1.9] ~—s THE FIRST BOOK. i 3% 
martyrs, hermits, or monks of the desert, and other holy « 
men, and their relics, shrines, chapels, and images: 
which though they had a passage for a time by the 
ignorance of the people, the superstitious simplicity of 
some, and the politic toleration of others, holding them 
but as divine poesies; yet after a period of time, when 
the mist began to clear up, they grew to be esteemed but 
as old wives’ fables, impostures of the clergy, illusions of 
een 
spirits, and badges of An Hichrist tofthe great scandal and 
detriment of religion, * IL Re ei ¢ 
ef SAP REE : Avy ex . 
10. So in natural history, we see there ‘hath not been 
that choice and judgement used as ought to have,been ; 
as may appear in the writings of Plinius, Cardanus, 
Albertus, and divers of the Arabians, being» fraught with 
much fabulous matter, a great part not only untried, 
but notoriously untrue, to the great derogation of the 
credit of natural philosophy with the grave and sober 
kind of wits: wherein the wisdom and integrity of 
Aristotle is worthy to be observed; that, having made 
so diligent and exquisite a history of living creatures, 
hath mingled it sparingly with any vain or feigned 
matter: and yet on the other side hath cast all pro- 
digious narrations, which he thought worthy the record-), 
ing, into one book: excellently discerning that matter 
of manifest truth, such whereupon observation and rule 
was to be built, was not to be mingled or weakened 
with matter of doubtful credit; and yet again, that 
rarities and reports that seem uncredible are not to be 
suppressed or denied to the memory of men. 
11. And as for the facility of credit which is yielded to 
arts and opinions, it is likewise of two kinds; either when 
too much belief is attributed to the arts themselves, or 
to certain authors in any art. The sciences themselves, 
D2 
