60 DISSERTATION SECOND. L"» T i. 



perience, but in the unskilful use of it ; in taking up princi- 

 ples lightly from an inaccurate and careless observalion of 

 many things; or, if the observations have been more accu- 

 rate, from those made on a few facts, unwarrantably gene- 

 ralized. 



Bacon proceeds to point out the circumstances, in the 

 history of the world, which had hitherto favoured these 

 perverse modes of philosophizing. He observes, that the 

 periods during which science had been cultivated were not 

 many, nor of long duration. They might be reduced to 

 three ; the first with the Greeks ; the second with the Ro- 

 mans ; and the third with the western nations, after the re- 

 vival of letters. In none of all these periods had much at- 

 tention been paid to natural philosophy, the great parent of 

 the sciences. 



With the Greeks, the time was very short during which 

 physical science flourished in any degree. The seven 

 Sages, with the exception of Thales, applied Ihemselves 

 entirely to morals and politicks ; and in later times, after 

 Socrates had brought down philosophy from the heavens 

 to the earth, the study of nature was generally abandon- 

 ed. In the Roman republick, the knowledge most cul- 

 tivated, as might be expected among a martial and ambi- 

 tious people, was such as had a direct reference to war and 

 politicks. During the empire, the introduction and estab- 

 lishment of the Christian religion drew the attention of men 

 to theological studies, and the important interests which 

 were then at stake left but a small share of talent and ability 

 to be occupied in inferiour pursuits. The corruptions 

 which followed, and the vast hierarchy which assumed the 

 command both of the sword and the sceptre, while it oc- 

 cupied and enslaved the minds of men, looked with suspi- 

 cion on sciences which could not easily be subjected to its 

 control. 



