NOVUM ORGANUM 361 



growth, and the scattered rays of light itself avail not unless 

 collected. 



But if speculative subtilties give offence, what must we say of 

 the scholastic philosophers who indulged in them to such ex- 

 cess ? And those subtilties were wasted on words, or, at least, 

 common notions (which is the same thing), not on things or 

 nature, and alike unproductive of benefit in their origin and 

 their consequences : in no way resembling ours, which are at 

 present useless, but in their consequences of infinite benefit. 

 Let men be assured that all subtle disputes and discursive ef- 

 forts of the mind are late and preposterous, when they are intro- 

 duced subsequently to the discovery of axioms, and that their 

 true, or, at any rate, chief opportunity is, when experiment is 

 to be weighed and axioms to be derived from it. They other- 

 wise catch and grasp at nature, but never seize or detain her : 

 and we may well apply to nature that which has been said of op- 

 portunity or fortune, that she wears a lock in front, but is bald 

 behind. 



In short, we may reply decisively to those who despise any 

 part of natural history as being vulgar, mean, or subtile, and 

 useless in its origin, in the words of a poor woman to a haughty 

 prince,^ who had rejected her petition as unworthy, and be- 

 neath the dignity of his majesty : " Then cease to reign," for it 

 is quite certain that the empire of nature can neither be ob- 

 tained nor administered by one who refuses to pay attention to 

 such matters as being poor and too minute. 



122. Again, it may be objected to us as being singular and 

 harsh, that we should with one stroke and assault, as it were, 

 banish all authorities and sciences, and that too by our own ef- 

 forts, without requiring the assistance and support of any of 

 the ancients. 



Now we are aware, that had we been ready to act otherwise 

 than sincerely, it was not difficult to refer our present method 

 to remote ages, prior to those of the Greeks (since the sciences 

 in all probability flourished more in their natural state, though 

 silently, than when they were paraded with the fifes and trum- 

 pets of the Greeks) ; or even (in parts, at least), to some of the 

 Greeks themselves, and to derive authority and honor from 

 thence ; as men of no family labor to raise and form nobility 

 for themselves in some ancient line, by the help of genealogies. 

 Trusting, however, to the evidence of facts, we reject every 

 kind of fiction and imposture ; and think it of no more conse- 

 quence to our subject, whether future discoveries were known 

 to the ancients, and set or rose according to the vicissitudes of 

 events and lapse of ages, than it would be of importance to 

 mankind to know whether the new world be the island of At- 

 lantis,* and known to the ancients, or be now discovered for the 

 first time. 



