I 3 o HISTORY OF SCIENCE. 



intellectual culture, and sought to raise the mind by contemplations 

 withdrawn altogether from the sphere of visible and tangible things. 

 In the Baconian philosophy a strict correspondence of the conclusions 

 with the facts of nature was the essential thing, and only by that could 

 the object sought be obtained. For the end and aim of Bacon's phi- 

 ^ losophy was practical. He expressly declares that he designed it to 

 contain nothing abstract or useless, and to be concerned with only 

 those things which tend to ameliorate the conditions of human life. 



It was this new character given to science, rather than his analysis 

 of inductive reasoning, which makes the appearance of Bacon's great 

 work form an epoch in the history of our subject. When Archimedes 

 applied his mathematical knowledge to practice, and produced con- 

 trivances which were the wonder and admiration of his time, he con- 

 sidered that he was descending from the dignity of the philosophical 

 character, and spoke apologetically of his inventions. Bacon, on the 

 other hand, declares that mathematics could claim no higher position 

 than to be the handmaid of other branches of knowledge which con- 

 tribute directly to the welfare of our race. Macaulay contrasts the 

 philosophy of Plato with that of Bacon, and after giving abundant 

 illustrations of the opposition of their opinions, he thus continues : 

 "To sum up the whole, we should say that the aim of the Platonic 

 philosophy was to exalt man into a god ; the aim of the Baconian 

 / philosophy was to provide man with what he requires while he con- 

 tinues to be man. The aim of the Platonic philosophy was to raise 

 us above vulgar wants ; the aim of the Baconian philosophy was to 

 supply our vulgar wants. The former aim was noble, but the latter 

 was attainable. Plato drew a good bow, but, like Acestes in Virgil, he 

 aimed at the stars; and therefore, though there was no want of strength 

 and skill, the shot was thrown away. His arrow was indeed followed 

 by a track of dazzling radiance, but it struck nothing. Bacon fixed 

 his eye on a mark which was placed on the earth, and within bow- 

 shot, and he hit it in the white. The philosophy of Plato began in 

 words and ended in words noble words, indeed words such as were 

 to be expected from the finest of human intellects exercising boundless 

 dominion over the finest of human languages. The philosophy of 

 Bacon began in observations and ended in arts." 



f The greatest of Bacon's works, written, according to the practice of 

 his age, in Latin, is entitled " Novum Organtyi Scientiarum /" literally, 

 The l\7ew Instrument of the Sciences, or, as we should perhaps say, A 

 New Method of Studying the Sciences. In this work the author advo- 

 cates and explains the method of Induction as the true plan for the 

 investigation of nature. The word Induction literally means a bring- 

 ing in, or a laying together, and the word is significant of the careful 

 and patient bringing together for comparison of the facts and instances, 

 in order to discover some general principle applicable to the whole of 

 them. Most of the notions which in Bacon's time passed current as 



