THE SECOND BOOK 71 



For it is necessary to the progression of sciences that 

 readers be of the most able and sufficient men ; as 

 those which are ordained for generating and propagat 

 ing of sciences, and not for transitory use. This cannot 

 be, except their condition and endowment be such as 

 may content the ablest man to appropriate his whole 

 labour and continue his whole age in that function and 

 attendance ; and therefore must have a proportion 

 answerable to that mediocrity or competency of advance 

 ment, which may be expected from a profession or the 

 practice of a profession. So as, if you will have sciences 

 tiourish, you must observe David s military law, which 

 was, That those which staid with the carriage should 

 have equal part with those which were in the action ; 

 else will the carriages be ill attended. So readers in 

 sciences are indeed the guardians of the stores and pro 

 visions of sciences, whence men in active courses are 

 furnished, and therefore ought to have equal enter 

 tainment with them ; otherwise if the fathers in sciences 

 be of the weakest sort or be ill maintained, 



Et patrum invalidi referent jejunia nati. 



10. Another defect I note, wherein I shall need some 

 alchemist to help me, who call upon men to sell their 

 books, and to build furnaces ; quitting and forsaking 

 Minerva and the Muses as barren virgins, and relying 

 upon Vulcan. But certain it is, that unto the deep, 

 fruitful, and operative study of many sciences, specially 

 natural philosophy and physic, books be not only the 

 instrumentals ; wherein also the beneficence of men 

 hath not been altogether wanting. For we see spheres, 

 globes, astrolabes, maps, and the like, have been pro 

 vided as appurtenances to astronomy and cosmography, 

 as well as books. We see likewise that some places 

 instituted for physic have annexed the commodity of 

 gardens for simples of all sorts, and do likewise com 

 mand the use of dead bodies for anatomies. But these 

 do respect but a few things. In general, there will 

 hardly be any main proficience in the disclosing of 

 nature, except there be some allowance for expenses 



