XV111 PREFACE. 



&quot; saw the image of Adonis, Venus minion, in a temple, 

 &quot; said in disdain, Nil sacri es ; so there are none of 

 &quot; Hercules followers in learning, that is, the more 

 &amp;lt;( severe and laborious sort of inquirers into truth, 

 &quot; but will despise those delicacies and affectations, as 

 &quot; indeed capable of no divineness.&quot;* 



&quot; No man was, for his own sake, less attached to 

 &quot; system or ornament than Lord Bacon. A plain un- 

 (( adorned style in aphorisms, in which the Novum 

 &quot; Organum is written, is, he invariably states, the 

 &quot; proper style for philosophy. In the midst of his 

 &quot; own arrangement, in the Advancement of Learning, 

 &quot; he says : The worst and most absurd sort of tri- 

 &quot; flers are those who have pent the whole art into 

 C( f strict methods and narrow systems, which men 

 &quot; c commonly cry up for the sake of their regularity 

 &quot; &amp;lt; and style/ &quot; 



Again he says : &quot; It is of great consequence to 

 &quot; consider whether sciences should be delivered by 

 &quot; way of aphorism or of method. Methodical 

 &quot; delivery is more fit to win consent or belief; 

 &quot; but less fit to point to action ; for they carry a 

 &quot; shew of demonstration in orb or circle, one part 

 &quot; illuminating another ; and therefore do more 

 &quot; satisfy the understanding ; but being that ac- 

 &quot; tions in common course of life are dispersed, 

 &quot; and not orderly digested, they do best agree with 

 &quot; dispersed directions. Lastly, aphorisms repre- 

 &amp;lt;f senting certain portions only, and as it were 



* See vol. II. of this work, 32. 



