NOVUM ORGANUM 97 



or fortune, that she wears a lock in front, but is bald 

 behind. 



In short, we may reply decisively to those who despise 

 any part of natural history as being vulgar, mean, or sub 

 tile, and useless in its origin, in the words of a poor woman 

 to a haughty prince, 84 who had rejected her petition as un 

 worthy, and beneath the dignity of his majesty: &quot;Then 

 cease to reign&quot;; for it is quite certain that the empire of 

 nature can neither be obtained nor administered by one who 

 refuses to pay attention to such matters as being poor and 

 too minute. 



CXXII. Again, it may be objected to us as being singu 

 lar and harsh, that we should with one stroke and assault, 

 as it were, banish all authorities and sciences, and that too 

 by our own efforts, without requiring the assistance and 

 support of any of the ancients. 



Now we are aware, that had we been ready to act other 

 wise than sincerely, it was not difficult to refer our present 

 method to remote ages, prior to those of the Greeks (since 

 the sciences in all probability flourished more in their nat 

 ural state, though silently, than when they were paraded 

 with the fifes and trumpets of the Greeks); or even (in 

 parts, at least) to some of the Greeks themselves, and to 

 derive authority and honor from thence ; as men of no family 

 labor to raise and form nobility for themselves in some an 

 cient line, by the help of genealogies. Trusting, however, 

 to the evidence of facts, we reject every kind of fiction and 

 imposture; and think it of no more consequence to our sub 

 ject, whether future discoveries were known to the ancients, 

 and set or rose according to the vicissitudes of events and 



84 Philip of Macedon. 



