. ^ A [ I KM) I X A. 



neral statement^ of special Phenomena as &quot;the an^le of Inci 

 dence ut Li&amp;lt;_ r ht is cijiial to the an^le of Reflection&quot; an optical 

 &quot; Principle&quot; mi which much depends. The Definitions of Geo 

 metry may lie termed it- &quot; Principles. If tlu ii we take Axiom 

 in tin-- -en-e. \\ e ha\e the authority of Bacon ami of Sir Isaac 

 Newton on uiir side : ai_ r ain-t us we shall find Dn^ald Stewart s 

 Phi In-, of the H 11 ma 11 Mind, part II. chap. i. i . 2. also Locke, 

 I 1 . ay on the Human rnderstainlinr. lk. I\ . chap. vu. (where 

 li calls Aximn- Mn.riin**. and Mill s Lo^ic. part 111. chap. 

 \\i\. 7. The-e all nearlv a^ree in holding that Axioms art- 

 only tho-e duvet and perfectly simple Inductive Truths which. 

 ulieii once Mated, are felt (l&amp;gt;y the -tructure of tin 1 mind com 

 bined with experience, a- -mm 1 -a v : h\ the &quot; mini contrarmm.&quot; 

 as dthei 1 - Imld) to he self-evident. 



Into the ijiie-tidii i if their proof depending partly on the con 

 stitution of the Human mind, or of their entire derivation from 

 the outer win-Id (the point at i--ne bet \\erii Mill and \Vhewell). 

 I need nut enter. And a- thi- note is intended to explain 

 I&amp;gt;acuii - n-e of tin- term, we may now pa mi to find m-tances 

 in which he take- Aximna&quot; a- eijnivalent to &quot; Principle ;&quot; as 

 anv tiling aliove particulars, even in the lu\\e-t decree any 

 Lreiieral -tateiiient. even of the lowe-t amount of generality. 

 The chief place for the use of the Term in the \ovum ( )r ga 

 llon i- I. 103 105. when- Bacon treats of the discovery of 

 Axiom- liy mean- of the new method of Induction. There we 

 find him speak in : of Aximnata miimra&quot; or &quot;infinia.&quot; which do 

 not ditVer very much from hare experience. There is in them 

 a little more consciousness of a law or general statement than 

 there would he ahmit hare experience, \vhose conclusions 

 would he exactly the -ame. pj-ol&amp;gt;ahlv. hut not i^ot at so defi 

 nitely. Then there are &quot; Axiomata media&quot; holdinir an inter 

 mediate rank in ireiieral ity hetween the above-mentioned low 

 est Axioms, the immediate results of hare experience, and the 

 highest Axioms, or most ireueral jirinci])les in any Art or 

 Science the &quot; ^eneralissima &quot; of Bacon. And these last, too, 

 must he distinguished from the abstract and conccptional 

 Axioms of the then prevailing systems of Sciences. And these 

 &quot; !_ r cneralis-ima&quot; will include these Axioms noticed in the &quot; De 



