PREFACE. XXlll 



&amp;lt; c be corrected by any felicity of art or genius : and 

 * therefore, if in our Natural History, which is col- 

 &quot; lected, and examined, with so much diligence, so 

 &quot; rigorous, and, as it were, with so religious a seve- 

 &quot; rity, there should sometimes happen any falsity, or 

 &quot; mistake, with regard to particulars ; what must be 

 &quot; thought of the common Natural History, which in 

 &quot; comparison of ours, is so negligent and remiss ; 

 &quot; or, what of the philosophy, and the sciences, built 

 &quot; upon such quicksands? Let no one, therefore, be 

 &quot; concerned, if our history has its errors.&quot; 



And, in the Advancement of Learning, when treat 

 ing of credulity, he says &quot; the matter of manifest 

 &quot; truth is not to be mingled or weakened with matter 

 &quot; of doubtful credit ; and yet again, rarities and 

 &quot; reports that seem incredible are not to be sup- 

 &quot; pressed or denied to the memory of men.&quot; 



From the slightest examination of this work it will 

 appear that, not having such a collection of natural 

 history as he had measured out in his mind, which 

 would have required the purse of a prince and the 

 assistance of a people, Lord Bacon did the best in his 

 power, trying all things but not believing all things, 

 to make such a collection as might render some 

 assistance to future enquirers by pointing out the 

 mode in which a natural history ought to be com 

 piled, without haste in the admission or rejection of 

 received reports. &quot; The rejection,&quot; he says, &quot; which I 

 continually use, of experiments, though it appeareth 

 not, is infinite ; but yet if an experiment be probable 



