ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 167 



nature in his stead; and, at the same time, receiving final 

 causes through his affection to logic, not theology. 



These final causes, however, are not false, or unworthy 

 of inquiry into metaphysics, but their excursion into the 

 limits of physical causes hath made a great devastation 

 in that province; otherwise, when contained within their 

 own bounds, they are not repugnant to physical causes; for 

 the cause, that &quot;the hairs of the eyelids are to preserve 

 the sight,&quot; is no way contradictory to this, that &quot;pilosity 

 is incident to the orifices of moisture&quot; &quot; Muscosi f ontes, &quot; 

 etc. ; 28 nor does the cause which assigns the firmness of 

 hides in beasts to a protection against the injuries of ex 

 treme weather, militate against the other cause, which attrib 

 utes the firmness to the contraction of the pores on the 

 exterior of the skin, through cold and deprivation of air; 

 and so of the rest: these two kinds of causes agreeing excel 

 lently together; the one expressing the intention, and the 

 6ther the consequence only. 



Nor does this call Divine Providence in question, but 

 rather highly confirms and exalts it; for as he is a greater 

 politician, who can make others the instruments of his will, 

 without acquainting them with his designs, than he who 

 discloses himself to those he employs; so the wisdom of 

 God appears more wondrous, when nature intends one thing, 

 and Providence draws out another, than if the characters of 

 Providence were stamped upon all the schemes of matter 

 and natural motions. So Aristotle had no need of a Grod, 

 after having once impregnated nature with final causes, and 

 laid it down that &quot;nature does nothing in vain; always ob 

 tains her ends when obstacles are removed,&quot; &quot; etc. But 

 Democritus and Epicurus, when they advanced their atoms, 

 were thus far tolerated by some, but when they asserted the 

 fabric of all things to be raised by a fortuitous concourse of 

 these atoms, without the help of mind, they became univer 

 sally ridiculous. So far are physical causes from drawing 



28 Yirg. Eclogues, vii. 45. S9 Aristotle on the Heavens, 1. 



