NOVUM ORGANUM 395 



dense, locally expanded or contained within the bounds of its 

 first dimensions, verging to dissolution or remaining fixed, 

 animal, vegetable, or mineral, water, or oil, or air, or any other 

 substance whatever susceptible of such motion. Sensible heat 

 is the same, but considered relatively to the senses. Let us now 

 proceed to further helps. 



21. After our tables of first review, our rejection or exclusive 

 table, and the first vintage derived from them, we must advance 

 to the remaining helps. of the understanding with regard to the 

 interpretation of nature, and a true and perfect induction, in 

 offering which we will take the examples of cold and heat where 

 tables are necessary, but where fewer instances are required, 

 we will go through a variety of others, so as neither to confound 

 investigation nor to narrow our doctrine. 



In the first place, therefore, we will treat of prerogative in- 

 stances ; 2. Of the supports of induction ; 3. Of the correction 

 of induction ; 4. Of varying the investigation according to the 

 nature of the subject ; 5. Of the prerogative natures with re- 

 spect to investigation, or of what should be the first or last ob- 

 jects of our research ; 6. Of the limits of investigation, or a 

 synopsis of all natures that exist in the universe; 7. Of the 

 application to practical purposes, or of what relates to man ; 8. 

 Of the preparations for investigation ; 9. And lastly, of the 

 ascending and descending scale of axioms. 



22. Amongst the prerogative instances we will first mention 

 solitary instances. Solitary instances are those which exhibit 

 the required nature in subjects that have nothing in common 

 with any other subject than the nature in question, or which 

 do not exhibit the required nature in subjects resembling others 

 in every respect except that of the nature in question ; for 

 these instances manifestly remove prolixity, and accelerate and 

 confirm exclusion, so that a few of them are of as much avail 

 as many. 



For instance, let the inquiry be the nature of color. Prisms, 

 crystalline gems, which yield colors not only internally but on 

 the wall, dews, etc., are solitary instances ; for they have nothing 

 in common with the fixed colors in flowers and colored gems, 

 metals, woods, etc., except the color itself. Hence we easily 

 deduce that color is nothing but a modification of the image of 

 the incident and absorbed light, occasioned in the former case 

 by the different degrees of incidence, in the latter by the various 

 textures and forms of bodies. These are solitary instances as 

 regards similitude. 



Again, in the same inquiry the distinct veins of white and 

 black in marble, and the variegated colors of flowers of the 

 same species, are solitary instances ; for the black and white of 

 marble, and the spots of white and purple in the flowers of the 



