220 PREPARATION FOR A NATURAL 



first principles of things, but as forming the larger masses 

 of natural bodies. For natural objects are so distributed, 

 that the quantity or mass of certain bodies throughout the 

 universe is very great, owing to the easy and obvious ma 

 terial texture required for their conformation, whilst the 

 quantity of others is but small and sparingly supplied, the 

 material, being of a diversified and subtile nature, having 

 many specific qualities, and being of an organised construc 

 tion, such as the different species of natural objects, namely, 

 metals, plants, and animals. We are wont, therefore, to 

 call the former greater colleges, and the latter lesser col 

 leges. The fourth part of our history then is of the former, 

 under the name of elements. Nor is there any confusion 

 between this and the second or third parts, although we 

 have spoken of air, water, and earth in each. For in the 

 second and third they are spoken of as integral parts of the 

 world, and in relation to the creation and configuration of 

 the universe ; but in the fourth is contained the history of 

 their own substance and nature, as displayed in the homo 

 geneous parts of each, and not referred to the whole. 

 Lastly, the fifth part of natural history contains the lesser 

 colleges or species, upon which alone natural history has 

 hitherto been chiefly occupied. 



As to the history of praeter-generation, we have already 

 observed that it may, with the greatest convenience, be 

 combined with tha of generation, including that which is 

 prodigious only, not natural. For we reserve the supersti 

 tious history of miracles (such as it may be) for a separate 

 treatise, nor is it to be undertaken immediately, but rather 

 later, when more way shall have been made in the inves 

 tigation of nature. 



We divide the history of the arts, and of nature s course 

 diverted and changed by man, or experimental history, into 

 three parts. For it is derived either: 1. from the me 

 chanical arts ; or, 2. from the practical part of the liberal 

 sciences ; or, 3. from various practical applications and ex 

 periments, which have not yet been classed as a peculiar 

 art, nay, sometimes occur in every day s experience and 

 require no such art. If, then, a history be completed of all 

 these which we have mentioned, namely, generation, prse- 

 ter-generation, the arts and experiments, nothing appears 

 omitted for preparing the senses to inform the understand 

 ing, and we shall no longer dance, as it were, within the 

 narrow circles of the enchanter, but extend our march round 

 the confines of the world itself. 



