riments too Soon.

The Error of 20. Again, if Men do profecute any Science or Doctrine, in the way of leaving Expe- Experiment; yet they generally go off to Practice haftily and unprepared: and this not fo much for the Ufe and Benefit of the Practice itself, as to receive a kind of Security in fome new Work, that they fhall not fruitlefly employ themfelves in others; as alfo, that, from a Manifeftation of their Succefs, they may procure a better Opinion of themselves, as to what they have in hand. And thus, like Atalanta, stooping to take up the golden Fruit, they interrupt the Course, and lose the Victory. But, in the true Courfe of Experience, and applying it to new Works, we should follow the Example of the divine Wifdom, and Order. For as God, in the first Day of Creation, made nothing but Light; allowing one whole Day to that Work; without creating any material Thing therein fo Causes and true Axioms are first to be drawn out from all Kinds of Experience; and the Experiments of Light, and not of Profit, to be investigated. For Axioms, duly difcover'd and eftablifh'd, will af ford plentiful Harvest of Practice; and draw after them whole Sheaves of Works.

The common

21. At prefent, we have only spoke of vulgar Experience, as a falfe Experience, a Demonftration; but fhall hereafter confider thofe Ways of Experimenting, falfe Demonwhich are no lefs block'd up and befet than the Ways of Judging P. Atration. But first, we must treat of the Signs that manifeft the prefent Philofophy, and the Sciences, to be faulty; as alfo the Causes of so strange a Thing: For thefe are two very ufeful Means of gently and calmly extirpating the Idols of the Mind; as a Knowledge of the Signs prepares the Affent; and the Explanation of the Caufes takes away the Miracle.

It is extremely difficult to convince the Mind of this; at leaft, fo far as to make Men act upon it. For Philofophers do not feem greatly employ'd in difcovering these Caufes, and raifing thefe Axioms, upon which a ferviceable Philofophy is to be founded.

P See Sect. V. Aph. 10, 11, 87, 88, &c.

SECT.

Of the Signs, or Characteristicks, of false

PHILOSOPHIES.

I.

T

APHORISM LXXI.

HE Sciences we poffefs are almost wholly derived from the Greeks: (1.) The GreFor what the Roman, Arabian, and more modern Authors have cian Philofoadded, is not much, or of any great Weight; and alfo built upon the phy faulty in its Origin, Discoveries made by the Greeks. But the Knowledge of the Greeks was and deceitful. of the profefforial and difputatious Kind; which is abfolutely unfit for fearching after Truth. And hence the Name of Sophift was, by those who defired to pafs for Philofophers, contemptuously thrown upon the old Rhetoricians; as Gorgias, Protagoras, Hippias, Polus, and almost the whole Number; as Plato, Ariftotle, Zeno, Epicurus, Theophraftus, and their Succeffors Cryfippus, Carneades, &c. There was only this Difference betwixt them, that the former were a wandring, mercenary Tribe, who went from City to City, making a Shew of their Wisdom, and afking a Reward: whilft the other were more grave and generous; who having fix'd Habitations, open'd their Schools, and taught without Fee. Yet both Kinds were profefforial; they both reduced every thing to Difpute; and inftituted and defended certain Sects and Herefies of Philofophy: fo that their Doctrines, as Dionyfius fharply faid of Plato, were only the Talk of idle old Men, to raw young Fellows. But the more ancient among the Greeks, as Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Leucippus, Democritus, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Xenophanes, Philolaus, &c. open'd no Schools that we hear of; (for we omit Pythagoras, as fuperftitious ;) but applied themfelves to the

a

In another Place, the Author obferves of Pythagoras, that his Doctrine and Discoveries principally regarded the Founding of a certain Religious Order, rather than the opening any School of Philofophy; as may appear from the Event: becaufe his Doctrine prevailed more in the Manichean Herefy, and the Mabometan Superftition, than among Philofophers.

VOL. II.

Bbb

Discovery

The Greeks

Discovery of Truth, with greater Severity and Simplicity; or with lefs
Affectation and Shew. And hence, we conceive, they made a greater
Progrefs; only thro' Tract of Time their Works are loft, and fuper-
feded by lighter Studies; which prove more pleasing, and better fuited
to the vulgar Capacity and Affections: Time thus, like a River, bringing
down to us fuch Things as are light and tumid; but finking thofe that
are weighty and folid. Neither were these Philofophers clear of the Fault
of their Nation; but had too ftrong an Ambition and Vanity for building
Sects, and acquiring popular Fame. But the Search after Truth is to
be held defperate, when it turns afide to fuch empty Things as these.
The Egyptian Prieft judged, or rather prophefied, well of the Greeks;
that they would always be Children; without Antiquity of Knowledge, or
Knowledge of Antiquity and indeed, they have this Property of Children,
that they are ready at Talk, but unripe for Generation; their Know-
ledge being verbal, and barren of Works. And therefore, the Cha-
racteristicks of the Philofophy in ufe among us, taken from that Ori-
gin and Nation, are falfe and deceitful ".

APHORISM LXXII.

2. Nor are the Signs taken from the Time and Age of the Grecian PhiMafters of but lofophy, much better than those taken from the Nature of the People. ledge.

little Know

For

The Author, in another Place, obferves, that we have the Works of Plato and Ariftotle extant; fo that we may form fome tolerable Judgment of their Philofophies, from the Fountains themselves: But as to Pythagoras, Empedocles, Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, Democritus, Parmenides, Xenophanes, &c. the Cafe is different; because we have only fome Fragments preserved of them, and receive their Opinions at fecond hand, or from certain Rumours: fo that to discover their Philofophies, requires greater Diligence of Enquiry, and Soundnefs of Judgment, to balance the Lofs. Upon this, the Author declares, he had, with the utmoft Diligence and Exactness, collected all that related to their Opinions, from Ariftotle's Confutations thereof, or as they are cited by Plato and Cicero; the Collections of Plutarch, the Lives of Laertius, the Poem of Lucretius, or wherever else he could find the least mention of them; and faithfully examined the Whole.

The Philofophies of Plato and Ariftotle are the chief of those deliver'd down, in any tolerable Perfection, to us from the Greeks. That of Aristotle has been diligently explained, and illuftrated; but lefs Pains feems taken with the Platonic Philofophy. The Author obferves, that Ariftotle's Philofophy is founded in vulgar Notions; and the ufelefs comparing of them together; fo as to fhew where they clafh, and how they may be reconciled; whilft nothing folid can be expected from the Man, who made the Syftem of the World a logical Thing; and corrupted all his Natural Philofophy with logical Terms and Notions. As for Plato; the Author elleems him a Man of a more fublime Genius, who attempted even the Discovery of Forms; and ufed the Form of Induction, not only in Principles, but in every thing; tho' after a fruitless manner; as always catching at, and receiving, vulgar Inductions, and abstract Forms: fo that whoever attentively confiders his Writings and Manner, will find he was not very solicitous about Natural Philofophy; only fo far as might serve to keep up the Name and Reputation of a Philofopher; and enable him to grace, or add a certain Majefty, or Dignity, to his Civil and Moral Doctrines; whilft, at the fame time, he corrupted Nature as much by his Theology, as Ariftotle did by his Logick; and approached as near to a Poet, as Ariftotle did to a Sophift. See more to this purpose, p. 52, 53. of this Volume.

For that Age had but a very flender Knowledge, both of Times, and the habitable World: which is a great Defect, efpecially with fuch as place all Things in Experience. For they had not the Hiftory of a thoufand Years, that deferved the Name of a Hiftory; but only Fables, and Rumors of Antiquity. And for the different Countries of the World, they knew but a very fmall Part thereof; as calling all the more Northern People Scythians; and all the Western Celta, indifcriminately. They had no Knowledge in Africa, beyond the nearest Part of Ethiopia; nor in Afia, beyond the Ganges: and for the new World, they never heard of it; nor had any certain Tradition about it. Nay, they pronounced many Climates and Zones uninhabitable; where infinite People are found. And for the Travels of Democritus, Plato, Pythagoras, &c. tho' celebrated as fomething confiderable, they were but fhort; and almoft within their own Walls, compared with the Voyages of our Times, into numerous Parts of the new World, and the Extremities of the old whence we are fupplied with a vast Stock of Experiments. And therefore, if Signs are to be taken of Philofophies, in the Aftrological manner, from the Times of their Generation and Nativity; no great Good is thence promifed of the ancient.

APHORISM LXXIII.

3. But of all the Signs of Philofophies, none are more certain and (2) The best noble, than those taken from their Fruits: for Fruits, and the Difcove-Signs of Philofophies, from ries of Works, are as the Vouchers and Securities for the Truth of Phi- their Fruits. lofophies. But from the Philofophies of the Greeks, and their Descents thro' particular Sciences, now for the Space of fo many Years, scarce a fingle Experiment can be produced, tending to accommodate or improve the State of Man, that may be justly attributed to the Speculations and Doctrines of their Philofophy. And thus much is ingenuously and prudently allow'd by Celfus, that Experiments in Medicine were first made, and that Men afterwards philofophized upon them, to find out and affign their Causes; but did not, contrariwife, difcover and deduce Experiments from Philofophy, and the Knowledge of Caufes. Whence it was no wonder the Egyptians, who The Greek bestowed Divinity and Confecration upon the Inventors of Things, had Philofophy bas more Images of Brutes, than of Men: for Brutes, by their natural In- yielded none. ftinct, have made many Discoveries; whilft Men, with their Discourses and rational Conclufions, have made few or none ".

4. 'Tis true, the Industry of the Chemist's has produced fome; tho' ra- The Chemists ther accidentally, and without Defign; or by varying Experiments, as a few; but Mechanicks do; and not by the Rules of Art, or from Theory: for the cafually. Theory which they have imagin'd is rather hurtful than advantagious.

This, and feveral other Paffages of the fame general Kind, have been already used in the de Augmentis Scientiarum; but are not needlefly repeated here, because they serve to prove new Points otherwife it might have been proper to drop them.

So likewife the natural Magicians have discover'd a few light Things, that approach to Impofture: and therefore, as 'tis a Caution in Religion, that Faith be manifefted by Works; an admirable Rule may be hence derived into Philofophy, viz. that it be judged by its Fruit; and held as vain, if it prove barren: and this the more, if inftead of Grapes and Olives, it produces the Thiftles and Thorns of Difputes and Altercations.

APHORISM LXXIV.

(3.) The Signs, 5. Signs are alfo to be taken from the Progrefs and Increase of Phifrom the Pro- lofophies, and the Sciences: for Things planted in Nature will grow, grefs of Philo- and enlarge; but Things founded in Opinion will differ, and not thrive. Jophies.

And therefore, if the ancient Doctrines had not been like Plants pluck'd up and fever'd from their Roots, but ftill adhered to the Womb of Nature, and were fed by her; that could not have happen'd, which we fee has happen'd, for these two thousand Years: the Sciences still remaining where they were; and almoft in the fame Condition, without any confiderable Improvement: nay, they rather flourish'd moft in their orginal Authors, and afterwards declined. On the contrary, the mechanic Arts, which are founded in Nature, and the Light of Experience, and remaining pregnant, as it were, with Spirit, fo long as they continue to please; are ever upon their Increase and Growth; being first rude, then fashion'd, and, laftly, polish'd, and perpetually improved.

APHORISM LXXV.

6. There is another Sign to be taken from the Confeffion of the Authors themfelves, now follow'd by Mankind: tho' this is rather a Teftimony, of the strongest Kind, than ftrictly a Sign. For tho' thefe Authors pronounce upon Things with fo much Confidence; yet at Intervals, when they come to themselves again, they fall upon complaining of the Subtilty of Nature, the Obfcurity of Things, and the Infufficiency of the human Nature. And if this were done in Simplicity, it might deter the Fearful from farther Enquiry; and ftir up others of a brifker and more daring Genius, to a farther Profecution: But not content to acknowledge only for themselves; they place beyond the Bounds of Poffibility, every thing that was either unknown, or untried by them or their Masters; and thus haughtily and invidiously pronounce Things impoffible to Art; and bend the Weaknefs of their own Discoveries, to calumniate Nature, and propagate Defpair. Hence proceeded the new School of the Academics, which made Profeffion of Scepticifm, and condemned Mankind to eternal Darknefs: hence the Opinion, that phyfical Forms, or the real Differences of Things, were impoffible, or beyond the Power of

See above, Aph. 67.

Man