392 FALLACIES. 



the apparent sanction of experience, which have no 

 foundation in the laws of nature at all. " Itaque recte 

 respondit ille," (we may say with Bacon*,) ** qui cum 

 suspensa tabula in templo ei monstraretur eorum, qui 

 vota solverant, quod naufragii periculo elapsi sint, 

 atque interrogando premeretur, anne turn quidem 

 Deorum numen agnosceret, qusesivit denuo, At ubi 

 sunt illi depicti qui post vota nuncupata perierunt 9 

 Eadem ratio est fere omnis superstitionis, ut in Astro- 

 logicis, in Somniis, Ominibus, Nemesibus, et hujus- 

 modi; in quibus, homines delectati hujusmodi vani- 

 tatibus, advertunt eventus, ubi implentur; ast ubi 

 fallunt, licet multo frequentius, tamen negligunt, et 

 prsetereunt." And he proceeds to say, that indepen- 

 dently of the love of the marvellous, or any other bias 

 in the inclinations, there is a natural tendency in the 

 intellect itself to this kind of fallacy ; since the mind 

 is more moved by affirmative instances, although nega- 

 tive ones are of most use in philosophy: "Is tamen 

 humano intellectui error est proprius et perpetuus, ut 

 magis moveatur et excitetur Affirmativis, quam Nega- 

 tivis; cum rite et ordine sequum se utrique praebere 

 debeat ; quin contra, in omni Axiomate vero constitu- 

 endo, major vis est instantise negativge." 



But the greatest of all causes of non- observation 

 is a preconceived opinion. This it is which, in all ages, 

 has made the whole race of mankind, and every sepa- 

 rate section of it, for the most part unobservant of all 

 facts, however abundant, even when passing under 

 their own eyes, which are contradictory to any first 

 appearance, or any received tenet. It is worth while 

 to recal occasionally to the oblivious memory of man- 

 kind, some of the striking instances in which opinions 



Nov. Org,, Aph. 46. 



