358 DISCOURSE ON THE STUDY 



means by which he has wrought out his purposes 

 in his works, the sciences have not been behind 

 hand in affording their testimony to its truth 

 Nor are we to suppose that the field is in the 

 slightest degree narrowed, or the chances in favour 

 of such fortunate discoveries at all decreased, bv 

 those which have already taken place : on the 

 contrary, they have been incalculably extended. 

 It is true that the ordinary phenomena which pass 

 before our eyes have been minutely examined, and 

 those more striking and obvious principles which 

 occur to superficial observation have been noticed 

 and embodied in our systems of science ; but, not 

 to mention that by far the greater part of na- 

 tural phenomena remain yet unexplained, every 

 new discovery in science brings into view whole 

 classes of facts which would never otherwise have 

 fallen under our notice at all, and establishes rela- 

 tions which afford to the philosophic mind a con- 

 stantly extending field of speculation, in ranging 

 over which it is next to impossible that he should 

 not encounter new and unexpected principles. How 

 infinitely greater, for instance, are the mere chances 

 of discovery in chemistry among the innumerable 

 combinations with which the modern chemist is 

 familiar, than at a period when two or three imagin- 

 ary elements, and some ten or twenty substances, 

 whose properties were known with an approach to 

 distinctness, formed the narrow circle within which 

 his ideas had to revolve ? How many are the in- 

 stances where a new substance, or a new property, 

 introduced into familiar use, by being thus brought 

 into relation with all our actual elements of know- 



