168 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



men off from God and Providence, that, on the contrary, 

 the philosophers employed in discovering them can find 

 no rest, but by flying to God or Providence at last. 



CHAPTER V 



Division of the Practical Branch of Natural Philosophy into Mechanics and 

 Magic (Experimental Philosophy), which correspond to the Speculative 

 Division Mechanics to Physics, and Magic to Metaphysics. The word 

 Magic cleared from False Interpretation. Appendix to Active Science 

 twofold ; viz. , an Inventory of Human Helps and a Catalogue of Things 

 of Multifarious Use 



THE practical doctrine of nature we likewise necessarily 

 divide into two parts, corresponding to those of spec 

 ulative; for physics, or the inquiry of efficient and 

 material causes produces mechanics; and metaphysics, the 

 inquiry of forms, produces magic; while the inquiry of final 

 causes is a barren thing, or as a virgin consecrated to God. 

 We here understand that mechanics which is coupled with 

 physical causes; for besides the bare effective or empirical 

 mechanics, which has no dependence on physics, and be 

 longs to natural history, there is another not absolutely 

 operative, and yet not strictly philosophical. For all dis 

 coveries of works either had their rise from accident, and 

 so were handed down from age to age, or else were sought 

 by design; and the latter were either discovered by the light 

 of causes and axioms, or acquired by extending, transfer 

 ring, or compounding some former inventions, which is a 

 thing more ingenious and sagacious than philosophical. 

 But the mechanics here understood is that treated by Aris 

 totle promiscuously, by Hero in his Pneumatics, by that 

 very diligent writer in metallics, George Agricola, and by 

 numerous others in particular subjects: so that we have no 

 omission to note in this point only that the miscellaneous 

 mechanics, after the example of Aristotle, should have been 

 more carefully continued by the moderns, especially with 



