114 



quid in ipsis experimentis minus certuni, vel omnino 

 falsum ; atque pro])terea secuni fortasse reputabit, fun- 

 damentis et principiis falsis et dubiis inventa nostra 

 niti. Verum hoc nihil est ; necesse enim est, talia sub 

 initiis evenire. Simile enim est, ac si in scriptione, ant 

 impressione, una forte litera, ant altera, perperam po- 

 sita ant collocata sit ; id enim legentem non multum 

 impedire solet, qnandoqnidem errata ab ipso sensn fa 

 cile corrignntnr. Tta etiam cogitent homines, nmlta in 

 historia natnrali experimenta falso credi et recipi posse; 

 qua; panlo post a cansis et axiomatibus inventis nicile 

 expnnguntnr et rejicinntur. Sed tamen verum est, si 

 in historia naturali, et experimentis, magna, et crebra, 

 et continna fuerint errata, ilia nulla ingenii ant artis 

 felicitate corrigi ant emendari i)osse. Itaque si in his 

 toria nostra naturali, quae tanta diligentia, et severitate, 

 et fere religione probata et collecta est, aliqnid in par- 

 ticularibus quandoque subsit falsitatis, aut erroris; quid 

 tandem de naturali historia vnlgari, qua- pra; nostra 

 tain negligens est et facilis, dicendnm erit ? aut de phi- 

 losophia et scientiis super hujusmodi arenas (vel syrtes 

 potius) eedificatis? Itaque hoc, quod diximus, neminem 



moveat 5 -*. 



CXIX. 



Occurrent etiam in historia nostra et experimentis 



r &amp;gt;3 This is a wise axiom : and ad- to accept the good, and to eliminate 



ministers a rebuke to such eager the faults of all who have before 



critics as Le Maistre. We shall written ; and so it comes that most 



have of course, to notice continual works on Physics are obsolete in a 



errors in Bacon s Physical Know- few years. But it is the glory of 



ledge ; errors which to us seem this work that no course of years 



strange, but in his day were pardon- can render it obsolete, and that as 



able, and sometimes praiseworthy. Physical Sciences nourish, it will 



These errors no how vitiate his obtain more and more respect ; tor 



principles and no one would more its general principles will stand, and 



cladly have corrected them than its insight into Nature is deep; 



Bacon himself. It is one of the and often its very faults are m- 



functions of a growing Philosophy structive. 



