THE WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 



ass, which may seem to be experience, a stupid thing, 

 and full of delay ; from whose leisurely and snail- 

 like pace proceeds that complaint of life s brevity, 

 and art s length ; and to say the truth, I am of this 

 opinion, that those two faculties, dogmatical and em- 

 py r ical, are not as yet well j oined and coupled together, 

 but as new gifts of the gods imposed either upon 

 philosophical abstractions, as upon a flying bird, or 

 upon slow and dull experience, as upon an ass. 

 And yet methinks I would not entertain an ill conceit 

 of this ass, if it meet not for the accidents of travel 

 and thirst : for I am persuaded, that whoso con 

 stantly goes on, by the conduct of experience, as by 

 a certain rule and method, and not covets to meet 

 with such experiments by the way, as conduce either 

 to gain or ostentation, to obtain which, he must be 

 fain to lay down and sell this burthen, may prove no 

 unfit porter to bear this new addition of divine mu 

 nificence. 



Now, in that this gift is said to pass from men to 

 serpents, it may seem to be added to the fable for 

 ornament sake, in a manner, unless it were inserted 

 to shame men, that having the use of that celestial 

 fire and of so many arts, are not able to get unto 

 themselves such things as nature itself bestows upon 

 many other creatures. 



But that sudden reconciliation of men to Prome 

 theus, after they were frustrated of their hopes, con 

 tains a profitable and wise note, shewing the levity 

 and temerity of men in new experiments : for if they 

 have not present success answerable to their expec- 



