140 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



civil states as in nature, for all faction is vehemently moved 

 and incensed at the rising of a contrary faction. 



A discord ending immediately in a concord sets off the 

 harmony. This is a rule in music that holds also true in 

 morals. A trembling sound in music gives the same pleas 

 ure to the ear, as the coruscation of water or the sparkling 

 of a diamond to the eye 



&quot; splendet tremulo sub luraine pontus.&quot; 7 



The organs of the senses resemble the organs of reflection, 

 as we see in optics and acoustics, where a concave glass 

 resembles the eye, and a sounding cavity the ear. And of 

 these axioms an infinite number might be collected; and 

 thus the celebrated Persian magic was, in effect, no more 

 than a notation of the correspondence in the structure and 

 fabric of things natural and civil. Nor let any one under 

 stand all this of mere similitudes, as they might at first 

 appear, for they really are one and the same footsteps, and 

 impressions of nature, made upon different matters and sub 

 jects. And in this light the thing has not hitherto been 

 carefully treated. A few of these axioms may indeed be 

 found in the writings of eminent men, here and there inter 

 spersed occasionally; but a collected body of them, which 

 should have a primitive and summary tendency to the 

 sciences, is not hitherto extant, though a thing of so great 

 moment as remarkable to show nature to be one and the 

 same, which is supposed the office of a primary philosophy. 

 There is another part of this primary philosophy regard 

 ing the adventitious or transcendental condition of things; 

 as little, much, like, different, possible, impossible, entity, 

 nonentity, etc. For as these things do not properly come 

 under physics, and as their logical consideration rather ac 

 commodates them to argumentation than existence, it is 

 proper that this point be not quite deserted, as being of 

 considerable dignity and use, so as to have some place in 



7 Mneid, vii. 9. 



