The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

362 NOVUM ORGANUM. BooK I.
mention the prophecy of Daniel of the last days and works it in the understanding. AWde have
of the world,L sMany shall run to and fro and good reason, therefore, to derive hope from a
knowledge shall be increased," thus plainly hint- closer and purer alliance of these faculties, (the
ing and suggesting that Fate (which is Pro- experimental and rational) than has yet been
vidence) would cause the complete circuit of attempted.
the globe, (now accomplished, or at least going 96. Natural philosophy is not yet to be found
forward by means of so many distant voyages,) unadulterated, but is impure and corrupted; by
and the increase of learning, to happen at the logic in the school of Aristotle, by natural theosame epoch. logy in that of Plato, by mathematics in the
94. Wet will next give a most potent reason second school of Plato, (that of Proclus and
for hope deduced from the errors of the past, and others,) which ought rather to terminate natural
the ways still unattempted. For well was an ill philosophy than to generate or create it. We
governed state thus reproved,4 " That which is may, therefore, hope for better results from pure
worst with regard to the past, should appear most and unmixed natural philosophy.
consolatory for the future. For if you had done 97. No one has yet been found possessed of
all that your duty commanded, and your affairs sufficient firmness and severity, to resolve upon
proceeded no better, you could not even hope for and undertake the task of entirely abolishing
their improvement; but since their present unhap- common theories and notions, and applying the
py situation is not owing to the force of circum- mind afresh, when thus cleared and levelled, to
stances, but to your own errors, you have reason particular researches. Hence our human reasonto hope, that by banishing or correcting the latter, ing is a mere farrago and crude mass, made up
you can produce a great change for the better in of a great deal of credulity and accident, and the
the former." So, if men had, during the many puerile notions it originally contracted.
years that have elapsed, adhered to the right way But if a man of mature age, unprejudiced senses,
of discovering and cultivating the sciences with- and clear mind, would betake himself anew to
out being able to advance, it would be assuredly experience and particulars, we might hope much
bold and presumptuous to imagine it possible to more from such a one. In which respect we
improve; but if they have mistaken the way and promise ourselves the fortune of Alexander the
wasted their labour on improper objects, it fol- Great, and let none accuse us of vanity till they
lows that the difficulty does not arise from things have heard the tale, which is intended to check
themselves, which are not in our power, but from vanity.
the human understanding, its practice and appli- For iEschines spoke thus of Alexander and
cation, which is susceptible of remedy and cor- his exploits: ", We live not the life of mortals,
rection. Our best'plan, therefore, is to expose but are born at such a period that posterity will
these errors. For, in proportion as they impeded relate and declare our prodigies." As if he conthe past, so do they afford reason to hope for the sidered the exploits of Alexander to be miraculous.
future. And although we have touched upon But in succeeding ages*- Livy took a better
them above, yet we think it right to give a brief, view of the fact, and has made some such observabare, and simple enumeration of them in this tion as this upon Alexander: 6"That he did no
place. more than dare to despise insignificance." So in
95. Those who have treated of the sciences our opinion posterity will judge of us,;6 That we
have been either empirics or dogmatical. The have achieved no great matters, but only set less
former like ants only heap up and use their store, account upon what is considered important."
the latter like spiders spin out their own webs. For the mean time (as we have before observed)
The bee, a mean between both, extracts matter our only hope is in the regeneration of the
from the flowers of the garden and the field, but sciences, by regularly raising them on the foundaworlks and fashions it by its own efforts. The tion of experience and building them anew, which
true labour of philosophy resembles hers, for it I think none can venture to affirm to have been
neither relies entirely or principally on the pow- already done or even thought of.
ers of the mind, nor yet lays up in the memory, 98. The foundations of experience (our sole
the matter afforded by the experiments of natural resource) have hitherto failed completely or have
history or mechanics in its raw state, but changes been very weak; nor has a store and a collection
of particular facts capable of informing the mind
* Daniel, c. xii. ver. 4. or in any way satisfactory, been either sought
-f Hence to Aphorism 108 treats of the grounds of hope to after or amassed. On the contrary, learned, but
be derived from correcting former errors.
T See Demosthenes's 3d Philippic near the beginning,
Io IeV Deisioshenes's p3d' Phulippic onear the beginning, * See Livy, lib. x. c. 17, where in a digression on the pro.
ro X-ELpLToy ev rog 7rrape~)WXacdct, ToroV 7rpog -rA YE XXovra
Ixrtess bsV~. rare iip&jvvgi, TV T5 rp ss ApO~ s~rE sable effect of a contest between Rome and Alexander tihe
&'7r1s-ov'iarKpKEt. Ti oev 9Si roi57o; 0ri OVrE PIKPidv, Os-e
LIa JV IV /ESvTV IOKOv LKe TV TpOiGreat, he says: "Non cum Dario rem esse dixisset: quem'Xct' ifReirotys e 7ri sVS5a rpoS PO t 7rparr6vroWP V /)v, oro mulierum ac spadonum agmen trahentem inter purpuram
itgEKceTOa Wo dv EX7-'c vi devr yEgvi3cEat EeXTro, evSi d. rg atque aurum, oneratum fortune apparatibus, pradaimi verjis
te iaS1lyapist rTS ~terepaS, sat riFg dipeEiae KeKptriTpE ( ie tir- quam hostem, nihil aliuzd quea auszes vlana conteemnere, inCrtTroe, rS r7roA;C:og ado occspdrqvlcE. v entus devicit."