The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

396 NOVUM ORGANUM. Booi II
nave a motion of revolution, though slow and cause, rather than made to fall by the natural rr.
hardly perceptible, from east to west, subject, tion of gravity: so that it may be conjectured,
however, to a reaction twice a day. If this be that a dense and compact mass, at a great distance
so, it is clear that the motion of revolution is not from the earth, may be suspended as the earth
confined to the celestial bodies, but is shared also itself is, and would not fall unless forced down.
by air and water. We do not, however, affirm this as certain. In
Again; the supposed peculiar disposition of the mean while, both in this respect and many
light bodies to rise, is rather shaken; and here others, it will readily be seen how deficient we
we may find an instance of alliance in a water are in natural history, since we are forced to have
bubble. For if air be placed under water, it rises recourse to suppositions for examples, instead of
rapidly towards the surface, by that striking mo- ascertained instances.
tion (as Democritus terms it) with which the de- Again; let the required nature be the discurscending water strikes the air, and raises it; not sive power of the mind. The classification of
by any struggle or effort of the air itself: and human reason, and animal instinct, appears to be
when it has reached the surface of the water, it is perfectly correct. Yet there are some instances
prevented from ascending any further, by the of the actions of brutes, which seem to show that
slioght resistance it meets with in the water, which they too can syllogize. Thus it is related, that a
does not allow an immediate separation of its crow, which had nearly perished from thirst in a
parts, so that the tendency of the air to rise must great drought, saw some water in the hollow trunk
be very slight. of a tree, but as it was too narrow for him to get
Again; let the required nature be weight. It into it, he continued to throw in pebbles, which
is certainly a received classification, that dense made the water rise till he could drinlk, and it
and solid bodies are borne towards the centre of afterwards became a proverb.
the earth, and rare and light bodies to the circum- A gain; let the required nature be vision. The
ference of the heavens, as their appropriate places. classification appears real and certain, which conAs far as relates to places, (though these things siders light as that which is originally visible,
have much weight in the schools,) the notion of and confers the power of seeing; and colour as
there being any determinate place is absurd and being secondarily visible, and not capable of
puerile. Philosophers trifle, therefore, when they being seen without light, so as to appear a mere
tell you that if the earth were perforated, heavy image or modification of light. Yet there are inbodies would stop on their arrival at the centre. stances of alliance in each respect; as in snow
This centre would indeed be an efficacious when in great quantities, and in the flame of sulnothing or mathematical point, could it affect phur; the one being a colour originally and in
bodies or be sought by them, for a body is not itself light, the other a light verging towards a
acted upon except by a body.* In fact, this colour.A
tendency to ascend and descend, is either in the.36. In the fourteenth rank of prerogative inconformation of the moving body, or in its har- stances, we will place the instances of the cross,
mony and sympathy with another body. But if borrowing our metaphor from the crosses erected
any dense and solid body be found, which does where two roads meet, to point out the different
not however, tend towards the earth, the classifi- directions. WVe are wont also to call them decication is at an end. Now, if we allow of Gilbert's sive and judicial instances, and in some cases inopinion, that the magnetic power of the earth, in stances of the oracle, and of command. Their
attracting heavy bodies, is not extended beyond nature is as follows. When in investigating any
the limit of its peculiar virtue, (which operates nature the understanding is, as it were, balanced,
always at a fixed distance and no further,)t and and uncertain to which of two or more natures
this be proved by some instance, such an instance the cause of the required nature should be aswill be one of alliance in our present subject. signed, on account of the frequent and usual conThe nearest approach to it is that of waterspouts, currence of several natures; the instances of the
fiequently seen by persons navigating the Atlantic cross show that the union of one nature with the
towards either of the Indies. For the force and required nature is firm and indissoluble, whilst
imlass of the water suddenly effused by water- that of the other is unsteady and separable; by
spouts, appears to be so considerable, that the which means the question is decided, and the first
water must have been collected previously, and is received as the cause, whilst the other is disleave remained fixed where it was formed, until missed and rejected. Such instances therefore
it was afterwards forced down by some violent afford great light, and are of great weight, so that
the course of interpretation sometimes terminates
* But see Bacon's own corollary at the end of the instances and is completed in them Sometimes, however,
of divorce, Aphorisim 37. and is completed in them. Sometimes, hovever,
t Since Newton's discovery of the law of gravitation, we they are found amongst the instances already obfind that the attractive force of the earth must extend to an served, but they are generally new, being exinfinite distance. Bacon himself alludes to the operation of
Jhis attractive force at great distances, in the instances of the
rod. Aphorism 45. * Snow reflects light, but is not a source of light.