24 INTERPRETATION OF NATURE. 



coinage of words reflects its rays and impressions into the 

 mind itself, and is thus not only a hindrance in discourse, 

 but injurious also to the judgment and understanding. So 

 he saw well, that, among the internal causes of error, he 

 must place this as one serious and pernicious import. 



He thought also that, beside the usual difficulties of the 

 sciences and knowledge, natural philosophy, particularly 

 the active and operative, had its peculiar drawbacks and 

 impediments. For it has been notably hurt and discre 

 dited by some of its professors, light and vain men, who, 

 partly from credulity, partly from craft, have loaded the 

 human race with promises, offering prolongation of life, 

 delay of infirmity, relief from pain, supply of natural de 

 fects, deceptions of the senses, the binding or inciting of 

 the affections, illuminations of the mental powers, ecsta- 

 cies, transmuting of substances, unlimited multiplication 

 of motions, -impression^ on the air and changes of it, 

 divination of future events, representations of distant oc 

 currences, revelation of mysteries, and many other things. 

 Now, in considering these liberal givers, we shall not be 

 far wrong if we pass a judgment like this : that there is 

 as much difference in philosophy, between their triflings 

 and the true arts, as there is in history between the 

 wars of Julius Caesar or Alexander, and those of Amadis 

 de Gaul or Arthur of Britain. For it is evident that 

 those renowned generals achieved more in reality than 

 the other shadowy heroes are pretended to have done, but 

 by means and ways of action not at all fabulous or super 

 natural. So that it is not just to deny credit to true his 

 tory, because it is sometimes wounded and injured by 

 fabulous stories. For Ixion of a cloud begat the Centaurs, 

 yet still, of the real Juno, Jove begat Hebe and Vulcan, that 

 is the lovely and divine virtues of nature and art. But 

 though this is true, and it shows great ignorance to be 

 incredulous without distinction ; yet he saw well that the 

 access to truth was formerly shut up, or at least narrowed 

 by fables of this kind, and that the ignominy of vanity 

 even now abates all greatness of mind. 



He thought also that there is found in the mind of man 

 a certain affection, naturally bred and fortified by some 

 men s opinion and doctrine, which has checked and pre 

 vented the true proceeding of natural philosophy, that is 

 the active and operative kind. This is a rotten and perni 

 cious idea or estimation, that the majesty of man s mind 

 suffers diminution if it be long and deeply conversant with 

 experiences and particulars subject to sense, and bound in 



