INTELLECTUAL GLOBE. 155 



CHAP. III. 



A Partition of Natural History according to its use and end, 

 showing that by far the noblest end of Natural History 

 is its Ministration in the Jirst instance to found Philoso 

 phy ; and that such a History a History modelled in 

 order to such end, is wanted. 



BUT Natural History, threefold in its subject (as we have 

 stated), is twofold in its use. For it is employed either for 

 the purpose of furnishing knowledge of those facts which 

 are recorded by the history, or as the primitive matter of 

 philosophy. But if the noblest end of natural history is 

 this, that it is so to speak the stuff and Hyle of a just and 

 legitimate induction, and draws enough from the sense to 

 instruct the intellect. For that other sort of history, which 

 either delights by the charm of the narration, or pleases by 

 its subserviency to immediate experiments, and which is in 

 request either in respect of such pleasure or such profit, is 

 of a cast inferior, and in its nature meaner, in comparison 

 with that of which it is the nature and the quality to serve 

 as an appropriate preparation to found philosophy. For 

 that is the true natural history which is established as an 

 immoveable and eternal foundation for true and practical 

 philosophy ; which affords the first genial kindling to the 

 pure light of nature, wherein all phantasms vanish ; and of 

 which the genius, neglected and unappeased by fit offer 

 ings, has, in an evil hour, sent among us those legions of 

 spectres and worlds of shadows, which we see hovering over 

 all the expanse of the philosophies, along with great and 

 lamentable dearth of useful works. Now we assert and 

 explicitly testify, that a natural history, such as it ought to 

 be in order to this end, is not possessed, but ought to be 

 placed among histories wanting. And let not either the 

 great names of the ancients, or the great tomes of the mo 

 derns, startle the mental vision of any one ; and let him not 

 think that our complaint is the less just. We are well 

 aware, that there is extant a natural history, voluminous in 

 its bulk, entertaining from its variety, often interesting, 

 elaborate even to scrupulosity. But if one shall extract 

 from it accounts derived from fable and antiquity, the quo 

 tations and testimonies of authors, the empty questions 

 and controversies, and, finally, that part of it which is 



