LIB. I. 80, 81. 



71 



que minime mirum est, si scientiae non crescant, cum a 

 radicibus suis shit separatee. 



LXXXI. 



Rursus se ostendit alia causa potens et magna, cur 

 scientise parum promoverint. Ea vero haec est ; quod 

 fieri non possit, ut recte procedatur in curriculo, ubi 

 ipsa meta non recte posita sit et defixa. Meta autem 

 scientiarum vera et legitima non alia est quam ut 

 dotetur vita Uumana novis inventis et copiis 68 . At 



D. Stewart, Phil, of the Human 

 Mind, part I, chap. ii. on Atten 

 tion. 



68 This Aphorism gives us the 

 key to the chief part of Bacon s 

 Philosophy; not &quot; qusestiones&quot; but 

 &quot; fructus;&quot; and that not immediate 

 and partial, but permanent and com 

 plete. &quot; Lord Bacon,&quot; says D. Stew 

 art (Phil, of the Human Mind, In- 

 trod. II. 2), &quot; was the first person 

 who took this comprehensive view of 

 the different departments of study : 

 and who pointed out, to all classes 

 of literary men, the great end to 

 which all their labours should con 

 spire ; the multiplication of the 

 sources of human enjoyment, and 

 the extension of man s dominion 

 over Nature.&quot; See De Augm. Sci- 

 ent. i. &quot; Omnium autem gravissi- 

 mus error in deviatione ab ultimo 

 doctrinarum fine consistit. Appe- 

 tunt enim homines Scientiam, alii 

 ex invita curiositate et irrequieta; 

 alii animi causa et delectationis; alii 

 existimationis gratia; alii conten- 

 tionis ergo, atque ut in disserendo 

 superiores sint : plerique propter 

 lucrum et victum : paucissimi, ut 

 donum rationis, divinitus datum, in 

 usus human! generis impendant. 

 Hoc enim illud est, quod revera 

 doctrinam atque artes condecoraret 

 et attolleret, si contemplatio et actio 



arctiore quam adhuc vinculo copu- 

 larentur.&quot; In the Adv. of Learn 

 ing, Bk. i, he makes the true end of 

 Science &quot; the relief of man s estate.&quot; 

 The danger of carrying out to the 

 full this principle will be that we 

 are always liable to follow after 

 &quot; material gratification&quot; at the ex 

 pense of all else. And yet the most 

 comfortable person will (ceteris pa- 

 ribus) be the most healthy ; that is, 

 mere exposure and hardship never 

 strengthen. Comfort, cleanliness, 

 and vigour go together. If we wor 

 ship enjoyment, make a science of 

 it, seek life (as it were) for its sake, 

 the result must be lowering. But 

 comfort in itself is no enemy to 

 strength. Some would have it that 

 Morality at least (if not Faith too) 

 consists in Good Taste another 

 phase of the same belief. There is 

 a connection, a close analogy, be 

 tween the beautiful of Art and Edu 

 cation, and the beautiful of Moral 

 Life : but they can be disjoined ; 

 and so can the comfortable and the 

 good. Still &quot; Utility and Progress&quot; 

 are great ends for man s social life, 

 and will (like all God s gifts), if rightly 

 used, be found subservient to Reli 

 gion. At any rate a man who lives 

 (for example) in a comfortable cot 

 tage will have more self-respect, and 

 fewer social annoyances, than if his 



