A DESCRIPTION 



OF SUCH A NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL HISTORY AS SHALL EE 



SUFFICIENT AND SUITABLY ARRANGED FOR FORMING THE 



BASIS AND FOUNDATION OF A TRUE PHILOSOPHY. 



OUR motive for publishing our Installation in parts was 

 that we might make sure of something. A similar reason 

 induces us to subjoin, even now, another small portion of 

 the work, and to publish it with that which has been com 

 pleted above. It is a Description and Delineation of such 

 a Natural and Experimental History, as should be arranged 

 for the completing our philosophy, and should comprehend 

 genuine and copious materials, properly adapted to the 

 work of the interpreter, who is next to make his appearance. 

 The proper place for this would have been that where we 

 treat of Preparations in the regular course of our inquiry. 

 Yet does it appear better to anticipate, rather than wait 

 for this proper place, since the history which we design, and 

 will presently describe, is a matter of great magnitude, and 

 not to be effected without vast labour and expense, requiring 

 the combined assistance of many, and being (to use our 

 former expression), as it were, a royal work. It occurred, 

 therefore, that it might be worth while to see if any others 

 would undertake it, so that whilst we orderly pursue our 

 design, this complicated and laborious portion of it may, 

 by the joint application of others, be set in order and pre 

 pared even in our lifetime, should it so please God ; espe 

 cially since our own unassisted strength appears scarcely 

 adequate to so great a sphere. For we may, perhaps, by 

 our own power overcome all that is the actual work of the 

 understanding, but the materials on which it is to work are 

 so scattered, that they should be sought after and imported 

 from all quarters by factors and merchants. We consider 

 it, moreover, as scarcely worthy of our undertaking our 

 selves to waste time in that which is open to the industry 

 of almost all. We will, however, perform the principal 

 part, that of laying down, with diligence and accuracy, a 



