The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

130 NATURAL HISTORY. CENT. X.
shall be, as that such an one will love him, or first, his thought had been fixed; but the other
that such an one will grant him his request, or imagining first, bound his thought." Which,
such an one shall recover a sickness, or the like, though it did somewhat sink with me, yet I made
it doth help any thing to the effecting of the thing it lighter than I thought, and said, I thought it
itself. And here again we must warily distin- was confederacy between the juggler and the two
guish; for it is not meant, as hath been partly said servants: though, indeed, I had no reason so to
before, that it should help by making a man more think, for they were both my father's servants, and
stout, or more industrious, in which kind a con- he had never played inthe house before. The jugstant belief doth much, but merely by a secret gler also did cause a garter, to be held up, and took
operation, or binding, or changing the spirit of upon him to know, that such a one should point
another: and in this it is hard, as we began to in such a place of the garter; as it should be
say, to make any new experiment; for I cannot near so many inches to the longer end, and so
command myself to believe what I will, and so no many to the shorter; and still he did it, by first.
trial can be made. Nay, it is worse; for what- telling the imaginer, and after bidding the actor
soever a man imagineth doubtingly, or with fear, think.
must needs do hurt, if imagination have any Having told this relation, not for the weight
power at all; for a man representeth that oftener thereof, but because it doth handsomely open the
that he feareth, than the contrary. nature of the question, I return to that I said, that
The help therefore is, for a man to work by an- experiments of imagination must be practised by
other, in whom he may create belief, and not by others, and not by a man's self. For there be
himself; until himself have found by experience, three means to fortify belief: the first is experithat imagination doth prevail; for then experi- ence; the second is reason; and the third is auence worketh in himself belief; if the belief that thority: and that of these which is far the most
such a thing shall be, be joined with a belief potent, is authority; for belief upon reason, or exthat his imagination may procure it. perience will stagger.
946. For example: I related one time to a man 947. For authority, it is of two kinds, belief in
that was curious and vain enough in these things, an art, and belief in a man. And for thiings of
that I saw a kind of juggler, that had a pair of belief in an art, a man may exercise them by himcards, and would tell a man what card he thought. self; but for belief in a man, it must be by anThis pretended learned man told me, it was a mis- other. Therefore if a man believe in astrology,
takino in me; c" for," said he, "i it was not the and find a figure prosperous, or believe in natural
knowledge of the man's thought, for that is pro- magic, and that a ring with such a stone, or such
per to God, but it was the enforcing of a thought a piece of a living creature carried, will do good,
upon him, and binding his imagination by a it may help his imagination: but the belief in a
stronger, that he could think no other card." man is far the most active. But howsoever, all
And thereupon he asked me a question or two, authority must be out of a man's self, turned, as
which I thought he did but cunningly, knowing was said, either upon an art, or upon a man: and
before what used to be the feats of the juggler. where authority is from one man to another, there
", Sir," said he, 6" do you remember whether he the second must be ignorant, and not learned, or
told the card the man thought, himself, or bade full of thoughts; and such are, for the most part,
another to tell it?" I answered, as was true, that all witches and superstitious persons, whose behe bade another tell it. Whereunto he said, liefs, tied to their teachers and traditions, are no
" So I thought: for," said he, "s himself could not whit controlled either by reason or experience;
have put on so strong an imagination; but by and upon the same reason, in magic, they use for
telling the other the card, who believed that the the most part boys and young people, whose spi
juggler was some strange man, and could do rits easiliesttake belief and imagination.
strange things, that other man caught a strong Now to fortify imagination, there be three
imagination." I hearkened unto him, thinking ways: the authority whence the belief is defor a vanity he spoke prettily. Then he asked me rived; means to quicken and corroborate the imaanother question: saith he, "4 Do you remember, fgination: and means to repeat it and refresh it.
whether he bade the man think the card first, and 948. For the authority, we have already
afterwards told the other man in his ear what spoken: as for the second, namely, the means to
he should think; or else that he did whisper first quicken and corroborate the imagination; we see
in the man's ear that should tell the card, telling what hath been used in magic, if there be in those
that such a man should think such a card, and practices any thing that is purely natural, as vestafter bade the man think a card." I told him, as ments, characters, words, seals; some parts of
was true; that he did first whisper the man in the plants, or living creatures: stones, choice of the
ear, that such a man should think such a card: hour, gestures and motions; also incenses and
upon this the learned man did much exult and odours, choice of society, which increaseth imaplease himself, saying; "' Lo, you may see that gination; diets and preparations for some time
my opinion is right; for if the mlan had thought before. And for words, there have been everused,