120 THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



mensura, have brought into natural philosophy ; not much 

 better than the heresy of the Anthropomorphizes, bred in the 

 cells of gross and solitary monks, and the opinion of Epicurus, 

 answerable to the same in heathenism, who supposed the gods 

 to be of human shape. And, therefore, Velleius the Epicurean 

 needed not to have asked why God should have adorned the 

 heavens with stars, as if He had been an cedilis, one that should 

 have set forth some magnificent shows or plays. For if that 

 great Work-master had been of a human disposition, He 

 would have cast the stars into some pleasant and beautiful 

 works and orders like the frets in the roofs of houses ; whereas 

 one can scarce find a posture in square, or triangle, or straight 

 line, amongst such an infinite number, so differing a harmony 

 there is between the spirit of man and the spirit of Nature. 



(10) Let us consider again the false appearances imposed 

 upon us by every man s own individual nature and custom in 

 that feigned supposition that Plato maketh of the cave ; for 

 certainly if a child were continued in a grot or cave under the 

 earth until maturity of age, and came suddenly abroad, he 

 would have strange and absurd imaginations. So, in like 

 manner, although our persons live in the view of heaven, yet 

 our spirits are included in the caves of our own complexions 

 and customs, which minister unto us infinite errors and vain 

 opinions if they be not recalled to examination. But hereof 

 we have given many examples in one of the errors, or peccant 

 humours, which we ran briefly over in our first book. 



(11) And lastly, let us consider the false appearances that 

 are imposed upon us by words, which are framed and applied 

 according to the conceit and capacities of the vulgar sort ; and 

 although we think we govern our words, and prescribe it well 

 loquendum ut vulgus sentiendum ut sapientes, yet certain it is 

 that words, as a Tartar s bow, do shoot back upon the under 

 standing of the wisest, and mightily entangle and pervert the 

 judgment. So as it is almost necessary in all controversies 

 and disputations to imitate the wisdom of the mathematicians, 

 in setting down in the very beginning the definitions of our 

 words and terms, that others may know how we accept and 

 understand them, and whether they concur with us or no. 

 For it cometh to pass, for want of this, that we are sure to end 

 there where we ought to have begun, which is, in questions 

 and differences about words. To conclude, therefore, it must 

 be confessed that it is not possible to divorce ourselves from 

 these fallacies and false appearances because they are insepar 

 able from our nature and condition of life ; so yet, neverthe 

 less, the caution of them (for all clenches, as was said, aro 



