NOVtLM ORGAXUM. 49 



Hippias, and others, who were ashamed of appearing not 

 to doubt upon any subject. But the new academy dog 

 matised in their scepticism, and held it as their tenet. 

 Although this method be more honest than arbitrary deci 

 sion (for its followers allege that they by no means con 

 found all inquiry, like Pyrrho and his disciples, but hold 

 doctrines which they can follow as probable, though they 

 cannot maintain them to be true), yet when the human mind 

 has once despaired of discovering truth, every thing begins 

 to languish. Hence men turn aside into pleasant contro 

 versies and discussions, and into a sort of wandering over 

 subjects, rather than sustain any rigorous investigation. But 

 as we observed at first, we are not to deny the authority of 

 the human senses and understanding, although weak ; but 

 rather to furnish them with assistance. 



68. We have now treated of each kind of idols, and their 

 qualities; all of which must be abjured and renounced 

 with firm and solemn resolution, and the understanding 

 must be completely freed and cleared of them ; so that the 

 access to the kingdom of man, which is founded on the 

 sciences, may resemble that to the kingdom of heaven, 

 where no admission is conceded except to children. 



69. Vicious demonstrations are the muniments and sup 

 port of idols, and those which we possess in logic, merely 

 subject and enslave the world to human thoughts, and 

 thoughts to words. But demonstrations are, in some man 

 ner, themselves systems of philosophy and science. For 

 such as they are, and accordingly as they are regularly or 

 improperly established, such will be the resulting systems 

 of philosophy and contemplation. But those which we 

 employ in the whole process leading from the senses and 

 things to axioms and conclusions, are fallacious and incom 

 petent. This process is fourfold, and the errors are in 

 equal number. In the first place the impressions of the 

 senses are erroneous, for they fail and deceive us. We 

 must supply defects by substitutions, and fallacies by 

 their correction. 2dly. Notions are improperly abstracted 

 from the senses, and indeterminate and confused when 

 they ought to be the reverse. 3dly. The induction that is 

 employed is improper, for it determines the principles 

 of sciences by simple enumeration, without adopting ex 

 clusions, and resolutions, or just separations of nature. 

 Lastly, the usual method of discovery and proof by first 

 establishing the most general propositions, then applying 

 and proving the intermediate axioms according to them, is 



VOL. XIV. E 



