NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL HISTORY. 237 



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they have set down, imposing them upon old men, and 

 | instilling them into young. So that now (as Tully cavilled 

 I upon Csesar s consulship) the star Lyra or Harpe riseth by 

 an edict, and authority is taken for truth, not truth for 

 I authority ; which kind of order and discipline is very con- 

 ; venient for our present use, but banisheth those which are 

 i better. For we both suffer for and emulate our first parents 

 ! sin ; they desired to be like unto God, and their posterity 

 i much more : for we create new worlds, go before nature and 

 I command it. We must have all things to be so as may 

 | agree with our folly, not to divine wisdom, nor as they are 

 found to be in themselves ; neither can I say which we rest 

 most, our wits or the things themselves : but certainly we 

 I set the stamps and seals of our own images upon God s 

 creatures and works, and never carefully look upon and 

 acknowledge the Creator s stamps. Therefore we do not 

 without cause again strive for the domination over the 

 creatures. For, whereas, even after the fall of man, he had 

 some kind of domination left him over reluctant creatures, 

 that he might tame and subdue them by true and solid arts; 

 we have for the most part lost that also through our own 

 insolence, because we will be like unto God, and follow the 

 dictates of our own reason. Wherefore, if there be any hu 

 mility towards the Creator, any reverence and magnifying 

 of his works, any charity in men, or care to release them 

 out of their necessities and miseries, if there be any love of 

 truth in natural things, hatred of darkness, and a desire of 

 purifying the understanding, men are to be again and again 

 desired that casting off, or at least laying aside for a while 

 these flying and preposterous philosophies, which have set 

 the theses before the hypotheses, or suppositions before 

 solid grounds, have captivated experience, and triumphed 

 over the works of God, they would humbly and with a 

 certain reverence draw near and turn over the great volume 

 of the creatures, stop and meditate upon it ; and, being 

 cleansed and free from opinions, handle them choicely and 

 entirely. This is the speech and language that went out 

 into all the ends of the world, and suffered not in the con 

 fusion of Babel. Let men learn this, and becoming chil 

 dren again and infants, not scorn to take ABC thereof in 

 hand, and in finding and searching out the interpretation 

 of it, let them spare no labour, but let them persist and go 

 on, and even die in the quest of it. Seeing, therefore, that 

 in our Instauration we have placed the Natural History 

 (such as it is in order to our ends) in the third part of the 

 work, we have thought fit to prevent this thing, and fall 



