LIB. I. 45, 46. 25 



cum reliquis tribus, qua^ subjiciuntur sensui. Etiam 

 elementis (quae vocant) imponitur ad placituin decupla 

 proportio excessus in raritatc ad invieem ; et hujus- 

 niocli somuia. Neque vanitas ista tan turn valet in dog- 

 inatibus, verum etiam in notionibus simplicibus. 



XLVI. 



Intellectus humanus in iis qua? semcl placuerunt, 

 (aut quia recepta simt et credita, aut quia delectant) 

 alia etiam omnia trahit ad suffragationem et consensum 

 cum illis: et licet major sit instantiarum vis et copia, 

 quae occurrurit in contrariurn ; tameri eas ant non 

 observat, aut contenmit, aut distinguendo surnmovet 

 et rejicit, non sine magno et pernicioso prayudicio, quo 

 prioribus illis syllepsibus auctoritas maneat inviolata 49 . 

 Itaque recte respondit ille r , qui, cum suspensa tabula 

 in templo ei monstraretur eorum, qui vota solvorant, 

 quod naufragii periculo clapsi sint, atque interrogando 

 premeretur, anne turn quidein Deorum nnmeii agnosce- 

 ret, qujesivit denuo, At ubi sunt illi depicti qui post 

 vota nuncupata pcrlcrintf Eadem ratio est fere omnis 

 superstitionis 5i , ut in astrologicis, in somniis, ominibus, 

 nemesibus, et hujusmodi ; in quibus homines delectati 

 hujusmodi vanitatibus advertunt eventus, ubi implen- 

 tur ; ast ubi fallunt, licet multo frcquentius, tamen 



43 This disingenuous behaviour is to neglect the Truth that God does 



as common in Philosophy as in life : not grant every prayer; that He 



and so this also trenches on the often acts rightly for us, when we 



&quot; Idola Theatri.&quot; pray wrongly for ourselves. 



Diagoras the Atheist. Ari- 6 Superstition, arising from a 



stoph. Ran. 320.: cf. also Cic. de wrong view (i) of God s govern- 



Nat. Deor. iii. 37, where this anec- ment, (2) of the Constitution of 



dote is related. Religion suffers Nature as His work. The subject 



most from the false ground taken is treated at greater length infr. I. 



by its supporters. And so such an 65. and 89. 



appeal to the Atheist failed. The For the question of Bacon s belief, 



error lay in that feebleness of faith so violently impugned by Le Maistre 



among the Ancients, which led men and others, see Appendix ( . 



