NOVUM ORGANUM 317 



them, as principles and their supposed indisputable truth, de- 

 rives and discovers the intermediate axioms. This is the way 

 now in use. The other constructs its axioms from the senses 

 and particulars, by ascending continually and gradually, till h 

 finally arrives at the most general axioms, which is the true but 

 unattempted way. 



20. The understanding when left to itself proceeds by the 

 same way as that which it would have adopted under the guid- 

 ance of logic, namely, the first ; for the mind is fond of starting 

 off to generalities, that it may avoid labor, and after dwelling a 

 little on a subject is fatigued by experiment. But those evils 

 are augmented by logic, for the sake of the ostentation of dis- 

 pute. 



21. The understanding, when left to itself in a man of a 

 steady, patient, and reflecting disposition (especially when un- 

 impeded by received doctrines), makes some attempt in the 

 right way, but with little effect, since the understanding, un- 

 directed and unassisted, is unequal to and unfit for the task of 

 vanquishing the obscurity of things. 



22. Each of these two ways begins from the senses and par- 

 ticulars, and ends in the greatest generalities. But they are 

 immeasurably different ; for the one merely touches cursorily 

 the limits of experiment and particulars, whilst the other runs 

 duly and regularly through them the one from the very out- 

 set lays down some abstract and useless generalities, the other 

 gradually rises to those principles which are really the most 

 common in nature. 



23. There is no small difference between the idols of the hu- 

 man mind and the ideas of the Divine mind that is to say, 

 between certain idle dogmas and the real stamp and impression 

 of created objects, as they are found in nature. 



24. Axioms determined upon in argument can never assist 

 in the discovery of new effects ; for the subtilty of nature is 

 vastly superior to that of argument. But axioms properly and 

 regularly abstracted from particulars easily point out and de- 

 fine new particulars, and therefore impart activity to the sci- 

 ences. 



25. The axioms now in use are derived from a scanty hand- 

 ful, as it were, of experience, and a few particulars of frequent 

 occurrence, whence they are of much the same dimensions or 

 extent as their origin. And if any neglected or unknown in- 

 stance occurs, the axiom is saved by some frivolous distinction, 

 when it would be more consistent with truth to amend it. 



26. We are wont, for the sake of distinction, to call that hu- 

 man reasoning which we apply to nature the anticipation of 

 nature (as being rash and premature), and that which is prop- 

 erly deduced from things the interpretation of nature. 



