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nations of new particulars, if men in their speculation 

 will keep one eye upon use and practice. But these 

 are but coastings along the shore premendo littus 

 iniquum : for it seemeth to me there can hardly be 

 discovered any radical or fundamental alterations and 

 innovations in nature, either by the fortune and essays 

 of experiments, or by the light and direction of physical 

 causes. If therefore we have reported 

 metaphysic deficient, it must follow that 

 we do the like of natural magic, which 

 hath relation thereunto. For as for the 

 natural magic whereof now there is men 

 tion in books, containing certain credulous and super 

 stitious conceits and observations of sympathies and 

 antipathies, and hidden proprieties, and some frivolous 

 experiments, strange rather by disguisement than in 

 themselves, it is as far differing in truth of nature 

 from such a knowledge as we require, as the story of 

 King Arthur of Britain, of Hugh of Bourdeaux, differs 

 from Caesar s Commentaries in truth of story. For it 

 is manifest that Caesar did greater things de vero than 

 those imaginary heroes were feigned to do. But he 

 did them not in that fabulous manner. Of this kind 

 of learning the fable of Ixion was a figure, who designed 

 to enjoy Juno, the goddess of power ; and instead of 

 her had copulation with a cloud, of which mixture were 

 begotten centaurs and chimeras. So whosoever shall 

 entertain high and vaporous imaginations, instead of 

 a laborious and sober inquiry of truth, shall beget 

 hopes and beliefs of strange and impossible shapes. 

 And therefore we may note in these sciences which hold 

 so much of imagination and belief, as this degenerate 

 natural magic, alchemy, astrology, and the like, that 

 in their propositions the description of the means is 

 ever more monstrous than the pretence or end. For it 

 is a thing more probable, that he that knoweth well 

 the natures of weight, of colour, of pliant and fragile 

 in respect of the hammer, of volatile and fixed in 

 respect of the fire, and the rest, may superinduce upon 

 some metal the nature and form of gold by such 



