33-34.] NOTES. 113 



1. 23. time which is the author of authors, cf. " Truth is the 

 daughter of time. " Nov. Org., Bk. 1. Aph. 84, cf. p. 34, 1. 11. 



1. 24. to discover, to disclose. 



1. 26. peccant humours, unhealthy states. Literally the words 

 signify ' morbid juices ' in the body. 



1. 28. intrinsic, used in its literal sense of 'internal,' 'hidden 

 from sight.' 



1. 29. traducement, see on p. 19, 1. 2. 



Pages 34-40. Having considered the grosser blemishes which 

 disfigure and bring discredit upon learning, Bacon now proceeds 

 to consider its more superficial defects. Of these he enumerates 



(i.) Men are too ready to accept ideas and beliefs, either' 

 because they are old, or because they are novel. 



(ii.) It is generally thought that everything that is to be 

 discovered must have been discovered long ago. Hence ensues 

 awfmj. nf entfirpri. in sri.f>.n_ 



~7m.) It is commonly thought that, by a kind of 'natural 

 selection,' those doctrines, which have survived to the present 

 time, must be the soundest. In reality, the opposite of this is 

 true. In the river of time the weightiest doctrines sink first. 



(iv.) Arts and sciences have been formulated before the 

 necessary data were obtained. Thus a false air of completeness 

 has been given to knowledge. 



(v.) The results of the different sciences have not been com 

 pared and co-ordinated. Hence individual sciences have not 

 progressed as they might have done, because deprived of the 

 light which other sciences might have thrown upon them. 



(vi.) Students have placed such confidence in their own 

 faculties that they have ventured to explain phenomena a priori, 

 wanting the patience for a diligent study of nature. 



(vii.) Men have come biassed to the study of nature, reading 

 ii in the light of preconceived idea : and interpreting it in 

 terms of their own philosophy. 



(viii.) There has been a general impatience, of ^ffiw.ZfoW 

 No satisfactory conclusions can be arrived at, when difficulties 

 are passed over instead of being solved. 



(ix.) Writers have asserted as proved things which are not 

 proved: whereas they ought in their writings to distinguish 

 those principles which are proved, from those which need 

 further corroboration. 



(x.) Students have neglected original research, and have been 

 contented with simply editing the works of others. 



H 



