The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE WORK. 341.
yet we wait for the time of harvest, and do not go miraculous, but our reports are pure and unadulabout to reap moss and a green crop: being suf- terated by fables and absurdity. Nay, the comficiently aware that well formed axioms draw monly received and repeated falsehoods, which by
whole crowds of effects after them, and do not some wonderful neglect have held their ground
manifest their effects partially, but in abundance. for many ages and become inveterate, are by us
But we wholly condemn and banish that unrea- distinctly proscribed and branded, that they may
sonable and puerile desire of immediately seizing no longer molest learning. For, as it has been
some pledges as it were of new effects, which, well observed, that the tales. superstitions, and
like the apple of Atalanta, retard our course- trash which nurses instil into children, seriously
such then is the office of our natural history. corrupt their minds, so are we careful and anxious
With regard to its compilation, we intend not whilst managing and watching over the infancy,
to form a history of nature at liberty and in her as it were, of philosophy committed to the charge
usual course, when she proceeds willingly and of natural history, that it should not from the first
acts of her own accord, (as for instance the history become habituated to any absurdity. In every
of the heavenly bodies, meteors, the earth and sea, new and rather delicate experiment, although to
minerals, plants, animals,) but much rather a his- us it may appear sure and satisfactory, we yet
tory of nature constrained and perplexed, as she publish the method we employed, that, by the
is seen when thrust down from her proper rank discovery of every attendant circumstance, men
and harassed and modelled by the art and contri- may perceive the possibly latent and inherent
vance of man. We will therefore go through all errors, and be roused to proofs of a more certain
the experiments of the mechanical and the opera- and exact nature, if such there be. Lastly, we
tive part of the liberal arts, and all those of dif- intersperse the whole with advice, doubts, and
ferent practical schemes which have not yet been cautions, casting out and restraining, as it were,
put together so as to form a peculiar art: as far all phantoms by a sacred ceremony and exorcism.
as we have been able to investigate them and it Finally, since we have learned how much expewill suit our purpose. Besides, (to speak the rience and history distract the powers of the
truth,) without paying any attention to the pride human mind, and how difficult it is (especially for
of man, or to appearances, we consider this young or prejudiced intellects) to become at the
branch of much more assistance and support than first acquainted with nature, we frequently add
the other: since the nature of things betrays some observations of our own, by way of showing
itself more by means of the operations of art than the first tendency, as it were, and inclination or
when at perfect liberty. aspect of history towards philosophy; thus asNor do we present the history of bodies alone, suring mankind that they will not always be debut have thought it moreover right to exert our tained in the ocean of history, and also preparing
diligence in compiling a separate history of pro- for the time when we shall come to the work of
perties: we mean those which may be called the the understanding. And by such a natural hiscardinal properties of nature, and of which its very tory as we are describing, we think that safe and
elements are composed, namely, matter with its convenient access is opened to nature, and solid
first accidents and appetites, such as density, and ready matter fiurnished to the understanding.
rarity, heat, cold, solidity, fluidity, weight, levity, But after furnishing the understanding with the
and many others. most surest helps and precautions, and having
But, with regard to the nicety of natural history, completed, by a rigorous levy, a complete host
we clearly require a much more delicate and sim- of divine works, nothing remains to be done but
ple form of experiments than those which are ob- to attack Philosophy herself. In a matter so arvious. For we bring out and extract from obscurity duous and doubtful, however, a few reflections
many things which no one would have thought must necessarily be here inserted, partly for inof investigating, unless he were proceeding by struction and partly for present use.
a sure and steady path to the discovery of causes; The first of these is, that we should offer some
since they are in themselves of no great use, and examples of our method and course of investigait is clear that they were not sought for on their tion and discovery, as exhibited in particular subown account, but that they bear the same relation jects; preferring the most dignified subjects of
to things and effects, that the letters of the al- our inquiry, and such as differ the mostfrom each
phabet do to discourse and words, being useless other, so that in every branch we may have an
indeed in themselves, but the elements of all example. Nor do we speak of those examples,
language. which are added to particular precepts and rules
In the selection of our reports and experiments, by way of illustration, (for we have furnished them
we consider that we have been more cautious for abundantly in the second part of our work,) but
mankind than any of our predecessors. For we we mean actual types and models, calculated to
admit nothing but as an eyewitness, or at least place, as it were, before our eyes the whole proupon approved and rigorously examined testi- cess of the mind, and the continuous frame and
mony; so that nothing is magnified into the order of discovery in particular subjects, selected
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