146 BACON 



ually turned one while to the nature of things and another while 

 to human uses. 



The conjunction of an experiment is a connection and chain 

 of applications, when those things which were not useful sin- 

 gle, are made useful by connection ; for example, to have roses 

 or fruits come late, the way is to pluck off the early buds, or to 

 lay bare the roots and expose them to the open air, towards the 

 middle of spring; but it is much better to do both together. 

 So ice and nitre separate have a great power of cooling, but a 

 much greater when mixed together. But there may be a fal- 

 lacy in this obvious affair, as in all cases where axioms are want- 

 ing, if the conjunction be made in things that operate by differ- 

 ent and, as it were, contrary ways 



As for chance experiments, these are plainly an irrational 

 and wild procedure, when the mind suggests the trial of a 

 thing, not because any reason or experiment persuades it, but 

 only because nothing of the kind has been tried before ; yet 

 even here, perhaps, some considerable mystery lies concealed, 

 provided no stone in nature were left unturned ; for the capital 

 things of nature generally lie out of the beaten paths, so that 

 even the absurdness of a thing sometimes proves useful. But 

 if reason also be here joined, so as to show that the like experi- 

 ment never was attempted, and yet that there is great cause why 

 it should be; then this becomes an excellent instrument, and 

 really enters the bosom of nature. For example, in the opera- 

 tion of fire upon natural bodies it hath hitherto always hap- 

 pened that either something flies off, as flame and smoke in our 

 common fires, or at least that the parts are locally separated to 

 some distance, as in distillation, where the vapor rises and the 

 faeces are left behind ; but no man hath hitherto tried close dis- 

 tillation. Yet it seems probable, that if the force of heat may 

 have its action confined in the cavities of a body, without any 

 possibility of loss or escape, this Proteus of matter will be man- 

 acled, as it were, and forced to undergo numerous transforma- 

 tions, provided only the heat be so moderated and changed as 

 not to break the containing vessel. For this is a kind of natural 

 matrix, where heat has its effect without separating or throwing 

 off the parts of a body. In a true matrix, indeed, there is nour- 

 ishment supplied ; but in point of transmutation the case is the 

 same. And here let none despair or be confounded, if the ex- 

 periments they attempt should not answer their expectation ; 



