ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 79 



There is another part of this primary philosophy regarding 

 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 accommodates 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 the arrangement of the sciences. But 

 this should be done in a manner very different from the com- 

 mon : for example, no writer who has treated of much and little, 

 endeavors to assign the cause why some things in nature are 

 so numerous and large, and others so rare and small; for, 

 doubtless, it is impossible in the nature of things, that there 

 should be as great a quantity of gold as of iron, or roses as 

 plenty as grass, and as great a variety of specific as of imperfect 

 or non-specific nature. So, likewise, nobody that treats of like 

 and different has sufficiently explained, why betwixt particular 

 species there are almost constantly interposed some things that 

 partake of both ; as moss betwixt corruption and a plant ; mo- 

 tionless fish betwixt a plant and an animal ; bats betwixt birds 

 and quadrupeds, etc. Nor has any one hitherto discovered why 

 iron does not attract iron, as the loadstone does ; and why gold 

 does not attract gold, as quicksilver does, etc. But of these 

 particulars we find no mention in the discoures of transcen- 

 dentals ; for men have rather pursued the quirks of words than 

 the subtilties of things. And, therefore, we would introduce 

 into primary philosophy a real and solid inquiry into these 

 transcendentals, or adventitious conditions of beings, accord- 

 ing to the laws of nature, not of speech. 



CHAPTER II 



Natural Theology with its Appendix, the Knowledge of Angels and 



Spirits 



Thus having first seated the common parent of the sciences, 

 as Berecynthia rejoicing over her celestial offspring 



"Omnes ccelicolas, omnes supera alta tenentes,"* 



we return to our division of philosophy into divine, natural, and 

 human ; for natural theology may be justly called divine philos- 



