BOOK I.j APHORISMS. 419 



cate and well regulated motion of the hand or of instruments. 

 To take an instance, the manufacture of clocks is delicate and 

 accurate, and appears to imitate the heavenly bodies in its wheels, 

 and the pulse of animals in its regular oscillation, yet it only 

 depends upon one or two axioms of nature. 



Again, if one consider the refinement of the liberal arts, or 

 even that exhibited in the preparation of natural bodies in me 

 chanical arts and the like, as the discovery of the heavenly 

 motions in astronomy, of harmony in music, of the letters of the 

 alphabet* (still unadopted by the Chinese) in grammar; or, 

 again, in mechanical operations, the productions of Bacchus and 

 Ceres, that is, the preparation of wine and beer, the making of 

 bread, or even the luxuries of the table, distillation, and the like; 

 if one reflect also, and consider for how long a period of ages (for 

 all the above, except distillation, are ancient) these things have 

 been brought to their present state of perfection, and (as we 

 instanced in clocks) to how few observations and axioms of nature 

 they may be referred, and how easily, and as it were, by obvious 

 chance or contemplation, they might be discovered, one would 

 scon cease to admire and rather pity the human lot on account 

 of its vast want and dearth of things and discoveries for so many 

 ages. Yet even the discoveries we have mentioned were more 

 ancient than philosophy and the intellectual arts ; so that, (to 

 say the truth) when contemplation and doctrinal science began, 

 the discovery of useful works ceased. 



But if any one turn from the manufactories to libraries, and 

 be inclined to admire the immense variety of books offered to our 

 view, let him but examine and diligently inspect the matter and 

 contents of these books, and his astonishment will certainly 

 change its object : for when he finds no end of repetitions, ami 

 how much men do and speak the same thing over again, he will 

 pass from admiration of this variety to astonishment at tin 1 

 poverty and scarcity of matter, which has hitherto possessed and 

 filled men s minds. 



But if any one should condescend to consider such sciences as 

 are deemed rather curious than sound, and take a full vie\v of 

 the operations of the alchymists or magi, he will perhaps hesi 

 tate whether he ought rather to laugh or to weep. .For tho 

 alchemist cherishes eternal hope, and when his labours succeed 

 not, accuses his own mistakes, deeming, in his self-accusation, 

 that he has not properly understood the words of art or of his 

 authors ; upon which he listens to tradition and vague whispers, 

 or imagines there is some slight unsteadiness in the minute 

 details of his practice, and then has recourse to an endless repe- 



* The Chinese characters resemble, in many respects, the hicro 

 glyphic3 of the Egyptians, being adapted to represent ideas, not sound* 



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