140 NOVUM ORGANUM 



for a quarter of an hour or thereabout, retains such a heat 

 as not to admit of being touched. 



40. The less massive the body is, the more readily it 

 grows warm at the approach of a heated body, which shows 

 that heat with us is somewhat averse to a tangible mass. 80 



41. Heat with regard to the human senses and touch is 

 various and relative, so that lukewarm water appears hot if 

 the hand be cold, and cold if the hand be hot. 



XI Y. Any one may readily see how poor we are in his 

 tory, since in the above tables, besides occasionally insert 

 ing traditions and report instead of approved history and 

 authentic instances (always, &quot;however, adding some note if 

 their credit or authority be doubtful), we are often forced to 

 subjoin, &quot;Let the experiment be tried Let further inquiry 

 be made.&quot; 



XY. We are wont to term the office and use of these 

 three tables the presenting a review of instances to the 

 understanding; and when this has been done, induction 

 itself is to be brought into action. For on an individual 

 review of all the instances a nature is to be found, such as 

 always to be present and absent with the given nature, to 

 increase and decrease with it, and, as we have said, to form 

 a more common limit of the nature. If the mind attempt 

 this affirmatively from the first (which it always will when 

 left to itself), there will spring up phantoms, mere theories 

 and ill-defined notions, with axioms requiring daily correc 

 tion. These will, doubtless, be better or worse, according 

 to the power and strength of the understanding which 

 creates them. But it is only for God (the bestower and 



30 Another singular error, the truth being, that solid bodies are the best 

 conductors; but of course where heat is diffused over a large mass, it is less 

 in each part, than if that part alone absorbed the whole quantum of heat. Ed. 



