of the Monh Roger Bacon. 335 



dour which knows no repulfe, yet with an humility of difE- 

 lience which knows no prefumption. 



2dly, By a temper which repels every tinfture of faQiion 

 howfoever honoured by the times or confecrated by antiquity, 

 confuetudhas diuturnitate. 



3diy, By a judgment which, whiHl it refpecls the expe- 

 rience of mankind, defpifes the prejudices of the vulgar, great 

 or fmall. 



4thly, By a true pride, which, confcious of what it is ca- 

 pable of, knows how to commence its firft (leps to knowledge, 

 by feeling and acknowledging its ignorance ; and not by a 

 falfe (hame attempting to hide it, and with a ftill more ridi- 

 culous vanity labouring to clothe it in the femblance and 

 tuidcr the garb of learmng. Of this tribe of learned gentle- 

 men our monk fays, " Mpparentia folum tenet eosy nan cu- 

 r ant quid Jciunt ; fed quid videantur fcire coram multitudine 

 infenl'ata." 



Having thus adopted his principles, let us fdh'W his ex^ 

 ample alfo in the mode of philofophizing; ift. By a patient 

 induction and cautious combination of particulars, without 

 being hafty to form them into fyllcms on the firft flattering; 

 femblance of difcovery : ad. That we do not fuborn aflumed 

 experiments to bear 'f:dfe witnefs to fuppofed fa£lsj but to 

 take more merit from the truth difcovered than from the dif- 

 covery ; and to eradicate, if it be poffible, all vanity from the 

 heart, et veritatc7n fine dote (jua;rere. 



Lafliy, It will not be beyond thefcope of this paper, and, 

 I would hope, not oflenfive to this learned fociety, to figgeft, 

 whether amongft their other learned ftudies and philofophical 

 refearches there may not be many a commenced, though in- 

 terrupted, inftitute of experiments; many a glimpfe of dif- 

 covery not yet brought out to open day in the works of this 

 great original philoiopher, well worth their attention for exa- 

 mination at leaft : yet 



Non jurare in verba magidri. 



I fhall not here take notice of the difcovery of lenses, nor 

 of their firft ufes in magnifying objects, and particularly 

 as reading-glafles ; becaufe the refradion and refle»aion of 

 light, and of the rays of the fun, by lenses and mirrors, 

 were known to the antients *, though I do not meet with 

 any mention of their ufe to aid in re.:dhig. But I believe 

 the antients wrote in fuch uncials as fuitcd the powers of 

 the eye without this aid. Another rcafon why 1 do not 

 lake notice of this as a difcovery to be imputed to Bacon is', 



that 



