it is once made, they again think it incredible, that it was not found out before. And hence we juftly deduce another Ground of Hope, that there may ftill remain a large Treasury. of Inventions, deducible not only from the unknown Operations to be hereafter difcover'd; but alfo from transferring, compounding, and applying thofe already known; by the Means of what we call Learned Experience P. APHORISM CXI. 28. As a farther Ground of Expectation, Men may pleafe to confider No great Time the infinite Expence of Genius, Time, and Treasure, that has been be- and Treasure bestow'd upon ftow'd upon Things, and Studies, of very little Ufe and Value; whilft, Philofophy. if but a Part thereof were employ'd upon found and ferviceable Matters, every Difficulty might be conquer'd. And this we think proper to mention here, because we must confefs that fuch a Collection of Natural and Experimental History, as we have meafur'd out in our Mind; and fuch as really ought to be procured; is a great and royal Work; requiring the Purfe of a Prince, and the Affiftance of a People. APHORISM CXII. 29. And let no Man fhrink at the Multitude of Particulars required; Experience but turn this alfo to an Argument of Hope. For the particular Pha- but little pro nomena of Arts and Nature, are all of them like Sheaves, in Comparison Secuted. of the Inventions of Genius, when disjoin'd, and metaphyfically feparated from the Evidence of Things. The former Road foon ends in an open Plain; whilft the other has no Iffue; but proves an infinite P See de Augment. Scientiar. Sect. XII. 9 See Vol. III. p. 8—16. VOL. II. Fff Laby The Author's Labyrinth for Men have hitherto made little Stay in Experience; but pafs'd lightly over it; and, on the other hand, fpent infinite Time in Contemplation, and the Inventions of Genius: whereas, if we had any one at our Elbow, who could give real Anfwers to the Questions we should put about Nature; the Discovery of Caufes, and of all the Sciences, would be a Work but of few Years". APHORISM CXIII. 30. We judge also, that Mankind may conceive fome Hopes from our Example pro- Example: which we offer, not by way of Oftentation; but because it pofed. may be useful. If any one, therefore, fhould defpair, let him confider a Man as much employ'd in Civil Affairs, as any other of his Age; a Man of no great Share of Health, who must therefore have loft much Time; and yet, in this Undertaking, he is the firft that leads the Way, unaffifted by any Mortal: and ftedfaftly entering the true Path, that was abfolutely untrod before; and fubmitting his Mind to Things; may thus have fomewhat advanced the Defign. And after this, let him who defponds confider, what may be expected from Men of Leifure; a Conjunction of Labours; and a Succeffion of Times; proceeding upon the Notices we have given them: especially as it is in a Way, not open only to certain Perfons; as the rational Way is '; but where the Labours of all Men, especially in the collecting of Experiments, may be well diftributed, employed, and afterwards joined together. For then it is that Mankind will begin to know their own Strength; when not infinite Numbers fhall perform the fame Things; but fome execute one Thing, and fome another. APHORISM CXIV. Experiments to 31. Laftly; altho' a much weaker and fainter Breeze of Hope fhould. be gone upon. breathe from the New Continent; yet we muft abfolutely determine for the Bufinefs of Experimenting; unlefs we had rather be quite abject and defponding. For 'tis not equally dangerous to refufe trying, and not. to fucceed; becaufe Trial has a Chance of procuring a great Advantage; and Failure, the Chance but of a fmall Lofs of Labour. To fum up all; it appears to us, both from what has been faid, and what remains unfaid, that there is Hope fufficient, not only for a Man of Courage to try, but also for a prudent and fober Man to believe ". APHORISM. It may here add fome Weight, to find that general Scholar, Dan. Geor. Morbof of Opinion, that the Author himself was equal to the Interpretation of all Nature; if he had not been prevented by Civil Bufinefs. See Morhof. Polybift. Tom. II. p. 381. See above, Apb. 95. See alfo Vol. III. p. 8 – 16. The future Profpect of improving the Sciences. But the greatest Argument with moft, is good Success; which, in this Cafe, has not been wanting; fo as to encourage a farther Profecution of this Defign, upon as just Foundations as the Merchant trafficks.. |