390 ’ ON THE SCOPE AND INFLUENCE OF THE 
5 
. 
upon assumed principles: Bacon, on the contrary, held, that 
“ it was necessary to observe Nature thoroughly before at- 
“ tempting to explain her ways; that we must ascend to prin- 
“ ciples through the medium of facts ; and that our conclu- 
“ sions must be warranted by what we observe. Descarres 
“ reasoned about the World, as if the laws which govern it had 
“ not yet been established, as if every thing were still to 
“ create. Bacon considered it as a vast edifice, which it was 
“ necessary to view in all directions, to explore through all its 
“ recesses and windings, before any conjecture even, could be 
“ safely formed as to the principles of its construction, or 
“ the foundations on which it rests. Thus, the philosophy of 
“ Bacon, by recommending the careful observation of Nature, 
« still continues to be followed, whilst that of Descarres, 
«« whose essence lay in hypothesis, has wholly disappeared *” 
Nor was Descartes, I may add, ignorant of what Bacon had 
taught as to the principles of philosophizing. It appears, on the 
contrary, from his correspondence, that he was well acquaint- 
ed with Bacon’s writings ; and, in one of his letters, he seems 
to admit, that provided the Experimental were the true Me- 
thod, there was nothing that could be added to increase the 
utility of Bacow’s precepts f. 
Having made these remarks, with a view to point out, in a ge- 
neral way, the nature and importance of those helps and encou- 
yagements which Bacon’s writings furnished to physical inqui- 
ry, Lam next to endeavour to show, that the subsequent pro- 
gress of physical knowledge was greatly accelerated by the ef- 
fects which they produced. And here I beg to observe, 
that 
2 
* Baitiy.—Histoire de ? Astronomie Moderne, tom. ii, Tiv. 4. § 2. 
+ Lettres de M. Descartes, tom. iv. p. 201, Paris edit. 1724. 
