NOVUM ORGANUM. 65 



the tides, the heavenly system and the like, which appear 

 enveloped in some degree of mystery, and have hitherto 

 been treated with but little success. Now it is the greatest 

 proof of want of skill, to investigate the nature of any ob 

 ject in itself alone ; for that same nature, which seems con 

 cealed and hidden in some instances, is manifest and almost 

 palpable in others; and excites wonder in the former, whilst 

 it hardly attracts attention in the latter. Thus the nature 

 of consistency is scarcely observed in wood or stone, but 

 passed over by the term solid without any further inquiry 

 about the repulsion of separation or the solution of con 

 tinuity. But in water-bubbles the same circumstance ap 

 pears matter of delicate and ingenious research, for they 

 form themselves into thin pellicles, curiously shaped into 

 hemispheres, so as for an instant to avoid the solution of 

 continuity. 



In general those very things which are considered as 

 secret, are manifest and common in other objects, but will 

 never be clearly seen if the experiments and contemplation 

 of man be directed to themselves only. Yet it commonly 

 happens, that if, in the mechanical arts, any one bring old 

 discoveries to a finer polish, or more elegant height of or 

 nament, or unite and compound them, or apply them more 

 readily to practice, or exhibit them on a less heavy and 

 voluminous scale, and the like, they will pass off as new. 



We cannot, therefore, wonder that no magnificent disco 

 veries, worthy of mankind, have been brought to light, 

 whilst men are satisfied and delighted with such scanty and 

 puerile tasks, nay even think that they have pursued or 

 attained some great object in their accomplishment. 



89. Nor should we neglect to observe that natural philo 

 sophy has, in every age, met with a troublesome and diffi 

 cult opponent : I mean superstition, and a blind and immo 

 derate zeal for religion. For we see that among the Greeks 

 those who first disclosed the natural causes of thunder 

 and storms to the yet untrained ears of man, were con 

 demned as guilty of impiety towards the gods. Nor did 

 some of the old fathers of Christianity treat those much 

 better who showed by the most positive proofs (such as no 

 one now disputes) that the earth is spherical, and thence 

 asserted that there were antipodes. 



Even in the present state of things the condition of dis 

 cussions on natural philosophy is rendered more difficult 

 and dangerous by the summaries and methods of divines, 

 who, after reducing divinity into such order as they could, 



VOL. xiv. F 



