OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. [XIII. 2. 



we were, even amongst the Egyptians gods ; there being 

 little left to the faculty of reason, and nothing to the duty 

 of art, for matter of invention. 



3. Secondly, the induction which the logicians speak 

 of, and which seemeth familiar with Plato, whereby the 

 principles of sciences may be pretended to be invented, 

 and so the middle propositions by derivation from the 

 principles; their form of induction, I say, is utterly 

 vicious and incompetent : wherein their error is the 

 fouler, because it is the duty of art to perfect and exalt 

 nature ; but they contrariwise have wronged, abused, and 

 traduced nature. For he that shall attentively observe 

 how the mind doth gather this excellent dew of know 

 ledge, like unto that which the poet speaketh of, Aerei 

 mellis cczlestia dona, distilling and contriving it out of 

 particulars natural and artificial, as the flowers of the 

 field and garden, shall find that the mind of herself by 

 nature doth manage and act an induction much better 

 than they describe it. For to conclude upon an enumer 

 ation of particulars, without instance contradictory, is 

 no conclusion, but a conjecture ; for who can assure 

 (in many subjects) upon those particulars which appear 

 of a side, that there are not other on the contrary side 

 which appear not? As if Samuel should have rested 

 upon those sons of Issay which were brought before 

 him, and failed of David which was in the field. And 

 this form (to say truth) is so gross, as it had not been 

 possible for wits so subtile as have managed these things 

 to have offered it to the world, but that they hasted to 

 their theories and dogmaticals, and were imperious and 

 scornful toward particulars ; which their manner was to 

 use but as lie fores and viator es, for sergeants and whi friers, 

 ad summovendam turbam, to make way and make room for 



