18 THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE WORK. 



the minuteness of its parts, or the distance of place, or the 

 slowness or velocity of motion, or the familiarity of the 

 object, or to other causes. Nor are the apprehensions of 

 the senses very firm, when they grasp the subject; for the 

 testimony and information of the senses bears always a 

 relation to man and not to the universe, and it is altoge 

 ther a great mistake to assert that our senses are the 

 measure of things. 



To encounter these difficulties, we have every where 

 sought and collected helps for the senses with laborious 

 and faithful service, in order to supply defects and correct 

 errors : and that not so much by means of instruments, as 

 by experiments. For experiments are much more delicate 

 than the senses themselves, even when aided by instru 

 ments, at least if they are skilfully and scientifically 

 imagined and applied to the required point. We attri 

 bute but little therefore to the immediate and proper per 

 ception of the senses, but reduce the matter to this, that 

 they should decide on the experiment, and the experi 

 ment on the subject of it. Wherefore we consider that we 

 have shown ourselves most observant priests of the senses 

 (by which all that exists in nature must be investigated if 

 we would be rational), and not unskilful interpreters of 

 their oracles : for others seem to observe and worship them 

 in word alone, but we in deed. These then are the means 

 which we prepare for kindling and transmitting the light 

 of nature : which would of themselves be sufficient, if the 

 human understanding were plain and like a smoothed sur 

 face. But since the minds of men are so wonderfully pre 

 possessed, that a clear and polished surface for receiving 

 the true rays of things is wholly wanting, necessity urges 

 us to seek a remedy for this also. 



The images or idols by which the mind is preoccupied 

 are either adventitious or innate. The adventitious have 

 crept into the minds of men either from the dogmas and 

 sects of philosophers, or the perverted rules of demonstra 

 tion. But the innate are inherent to the very nature of 

 the understanding, which appears to be much more prone 

 to error than the senses. For however men may be satis 

 fied with themselves, and rush into a blind admiration and 

 almost adoration of the human mind, one thing is most 

 certain, namely, ^that as an uneven mirror changes the 

 rays proceeding from objects according to its own figure 

 and position, so the mind when affected by things through 

 the senses does not act in the most trustworthy manner, 



