94 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



concernetli the principles, and of that other part of 

 natural philosophy which concerneth the soul or spirit ; 

 all these strangely commixed and confused ; but being 

 examined, it seemeth to me rather a depredation of 

 other sciences, advanced and exalted unto some height 

 of terms, than anything solid or substantive of itself. 

 Nevertheless I cannot be ignorant of the distinction 

 which is current, that the same things are handled but 

 in several respects. As for example, that logic con- 

 sidereth of many things as they are in notion, and this 

 philosophy as they are in nature ; the one in appearance, 

 the other in existence ; but I find this difference better 

 made than pursued. For if they had considered quan 

 tity, similitude, diversity, and the rest of those extern 

 characters of things, as philosophers, and in nature, 

 their inquiries must of force have been of a far other 

 kind than they are. For doth any of them, in handling 

 quantity, speak of the force of union, how and how 

 far it multiplieth virtue ? Doth any give the reason, 

 why some things in nature are so common, and in so 

 great mass, and others so rare, and in so small quan 

 tity ? Doth any, in handling similitude and diversity, 

 assign the cause why iron should not move to iron, 

 which is more like, but move to the load-stone, which 

 is less like ? Why in all diversities of things there 

 should be certain participles in nature, which are 

 almost ambiguous to which kind they should be re 

 ferred ? But there is a mere and deep silence touching 

 the nature and operation of those common adjuncts 

 of things, as in nature : and only a resuming and 

 repeating of the force and use of them in speech or 

 argument. Therefore, because in a writing of this 

 nature I avoid all subtility, my meaning touching this 

 original or universal philosophy is thus, in a plain and 

 gross description by negative : That it be a receptacle 

 for all such profitable observations and axioms as fall 

 not within the compass of any of the special parts of 

 philosophy or sciences, but are more common and of 

 a higher stage. 



3. Now that there are many of that kind need not 



