58 NOVUM ORGANUM. 



tiam suam ostentando, et mercedem cxigcndo : alte- 

 rtim vcro solennius ct gencrosius, quippe eorum qui 

 scdcs fixas habuerunt, ct scholas aperuerunt, et gratis 

 philosophati snnt. Sod tamcn utrumqne genus (licet 

 ca&amp;gt;tera dispar) professorium erat, ct ad disputationes 

 ivm deducebat, ct sectas quasdam atque lurreses philo- 

 sopbia* instituebat et propugnabat : ut esscnt fere doc- 

 triiiiv cornni (quod 11011 male cavillatus est Dionysius 

 in Platoncin) Vcrln otiosorinii sen inn ad imperitos juve- 

 nes**. At antiquiorcs illi ex Gnvcis, Em])edocles, 

 Anaxagoras, Leucippus, Democritus, Parmenides, Ile- 

 raclitns, Xenopbanes, Philolaus, rcliqui, (nain Pythago- 

 rani, ut superstitiosum, omittimus) scholas 45 (&amp;lt;)iiod no- 

 vimus) non a])eruerunt: sed majore silentio, et seve- 

 rius, et simplicius, id est, minoiv cum affectatione ct 

 ostentatione, ad iu(|uisitionem veritatis se contule- 

 runt&quot; . Ttacjue ct molius, ut arbitramur, se gesseruut ; 

 nisi quod ojiera corum a levioribus istis, (]iii vulgari 

 captui et affcctui magis respondent ac placent, tractu 

 teni])oris extincta sint: tempore (ut fluvio) leviora et 

 magis inflata ad nos devchcnte, graviora et solida mer- 

 gente 17 . Neque tamen isti a nationis vitio prorsus 



viii. 11.486; and against him a \vell course on Nat. Phil. part. II. ch. iii. 



written Appendix to Sheppard s edi- 98. &quot;The spirit of rational in- 



tion of Theophrastus. quiry into Nature seems, if we can 



4J Cf. Adv. of Learning, p. 42. judge from the uncertain and often 



The Dionysius here mentioned was contradictory notices handed down 



the elder, the son of Ilcrmocrates. to us of their tenets, to have been 



The interview, in the course of which far more alive, and less warped by 



this was said, is given in Diog. Laert. a vain and arrogant turn, than at a 



III. 1 8. later period.&quot; For the question of 



^ &quot; Scholas.&quot; i. e. shewed no the old Philosophers see infr. I. 



symptoms of schism and antago- 96 98. 



nism of sects, which was the &quot; na- 47 This is one of the absurd falla- 



tionis vitium&quot; mentioned below, and cies arising from the use of Analo- 



which turned the search after truth gies, into which Bacon (when his 



into subtilty of disputatious skill. feelings outrun his judgment) is 



4(5 Sir W. Herschel in his Dis- prone to fall. He seemed to like the 



