LIB. I. 43, 44. i&amp;gt;;3 



Homines enim per sermones sociantur ; at verba ex 

 ca))tu vulgi imponuntur. Itaque mala et inepta verbo- 

 ruin iinpositio miris modis intellectum obsidet. Neque 

 definitiones aut explicationes, quibus homines docti se 

 innnire et vindicare in nonnullis consueverunt, rem 

 ullo inodo restituunt. Sed verba plane vim faciunt 

 intellectui, et omnia turbant; et homines ad innnes et 

 innumeras controversias et commenta deducunt. 



XLIV. 



Sunt denique ido/n, qua? immigrarunt in ariimos ho- 

 minum ex cliversis dogmatibus philosophiarnm, ac etiam 

 ex perversis legibus demonstrationum ; quo? idola thea- 

 tri nominamus 45 ; quia quot philosophiae recept;e ant 

 in veil tee sunt, tot fabulas prod u etas et actas censemus, 

 qiuie mnndos effecenmt h ctitios et scenicos. Neque 

 de his qua) jam habentur, aut etiam de veteribus phi- 

 losophiis et sectis tantum loquimur, cum complures 

 alia? ejusmodi fabulae componi et concinnari possint ; 

 quandoquidem erroruni prorsus diversorum causnc sint 

 nihilominus fere communes. Neque rursus de philo- 

 sophiis universalibus tantum hoc intelligimas, sed etiam 

 de principiis et axiomatibus compluribus scientiarum, 

 quae ex traditione et fide et neglectu invaluerunt. 



tirely new Philosophical and Uni- of the difference between Philosophy 



versal Language. For men ever with and without a language of its 



vitiate their conceptions by the in- own. Algebra never made progress 



troduction of relative or analogous till after Vieta introduced symbols 



notions; and it was hoped the new into it, and then it shot forwards 



Language might obviate this. The directly. Cf. also Advancement of 



subject is treated at length in D. Learning, p. 196. 



Stewart s Phil, of the Human Mind, ^ Idola Theatri. The prejudices 



part I. ch. iv. sect. 4, 5, and Note L arising from the different systems of 



on Leibnitz : cf. also the Introd. to Philosophy, and the faulty methods 



the same work, part II. sect. 2 ( 2), of Demonstration in vogue. This 



where he quotes Lavoisier on Che- head, which brings Bacon to the 



mistry and Algebra. The latter of edge of controversy, will be treated 



these affords a striking illustration of at greater length hereafter. 



