NOVUM OR&ANUM 29 



nature, they wrest and corrupt them by their preconceived 

 fancies, of which Aristotle affords us a single instance, who 

 made his natural philosophy completely subservient to his 

 logicj and thus rendered it little more than useless and dis 

 putatious. The chemists, again, have formed a fanciful 

 philosophy with the most confined views, from a few ex 

 periments of the furnace. Gilbert,** too, having employed 

 himself most assiduously in the consideration of the magnet, 

 immediately established a system of philosophy to coincide 

 with his favorite pursuit. 



LV. The greatest and, perhaps, radical distinction be 

 tween different men s dispositions for philosophy and the 

 sciences is this, that some are more vigorous and active in 

 observing the differences of things, others in observing their 

 resemblances ; for a steady and acute disposition can fix its 

 thoughts, and dwell upon and adhere to a point, through 

 all the refinements of differences, but those that are sub 

 lime and discursive recognize and compare even the most 

 delicate and general resemblances; each of them readily 

 falls into excess, by catching either at nice distinctions or 

 shadows of resemblance. 



LYI. Some dispositions evince an unbounded admira 

 tion of antiquity, others eagerly embrace novelty, and but 

 few can preserve the just medium, so as neither to tear up 



M Gilbert lived toward the close of the sixteenth century, and was court 

 physician to both Elizabeth and James. In his work alluded to in the text he 

 continually asserts the advantages of the experimental over the a priori method 

 in physical inquiry, and succeeded when his censor failed in giving a practical 

 example of the utility of his precepts. His &quot;De Magnete&quot; contains all the 

 fundamental parts of the science, and these so perfectly treated, tha we have 

 nothing to add to them at the present day. 



Gilbert adopted the Copernican system, and even spoke of the contrary 

 theory as utterly absurd, grounding his argument on the vast velocities which 

 such a supposition requires us to ascribe to the heavenly bodies. Ed. 



