NOVUM ORGANUM 345 



be so hereafter. But if anyone attempt to give himself up to 

 things, and to discover something new, yet he will only propose 

 and destine for his object the investigation and discovery of 

 some one invention, and nothing more; as the nature of the 

 magnet, the tides, the heavenly system, and the like, which ap- 

 pear enveloped in some degree of mystery, and have hitherto 

 been treated with but little success. Now it is the greatest proof 

 of want and skill, to investigate the nature of any object in itself 

 alone ; for that same nature, which seems concealed and hidden 

 in some instances, is manifest and almost palpable in others, 

 and excites wonder in the former, whilst it hardly attracts at- 

 tention in the latter. Thus the nature of consistency is scarcely 

 observed in wood or stone, but passed over by the term solid 

 without any further inquiry about the repulsion of separation 

 or the solution of continuity. But in water-bubbles the same 

 circumstance appears matter of delicate and ingenious research, 

 for they form themselves into thin pellicles, curiously shaped 

 into hemispheres, so as for an instant to avoid the solution of 

 continuity. 



In general, those very things which are considered as secret 

 are manifest and common in other objects, but will never be 

 clearly seen if the experiments and contemplation of man be 

 directed to themselves only. Yet it commonly happens, that 

 if, in the mechanical arts, anyone bring old discoveries to a finer 

 polish, or more elegant height of ornament, or unite and com- 

 pound them, or apply them more readily to practice, or exhibit 

 them on a less heavy and voluminous scale, and the like, they 

 will pass off as new. 



We cannot, therefore, wonder that no magnificent discover- 

 ies worthy of mankind, have been brought to light, whilst men 

 are satisfied and delighted with such scanty and puerile tasks, 

 nay, even think that they have pursued or attained some great 

 object in their accomplishment. 



89. Nor should we neglect to observe that natural philoso- 

 phy has, in every age, met with a troublesome and difficult op- 

 ponent : I mean superstition, and a blind and immoderate zeal 

 for religion. For we see that, among the Greeks, those who 

 first disclosed the natural causes of thunder and storms to the 

 yet untrained ears of man were condemned as guilty of impiety 

 towards the gods. Nor did some of the old fathers of Christian- 

 ity treat those much better who showed by the most positive 

 proofs (such as no one now disputes) that the earth is spherical, 

 and thence asserted that there were antipodes. 



Even in the present state of things the condition of discus- 

 sions on natural philosophy is rendered more difficult and dan- 

 gerous by the summaries and methods of divines, who, after re- 

 ducing divinity into such order as they could and brought it 



