Advancement of Learning 69 



possible which may be done by some person, though not 

 by every one; and which may be done by many, though 

 not by any one ; and which may be done in the succession 

 of ages, though not within the hour-glass of one man s life ; 

 and which may be done by public designation, though not 

 by private endeavour. But, notwithstanding, if any man 

 will take to himself rather that of Salomon, Dicit piger, Leo 

 est in via, 1 than that of Virgil, Possunt quia posse videntur, 2 

 I shall be content that my labours be esteemed but as the 

 better sort of wishes: for as it asketh some knowledge to 

 demand a question not impertinent, so it required some 

 sense to make a wish not absurd. 



THE parts of human learning have reference to the three 

 parts of man s understanding, which is the seat of learning : 

 history to his memory, poesy to his imagination, and philo 

 sophy to his reason. Divine learning receiveth the same 

 distribution ; for the spirit of man is the same, though the 

 revelation of oracle and sense be diverse: so as theology 

 consisteth also of the history of the church; of parables, 

 which is divine poesy ; and of holy doctrine or precept : for 

 as for that part which seemeth supernumerary, which is 

 prophecy, it is but Divine History ; which hath that preroga 

 tive over human, as the narration may be before the fact 

 as well as after. 



History is natural, civil, ecclesiastical, and literary ; whereof 

 the first three I allow as extant, the fourth I note as 

 deficient. For no man hath propounded to himself the 

 general state of learning to be described and represented 

 from age to age, as many have done the works of nature, 

 and the state civil and ecclesiastical; without which the 

 history of the world seemeth to me to be as the statua of 

 Polyphemus with his eye out; that part being wanting 

 which doth most show the spirit and life of the person : and 

 yet I am not ignorant that in divers particular sciences, as 

 of the jurisconsults, the mathematicians, the rhetoricians, 

 the philosophers, there are set down some small memorials 

 of the schools, authors, and books; and so likewise some 

 barren relations touching the invention of arts or usages. 



1 Prov. xxii. 13. * Virg. JEn. v. 231. 



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