FRANCIS OF VERULAM 



THOUGHT THUS, AND SUCH IS THE METHOD HE WITHIN HIMSELF 



PURSUED, WHICH HE THOUGHT IT CONCERNED BOTH 

 THE LIVING AND POSTERITY TO BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH. 



SEEING he was satisfied that the human understanding- 

 creates itself labour, and makes not a judicious and con 

 venient use of such real helps as are within man s power, 

 whence arise both a manifold ignorance of things, and innu 

 merable disadvantages, the consequence of such ignorance ; 

 he thought that we ought to endeavour, with all our might, 

 either (if it were possible) completely to restore, or, at all 

 events, to bring to a better issue that free intercourse of the 

 mind with things, nothing similar to which is to be met 

 with on earth, at least as regards earthly objects. But 

 that errors which have gained firm ground, and will for 

 ever continue to gain ground, would, if the mind were left 

 to itself, successively correct each other, either from the 

 proper powers of the understanding, or from the helps and 

 support of logic, he entertained not the slightest hope. 

 Because the primary notions of things, which the mind 

 ignorantly and negligently imbibes, stores up, and accumu 

 lates (and from which every thing else is derived), are 

 faulty and confused, and carelessly abstracted from the 

 things themselves; and in the secondary and following 

 notions, there is an equal wantonness and inconsistency. 

 Hence it happens that the whole system of human rea 

 soning, as far as we apply it to the investigation of nature, 

 is not skilfully consolidated and built up, but resembles a 

 magnificent pile that has no foundation. For while men 

 admire and celebrate the false energies of the mind, they 

 pass by, and lose sight of, the real ; such as may exist if 

 the mind adopt proper helps, and act modestly towards 

 things instead of weakly insulting them. But one course 

 was left, to begin the matter anew with better preparation, 

 and to effect a restoration of the sciences, arts, and the 

 VOL. xiv. u 



