The essays, or councils, civil and moral, of Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban with a table of the colours of good and evil, and a discourse of The wisdom of the ancients : to this edition is added The character of Queen Elizabeth, never before printed in English.

XVII. Of Superstition. (Book 17)

IT were better to have no opinion of God at all, than such an opinion as is unworthy of him: For the one is Unbelief, the other is Contumely; and certain∣ly Superstition is the reproach of the Deity. Plutarch saith well to that purpose: Surely (saith he) I had rather a great deal men should say, there was no such man at all as Plutarch, than that they should say, that there was one Plu∣tarch, that would eat his Children as soon as they were born; as the Poets speak of Saturn. And as the Contumely is greater towards God, so the Danger is greater towards Men. Atheism leaves a man to Sense, to Philosophy, to Natural Piety, to Laws, to Reputation; all which may be guides to an outward Moral Vertue, though Re∣ligion were not; But Superstition dismounts all these, and

erecteth an absolute Monarchy in the minds of Men. Therefore Atheism did never perturb States; for it makes men weary of themselves, as looking no further: And we see the times inclined to Atheism (as the time of Au∣gustus Caesar) were civil times. But Superstition hath been the Confusion of many States, and bringeth in a new Primum Mobile, that ravisheth all the Spheres of Government. The Master of Superstition is the People; and in all Superstition, Wise men follow Fools, and Ar∣guments are fitted to Practice in a reversed order. It was gravely said by some of the Prelates in the Council of Trent, where the Doctrine of the School-men bare great sway, That the School-men were like Astronomers, which did feign Eccentricks, and Epicycles, and such engines of Orbs, to save the Phoenomena; though they knew there were no such things. And in like manner, that the School-men had framed a number of subtile and intricate Axi∣oms and Theorems, to save the practice of the Church. The Causes of Superstitions are, pleasing and sensual Rites and Ceremonies: Excess of Outward and Pharisaical Holiness: Over-great Reverence of Traditions, which cannot but load the Church: the Stratagems of Prelates for their own Ambition and Lucre: the favouring too much of good Intentions, which openeth the Gate to Conceits and Novelties: the taking an Aim at Divine Matters by Humane, which cannot but breed mixture of Imaginations: And lastly, Barbarous Times, especi∣ally joyned with Calamities and Disasters. Superstition without a veil is a deformed thing; for, as it addeth deformity to an Ape to be so like a Man: so the simi∣litude of Superstition to Religion makes it the more de∣formed. And as wholsome Meat corrupteth to little Worms: so good Forms and Orders corrupt into a Number of petty Observances. There is a Superstition in avoiding Superstition, when men think to do best, if they go furthest from the Superstition formerly received. Therefore Care would be had, that (as it fareth in ill Purgings) the good be not taken away with the bad,

which commonly is done, when the People is the Re∣former.