66 THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



The truth whereof is not obscure, when scholars come to the 

 practices of professions, or other actions of cavil lif e ; which 

 when they set into, this want is soon found by themselves 

 Ind sooner by others. But this part, touching the amendment 

 o?the institutions and orders of universities, I.^,*&quot;*&quot;*! 

 with the clause of Caesar s letter to Oppius and Bribes, Hoc 

 quemadmodum fieri possit, nonnulla mihi ^n mentem vemunt 

 Tmulta reperiri possunt: de iis rebus rogo ros ut cogitationem 



^Another defect which I note ascendeth a little higher 



between the universities of Europe than now there is We 

 see there be many orders and foundations, which though they 

 be divided under several sovereignties and territories, yet the 



~ 



there cannot but be a fraternity in learning and illumination, 

 relltinHo that paternity which is attributed to God, who is 

 nallpd the Father of illuminations or lights. 



14 The lit defect which I will note is, that there hath 

 not been or very rarely been, any public designation of writers 

 orinauSers concerning such parts of knowledge as may appear 

 notTCe been already sufficiently laboured or undertaken ; 

 nto which point it is an inducement to enter into a view and 

 exam nation P what parts of learning have been Prosecuted ^ 

 what omitted For the opinion of plenty is amongst the 

 Tauses of want, and the great quantity of books maketh a 

 showrathe7of superfluity than lack; which surcharge never- 

 thehlss is not to be remedied by making no more books, but 

 by maHng more good books, which as the serpent of Moses, 

 ^iVbt devour the serpents of the enchanters. 



$ The removing of all the defects formerly enumerate 

 except the last, and of the active part also of the last (which 

 Ts the desionat on of writers), are opera basilica ; towards which 

 the endeav 8 ours of a private man may be but as an image in a 



